Rice University
"More Than Just a Staple Grain"
When I started my college search, I had three main criteria. I wanted to go to a small inclusive research university, one that had my major and a school with a lot of trees. Many schools fit my criteria and while I felt like I could succeed at those schools, none really clicked with me. I was starting to get discouraged, was I ever going to find my perfect school? Then, I was selected for Rice University's SOAR fly-in. I was a little skeptical at first, the most I knew about Houston was that it had wicked humidity. But then I got there, and I fell in love. Rice was the friendliest, happiest and most collaborative campus I'd seen. Multiple students offered to help myself and other prospective students with our applications. Everyone I met was genuinely excited to be at Rice and passionate about what they were learning whether they were doing engineering or the humanities. They were doing research and were involved with the local community. Students had all the resources of a major research university at a school the size of a large liberal arts college. All the professors I spoke with were kind and excited like the students. They went above and beyond to answer my questions. Students were excited for school events like themed parties and Beer Bike. Everyone had strong opinions about the residential colleges- a system where everyone is assigned to one of eleven colleges which takes the place of Greek life on Rice's campus. Everyone seemed to think their college was the best and Will Rice was the worst, unless the were from Will Rice. When I left the campus all I wanted to do was return. Rice was the happiest, most inclusive, and tree filled campus I visited. I hope to see you there next year!
