Uni in the USA: A British Guide to American Universities and Colleges > All New: Colleges and Universities Added in 2009 > Rice (new review!)
Houston, Texas
Undergrads: 3,050
Grads: 2,150
How many Rice students does it take to change a light bulb?
4 – one to change it, one to take it out again and claim it for his own college, one to take it out yet again and throw it at the administration, and one to point out that it was all done just as well as any Ivy League school.
***
With brilliant, quirky students, an unmatched faculty and a fantastic range of sports and social events, Rice has so much to offer to every type of student. The university is changing rapidly though, so beware – many warn that it is losing its charm and its most attractive qualities, while others are happy to see the change of style push the school ever-upwards, at least in the rankings.
The Campus
It is debatable whether the old saying “there are more trees than people at Rice” is still true. What is for sure is that Rice’s delightful 300 acre campus is pleasant and functional, and that the facilities far surpass what might be expected of a college of its size. While the lawns and gardens are very popular with students, the buildings are also striking (perhaps due to the world-famous architecture department), with a mix of Spanish tiles and East Coast brick. Some are more ambitious, such as the Chemistry block designed to look like the school’s mascot, the owl, the Politics department with strange staircases (allegedly built to confuse any terrorists that might want to disrupt the big-name speakers who give speeches there) or the enigmatic “Dr. Seuss building” (so named for the bizarre design).
Most freshmen and an awful lot of the other students live on campus. Unlike many colleges, students often try to linger on campus as long as they can, because they love the living arrangements. The dorms are divided into “colleges”, in a system very similar to the British public school “houses” or Oxbridge’s colleges. Students are assigned to colleges arbitrarily when they arrive (“like the Sorting Hat”, as one put it), and each college has a traditional and unique spirit or area of excellence (again like Harry Potter). Some colleges are known for their athletes, others for their academics, others for their parties, but everyone loves the system, which is often named as the single best thing about Rice.
Rice has good academic facilities, but is known more for its sporting ones, which include a new athletic complex and an enormous football stadium where President Kennedy famously gave his speech about his determination to send men to the moon, not too long before being assassinated in another Texas city. In fact, Rice has a strong connection with astronautics, since nearby Houston Space Centre is built on land donated by the university and several alumni and faculty have been professional astronauts. When we visited, a mechanical engineering professor had just returned from repairing the Hubble Space Telescope, which he apparently accomplished whilst wearing a T-Shirt signed by the whole department.
The Owl
The student body has traditionally been one of the most attractive aspects of a Rice education. The Princeton Review rates the school among the top 15 in the “Happiest Students” section, and indeed the enthusiasm and joi de vivre here is palpable. Students have a lot of pride in what they are, but it is an entirely unselfish, modest kind of pride - one that springs from real fulfillment. They are proud of their academic record, proud of their ability to work hard and party hard, proud of their sporting prowess and proud of their general knack for making interesting and fully-rounded personalities out of themselves. “Everyone’s on the same page in that respect,” said one senior, adding modestly “and in that we’re all just dorks at the end of the day.”
Rice has traditionally attracted a slightly off-beat crowd from a wide range of backgrounds, most of whom are looking for a top-notch education without the elitism and other drawbacks of the big East Coasters, but also without the out-and-out hippies of the really small liberal arts schools. There are not too many international students, but there is a good diversity of socio-economic and racial profiles, and students assure us that “no one has a problem fitting in”.
However, the tides are turning. Some blame it on the new Principal, some on a popular teen magazine, Seventeen, which named Rice the “coolest” school in the country in 2002, much to the amusement (and bewilderment) of the students. Either way, the demographic is veering ever-closer towards the mainstream. Fees have risen, and with them applications from wealthy caucasians.
Still, Rice is a long way from Princeton, and the positive distinguishing characteristics of the student body (work ethic, interesting personalities etc) are far from dead. Rice students share a strong communal spirit with their peers, and the sense of everyone being “in it together” is very prominent. You see it in the crazy traditions, the powerful honour code and in the intense academic stamina, not to mention the fierce support of school sports teams at big events.
Hitting the Books
Rice is frequently ranked in the top twenty best undergraduate programs – regardless of the criteria. With an unbeatable student:faculty ratio of 5:1, the university combines the wonderful small-class, intimate student-teacher relationships of smalls schools with the big-hitting academic machinery of an Ivy. Programs in areas such as engineering and performance music are among the best in the country, while the small architecture department is world famous, and the politics department was first established by former Secretary of State James Baker and has continued to attract huge-name speakers (including Presidents) ever since. Rice is a pioneer in nanotechnology, and holds a Guinness World Record for creating the smallest car (out of atoms).
