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Q. What are the pros and cons of Rice University?Pros and Cons of Rice, from a current junior. • r/ApplyingToCollegeby MattO2000 College Junior (one month ago)Pros:Residential college system. It's honestly the best part of Rice and has totally changed my college experience. It's unlike the ones at Princeton, etc where they're not a core focus of the campus - instead, it has a huge role on the student body and life. You are placed in one of 11 colleges your freshman year, and for 99% of students, they stay affiliated with that college all four years. You are guaranteed housing 3/4 years, and I would say at least 50-60% stay on campus 3+ years, 85% stay on campus 2+ years, and virtually everyone is on campus their freshman year. This allows for a great environment with friends, and allows strong relationships over all your years at Rice. It's basically Greek life with 0 pressure, total inclusivity, no hazing, and really awesome. (Note: we don't have any Greek life on campus).BEER BIKE! We just had Beer Bike a couple of days ago and it is our best day of the year (called "Christmas" by many students) and so there is probably a bit of recency bias, but it is honestly a great part of campus. Each of the 11 residential colleges, plus the grad student association, competes in a race where 10 bikers bike a mile, and 10 chuggers chug 24 oz of (usually) water. It may sound kind of silly but it is honestly so much fun, and we have lots of events leading up to it throughout the year.Houston: I love being in a major city with a lot to do. I've been to Rockets and Astros games, lots of great restaurants, and I was able to land an internship just outside of Houston this summer due to our nearby location. We are also right next to a really nice park with a great zoo (free admission for students) which is a great place for a date, to go for a run, etc. Also right near the Texas Medical Center which is a huge plus for pre-meds and BIOE students. I was also able to work on a project at Johnson Space Center my freshman year, which I feel like that would be pretty challenging elsewhere.Strong academics: It obviously depends on your major, but Rice overall has very solid academics. Some departments can be a bit underfunded but others are doing very well for themselves. I would say the quality of education is probably very similar to other top 20 institutions.Cool facilities: I can only really speak for engineering here, but there are some very interesting labs on campus. The best one is the OEDK (Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen), a renovated kitchen that now holds state of the art prototyping equipment, such as 3D printers, laser/plasma cutters, PCB manufacturing, powerful computers, etc. It's where all senior design and freshman design projects are. If you come for Owl Days, I would recommend checking out the design showcase. They also added an Engineering Design minor this year! check out [OEDK - Rice University - Home](OEDK - Rice University - Home) for more.O-week: It makes your transition to college so easy! One week of bonding, academic planning, fun times, advice, and not a lot of sleep. My best friend now was in my O-week group a couple of years ago when I first came in.Wet Campus: You don't need to worry about alcohol as long as you're not really stupid. Drink in you're room, drink in the halls, as long as it's not outside or in front of adults and you're ok. No one comes in to check unless they are specifically told to (which never happens). You can also walk around quite freely with alcohol if you're of age. Few people have fake IDs because they don't go to bars, which is good for your wallet.Relatively un-competitive: There will always be some competitiveness, especially among pre-meds, but we are much less cutthroat than other institutions. It's also super easy to find friends in your major at your college, which makes it easy to find people to study and do homework with.Mixed:Small class size. This is made even smaller by the residential college system. Unless you are quite aloof, you will likely have at most one connection between you and anyone else on campus. This can make things like dating fairly awkward sometimes, but overall I've found it to be pretty nice. It allows you to really have an individualized experience without being overpowered, and leadership is easy to come by with less students.Athletics: We are D1, but barely. At least, in football and basketball, the two sports people seem to care about. We made a bowl game in football a couple of years ago, and had our second most wins in basketball in school history this past year, but our coach also just left us, along with some of our best players. Baseball is very good (won the championship in 2003), as well as tennis and a couple of other sports. It won't have the same vibe as a major school like Duke or USC, and honestly probably less than a lot of other Ivies as well, but it's still there, and still fun to go to.ConsWe