The sidewalks of Rice University’s campus filled with cheers, chants and signs Sunday morning as the newest Owls arrived for move-in day. For many of the more than 1,300 incoming students, the surprise wasn’t only the Houston heat or the number of boxes they carried, but the energized welcome from Rice O-Week leaders who already knew them by name.
“It was shocking,” said Sophia Polasek, a political science major from Sugar Land. “They just saw my face and started chanting my name. I thought, ‘How do they even recognize me?’ It was cool, and I was really thankful for the help moving all my stuff in.”
The personalized welcome is at the heart of Orientation Week, a Rice tradition that blends practical support, quirky customs and a deep culture of care. President Reginald DesRoches and his wife, Paula, made the rounds at each college, greeting students with smiles and even jumping in to help carry boxes.
“It’s my favorite day of the year,” DesRoches said. “We’re like a family here at Rice and we’re thrilled to have them here. I can’t wait to see how they grow over the next four years.”
Warm welcome
Rice takes a different approach to on-campus living from many universities: Instead of fraternities, sororities or special housing for honors students and athletes, every student is randomly assigned to one of the 11 residential colleges, where they remain for their entire undergraduate experience. This system builds close communities while fostering leadership, mentorship and tradition.
For students like Shashank Kamal of Frisco, Texas, the welcome affirmed his choice to join Hanszen College. “That just shows the small, tight-knit community Rice fosters,” said Kamal, who plans to double major in neuroscience and public policy.
Annamika Konkola, who traveled from Oregon to join Baker College, said the energy was almost overwhelming at first.
“I had no idea they were going to have signs and be doing formations,” she laughed. “At first I looked at my sister like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to step out into all of that energy.’ But when I went out, I felt really welcomed.”
For Ari Calabi of Milan, Italy — one of the 14% of international students in the new class — today marked his first time on the Rice campus, and he was amazed by the enthusiastic reception he received from his new friends at Baker College.
“It’s insane. It’s crazy, but I love it,” he said.
Parents felt the impact too.
“We were really impressed when the O-Week leaders knew (Bowen) by name,” Hua Chen, mother of McMurtry freshman Bowen Ma, said. “They actually took the time and effort to remember everybody’s name. We appreciate that very much.”
Launchpad for opportunity
Move-in day not only launches the excitement of O-Week, but also marks the beginning of students’ academic and career journeys.
Kamal sees opportunity just steps from his college: “The Texas Medical Center is literally two blocks away. Rice’s connections with that medical landscape bring a lot of opportunities.”
He says he looks forward to being able to explore internships with MD Anderson Cancer Center and Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
For Ma, staying close to his Houston home offers both comfort and advantage. “Rice has amazing pre-med resources. They really help guide you through the whole process — applications, the MCAT, everything,” said Ma, a McMurtry biosciences major and future cross-country runner at Rice.
Others bring more unconventional paths. David Lopez Jr., who came from Tampa, Florida to join Duncan College, said his Rice story began with a joke: “My Instagram handle has always been ‘notMrRiceGuy.’ I kind of applied here partially as a joke. And then I got accepted. So here I am.”
Lopez says he’s still weighing whether his future lies in international relations or physics, but being near both NASA and policy hubs in Houston makes Rice feel like the right place for him.
“Honestly, not knowing what I’m looking forward to is probably the best thing — because that means I have a lot to choose from.”
Finding community, charting new paths
The common thread in every student’s story is the chance to start fresh and find community.
“I went to the same school from pre-K to 12th grade,” said Polasek. “I’m just excited to have a new start — finding my people here and joining extracurriculars that interest me.”
Taryn Lee from Long Island, New York, said the collaborative atmosphere drew her to Rice’s School of Architecture.
“I wanted that atmosphere where everyone collaborates together,” she said, adding that she’s eager to take part in the school’s unique preceptorship program that places students in internships during their fifth year.
Adam Towner, who traveled from South Carolina to join McMurtry, said Rice was not always on his radar.
“Up until my sophomore year, I didn’t really know much about college,” he said with a laugh. “But I raised my bar, shot for the stars and sometimes you land among them, because Rice is really great.”
Towner said Rice not only offered him the most generous financial aid among the schools he applied to, but also made him feel wanted and valued. “Other schools ignored emails or made me feel like just another applicant,” he said. “Rice felt like a real home.”
Now Towner hopes to channel his energy into entrepreneurship: “I want to start a few companies while I’m here and find some smart people to do cool stuff with.”
Energy of O-Week
Behind the chants, dances and bustle are dozens of upperclassmen who pour months of preparation into making O-Week feel seamless.
“The energy is really what keeps this process alive,” said Matt Lawrence, a Duncan coordinator. “All summer it was just names on a screen — then finally, they’re here, and it’s like, yeah, this is going to be a great week. It hypes me up and inspires me.”
Hanszen senior coordinator Matthew Ahn echoed this sentiment, reflecting on both his own arrival from South Korea as a freshman and his current role guiding new students.
“Driving here, how sprawled out everything is in Texas — it was a shock. I thought orientation would be like any other event, but Rice is different. Hanszen is different. That high energy helped me find my place,” he said. Becoming a coordinator himself, Ahn added, “I had some ideas I wanted to see implemented, and I wanted to make O-Week the best I could. That’s why I signed up this year.”
For advisers, the experience is often a full-circle moment. Collin DeSoto, a sophomore adviser at McMurtry, said he vividly remembers the joy of being welcomed last year.
“Now being on the other side, getting to give that back is super gratifying,” DeSoto said.
Taylor Schultz, Duncan president, described the annual magic of O-Week.
“I love move-in,” Schultz said. “Everyone’s new and so excited to be here, and it really gets you really excited too, because you’re reminded this is the best place to be.”
As Ahn put it, the sights and energy of O-Week make it unforgettable: “Seeing the faces of new students light up — it’s just magical. It’s my favorite part of O-Week.”
Traditions and the road ahead
Rice traditions loom large in students’ anticipation. Multiple freshmen mentioned Beer Bike, Rice’s iconic spring relay race, as a tradition they are most looking forward to participating in. Others hope to bring glory to their colleges in intramural sports or savor college-specific events like McMurtry’s McScottish Night.
But beyond the fun, most spoke of the friendships and growth awaiting them. “Learning new things — so many new things. That’s what I’m most excited for,” Konkola said.
“I wanted to be around other people who actually care about learning,” Polasek said.
And for parents like David Lopez Sr., move-in day marked both pride and a little emotion. “You prepare your son as best as you can, and then you just release them, and hopefully they’re gonna fly as they’re supposed to,” he said softly. “Explore, go to different places and become a man.”
Be sure to check out the photos from O-Week by clicking here. Students might find themselves, new friends or special moments captured by their colleges.