Students & Alumni
Alicia
I chose to come to Rice for the outstanding Academics and Athletic program. I’m originally from Sydney, Australia and I wanted a place that was going to challenge me intellectually and push me to achieve what I knew I could. The weather and location of the school was an added bonus!
Rice and Houston have continued to grow on me due to the endless experiences that you can take part in! Texas two stepping, The Houston Rodeo, The nightlife, World champs series (The Astro’s) and so many more elements have made my Houston experience enjoyable. Rice itself is one of the most unique places I have ever been. The students here and some of the most incredible people I have met, they are all diverse and are able to achieve things I didn’t think where possible at our age. Additionally, the passion and love of teaching projected from my professor’s makes learning interactive and applicable to real life situations. The professors here are always going out of there way to ensure that you have a full compression of what is going on in class and if you are struggling they will give all the opportunities to understand.
John
I am from Hangzhou, China and Auckland, New Zealand. I joined Rice University in 2013 for my Ph.D. degree in Bioengineering, and will be graduating in May 2018. I chose Rice because of their strong Bioengineering research. I enjoy Houston’s wide variety of restaurants, and the very friendly atmosphere here at Rice. I look forward to sharing my experience here with our collaborators in New Zealand someday!
Jung Hyeon (David)
I am from Albany, Auckland, New Zealand and I was at first interested in Rice purely because of their standing in the Top 20 US colleges list. But as I began to dig around more, I felt that it really suited to my needs. At the time, I was interested in chemical engineering, and the backdrop of the Oil and Gas industry in Houston made Rice a good choice, and the small undergraduate population was something I felt would be easier to adjust to in a new country.
My favourite memory at Rice is probably O-week. I had a great time interacting with new students and the excitement persisted throughout the week. Even though I was dead tired at the end of it, it was a great way to start my Rice career.
Favourite memory in Houston would probably be going to my first crawfish boil. I was exposed to something so new and unique to the US (and the south) and I loved every moment of it (especially the food).
Natalie
I came from Auckland to study at the world-renowned Shepherd School of Music and to pursue my doctoral degree in music performance. As an undergraduate, I had heard so many great things about Rice, so I was really glad when the opportunity came up, many years later, to come as a graduate student.
Huw
My hometown is Canberra, Australia. I chose to come to Rice primarily to work with Luay Nakhleh, the Chair of the Department of Computer Science, who is a leader in research on networks in evolutionary biology. This topic is something I started working on in my PhD, and so I am excited to continue my research at Rice as a postdoc. Secondarily, I am also happy to move here because of Rice’s reputation as a prestigious university, and because Houston is such a diverse and booming city.
I’ve just arrived at Rice so I’m not sure I have much in the way of favorite experiences/memories yet… the only thing I’ve done of note is go to Discovery Park and also to the St. Patrick’s Day parade last Saturday, both of which were really spontaneous and fun.
Tetsuya
I’m from Brisbane and I chose to come and attend RICE because of it’s world renown Shepherd School of Music where two legendary trumpet teachers, Barbara Butler and Charlie Geyer teach! My favorite experience in Houston has been eating my first ever Texas Style BBQ at Killens’s Barbecue, which was incredibly delicious!
Thomas
I was born in South Korea and grew up in Auckland, NZ. I chose rice because of the beautiful campus and positive and constructive competition around the campus that stimulated my intellectual curiosity and drove my motivation. The campus offers a very family-like atmosphere where all students, regardless of their background, are welcomed as a member and shared countless precious memories together.
My favorite experiences include the general day to day but here are few that stood out: Beer Bike, walking Sharon O’Leary’s dog Loki every Friday, College Nights, and IM Soccer.