don't have the facilities and resources of other large schools. We also don't have the same name recognition outside of the south as some other schools (although, major employers will still be familiar with Rice). We also don't have the same alumni network that larger schools have. There's no undergraduate business major despite our very good business school, however there is a minor and you can take many classes. The workload can sometimes be quite stressful, and since we have had high rankings for happiness, many students feel the need to be happy all the time.5 Things I Wish I Had Known About Before Attending Rice University1) There are real pros and cons behind the residential college system.If you’re considering applying to Rice University or if you have done even brief research on the school, I’m sure you’ve heard of the residential college system. Think of it like the houses in Harry Potter. All incoming freshmen are randomly sorted into one of eleven residential colleges at Rice. Every college has some 200-300+ students, and while each one functions as a dorm, in reality, the colleges are so much more than a collection of bedrooms. Of course, the colleges are a place for eating, sleeping, and socializing.But they’re also a place where you can lie in a hammock for hours. Or build a bonfire for s’mores. Learn how to master that tough chemistry problem set from a tutor. Host a crawfish boil. Slide down a water tube at the fall or spring block party. Not a bad place to be, right? Just keep in mind that colleges this small and tightknit have inherent downsides. Rice students are friendly, but that friend you had a huge fight with last week? You’ll almost certainly be seeing her today at lunch. Oh, and tomorrow at dinner. Oh, and at next week’s alumni barbeque.2) Students can run their own businesses at Rice. And yes, they’re real businesses.For all of you aspiring entrepreneurial types out there, I know what you’re thinking; “How can students run their own businesses at Rice when Rice doesn’t even offer a business major?” While it’s true that Rice does not offer a business major, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the business side of things from a real-world perspective. Enter Rice Student-Run Businesses (SRBs). Collectively, the SRBs are made of six small business teams, 26 student managers, and 125 student employees including three start-up ventures. Our businesses include The Hoot (a late-night snack bar that sells everything from Papa John’s to boba tea), Coffeehouse (a favorite student hangout place with cheap, amazing drinks and desserts), the Rice Bike Shop, and of course, Willy’s Pub (perfect for Thirsty Thursdays). Still not convinced these are real businesses? Together they generate $900,000 a year in revenue. Impressive.3) Rice students know how to party.Yes, Rice students know how to work and they know how to get down and hit the books when it counts. When finals time inevitably rolls around each December and April, Fondren Library will be packed and you’ll be stuck fighting for study rooms just like anyone else. Rice students are known for their brains, but did you know we throw some pretty awesome parties? Each of the colleges hosts about one public party per semester, open to all undergraduates. You are, of course, encouraged to dress up for each of these themed parties.There’s Sensation (a whiteout party), Bacchanalia (what college experience would be complete without a toga party?), and our infamous Night of Decadence (let’s just say NOD made it to Playboy’s list of best college parties back in the day). These parties are always student-planned and organized. You can always look forward to some great themes (this past fall, a college hosted Y2K: Soulja Boys and Abercrombie Fitches).4) Christmas comes twice a year for Rice students: once in December and once in March.Every March, you’ll see Rice students posting Facebook statuses with a common theme, some variation of “CAN’T WAIT FOR THE REAL CHRISTMAS!!!” What is this springtime Christmas, you ask? Beer Bike always falls around mid-to-late March. To outsiders, Beer Bike is a morning that involves a lot of kegs and a lot of bikes. For us Rice students in the know, we know that Beer Bike is steeped in Rice tradition.This chugging/bike racing event dates back to 1957 and is referred to as “the real homecoming.” Thousands of alumni return to campus every March to partake in the festivities, which include a campus-wide water balloon fight and a whole lot of pizza. Rumor has it we’ve broken some world records with the number of water balloons we’ve thrown on Beer Bike morning. If Beer Bike makes no sense to you, perhaps you’ll have to become a Rice student to understand its true magic.5) There are amazing options for off-campus dining and entertainment here in Houston.I get it Houston doesn’t exactly conjure up images of a fun city. Think “Houston” and you might envision oil and gas and miserably hot weather. But take note, Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States