Setting the Record Straight

Introduction
Ok so Rice has received what seems like massive amounts of positive publicity that, to me at least, seems somewhat unwarranted. From my observations, you need to be a certain type of person for these glowing accounts to apply to you--usually socially awkward, sexually inexperienced, and obsessed with the sciences. If you are like this and are content with your lifestyle, then, by all means, come here. If you're not, or are interested in broadening your horizons, then my recommendation would be to make sure you really love the place before you commit. I'm a somewhat nontraditional Rice student and I honestly regret coming.

Campus Life and Social Life
People often cite Rice's liberal alcohol policy as the best part of the campus social scene, but, for all of its leniency, people really don't really take advantage of it that often. Yes, there are parties hosted by colleges and random private ones, yet, in all honesty, they mostly suck. The real problem I have with them is that people drink just to get wasted, not to get to know new people. So instead of meeting friends, people end up just going to the hospital when they go out (way too many people go to the hospital here). Furthermore, hook ups are almost nonexistent. DON'T COME HERE LOOKING TO HOOK UP, especially if you're a guy. I'm not trying to be condescending here, but sometimes girls are like robots with how asexual and inexperienced they are. Talking to my friends about their experiences in college is just depressing by comparison (I'll leave it at that).

The residential college system is also worth commenting on. In my opinion, it's a double edged sword: while it may be good for forming a tight-knit group of friends, it also forms ridiculous cliques that are often never broken. Seriously, this stuff is absurd: a majority of people never journey out of their college. A college should be considered a valuable support structure and remain at that; instead it forms 9 separate 300 person dormitories that don't hang out simply because of stupid grudges. Academics
Academics honestly have been the best part of my Rice experience so far. Professors go out their way to get to know you and are always accessible, and Rice has some really helpful policies to ease the academic burden on you (liberal core requirements, pass/fail, a good drop system). That being said, if you come be prepared to work hard: the average course load is a staggering five classes per semester and people in your classes are always doing work to get ahead.

A quick aside: If you're a humanities/social science major, be aware that you will constantly feel like a second class citizen. I came here expecting a lot of science majors, but was absolutely baffled by how many there actually are. Not only is it overwhelming, but also it's unhealthy: S/E's get stuck in their own little world of apathy and don't leave until they graduate. Maybe it's a Houston thing, but Rice needs to straighten this out if they ever want to be considered truly elite.

Student Body
The typical Rice student is a Texan engineer or science major who is politically apathetic, preprofessional, and on some type of financial aid or scholarship that dissuaded them from seeking out other options. Rice is generally liberal for Texas, which means not very liberal at all. A lot of people will claim to be liberals who really aren't in practice. Also, apathy here is a big problem: people just can't be bothered to support some cause they believe in beyond joining a facebook group. But this apathy isn't just political; it also extends to Houston, Saturday nights, academia, whatever. Finally, believe it: people are on average very unattractive here. Of course there are exceptions, but that doesn't mean that walking around campus on a sunny day isn't depressing.

In Closing...
Before you go off screaming: don't let my somewhat negative account of Rice scare you. I'm just providing the uncensored account that I wish I could've read before coming here. Honestly, if you think you're destined to go here, then you probably will fit in quite well. But, if you're unsure, my advice would be to just come visit see if you can see yourself coming here for four years (go to a party too). College is too awesome to take a chance on it. I took one, and look where I ended up.