[time is running out] What college should I go to?

Take it from a current Cougar and future BCM student, i know a lot of ppl who graduated frm U of H and are now attending BCM: It does not truly matter where you go for undergrad...U of H will give you a great college experience, even though it may not pull you in like it does in other schools...U of H is not a joke, college is still college, regardless of the cost or how many trees there are on campus or how well the football team is doing...the biggest thing is GPA and MCAT scores! Trust me buddy, it is not a joke, if you don't do well enough on those, they will NOT interview you, even if you have a 4.0!!!

Bottom line is U of H to BCM can be done, it is being done and you can do it too; don't risk your GPA at Rice or get lost at A&M.

Whatever your decision, good luck, I hope there will be more ClutchFans at BCM!

 

My wife's best friend, a successful MD, went to the University of Chicago, not intending to become a doctor, and then later in life decided it was want she wanted to do. She got into Duke's med school, very highly regarded. I would think that degree from UC helped open the door.

 

All 3 schools are great. Just know that Rice > A&M > UH assuming you have the same grades, work experience, etc coming out of each school (i.e most will take a 3.5 out of Rice over a 3.5 out of A&M over a 3.5 out of UH). There is nothing wrong with UH, but if you go there and are "average" then it will be harder to get in somehere, as opposed to being average at Rice. A person could go to Harvard and be an idiot, but if they tell someone they graduated from Harvard the average person thinks they are a genious. Name ID does help in all facets of life, including the power of school degrees.

In your orignial thread (not this one) you mentioned that you didn't care much about the social aspect of college. Now you mention it in your consideration for A&M (and why you aren't even looking at UT). As another poster said, what really shapes a college experience is the experience you get there outside of the classroom. You really need to consider the environment of each school and guage if it's the right one for you. I'm a black male so for me there was a huge difference between going to school in College Station or Atlanta, GA.

Edit: Ok, I just read the rest of the thread and noticed your stats and that you haven't even been accepted to these schools. No offense, but your stats are no guarentee to get into Rice (especially since you are a Houston kid and they hate on them) or get a full ride from the other to schools. It might be best to revisit this thread when you actually apply and get into some of these places, and get the free rides that you are expecting.

 

Dude...congratulations...who are you trying to impress?

I got all A's in high school, and I was waitlisted at Rice...The college admissions game is highly competitive, and, judging from your posts, you are behind the curve, not ahead of it. Your criteria for college selection sucks, frankly. If all you care about is getting into medical school, then just apply to a medical program.

Med programs in Texas: Texas Tech, Baylor University, Rice-Baylor.

That said, take a step back and think. There's more to life than going to medical school and becoming a doctor.

 

I just noticed this post too....how often does Rice take a local student who isn't even in the top 10 of their class (since you say you are #22)?

 

Like I told him earlier, nothing in his application tells me he'll get into Rice. The SAT's are below average, the GPA is questionable, the rank is below average for Rice and quite frankly, there's nothing that differentiates him from the thousands of other applicants.

Expect a rejection. Go to U of H.

 

you mean to say theres less the 220 people in 12th grade? im guessing he's 22nd out of like 4-500s

 

Top 10 people...that's more Rice-level than top 10%.

 

I don't get the Rice love. They don't have the resources TAMU or UT have. Never will. I understand its hard to get in. But where is their oil fund? Where are their NASA rockets, research facilities, and Death Star? They don't have that kinda sex appeal... But ya... Its hard to get in... Sweet

 

You must be kidding. Rice has one of the largest endowments in the country.

 

Rice = Harvard South

 

It seems like we get these threads annually and Clutch Fans always set them straight. This year was no exception.

Remember kids if you want to be a grade anal douche wait until college. Learn from us

 

Endowments

Rice: $3,977,226,231
UT-Austin: $2,473,962,757
Texas A&M: $370,208,646

 

Summary: "Getting into Rice requires a well rounded applicant" or bribe money.

And for what?! A chance to pay 120K+ for an academic education?

 

Do you have a problem rooting for Longhorns Football?


This reminds me of something I read: a reporter asked Deloss Dodds, UT Athletics Director, how does UT keep up with the Jones' of collegiate athletics.

Dodds replied: "We don't keep up with the Jones', we are the Jones'."


If you have a problem rooting for Longhorns Football, maybe you can root for: the campus diversity, West Mall, Sarah Weddington, Austin, the campus...

 

Not quite. If I understand correctly, students rejected admission to an East Coast Ivy school look at Rice as the consolation prize.


Rice, despite their massive marketing campaign, is not in the same league as Harvard or Princeton.


Rice's peer institutions are (maybe) Stanford, Columbia, Cornell...


That said, more top students from my high school chose UT over Rice for tuition cost and the collegiate experience in Austin.

 

I can't root for UT athletics. A lot of it has to do with my reaction to UT fans. But I don't let it overshadow my favorable opinion of the actual university and it's academic programs.

 

Does this mean Rice will touch any part of the endowment to fund capital expenditures?


No.


In the past few years, Rice has lost top administrators to competitor institutions, struggled to raise development funds to cover planned projects, and had difficulty convincing its medical center neighbors to foot the bill for its new research facility on Main.


The question to ask regarding Rice is: why would an admittedly limited university raise enrollment and tuition without first constructing new classrooms and dorm rooms to accommodate growth?