and is poised to become a major player on the U.S. urban stage. And our city is cool really cool. Check out our dining scene, for example. Houston is home to 10,000 restaurants with cuisine from over 70 countries and regions. We are also one of the few U.S. cities with our own theater, ballet, symphony, and opera companies. Even better Rice students get heavy discounts at many restaurants and similarly discounted or free tickets to the city’s entertainment offerings.Miranda Roberts received a degree in sociology at Rice University in 2014. She considers the double Macchiato and Danish from Rice Coffeehouse the perfect way to start the day.What is your overall opinion of this school? | Rice University | UnigoMax Class: FreshmanRice is known for its small, tree-filled campus, our baseball team, and its supposed "value" and generous financial aid program when compared to its Ivy League counterparts. On a side note, many students are upset at what they see as Rice's waning commitment to low tuition - something we were previously known for. The joke around campus is that Rice is the Harvard of the South (or Harvard is the Rice of the North), and to an extent that is true. Other than Vanderbilt University, Rice is the highest ranked school in the South, and students are very proud of that here. We're prestigious but not pretentious. We like it that way. And from a little more official standpoint, Princeton Review has ranked Rice as #1 in the best quality of life and #10 in the happiest students. I attribute a lot of this to our great weather - just last week (in February), our entire dorm went outside to tan or play frisbee because it was so nice out. One of the reviewers described Rice as a bubble. That is a great word to describe the University's students. Rice is a small piece of land right in the middle of Houston. Rice gives every student a free pass to everything around us (Houston's many Museums, Zoo, etc), but no one takes advantage of it. Not many people have automobiles here (parking costs are high) so true off-campus activity is rare, but Rice is surrounded by walkable (or Light Rail accessible) areas. Rice provides its students with a Metro-pass that allows us to use the Houston Metro and Houston Light Rail free (which conveniently has a stop at Rice) so we can explore the city of Houston. On Saturday night, the University closes its cafeterias to force kids to go out and try some off campus food. If you don't want to travel that far, Rice Village is a 5-minute bike ride away and has shops and tons of food options. Hermann Park which houses the Houston Zoo (free to Rice students!) is a small walk across the street. The Houston Galleria, a jumbo mall with stores ranging everywhere from Gucci and Neiman Marcus to Urban Outfitters and Abercrombie is a 15-minute bus ride (Rice has its own busing system too). If you need some snacks, Rice has a Target shuttle that runs daily. In Houston, everything is really at your fingertips. Houston is a really weird city. So many different sections make up Houston that it's kind of like a combination of 10 different cities. You've got the artsy Museum District (where Rice is at), hip Montrose area, high-end shopping in Highland Village, ritzy Bellaire, downtown, uptown, and everywhere in between. On a rare day you aren't swamped with homework, it's been really awesome to go explore the city even though I'm from here! I just wish more students would too. Facilities are top-notch but for dorms, it really depends on what college you are in. All of the serveries are the same and food quality is better than you would expect (but certainly not great). Fresh fruit and tender meats can be difficult to get (I personally cannot eat the steak), but their desserts are always impressive (I had a tiramisu cake that was just as good as Houston's best Italian restaurant's). Once in awhile interesting options pop up to complement the Chicken Nuggets, french fries, and hot dogs. Just the other day, we offered Octopus Soup and bacon-wrapped Rabbit. Rice landscapers are always working to clean up leaves/mow grass and our campus always looks great. We've also got wifi on 100% of the campus, and students take advantage of it when they want to study outside. Rice also just opened up its new student center/rec which is the best gym I've seen on a college campus. All machines have a built in TV in them, there's a heated "relaxation" pool designed to make you feel like you're at a resort (complete with palm trees), and free equipment rentals for things like tennis, squash, or racquetball. We've also got a lot of "quads" for students just to lounge around and study. Just the other day, I witnessed a Yoga class by the student center. Students stop in the student center to buy a coffee or drink (we've got a Smoothie King and our Brochstein Pavilion restaurant on campus) and sit around Rice to study. Rice has thousands of trees all over campus (students say there is a tree for every student) including tons of old, massive live