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Hey all! I am trying to decide between Emory and Rice to apply ED (I love the both: I have a scholarship that makes them both financially feasible. My only reservation about Rice is being in Texas. I love Atlanta,which is a huge plus for Emory. Rice, however, has the residential system, the honor code,etc.... Can anyone give me some feedback on Houston itself?(A visit does not appear to be within my budget). Most specifically, nightlife, Texas influences...

By Anxiousmom (Anxiousmom) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 06:55 pm: Edit

DD attends. She does not have a car - and is having a blast. This coming weekend a Rice student with a car is driving a group to spend the weekend in Corpus Christi at the beach. (It's a 4-day school holiday). She's also been to lots of concerts and events on campus and off. SHe's had dinner with her college master and her orientation group (says it was great - really likes the college master and his wife) and has eaten food from all different cultures. (Ethiopian, Thai, Brazilian) Lots of great places to eat in Houston. Lots of parties on campus with fun themes (just attended "screw your roommate" party which is blind dates set up by your roommates), lots of intermural sports and club sports - but not a whole lot of support for the football team. She walks or bikes to Rice village, which has a lots of places to eat and shops and things. Very nice and upscale, but affordable. The neighborhood around Rice is very nice, with big old houses. Tons of green grass and trees, and across the street from a huge park, etc. It's amazing that she has time for schoolwork with all that goes on! She says kids are very friendly and of all political persuasions, - though not particularly politically active. DD joined the Rice democrats, is singing in a choir, playing lots of sports. I'll try to answer more specifically if your questions are specific.

By Bmy (Bmy) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 07:29 pm: Edit

S is a freshman and says "inside Rice" is very different from Houston/Texas in terms of politics and overall culture. His favorite thing about the school so far is the people. He finds the students to be generally thoughtful, diverse, bright, accepting, and fun. My S has stayed pretty much on campus or in the surrounding area so far. There always seems to be plenty to do: hanging out, parties, sports, lectures, theater, improv...and midterms Last week he went to one of the university orchestra's concerts and said it was spectacular. He's beginning to explore Houston via the light rail line that's just outside of campus. He's been to the Houston Ballet and plans staying in the city over fall break to get to know it better. There's excellent theater, opera, ballet, symphony, and museums in addition to an unlimited variety of ethnic restaurants.
We visited Emory, too. The setting is pretty and the facilities are over the top. Our first impression, however, was that Rice students are a little friendlier and that the residential colleges create more of a sense of community. That's pretty subjective, though. Good luck. They're both really good schools.

By Scetoaux (Scetoaux) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 03:04 am: Edit

Hi parents,

What college are your students in (if they're freshmen, there is actually a reasonable chance I've met them)? I would have to agree with all the good things you've said about Rice so far, but I would disagree that there isn't support for the football team. At the UT game 2 weeks ago we had several hundred students come and fill up a tiny sector of UT's stadium. Even though they dwarfed us, percentage wise it would be like if 5000 UT students came to Houston to play Rice. Its so much fun to go to every football game and cheer myself hoarse. Also, I wouldn't say the politics here are as abjectly apathetic as people like to say. Last night I was hanging out with some people at Will Rice College talking about all kinds of political things from the governor of new mexico to Teddy Roosevelt. Overall Rice is more liberal than conservative but there is

And to the original poster: One of the many awesome things about Rice is that it is in Texas. I know a kid from Massachusetts who said he was surprised he hasn't seen anybody executed yet, lol. Rice really is affected much less by being in Texas as being in Houston, and even then I don't leave campus at all on the weekdays because Rice is so self contained. Texas, Houston, and Rice are all awesome. And if you subtracted any of those three from the combo then the other two would lack in awesomeness.

By Scetoaux (Scetoaux) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 03:05 am: Edit

woops, sorry, I meant to say at the end of that first paragraph: "there is a dialogue between political ideas"

By Jym626 (Jym626) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 11:11 pm: Edit

We live in Atlanta and our son is a freshman at Rice, so perhaps I can chime in on this one. This is a tough question- as both are great choices. What are you planning to major in? That might sway my comments a bit. As for the cities, both have equally awful traffic (the Atlanta paper just featured an article on the severe traffic problems around Emory, and a friend who works on campus says it sometimes takes her 40' to drive 4 miles. Both cities can get quite humid (though Houston wins out on that one- but being from Fla, that shouldn't be a big issue for you!). Atlanta has true seasonal weather changes, and spring is particularly beautiful around here, unless you have allergies! While Emory has several hangouts right across from the campus entrance that are frequented by the students , the selection is limited. While Rice Village is a slightly longer walk/ride, it is much more charming and has a lot more to offer. The theater and museums are easier to get to from campus in Houston (right down the new rail line), but to be fair, as Emory is a larger school, they may have a bit more theater-type stuff on campus.(That's a guess). Personally, I think Rice draws academically stronger students. My son spent the summer after his junior year working at a pathology lab at Emory, and while it was a great experience and he loved the folks he worked with, he didn't even apply to Emory. He really loves the residential college system and the smaller size of Rice. And while it would have been great to have had him across town rather than a plane ride away, he is loving Rice , which makes us happy. In Texas he's closer to the beach (Galveston) and to the slopes of Colorado, should he want to get away. The only problem with Atlanta is that is is surrounded by... Georgia. I agree with the folks who have posted above me. Rice students do a lot together on campus. It really is a big family, if that is what you are looking for. Oh, and as for the areas surrounding campus, both Emory and Rice have one side with charming big old houses, and another side that is, generally, shall I say, less attractive. The big cement barricades around the CDC (Center for Disease Control) off the Emory campus are not too attractive. The apartments near campus are newer in Houston than in Atlanta, should you live off campus. Emory is in a generally more residential area, so activities off campus are a little harder to get to without a car. Atlanta's bus/rail system is pretty useless. Hope this helps. Good luck. You really can't go wrong with either choice.