Duke vs Rice

[Anonymous]

I would much rather attend Rice than Duke, but I would never have applied to Duke in the first place. The heavily Greek (Duke) vs. no Greek (Rice) means the school cultures are almost opposite. Both great schools with great outcomes though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rice belongs to a certain tier of schools (the others are WashU, Emory, Tufts, maybe Vanderbilt) that are all sort of non-descript, almost-elite-but-not-quite schools that don't really have any distinguishing, standout characteristics and are all sort of interchangeable. Duke is the way to go.

This is silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice belongs to a certain tier of schools (the others are WashU, Emory, Tufts, maybe Vanderbilt) that are all sort of non-descript, almost-elite-but-not-quite schools that don't really have any distinguishing, standout characteristics and are all sort of interchangeable. Duke is the way to go.

This is silly.

Person sounds constipated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Each of these schools is strong, but neither has something for everyone. Stated differently, each is a good fit for certain types students, but not others, compared to HYPS where there is a niche for everyone who can get in.

More social, rah-rah types would tend to prefer Duke, and more introspective, intellectual kids would tend to prefer Rice.

Good points. What is the main draw of Rice? Is it the pipeline to venture capital and Silicon Valley? Something else?

I'd consider Rice like a hybrid of Chicago and Northwestern but in Texas. A lot of very intellectual kids like Chicago (or how Chicago used to be) but also a very strong pre-professional orientation like Northwestern. Maybe also a bit like Carnegie Mellon but with a nicer campus and warmer weather.

I'd say it's more of a pipeline to grad school or to professional (law, business, medical) school than SV.

[Anonymous]

RICE.

It wouldn’t be a tough call, and I wouldn’t look back.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of Rice boosters on this site (and I mean that in a positive way), so, pease tell me more.

My kid didn't love the atmosphere at Rice when we visited, but is having trouble eliminating it from his final 2-3 schools. I think he's looking for reasons to pick Rice over the other options but is hesitant about the culture because it seemed very serious and not very fun/spirited.

[Anonymous]

Rice. I have had to fire so many Dukues the last few years there is clearly something wrong there.

[Anonymous]

Duke is an evil institution, but a great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice belongs to a certain tier of schools (the others are WashU, Emory, Tufts, maybe Vanderbilt) that are all sort of non-descript, almost-elite-but-not-quite schools that don't really have any distinguishing, standout characteristics and are all sort of interchangeable. Duke is the way to go.

I would say a kind collaborative fun yet academically focused culture for RICE.

The funny thing is that those “nondescript” schools are the ones my DS is most interested in - they are mostly mid-size, in relatively interesting locations, with strong academics in a variety of disciplines and not party schools (to varying degrees).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of Rice boosters on this site (and I mean that in a positive way), so, pease tell me more.

My kid didn't love the atmosphere at Rice when we visited, but is having trouble eliminating it from his final 2-3 schools. I think he's looking for reasons to pick Rice over the other options but is hesitant about the culture because it seemed very serious and not very fun/spirited.

I think you have posted about this before. Clearly it is hard for your DC to let go of Rice---it is so hard that they have to choose with such little information. Does DC like/love another college (even if ranked lower)? Honestly you can get an amazing education in many places---so look at social fit and major fit. Make a list of pros and cons. Look at location. Sometimes if you don't have a clear sense go with your gut. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of Rice boosters on this site (and I mean that in a positive way), so, pease tell me more.

My kid didn't love the atmosphere at Rice when we visited, but is having trouble eliminating it from his final 2-3 schools. I think he's looking for reasons to pick Rice over the other options but is hesitant about the culture because it seemed very serious and not very fun/spirited.

I think you have posted about this before. Clearly it is hard for your DC to let go of Rice---it is so hard that they have to choose with such little information. Does DC like/love another college (even if ranked lower)? Honestly you can get an amazing education in many places---so look at social fit and major fit. Make a list of pros and cons. Look at location. Sometimes if you don't have a clear sense go with your gut. Good luck.

Same PP. We are from a nearby state & private school. Some of the best kids who got into Rice chose it over other NE choices like Tufts/Wash U/GT and yes even over Duke. While some chose BU/Wash U/Davidson over Rice. They all went with what they consider as their fit.

[Anonymous]

Texas has a lot of job opportunities and once you secure employer of your choice, you can easily transfer in a couple of years to areas of your choice with the company. Houston is also low cost of living so good launching and saving pad for new grads.

[Anonymous]

Duke is bigger, sporty, Greek and has more name recognition.

[Anonymous]

I think schools are close enough on terms of academic reputation that your kid should go where they felt most at home.

[Anonymous]

Can they visit each one more time? Talk to a professor? They seem so different -is your child really up in the air about the choice? What is their gut?