oaks. There are so many trees that you often forget you are in a city. Because Rice is so small and walkable, students are not allowed to drive to class (there are no parking spots anyway). We've also got some awesome buildings that personally remind me of old Europe.Shaurya Class: SophomoreI can't imagine anybody not thoroughly enjoying their experience at Rice. The uniqueness of this university is what really appeals to me. The most significant contributing factor in this is the residential college system. The absence of greek life replaced by family culture, long-standing traditions, amicable competition, and overwhelming love for your college make it an experience like no other. The professors are incredibly easy to interact with and you know several on a personal level within your freshman year. They're always willing to spend an extra hour if you need help and the relationship that you have with the Masters and Residential Associates, who are often professors as well, are ones that you will remember long after you graduate. In terms of location, Rice is a little bubble in the middle of downtown Houston. When you're inside the hedges that surround the campus, you feel like you are isolated in a little paradise. However, as soon as you step out you're right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of one of the largest cities in the US. If you ever get bored with the countless activities and events happening on campus, there's an equally endless number of opportunities right outside. Something every Rice student remembers the entire time they're at Rice and after as well is their first week on campus: Orientation week. I can say without a shred of doubt that it is the most unique orientation week in the entire world. The amount of effort, planning, and emphasis Rice places on "O-Week" is a testament to why so many students still say that O-week was the most fun week of their entire lives. The only complaint I would have about Rice is the weather. Houston weather is unpredictable and often unpleasant. Humidity is prevalent throughout the year and sometimes exacerbates the already high temperature. However, during late spring and autumn, the weather is fantastic so it's a give an take. Many people like the weather year-round, mostly because they come from cold environments and enjoy the warm weather without condition.Bryce Class: AlumFirst of all, as a recent graduate, I can tell you that at least in my limited experience, every time I tell someone I'm a Rice graduate, they're impressed. Rice has a strong reputation as "the Ivy League of the south". Personally, I don't think that does justice to the quality of Rice's education or experience, but then again I will openly admit that I loved virtually every aspect of my time there, so I'm probably biased. The school is both big and small. In that, I mean that the undergraduate population is in the low thousands, but we have a Residential College system that makes it so that, in many ways, you are part of a well-defined and closely nit community of only a few hundred. Rice is extremely tolerant and in many ways apolitical campus. Everyone has their views -- and usually has them quite strongly, but if you got into Rice, you're probably pretty smart, and so everyone recognizes that you have a right to that opinion. There are debates and arguments, but for the most part, they're respectful, not argumentative per se. Probably my biggest praise of Rice comes from the fact that everyone on campus realizes that everyone else is smart. That is, there's very little academic competition. I can honestly say I don't know what my friend's GPAs were, and they certainly didn't know mine. I've heard horror stories about the competition at other schools over grades, and not once at Rice did I hear of any such issue coming up. I think that if someone at Rice acted as they cared about such things they'd get laughed at. Overall, it's an easy-going atmosphere, with lots of opportunities to learn, grow, and have fun. I recommend it to anyone who will listen.Elizabeth Class: SeniorOne of the best things about Rice is the Residential College system. There are currently 9 colleges (though there will soon be 11), and there is a lot of college pride. In fact, there are many more cheers (and anti-cheers) for specific residential colleges than for Rice as a whole. Most people have a lot of college pride, which comes out the most certain times of the year: O-week and Beer Bike. O-week is our orientation week that freshmen have the week before classes start. Everyone gets put in a group of about 8 people and basically learns why their college is the best. Beer Bike is the biggest social event of the year - it involves a huge, campus-wide water balloon fight, bike relay races (that used to involve chugging beer, thus the name), and pranks (college vs. college). The college system is great because it provides a community within the university that is diverse in terms of majors, ages, and everything else. Whereas at a lot of