Rice University Top Questions

Classes are fairly good. Intro classes can be large but rarely exceed 200 and are usually around 100. Other classes are generally held around 30 people, and there are many classes that have around 10 people. Students have to study a lot if they care about grades, for example if they want to go to medical school. Professors really try to get to know their students as much as possible and encourage anyone who wants to to visit them during their office hours, make appointments to meet with them, or even just stop by. I am a Biochemistry and Cell Biology major (BCB), and I have a lot of difficult classes that I need to take. However, it is one of the most popular majors here on campus because there are a lot of people interested in biology. The professors in this field are all very good, and most of them have side research projects and are always looking for undergraduates to help them in the lab.

Everyone here seems to be very intelligent and very committed to academics. People are sometimes overly ambitious (almost everyone double and triple majors) and very dedicated to their studies. Some students are really competitive but most aren't. The engineering students here often have great job offers right out of college, so I would say that they are geared more towards getting a job whereas the humanities and social sciences majors are more in it for the learning.

Overall, good. Definitely varies by major and class. All the teachers are ready to help students and that is impressive. Class sizes, at least in my case, were larger than advertised, but still manageable. I think some learning is geared towards a job, but it doesnt feel like there is a lot of pressure. People are not outwardly competitive with one another, which is great.

Professors are pretty good with names. I took a great Sociology course from Professor Klineberg and I also enjoyed my Energy Economics course from Professor Medlock (it's kind of hard, but very interesting). Global Environmental Law with Professor Blackburn is a MUST but I recommend some background knowledge of the environment (from a policy side or an engineering-side) before taking the class. Students study, I feel like, a very good amount of the time. class participation is very common. and yes, rice students have intellectual conversations outside of class. students are very competitive. Education is definitely geared towards learning for it's own sake, not geared towards getting a job. I say that with 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} truth. that's what's so great about it (i think). It can be frustrating just around the time you're job hunting and you feel like everywhere else, students are getting better preparation for jobs, but that's only a fleeting sentiment.

yes, profs know my name favorite class: nutrition, adolescent development least favorite: physics study: everyone studies a different amount of time class participation: yes, lots outside of class: yes competitive: yes most unique: adolescent development major: kinesiology, know most people in it professors outside class: not really academic requirements: they're fine...distribution 1 classes kinda suck... geared towards both, depends on professor

Some do know our names and some don't. My favorite class as odd as this sounds was my Econ 211 class because our professor was amazing. Least favorite --- Introduction to Game Theory. Horrible Professor and just boring Students study far far too much at Rice (we still do other things and just sacrifice sleep) Saturday nights smaller numbers seem to be going out becasue they are studying either that night or all day Sunday. You have to study a lot honestly with the level of academics at Rice. Class Participation --- depends the class but I would say yes more so than most universities. Yes there are far too many intellectual conversations around Rice The students are VERY competitive Most unique class -- Criminology My major is Mathematical Economic Analysis. Lots of math and economics courses. Econ I enjoy though and find very interesting. Some of them you do and some you don't. Just depends the professor. The academic requirements are really really good at Rice. Not too many basic courses coming in. They assume if you were smart enough to get to Rice you probably shouldn't be required to take basic history or something if you don't want to. It's a mix. They expect you to learn a lot but most importantly expect you too be able to apply what you learn without telling you how to apply it. This aspect gets you ready for the real world and jobs.

Yes they know my name since classes are small. My favorite class was religion and hip hip Reli157, and my least favorite has been Statistics stat280. Students study all of the time, every waking hour. Class participation is integral in small classes. Yes they have intellectual conversations out of class all of the time. Students are very competitive. The most unique class I've taken was "mental health on film." I am a history department and it has been a pleasure dealing with all of the faculty and professors. No i don't spend time with professors outside of class. I think Rice's academic requirements are different. I enjoy that you don't have a set cirriculum, but I do think classes are difficult. The education at rice is geared towards getting a job.

Academics are top notch here. Classes are challenging and the professors all know their subjects really well. The best part is how available professors are to help you. We have an honor system that allows for take-home exams, quizzes, etc... which is a big convenience. People really respect the honor system and value it as part of the Rice experience.

Professors know my name because I am an architecture major. There aren't very many of us. Our architecture program is pragmatic enough to help you secure quality internships even while in school, and our professors embrace each student for who they are and what they can do, and actively seek to build upon each student's abilities. I really value the dedication of professors to instill upon us a desire to think, to learn more and to act.

Education at Rice will definitely gear you towards getting a job. Some people say where you go to college isn't important, but when an employer sees Rice stamped on your diploma it's almost guaranteed that they will give your resume more consideration.