Rice University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Social Policy Analysis and Computer Science double major
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Asian-American Bisexual Male

Summary

I’m involved in student government, I’m on the club volleyball team, I do a volunteer program where we help adults with intellectual disabilities called Best Buddies, and I participate in research.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Asian-American
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

High School Experience: Public charter school in Irving, TX with a graduating class of about 98 students. There was a culture of going to college within my group but there was a stark contrast with other groups.
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Social Policy Analysis and Computer Science double major
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I’m involved in student government, I’m on the club volleyball team, I do a volunteer program where we help adults with intellectual disabilities called Best Buddies, and I participate in research.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
The club volleyball team has been a nice way to meet new people, especially new people who are outside of my residential college. Working with student government has been nice to get involved on campus.

Academic Experience

How easy was it for you to get involved with research as a freshman?
It was really easy. During orientation week there were a bunch of people from different departments, so I found the department I was interested in and the people there gave me their emails. The first week before class started they were already giving you connections. I emailed them and they were able to get me on board.
What classes have you taken for your majors so far?
I’ve taken classes for both majors. I took the foundation course for Social Policy Analysis, which was a very interesting course where they looked at the intersection between Political Science, Sociology, and Economics. I thought it was a great mixture of all of those things and taught you how to look at policy from every perspective, who it affects, and how it affects people. That was a great introduction into the policy world and it helped me figure out what I want to do with my research and maybe my career.
With Computer Science, I’ve never coded in my life before coming here and I took the introduction course. The algorithmic thinking and way of approaching problems numerically were very new for me, so it was a very difficult course for me. This semester, I’m taking the next course in the sequence for the major, which is called Algorithmic Thinking, and is a lot more discrete math. It’s traditionally the hardest course in the major, so it’s pretty hard right now.
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your majors?
For the Computer Science major, the courses are very project-based. Every week or two weeks you’ll have a big project that you’ll be coding for. Last semester, the very first introduction course was all coding. There would be a project release and you’d have to code based on what you’re learning in class. Now, we have more math problems but there is still a coding aspect. For the most part, the rest of the classes are coding-based. There are labs, but the labs are also writing algorithms and solving math problems.
For Social Policy Analysis, it’s a different kind of workload and it’s a lot more reading and writing and I get to work different parts of my brain. We have readings from academic journals, government memos, and stuff like that.
Is there anything you feel your either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly academically?
The Computer Science professor I have now for Algorithmic Thinking is the head of the department and I really like him because he’s really hands-on in his approach. I also respect his approach because he acknowledges that he has a lot of people who fail his class, but he stresses the fact that he wants you to learn rather than just get a grade and I think that’s a great philosophy to have, especially at the head of the department. The fact they care about the knowledge is great for me because I kind of suck at this too [laughs].
With Social Policy Analysis, something they’re doing really well is they’re extremely flexible and constantly seeking feedback because it is such a new department. They’re letting the students be involved in choosing new faculty members and what electives will count for the major. The research I’m doing is offered for credit so next semester the people I’m working with are working with the major to make it a course and develop how it will count towards the major.
Then, a criticism of it is because it’s so new it sometimes feels not as robust. The Computer Science department has been around for so long that it has a long history and tools to rely on.
Why do so many people fail that professor’s class?
The content is just very difficult.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s extremely collaborative. I really love it here because I’ve never felt intimidated by my peers or pressured to do extremely well. People are extremely supportive, even the upperclassmen, and there’s such a great support network here. When you first come here for orientation week, we talk about the Culture of Care, which is such a big concept here and translates in academics. There is a network of Peer Academic Advisors and there are Academic Fellows that have office hours at the residential college you live in. Last night, my friends were at an Organic Chemistry review session with an Academic Fellow and there was a whole table of people who came to the review session. Last semester, I emailed the Computer Science Academic Fellow at around 1:00 AM and he responded within ten minutes and helped me with my project so I could turn it in on time. It’s such a supportive network and there are so many resources to use.
How accessible are your professors?
I think it depends on which department you’re in. With my Social Policy Analysis major, the professors are super accessible because the classes are much smaller. I’m on a first name basis with one of my professors and she wanted me to help choose the next professors and she helped me pick what courses I’m taking and what sequence to take them in.
The Computer Science professors, especially in the introduction course, were a bit more unattainable just because it was such a massive course. They did hold private office hours and you could go to them, so they weren’t completely unreachable. But, they had a whole network of teaching assistants that offer office hours throughout the day so there’s always someone you can go to for help. The professor I have now for the next class in the sequence has his own private office hours, so he’s a lot more accessible.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yeah, I do think because we’re in college it tends to be a bit more one-sided, especially with this being a very urban campus, so it is traditionally more liberal. But, people aren’t afraid to voice their opinions and even if there is someone who doesn’t agree with the consensus, I think they’d be willing to share.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I came in as a Social Policy Analysis major because it was always something I wanted to look at. Because the major focused on how to use data and analysis of policy to make an impact, and because the major uses such large data sets, I recognized that I needed some sort of background in programming or statistics. I wanted to challenge myself, so I tried it out and liked it. It’s a very difficult major and something that I’ve never done before, so it’s really hard at times, but I’m pretty happy with it.