schools, upperclassmen tend to move off campus, most people at Rice try to stay on campus all four years. Many people get kicked off each year, which is one of the downsides of the housing system, but it is nice to have a strong community on campus that people fight to be a part of. Rice is in the middle of Houston, so there is always plenty to do. Every student gets a pass to use the lightrail for free, so even if you don't have a car, you can still get around. There are always performances, shows, and concerts going on, and often free tickets are given out to Rice students. However, Rice still maintains a beautiful campus in the midst of the busy city.Rox Class: SophomoreRice University is a small campus, but the size is actually quite big compared to the population; it's the perfect size for me. Everyone finds their own niche at Rice, and the fantastic residential college system helps with this. The colleges are also great because they really get the student body active and involved-- they organize so many great study breaks and fun parties for everyone to gather at. We spend the majority of our time on campus, but Houston is all around us! The city is a great resource whether you want to shop (with Rice Village a 10 minutes walk and the galleria about 15 minutes by car), eat (a plethora of restaurants EVERYWHERE), or experience the arts (Rice is a stop on the metrorail, which goes downtown in mere minutes to theaters, museums, or cinemas). The administration is very open to student input and there are many ways for you to get your voice heard here. If you make the effort, you can definitely put your ideas into work! Although you may be from the northeast where Rice University is still gaining stature, I can tell you that when I go around Houston or Texas and I tell them I go to Rice, everyone is impressed and recognizes our school with frequent sarcastic comments like "oh, so you couldn't get into a better school?"Ian Class: AlumRice is an amazing place where all types of people can fit in. The school is just the right size, although they are enlarging it significantly with the addition of two new residential colleges. Rice is great because of the diversity and quality of its academic offerings given its size. Undergraduates have great opportunities to get involved with research (I did, and I'm shy). The residential college system is really great and builds a really strong community. Some kids like to be a part of that community, while others don't. People in Texas and people in certain areas (like Computer Science) are wowed when you tell then you went to Rice. Most people have never heard of it, which is intensely frustrating. Almost all of my time on campus when I wasn't working was spent at my college, Brown (named after Margaret Root Brown, not the color). Houston is not a college town, but there are lots to do, especially if you like to try lots of different kinds of cheap ethnic food. There are tons of cheap food, and I love eating. Rice's administration is good overall. School pride is often eclipsed by residential college pride during your time there, but Rice pride starts to take over as an alumnus.Amy Class: SophomorePeople react in two different ways when I tell them I go to Rice. Some will simply stare and say "Rice what?" or ask if that's an agricultural school. Others will be sincerely impressed; the difference is due to geography. Often called the "Harvard of the South", Rice is locally very well known, but where I come from (Ohio), Rice could just as well not exist. A better school there could hardly be, however. Located in Houston's Medical Center, it's in the center of one of the largest cities, although you rarely have to leave campus anyways. It's really easy to get involved at Rice, and there's tons of school pride (although there's arguably more College Pride-think Harry Potter houses...). It's relatively small, with 3,000 undergraduates, and guys: the food is actually pretty good here! Chef Roger's cinnamon rolls are divine! The best thing about Rice is the people; there are no cliques, no expectations. You are allowed to be who you want to be, no questions asked. It's a very low-pressure school where you are not judged. I also love the plethora of events and activities; there is never a dull moment at this university! I'll always remember....BEEEER BIKE!Alex Class: SophomoreThe best thing about Rice is the residential college system. Everything is unusual about Rice. Take, for example, the context of Rice. Rice is located in the city of Houston. Houston is a privatized society in a market-driven economy. Rice is generally free, open, embracing, and somewhat... socialist. Nevertheless, Rice and Houston have similar positive attributes. Houston has great sports teams (Rockets, Astros, etc). Rice has been consistently strong in baseball, tennis and track/field. Both Houston and Rice embrace progressive action. Houston is rapidly growing, as it has always been, and with support from community development corporations, many