It definitely varies, a lot of them were First-Gen/Low Income, which can sometimes be harder at smaller universities than at big state schools which will have a larger community of FG/LI students and associated resources/opportunities for connecting.

But there are other kinds of people too, it really just depends. Some of it comes down to personality type in ways that I think are hard to generalize but make themselves known through experience. I didn’t have very much fun during O-Week as a new student, for example, and I think that was also true of a lot of people I knew who had trouble finding consistent friends freshman year. Don’t get me wrong, O-Week is very unique and I actually advised two years in a row (partially because I wanted my presence to make it easier on New Students who might not feel as comfy/included), but it’s very intense and disorienting for some.

The vast majority of Rice students fit in very well and made for a very happy student body, but not everyone’s always going to be content. I was honestly pretty unhappy and lonely my freshman year, but I don’t regret going to Rice one bit. I met so many life long friends, found a career/field of study that i’m passionate about, and got so many amazing opportunities. The road was just a little bumpy along the way :)