Letter from the Provost: Welcome and good luck, new Owls
Welcome to Rice! We look forward to guiding you as you experience this special place that encourages students to grow in and outside of the classroom. The culture on campus is built to support you through your successes and challenges as you achieve existing goals and realize new ones. That’s the beauty of Rice — you will be exposed to new opportunities that you didn’t even know were possible.
As you embark on your academic careers, let me share a few key pieces of advice.
First, you may feel a range of emotions, from enthusiasm and happiness to anxiety, loneliness and homesickness. You are not alone. These emotions, while they may feel overwhelming at times, are part of being human, especially at this point in your life.
One of the best ways to approach these feelings is to reach out and talk to someone, whether a new friend you met at Rice, an older classmate from your residential college, a graduate ambassador, a labmate, a professor, your magister, a caring staff member or a friend from back home. If you find yourself in need of a higher level of support than your social network can offer, the Student Wellbeing Office and Rice Counseling Center teams stand ready to help undergraduate and graduate students anytime. Being successful at Rice begins with taking care of yourself, physically and mentally.
Second, I encourage you to seize every opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom. The classroom is where learning begins, but knowledge truly comes to life when it’s animated by real-world experiences.
The Moody Experience is one of many avenues at Rice for experiential learning, offering opportunities for civic immersion, global travel, research, creative projects and more. Experiential learning teaches you flexibility and resilience when things don’t go as planned — two traits you’ll need to succeed in today’s ever-changing world. Plus, it makes you a stronger candidate to potential employers when you’re applying for internships, jobs, graduate schools, postdoctoral fellowships or other academic positions.
Finally, I encourage you to venture off campus and enjoy all that Houston has to offer. The city is the fourth largest and one of the most diverse in America, with a vibrant food scene at a variety of price points, many beautiful green spaces and a thriving arts and cultural scene.
For a good intro to Houston’s food scene, take a walk or shuttle to Rice Village or visit Rice’s Ion innovation hub for dinner.
To experience nature, stroll through Hermann Park across the street from campus. And check out Menil Park in the Montrose neighborhood, a short bike or car ride away.
Rice students can also take advantage of Houston’s arts offerings with the support of the Rice Program Council’s Passport to Houston program, which offers free or subsidized tickets to professional theater and opera performances, athletic events and special Houston attractions. Also through this program, all students with a valid Rice ID can get unlimited access to permanent exhibitions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoo and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Some people will tell you that college is the best time of your life, but I’d like to remind you that it has challenges and opportunities like any other season. The key is what you make of them.
Best wishes, Owls. Fly high!
Editor’s Note: This is a guest opinion that has been submitted by a member of the Rice community. The views expressed in this opinion are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the Thresher or its editorial board. All guest opinions are fact-checked to the best of our ability and edited for clarity and conciseness by Thresher editors.
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