A Day in the Life at Rice University

My Rice Experience  

Rice University has a unique mix of everything that might draw someone to a certain school: renowned academic programs, an abundance of opportunities for students, an engaging social environment, a beautiful campus, a tight-knit community, and is right in the center of a vibrant city!

My name is Eleanor and I’m a sophomore studying Bioengineering and Global Health at Rice University. My high school GPA was a 4.0 and my SAT score was a 1600. Those numbers certainly helped with, but I think what was most crucial to my admission to Rice was my high school research experience and my extensive knowledge of Rice itself.

I’m majoring in Bioengineering, which is definitely a rigorous program that requires a full schedule. The first year takes students through introductory classes, giving us an opportunity to meet people from all different departments and majors. The next three years become more focused on your particular major, and for Engineering, we start taking on design projects. Some of the most popular majors at Rice are Computer Sciences, Biochemistry, Economics and Mechanical Engineering. Rice offers over 50 majors and emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, so you will definitely have opportunities to explore everything that interests you.

I couldn’t be happier with my choice to spend my undergrad years here at Rice, and I’m excited to share my typical day on campus with you!

Summer Mornings at Rice

One of the most popular spots on campus is the student-run Rice Coffeehouse (most of us call Chaus), and that’s where I typically go in the mornings before heading to the Design Kitchen for work. I start my day pretty early, around 7:00am, but campus is usually quiet until 8:00am or 9:00am. The great baristas at Chaus can make just about any drink you’d like and they have a range of pastries and snacks to keep you going. My typical order is a matcha oat milk latte and a bagel with cream cheese, which I grabbed this morning and enjoyed as I walked to work!

I’m doing an internship through the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen and Rice 360, which focuses on global health oriented design projects. The first thing I do at work is meet with my team and talk about what we need to get done that day. At 10:00am, we go to “stand-up,” a pretty typical practice in industry. Here, each team shares their progress from the previous day and discusses any challenges they’re facing, so that the other interns and the leadership team can ask questions and give feedback. 

In my typical morning on campus during the school year, I’ll grab breakfast with my roommate or some friends before heading to class. Campus is small enough so that everyone walks everywhere and there’s always someone to keep me company on the way. We say good morning to the campus squirrels (the beloved Chaus mascot) and head to our 9:00am classes.

Afternoon Skyspace Picnic

After wrapping up the work day, several of us headed to the Skyspace, one of the coolest parts of campus. It’s an art installation by James Turrell that interacts with the natural light from the sky to create a unique and beautiful “show” at both sunrise and sunset. It’s a beautiful space to relax and study, take a date, or just sit and eat with friends, which is exactly what we did! Our program had organized a catered dinner for us, so we sat out in the grass on a big blanket and ate together. It was really fun to catch up outside of work hours and learn more about everybody.

Rice is such a small school that it’s hard not to know everybody in your program by the end of your second year. There are so many opportunities to meet people and make friends, whether it be through your major, your residential college, a club, or a shared Chaus order. After we wrapped up the picnic, it was time to head home, where I caught up with my family from around 6:30am to 7:00am.

Evenings in Rice Village

My friends and I really like to head to Rice Village after work or a long day of class. The Village is right next to campus and there’s a ton of restaurants and shops that are great for hanging out. During the semester, we spend a lot of time in the outdoor spaces studying together, which is always really nice. You can grab an iced coffee or a popsicle nearby and then spend the evening relaxing with friends. My roommate and I love to walk over, get salads, and rant about our week together. Rice’s proximity to so many fun parts of Houston is so special and unique and students definitely take advantage. There’s even a famed hot dog stand that students will line up for at 1:00am!

Houston Weekends

There’s so much within walking distance of campus to do, and with the train, you can explore almost all of Houston! One of my personal favorites is the Houston Zoo; we can walk there from campus in about ten minutes and students get in free. The Zoo hosts events pretty frequently, which are always really fun and are a great opportunity to get away from school stress. Big groups of students usually attend these, so there are always friendly faces there and you’re never left alone! I had the opportunity to partner with the Zoo for an engineering design project my freshman year, so I have a special bond with them, and I can’t recommend the Zoo enough! Other really great options are the Natural Science Museum, the Museum of Fine Art and the Japanese Zen Garden in Hermann.

Written by Eleanor Kimbro, PathIvy Rice University Ambassador