I selected Rice because I wanted an Ivy-League-quality STEM education 1) with big-time athletics, and 2) without the left-wing Ivy east-coast echo chamber. My choices were Rice, CalTech, MIT, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame.

CalTech and MIT didn't have big-time sports. I thought Rice was a better STEM school than ND or GaTech. I ended up changing to math/economics undregrad and accounting master's later. I have no regrets about attending Rice. It set up the rest of my life very well in so many ways.

But Rice gave up on 1) long ago, and what I've read over the last few days suggests that 2) is a thing of the past too. If I were choosing today, I would still have the same criteria, and it would probably come down to ND or GaTech, although I hate Alanta and I don't really know how far to the left either have moved. Or maybe go to Auburn, double major in CivE and Agronomy, and become a golf course architect.