About Me

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Intro

I tend to fly under people's radar. But that's probably because I live in Texas and not the East Coast or California. Sure, I don't have a flashy championship football or basketball team to get people's attention. Hey, who needs 'em anyway? My academic programs are where I really shine.

Okay, who just screamed "Nerd!" and stuck this note to my back? I mean, I am a nerd, but I'm proud of it. I do have sports here, but they're not my priority (except maybe for baseball). This is college, after all…shouldn't I be focused on education? Hmm?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I'm small for a national research university, with fewer than 7,000 total students. I can give you that small liberal arts college feel (spoiler alert: the professors will get up close and personal with you) along with that top-tier nationally ranked academic splendor. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks me as one of the top national universities and according to the Leiden Ranking, I'm one of the most influential universities in terms of research. 

It's no big deal…I just happen to emphasize the sciences over here, especially cool new fields like nanotechnology. My music program isn't too shabby, either. Just sayin'.

Beyond academics, there's a real sense of community among my students, facilitated by my unique residential college system. It's like everyone's automatically part of a fraternity.

And how many other colleges can claim that the story of their founding involves a murder mystery?

Name

The Owls, because I'm so wise

Hometown

Right smack-dab in the middle of Houston, Texas, the fourth-largest city in the U.S. (and one of the hottest).

Birthdate

1912

Body Type

Lean and mean. I got just under 4,000 undergraduates and another 2,700 graduate students. For a national research university, that's tiny, but it makes it that much easier to get to know everybody.

Current Living Situation

My residential college system is a lot like Hogwarts. Each new student is assigned at random to one of eleven residential colleges. (Unfortunately, a sorting hat is not involved.) 

Students stay with their college until graduation, so students of all years, backgrounds, and interests live together. On-campus housing is guaranteed for three out of four years, and most students take advantage of it because campus is where all the action is.

Unfortunately, even though my student body is small, there just isn't enough room for everyone to live on campus. For those that do have to move off campus (usually just for a year), there's no shortage of housing options. Land is cheap in Houston. Even if you live off campus, you're still part of your residential college community.

Relationship Status

The University of Houston. Ugh.

We may be neighbors, but we have very little in common. I have friendly rivalries with other Texas schools, like UT Austin and Southern Methodist, but U-Hou really burns my britches.

And then there's Texas A&M. My marching band made fun of them at a football game back in the 1970s, and they still haven't gotten over it.

You should apply to me if...

you like meeting brilliant people and wearing shorts in February.

Website

http://www.rice.edu