grassroots movements have emerged to tackle issues such as poverty, environmental degradation, and social housing. With ongoing construction activities and President Leebron's Vision for the Second Century, the Rice administration visibly promotes growth and wants to expand Rice internally and expand its influence externally through support for campus organizations and social and environmental justice clubs that work with the broader Houston community.Tara Class: AlumI love Rice because you get the benefits of a large college at a small school. Rice is actually smaller than my large, public high school, but I love the intimacy. Though we miss out on some of the perks of a big school (like the support of athletics), the benefits are overwhelming. The class size is smaller (average 15-30), so professors usually know your name. They are open to questions and help and are generally really understanding of college life. If you want to do research, there is always someone to do research with and the resources to do it. Rice is full of motivated, driven, smart people, so everyone is interesting. My favorite part is the residential college system - apparently something like Harry Potter. You get placed into a residential college at random and they end up being diverse in a class year, major, specialty, ethnicity, hometown, etc. Then, each college has their own government (with $40,000 or more) and all sorts of committees and sports teams. Instead of an exclusive Greek system, we have an all-inclusive college system. It is truly my favorite part of Rice!Carson Class: FreshmanRice is perfect. Its small student population provides for small classes and interactivity with professors (professors even invite students over for dinner). The campus is simply gorgeous and peaceful, and its location near downtown Houston provides accessibility to a variety of attractions. Its academic programs are very strong, and Rice has the status of "The Ivy League of Texas", meaning it is famous for its academic excellence, especially in the South (but elsewhere as well). Rice is also very socially attractive. The college system makes it very easy for even the most reserved person to make lots of friends, and most people here are very friendly. There is a lot of collaboration, as opposed to the cutthroat atmosphere you might experience at other top schools. Houston is an amazing city, a lot different from stereotypical Texas, and Rice is also very unique. You almost forget what state you're in. Rice is also considerably cheaper than its rivals, making it an all-around bargain.BioengineeringCharlie Class: SophomoreRice's college system is one of the best things here. Each student develops their own college pride and we have intramural sports against each college. Our campus is enclosed and is quite big for the number of students we have here. People from the south or those well educated have heard of Rice and knows its prestige. I love being here at Rice, where you get the ivy league education but minus the competitiveness among students. People say we're the Harvard of the south or that Harvard is Rice of the North West. The biggest controversy we've had is how wet our campus is. The alcohol policy is definitely laxer than any other school. Students can drink during the day when it is their college night and drink openly in parties most of the time.Courtney Class: FreshmanThe best thing about Rice is the people. The people at Rice are extraordinarily smart and talented, but they've found the balance between work and play. The same people who spend weeknights slaving away in the library spend their weekends enjoying the nice weather and beautiful campus. We like to complain a lot about things like construction, but deep down we know that our school is a magnificent place. If I could change one thing, though, it would be how small the campus feels. Since there are not a lot of students, it can feel claustrophobic, but there are ways to escape it. You can always choose to take part in the Rice community or to be detached a little and explore more of the outside world "beyond the hedges."Jo Class: FreshmanIt's just the right size for a small public school. One of the best things is the campus; it's beautiful! People usually assume I am smart since I go to Rice. Houston isn't really a "college town," and sometimes, it is hard that places around here close to early on weeknights. There is not much school pride; we have more dorm (called "colleges") pride. One really unique thing is our residential college system. It makes Rice more fun, I think. However, we do not have any Greek life. Honestly, though, we don't need it. We compete with other colleges and still have rivalries, etc. Also, Rice is small enough so we can do things like have campus-wide water balloon fights, which are amazing.Alex Class: SophomoreRice is an awesome place. The college system brings together students and gives them a certain level of autonomy in their college lives. Residential colleges receive a budget from the