Rice University Top Questions

The building in which I live is the oldest dorm in Rice University, and you can really tell that time has taken a toll on the building. Other than that, there's nothing wrong with Rice at all. Seriously, Rice is perfect

The worst thing about my school is the lack of options for a meal plan. Currently, Rice offers one meal plan for all students: 19 meals per week - 3/day on weekdays and 2/day on Saturdays and Sundays. As a person who likes to explore a city and discover new restaurants, it would be nice to have an option for fewer meals per week because I would be able to go out to restaurants in the area and not feel guilty about spending money on a meal that I have previously paid for on campus.

It's a random complaint, but we don't really have any night life during the week. More annoyingly, you can't buy food after 11 unless you want to go to the pub. It's not a big deal, but considering that many students stay up late for social or academic reasons, not being able to get food late at night is a bit of a problem. Fortunately, the administration is looking into opening a late-night cafe.

I feel like a lot of kids at my school are very tightly wound and way too concerned about their GPA or grad school, and they don't give enough thought to pursue other intrests. As a music major, I am very artistic and open to new, creative ways to express myself and how to grow as an individual. People at Rice, are too set in a very narrow track without wanting to expand their horizons.

Rice is very geared for engineering students. Its other fields of studies are expanding greatly, which is really good, but there are still more opportunities available for engineers. When there are job fairs, most of the representatives that come are primarily from the engineering and science industry. A lot of times, humanities and social sciences students feel they don't have too many options besides business or law school, or going into consulting, because our career services program does not do too good of a job presenting these students will all their options.

The science departments take up so much of the school's financial resources that the social science departments seem to suffer as a result.

The lack of datable women.

The classes are incredibly difficult but that's why it's a top-tier institution.

The different academic departments seem to have authority over most practical matters, yet be run by staffs with little incentive to solve problems or offer advice. I've personally spent 2 weeks trying to declare my major for the 2nd time (the office lost the form and all record of its existence the first time), and the same office decided that it wouldn't offer transfer credit to a student after he transferred to Rice--at which time they said he would receive credit. Of course both of these problems were eventually resolved, but at a huge cost of time.

There is low accountability for professors to be good teachers rather than just good researchers.