Reasons to Attend

1) The culture of care and collaboration that’s here. You’ll always have a support network both academically and socially. There are lots of resources to do.
2) The liberal arts curriculum and the fact that you can study a lot of different subjects.
3) The social aspect is really great. It’s very inclusive, vibrant, and dynamic.
4) Undergraduate research and professional development is easily attainable.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The size can be a bit small and the campus can feel like a bubble. It can be hard to escape.
2) If you want Greek life, we don’t have here. There isn’t a big sports culture here either.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: McMurtry College in a double.
How do you like the residential college system?
I love it. It’s a great way to make a bigger school a lot smaller. It’s a great support network and a genius alternative to Greek life.
How was transitioning from Irving, TX to Houston, TX in terms of location?
It’s been really great. Irving is a lot more suburban and there wasn’t access to public transportation. At Rice, we’re right next to a metro station and Rice pays for our metro cards. I’m always taking the metro downtown and other places in the city. It’s great because we can get off campus and don’t have to pay for Uber. When I first got to campus I got involved in Houston BCycle, which is a bike-share program, so I use that to get around Houston as well.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
RUPD is always patrolling so I always feel safe. Also, the Culture of Care Rice preaches is really strong and you’re taught to look out for one another. In residential colleges, there is such a strong support system that you always have someone looking out for you. After orientation, we had to take a course called Critical Thinking in Sexuality that went through consent, healthy relationships, and being a bystander. Safety’s a priority and I always feel safe.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you like to participate in at Rice?
I like to go to parties and experience as much as I can, whether that’s on campus or off-campus. We have a Pub on campus and Thursday nights are Pub Nights, so sometimes I’ll go to that. Private parties are held all around campus, those are pretty small and hosted by a residential college or a suite. Publics are thrown by each residential college and they all have themes. Parties happen Thursday through Saturday night.
Because it’s almost like the university sponsors the party culture here, they make sure it’s safe and responsible. During orientation week they tell you to call EMS if you think one of your friends might be having a medical emergency because they’d rather you be safe than sorry.
What’s an alternative to going to a party or the Pub that you like for a night out?
There are initiatives by student groups and university-affiliated groups that have alternatives to Publics and Pub Night. The student center will host events like movies in the quad or paint with your friends. There is a big stress on inclusivity so they make sure there are activities for other people. This weekend I didn’t want to go out at all so my friends and I went to the rec center and played racquetball until 10:00 PM. Also, because Rice gives you a metro card, you have free access to the museums, so you have lots of things to do
Has identifying as bisexual influenced your nightlife experience at all?
It definitely can if you want it to. I know a lot of my friends who are LGBT go to Queer Crawl – a crawl is when a residential college has different rooms that are open you can go to – or other events that cater towards that. But, I generally don’t participate in those things.
How happy are you with the weekend activities and nightlife? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m a really big fan of it. I have a lot of fun all of the time.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
Orientation Week. It’s such an integrative experience here. You’re thrown into college and your orientation group is a great base where you can start at. That’s how I met some of my closest friends. I also met people at parties and developed those relationships a little more slowly.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Rice?
It’s very dynamic. Generally, people are very friendly and you’ll meet a lot of people who you’ll like. Traditionally, Rice is known to be a little weird and there are some people who are a little more out there. But, everyone has good intentions and are good people. Like any other place where you’re there for a long time, it can get a little cliquey, but I think the school does a good job of making sure people are included. Because of the residential college system and the way the whole college is set up, it really prevents massive cliques or feelings of extreme exclusion.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There’s a wide range of people and a lot of mixing. When I think of my friends, there’s not one singular race or sexual orientation that we all identify as. At Rice, there is a lot of integration between people.
How would you describe the student body?
Very collaborative and generous. That Culture of Care is something that’s essential so when somebody is a jerk people will call them out on that. It’s a heavy engineering school and there are some awkward people, but that’s welcome here.
How strong is the LGBTQ+ community on campus?
There are clubs and organizations that have events and want to spread awareness of certain things. There are resource centers for LGBT students. There are Queer crawls, Queer wine nights, and other Queer events, so if you’re looking to be surrounded by that community, it’s definitely strong.
How would you describe the Asian-American community? How strong is it?
I’m not involved in it at all, but it’s one of the strongest presences on campus. [About 26% of students are Asian], so there are so many events catered around that culture because it’s a large community.
How do you like the size of Rice in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [The Rice undergraduate population is about 3,990.]
It’s the perfect size because my classes aren’t too big at all. My biggest class is about 60-70 people. It’s still not so small that I know everybody, I’m constantly meeting new people.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I’ve used the career center a lot. I have used the resume workshops and the lady who ran the workshop invited me back to help me work on my cover letters for the internships I’m applying for this summer. She also told me to apply for externships through the Externship Program. The career center is really robust and active.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
I do receive financial aid and most of it is through work-study. I do receive some scholarships, which wasn’t as much as I needed, but Rice recently released a new financial aid policy that is a lot more generous.