University that they can do whatever they want with. Parties are almost always free. Rice is just the right size. Although you see a lot of the same people around, you develop a solid set of relationships. A lot of school pride is superseded by residential college pride, but Rice students still love their university. I think the administration does a good job of maintaining contact with the student body and keeps undergraduates in mind.Andy Class: JuniorWell, one thing that is unique is the Harry potter like "college system". Residential colleges are like a big co-ed frat/sor. that you get randomly placed in. It becomes your home and many of your closest friends will be from your college. Each college competes for the president's cup every year and your teammates must be from your specific college. In general, we have a small number of students on a fairly large campus (per capita) and we are in a huge city that I am still continuing to explore and learn about. I may be a gung-ho Florida girl, but Texas isn't half bad either.Dawson Class: SeniorRice is a small university with strong research programs in a very big city. Houston has a lot to offer as a city (symphony, ballet, opera, visual arts, theatre, world-famous rodeo). That said, the public transportation options are poor (but there is a light rail that runs between Rice and the cultural events downtown). Not many people care about the university athletic events (except for baseball when they're winning) - intramural sports are much more important for most people. In the city, people usually react very positively when they hear you go to Rice.BioScience Research Collaborative with Texas Medical Center InstitutionsJacob Class: SeniorI like that the school is small, but by senior year it can feel to small. Especially if you have a tough breakup in a relationship it is very hard to avoid the ex. The campus is beautiful and I think it's great that so many people live on campus and it is so easy to have and go to parties. I was happy overall with Rice administration. Overall students are pretty apathetic about a lot of issues and I wouldn't say the student body is as smart or goal-oriented as I had imagined. Not sure if that is a bad or a good thing.Natalie Class: JuniorOne thing I would change: the athletic awareness at Rice. Rice is a smart school, but it also has some unbelievable, world-class athletes. Therefor sure is some ignorance on both sides--from the student-athletes towards regular students and from regular students to the student-athletes. The situation is improving (developing respect for the strengths each group has), but this is a challenge, but in my opinion should NOT deter someone from coming to Rice. No school is perfect. Every school has its pros/cons.Alison Class: SophomoreRice is small which makes for a more intimate living environment. There is some school pride but people generally aren't that interested in attending sporting events other than baseball which doesn't take place on campus. When I tell people I go to Rice, in Texas they tell me I am smart and in Idaho they have never heard of it. People take the saying "work hard, play hard" very literally.Miri Class: SophomoreOverall, I love Rice. I love the fact that I can easily switch majors in about a minute or so; all I have to do is talk to the major adviser.Katia Class: SeniorThe best thing about Rice: Everyone here is really into learning! I know that sounds lame, but there are few slackers at Rice. The campus is beautiful (sans construction), and we've got some great professors. Personally, I think Rice is a bit small, but that's getting fixed right now (two new dorms are being built). Most people are sort of surprised when I tell them I go to Rice. Those that are familiar with it immediately say something like, "it's pretty weird there, right?" or they just don't know what to think. I think very few people have an accurate understanding of the environment at Rice. I live off-campus now so I'm either in the library, at the student center, or outside on a bench somewhere if the weather's nice. It's definitely not a college town. Houston is too big and spread out to be referenced as such. The biggest recent controversy on campus was something that happened over MLK weekend. a couple of students got drunk and "vandalized" the copy machine and some walls, I think. They supposedly crumbled Oreos everywhere. A couple of black students took offense, I think any insults were smoothed over pretty quickly. I think it might have been blown out of proportion, but the Rice administration dealt with it in a very diplomatic manner. There is some Rice pride, but definitely nothing at all compared to the University of Texas in Austin are some other universities like that. To be honest, in terms of sport support as a measure of pride, Rice has little to none. some students attend football games, but not too many. and other sports teams have difficulty mobilizing the general student class to get out and get excited. they just don't seem to be