Rice University Top Questions

The largest class I've had so far at Rice has had about 50 people, and the smallest had only 6. All of my professors knew my name and were more than willing to help out during office hours and with review sessions before big tests. The distribution classes requirement is good because it forces people out of their comfort zone. Actually, some of the best classes I've taken have been for distribution. The education at Rice is definitely geared toward learning for the sake of learning. The great education I'm getting is my favorite thing about Rice! Outside of class, I feel like the majority of student conversations are not really intellectual, which is frustrating because it's obvious that everyone here is so smart. They mostly talk about parties.

Rice is hard. Plain and simple. But someone who is looking at a school like Rice wouldn't be deterred by that, because let's face it, smart kids look at Rice. Many of the classes at Rice challenge you intellectually, and really make you work hard for a good grade. Just like any university, there are relatively slack classes, and while it's nice to have them every once in a while, the challenging courses are a bit better, because they really push you to better yourself.

"Do Rice students have intellectual conversations outside of class?" Actually, there is a huge effort by students to encourage deep conversations at the casual level. For the past couple years it was mostly spearheaded by various religious groups on campus, but last year a few students started a project called "Big Talk" with the sole purpose of getting people talking more deeply. I think it's a pretty cool deal (betweenaduck.com) and I'm proud that it came out of my school.

Once you finish the big freshmen lecture classes, the class size tends to drop off rapidly and I know most of my professors personally. Most Rice students are busy *all* the time. Most of that might be spent studying, but people are also heavily involved in extracurriculars. People are much more collaborative than competitive, probably because you get to be friends with your potential "competition". I'll usually meet different professors socially outside the university setting (at the house, for dinner, etc.) a few times a semester. Almost all classes are taught by tenure-track professors and most really enjoy it (the few who don't usually find some bureaucratic loophole to get out of it). I engage in intellectual conversations outside class all the time. Every party I've attended has involved discussion about recent advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, or philosophical questions.

Every school has their introductory classes where there are about 200 kids in the lecture hall. As you take more classes towards your major, the classes get smaller and there is more interaction. I love the language classes which are usually around 20 students, and Rice has great language softwares. Being a biochemistry major, I spend alot of time in my individual research lab. We have alot of these opportunities to work closely with a research mentor and sepnd alot of time with them discussing about our research. I feel that they are geniunely interested in helping you learn more about your subject.

Education at Rice is what you want it to be. If you want small seminar classes where you go to the professor's house for dinner, you can find that- you'll just have to deal with fewer options than a larger school might have. Getting into the classes you want to register for is never a problem; I have never heard of anyone that did not get to take a class they wanted to take. The way that I've seen most classes operate, if you do all the work, you get an A, but there's a lot of work to do, so not everyone chooses to do it all. There are obviously some exceptions to this, but I find that graders are pretty understanding, and completion of assignments may matter more than getting every question right.

The academics at Rice are amazing. I love my classes and how small they are. The professors care a lot about how much you learn and encourage participation all the time. I've learned a lot from my peers, and feel that the curriculum is preparing me well for the outside world without limiting my educational experience by forcing me to study a certain field or major too closely.

Your first year will mostly be intro classes, which (in the sciences anyways) are about 80 people. These numbers go down as you go to higher levels of science, or if you take an liberal arts class (which are hardly ever bigger than 50 students). Professors in these smaller classes often get to know your name, especially if you speak in class (which is often encouraged). The best thing about the professors is your ability to communicate with them outside of class. Many of them are what we call "associates", which belong to one of the 9 residential colleges on campus. They will be seen eating meals with you in your servery, and will always be there to offer advice. I got to know this physics professor really well this year, despite hating Physics and never having him- he just was an interesting character at the dinner table. Academically, Rice is very challenging. It's not in the Top 20 for nothing, and it doesn't inflate its grades like most upper-tier colleges do. Be prepared to work, and be prepared NOT to get straight A's. You study every day (except possibly Friday), and you work hard, play hard. At Rice, most education is geared towards increasing creativity and interest in a subject; many of the students go on to some post-grad work, and besides the motto of Rice is to increase intellectual curiosity.

Rice has the one of the best if not the best undergraduate program in the country. Class sizes are small and research opportunites for undergraduates are ample.

Academics are probably the most well-known aspect of Rice. Rice has rigorous classes but also has some that are not as hard. Students tend to study a good deal; many are found in the library. I would say that students are competitive. I'm double majoring in Biochemistry & Cell Biology and Psychology. For biochemistry, the upper-level science classes are difficult, and for psychology they aren't as bad.