8. Learn How to Dress for Rice Parties

Walking around campus, it is pretty clear that fashion is not a top priority for a majority of Rice students.  A large percentage of students (myself included) end up wearing sweats or one of their dozens of free Rice shirts most days.  However, the weekend is a chance for everyone to take off the yoga pants they've been wearing everyday for the past week and dress up a little bit. But, what should you wear to a typical Rice party? In order to navigate the social scene is it important that you figure out how to dress for Rice parties. 

I asked for advice from my shopping-obsessed friend Madison Livingston, the best dressed person I know.  Here what she said on the topic of fashion at Rice and how girls should dress at Rice parties:

"It has become apparent that Rice University does not have a very strong fashion identity. We are certainly far from the upscale, Lacoste-labeled Ivy league student body, and no more closer to the west coast laid back style.  In fact, I think the most universal outfit at Rice might be a pair of tennis shoes, workout shorts, and a t-shirt.  The casual style on campus directly filters into the party scene as well. When we are not decked out in 80’s costumes or going streaking, the most practical outfits are as follows:

For a small and intimate to medium-sized dorm-room parties, stick to the half casual/half nice look.  For example, if you decide to wear a skirt you should pair it with a basic, casual top (that means no bows, ruffles, or collars!).  If you wear a comfy old pair of jeans throw on a fun and fancy top.

Other tips to consider:

• Avoid wearing white clothing if possible.  Beer, soda, and other unidentified substances will somehow make their way onto your outfit and stay there for the next two hours you are at the party.
• Do not wear your nicest leather Tory Burch boots to any on-campus party.  Not only are they too classy for on-campus parties, they will either get stained by beer flooding the floor, stepped on by an uncoordinated dancer’s muddy sneakers, or be taken off and left behind because they are not comfortable enough dancing shoes.  We all know Rice students like to dance. 
• Avoid wearing long sleeved shirts.  The rooms on campus can get unbelievably overheated.  It is much safer to layer up or brave the cold in a tank top than to be too hot to move. 
• When faced with a themed party: the more costume-y the better. Rice students do appreciate a good costume.  If nothing else, it can become a good conversation-starter."

Want to get with that cute guy in your COMM 300 class? Dressing right is an easy way to gain confidence and get his attention. 

7. Figure Out the "Easy" Classes

College is hard...

That's why every once in a while you need a class where you can get a high grade without trying too hard in order to boost your struggling GPA. To do this, you need to research which classes are easy.

Here are some things you can do to figure out which classes to take and which to avoid:

1. Look at the course reviews on Esther.  Make sure to read the comments and not only look at the expected grades. 
2. Ask other students.  In my opinion, this is better than course reviews because you can see who is giving you the advice and take into account their bias.  
3. See if there are a lot of athletes in the class.  If there are, it's almost guaranteed that the class will have a minimal amount of work. 

If all else fails,  you can always just take 3 one credit student taught classes instead of 1 three credit class...

6. Experience NOD, and Do It Right.

Night Of Decadence, more commonly called NOD, is a lingerie party thrown at Wiess College right around Halloween each year.  The first NOD was thrown in 1972 and it quickly became infamous in the Houston community, attracting young Rice alumni, students from other nearby universities, and other local residents.  As you will undoubtedly hear several times throughout your time at Rice, NOD was once named one of Playboy's Top 10 College Parties in America.  However, today it is open only to Rice students and their guests, and is much more regulated and therefore under control.  For more information, see the Wikipedia page.

There are countless things you could say about NOD, so I am only going to choose a few:

• Go to NOD at least once.  Even if you don't like partying or drinking, NOD is Rice tradition you should at least experience once, just to say that you did.  I recommend going your freshman year, when you will know the most people there. 
• Don't try to lose weight the week before. Yes, NOD is a lingerie party and you will be exposing more of yourself than normal.  In the week leading up to it, it may be tempting to start dieting and working out obsessively at the rec center.  Don't.  First of all, a week will not make a significant difference.  Second, no one cares! Everyone will either be too drunk to even remember what you looked like or too caught up in their own self consciousness to notice.  
• Don't drink more way than you usually do.  If you are self conscious and need those 4 extra shots to even get the courage to leave your room, there's something wrong.  NOD is infamous for being a shit show, and okay, it's a special occasion and you can drink a little more than usual, but don't be stupid and end up sharing a toilet with your friend in the Wiess commons bathroom.  
• Beware the NOD punch.  Actually, beware all punch, because you don't know what's in it.  But the NOD punch seems to be extra strong...

NOD is one of those parties you will tell your grand kids about one day...do it right. 

The first NOD flyer from 1972 from lancasterteam.com

5. Don't Bring a Car Right Away

Don't bring a car until at least second semester of freshman year.

Not very many students have cars their freshman year.  So, if you are the token freshman who has a car, people will be bugging you night and day for rides to Target, to Specs, to CVS, to dinner, to the airport...you get the point.  While it is a way to guarantee that you will have friends to go out to eat with when the serveries are closed for dinner on Saturday nights, it will get old fast.

However, eventually the freshmen who don't have cars will get to know the upperclassmen, who are more likely to have cars, and they can start alternating who they ask for rides.  That will happen sometime during first semester, which is why it is safe to bring your car second semester.