The work load is large and challenging, the students are hard working and competitive, and everyone feeds off each other’s work ethic. In work, as in everything at Rice, there is a strong communal spirit among the students, which is fostered and honed by the “caring” and “available” professors. This manifests itself in the honour code, which allows teachers to set take-home tests without fear of cheating, and which allows both student and teacher to share social lives and get to know each other outside the classroom.
Rice is much better known for its sciences and engineering than its arts or humanities, and non-scientists generally have slightly less enthusiastic views about the teaching. It is ironic, therefore, that there is no medical school at Rice. The administration, aware that this of gap in teaching is detrimental to the ranking lists, is attempting to annex the neighbouring but as-yet-unaffiliated Baylor Med-school, which is one of the best in the country. Future doctors can therefore expect an excellent research facility possibly as early as autumn 2009.
Social Life
Do not underrate the “party” bit of Rice’s “work hard, party hard” culture. Rice is a famously “wet” campus, and there is an unstated consensus between administration and students that students are permitted wild parties and as much alcohol as they want, but in return they behave responsibly and seldom overstep reasonable limits. You’re not going to find the classic TV frat parties here (and not just because Rice has no Greek life). In the words of one student: “the social scene can be a little weird at times.” But that doesn’t stop everyone loving it!
The spectacular range of social events is planned by the students and paid for by the university. Famous examples of these include NOD (Night of Decadence…), Baker 13 (running in the nude), and of course the “Beer Bike” (bicycles, alcohol, and lots of water-balloons), which is so popular that alumni often return just to take part. Before students are even matriculated at the start of their Rice years, pre-freshmen can attend “Owl Weekend”, an introductory couple of days of parties, drinks and performances that is unanimously loved.
Colleges are the main source of parties, with each one organising its own events which everyone can attend. “There is always something to do on the weekend,” said one happy student. As well as the big events, for example, there are jazz concerts, themed parties, poetry slams or just hanging out on the lawns or the great coffeehouses and pubs on campus. Rice is home to a number of excellent media groups, including student-run newspapers, a radio station and a TV channel.
Sports are huge at Rice, which is one of the smallest schools in the country to have teams in the top Division One basketball and football, as well as one of the best college baseball teams around. Other sports such as swimming and volleyball are also played to a high standard.
In 2004, David Leebron became the new President of Rice, having previously worked as the Dean at Columbia University in New York. Immediately setting out to “Ivy Leaugify” the college, Leebron was at once controversial. Some praise his bold moves in attracting bigger donors and professors, and generally raising the reputation of the school from excellent to among the very best. Others, including the majority of the students, resent what they see as his attempts to crush the unique spirit and best foibles of the school, and to make it more middle-of-the-road.
Having raised tuition, clamped down on alcohol consumption, and refused to live in the historic on-campus residence of Rice Presidents (relocating to a nearby mansion instead), Leebron has not endeared his administration to the hearts of the students, and some even hint darkly that he plans to attack the beloved cornerstone of Rice life – the college system. He is also building two new colleges to expand the school size to 3,800, again seen as a move away from Rice’s jealously guarded small college status. As one newly graduated student put it, “it’s a shame for the kids who are there now, but I guess I can’t complain if he improves the reputation of my degree!”
Outside Those Ivory Walls
Students don’t live life in a bubble at Rice, they live “between the hedges” (a reference to the shrubbery along the campus’ entire perimeter). There is so much fun to be had on campus that few feel the need to leave, especially in the early years. Yet Rice is located perfectly in America’s fourth largest metropolis, Houston, and those who like to experience the city that they go to school in will find a treasure trove of delights. Houston is aglow with cool venues, funky old restaurants and bars and oil-rich mansion-filled districts.
The university is next to a metro stop (though most students either bring a car or stay on-campus), and a major motorway that takes you rapidly to all parts of the city, though perhaps the best attractions are no further than the nearby Rice Village. Houston is pretty close to beautiful beach town Galveston, which is popular destination for sea lovers.
Getting In
Rice is tough to get into, almost on a par with any competitive school you can name in America. One unique part of an application to Rice is “the box”, a little area reserved for applicants to simply do something interesting and eye-catching. Students advise you to be creative with this, but don’t draw yourself outside of the box in a thinking pose – it’s been done before.
Rice started life as a free college, and until very recently it was still extremely good value for money. The last eight years, however, have seen the total yearly cost rise from $17,000 to $41,000, with no signs of slowing. Lots of financial aid is available, however.
Famous Grads
Cadence Bushnell – author, Sex and the City
Larry McMurty – Pulitzer and Oscar winning author (Brokeback Mountain screenplay)
Alberto Gonzales – notorious Bush administration Attorney General