On top of all of this, parking at Rice is ridiculously expensive and where you'll have to park is extremely far away from all of the dorms.  You'll be wishing you had a car to drive you to your car in West Lot.

The freedom that a car allows you is amazing, but unless you can afford the pricey parking pass and are the kind of person who can say "no", don't bring a car until at least your second semester of school.

4. Experience Drinking At Least 2 Times

Drinking and college seem to go hand-in-hand.  For many students, this may be the first time that they are exposed to alcohol.  If that is you, and you are interested in drinking and want to try getting #STUPiDFACEDD, follow the advice that a friend gave me: try drinking at least two times.*

Why? Because you don't know your limits.

It is likely that the first time you will drink too much and end up in your bed at 11:30 p.m. hugging a trashcan.  This could turn you off of drinking ever again.  However, if you do try a second time, you will know not to take that extra shot or that playing "chug til you gag" is probably a bad idea.  You will better understand when to stop and be able to reach the level of a happy drunk instead of a sloppy drunk mess.  The more times you drink, the more you will be aware of your tolerance level and the better you will be at recognizing the signs your body are giving you, learning how to drink safely and just have a good time.

Drinking is a huge part of the college social scene and has the potential to be really fun, so don't miss out just because your first time getting your drunk swagger on didn't go perfectly.




*Just sayin, consuming alcohol is illegal if you are under 21

3. Save Money Whenever Possible

College students are known to be poor, it's one of those facts of life.  First, you either don't have time to work or you aren't working full time.  Then, on top of that, you are paying a ridiculous amount of money for your education.

So, it is important that you save money whenever possible.

I'm sure there are countless ways to save money, and I'm sure I could never think of all of them.  However, here are a couple ideas:

• Take blank paper from the library printers (credit to Renee Dudley) 
• Take food from the servery for snacks (a yogurt, a banana, some cereal, etc.)*
• Go to the events around campus with free food, especially on Saturdays when the serveries are closed
• Instead of buying your own alcohol, drink the alcohol at another college's party then go hang out where you actually want to 
• Don't buy pens, instead "borrow" them from various offices around campus (i.e. the Registrar, the CCD, the Cashier's office, etc.)

As I said, these are only a few ways to save a few bucks here and there.  If you happen to not be in a tight money situation...share the wealth with your friends.  

What ways have you figured out to save money?   

*side note: Don't take too much food at a time.  If you do, you will get caught and have to return all of the food, and the staff will be watching you more carefully from then on. Also, don't use Tupperware to transport the food, just use one of the disposable cups. 

2. Don't Take Morning Classes

My second piece of advice is simple: do everything you can to avoid taking morning classes.

First off, what is considered a morning class? In my opinion, anything before 10:00 a.m.

Whether it's procrastinating by watching YouTube videos with friends or cramming for an exam, going to bed before midnight is considered an early night.  As the words in your textbook start blurring and you chug your fifth cup of coffee, you will regret taking a class that early.  Especially on Fridays after staying out late at Willy's Pub the night before.

Unfortunately, for some majors, it is inevitable that you will have to take a 9:00 a.m. class, or even worse, an 8:00 a.m. class.  In this case, a viable option is to take the class, but just sleep through it every time, getting the notes from one of your dependable friends.  It's up to you.

1. Come Up With Servery Concoctions

By the time you stop hanging out with your O-Week group members, there is a pretty good chance that you will be tired of the servery food.  While acknowledging that Rice students have it a lot better than students at many other universities, sometimes you get sick of eating the same pesto pasta and creamy chicken dish.  Especially if you try to eat relatively healthy.

So, you should create some delicious combinations of the staple foods that are always offered in the serveries.


Here are a few examples that my friends and I have come up with:

• Oatmeal + yogurt  (add peanut butter and/or walnuts if you want) 
• Peanut butter toast with scrambled eggs on top 
• Chex + peanut butter + chocolate chips, all melted in the microwave
• Toast + peanut butter + honey
• French fries + peanut butter + chocolate chips 

Get creative! The residential college social scene is centered around meal times, you may as well enjoy what you're eating as you procrastinate for an hour in the commons after dinner.

Do you have any of your own concoctions that you think others should try?

Hey! What college are you from?

That's how the majority of Rice University students introduce themselves. "Hey! I'm <insert name>.  I'm in <insert college>."  Chances are, especially if it's right after O-Week or Beer Bike, the other person will respond with that college's anti-cheer.  "You're from Jones? FUCK JONES!!" 

Well, my name is Danielle and I'm in Will Rice.  I am a junior here at Rice University in Houston, Texas.  My hobbies include distance swimming on the varsity swim team, watching too much television, and taking Hanging with Friends way too seriously. 

                            

Rice is known for its “unconventional wisdom”, residential college system, and small size, with only about 3000 undergraduate students. Navigating the college scene isn’t easy, and Rice is no exception.  I'm making this blog to provide advice for undergraduate students of all grade levels at Rice to make their lives a little easier.  To help them learn some of the "in"’s and "out"’s and how to work the system.  Hence the name, Rice Advice.  Not all of this wisdom is my own- I have been and will be collecting ideas from my fellow owls, who will be regularly featured.  Who knows- maybe one day you will see your own great idea on here.