too interested in the most part. During my freshman and sophomore year, there was some GREAT support for the women's soccer team, but we had to work to promote ourselves. Rice has some great traditions that add to its uniqueness and flair. Beer bike is an annual celebration that I absolutely LOVE!!! you won't find it anywhere else and EVERYONE is completely dedicated to it. Beer Bike is this: wake up at dawn, multiple kegs are at every dorm, music is blasting, everyone's happy and running around, then every college (dorm) gathers together and the huge university-wide water balloon fight begins. It's a lot of fun and everyone gets really into it. Trucks filled with trash cans full of balloons make there way down one side of the campus until they reach the bike track. there, selected members of every college race bikes and chug times while everyone cheers them on. there are free food and free beer everywhere. it's a great experience. also, Rice has Baker 13, which is when a group of students runs through college at night completely naked except for certain parts covered with whip cream... it's pretty awesome. also, Rice's O-week (orientation week for all freshmen and transfers) is very unique. It's just a bunch of fun activities dedicated to you getting to know you're college and your class. The most frequent student complaints I hear are that a lot of rice students don't know how to have fun or that there are a lot who are difficult to talk to because they aren't completely socially comfortable (which is totally ok, it's just different). also, there's a good amount of work, but people seem to handle it pretty well without too many complaints. a lot of people gripe about the survey food but I didn't have a problem with it. Currently, my main irritation is all the construction on campus, but that's just something we all have to deal with.Moody Media CenterRyan Class: JuniorBig Picture: -What's the best thing about Rice? I'd say two main things: how friendly and supportive the community is as a whole, and how undergraduate-focused. Rice is unique in that it's a top-tier research university that offers the close-knit community of a small college at the same time. Also, everyone is just really nice. You won't get much pretentiousness or elitism here. As someone from the East Coast, I really noticed this difference. -Name one thing you'd change. Right now Rice is building two new colleges (huge dorms) and planning to gradually expand from 3,000 undergrads to 5,000. President Leebron is trying to make Rice more like an Ivy League school. I (and many others) disagree with this vision: keep it small, close-knit, and personal! Also, the new Pavilion is stupid. It's a nice space but competes unfairly with our awesome student-run independent coffeeshop. -Too large, too small, or just right? See above. It's just right at the moment (3,000 is big enough to find your niche but small enough to be personal), but will be getting too big soon. I can never walk to class without saying hi to at least 3 or 4 people I know. Lots of undergrads do research with profs and know each other by name. -How do people react when you tell them you go to Rice? Ooh, I have a good answer for this one! I am from Pennsylvania, where Rice is fairly unknown outside of academia. "Texas?" people would say. "Are you crazy?" But here in Houston, when I first moved in to start my freshman year and opened a new bank account, the bank teller's eyes grew wide when I told him I was going to Rice. He said "You must be one of three things. Either you are very rich, a very talented athlete, or very smart." I laughed and told him none of the above. Still, it was a lesson in the regional prestige of Rice. In the South everyone thinks of Rice as Harvard; back home, it's known as a great school but kinda weird because it's in Texas. -What was the recent biggest controversy on campus? A field behind our Student Center building has a new glass study space (it's a big glass box, basically) called the Pavilion with its own coffee shop. Many students are angry about it because it competes directly with our independent, student-run coffeeshop, which operates out of an old broom closet. Why couldn't the administration upgrade what we already have, support student entrepreneurship, instead of bringing in a corporate shop? Lame. Students are boycotting it, and Rice students, in general, aren't activists at all, so that tells you how big a deal it was. -What's one experience you'll always remember? Here are a few of many: the fireworks at Matriculation, the insanity that is O-week, the time a random cute guy asked me out in the library, sneaking into the Med Center at night to climb inside the new Rainbow Building skyscraper with my friends, sleeping 3 nights in a row in the library during finals. Oh, here's a good one: when I first arrived at Rice for orientation week--literally, the moment my parents left me on the curb--an older man came up to me, shook my hand, and said: "Hi, I'm David." I had no idea who he was, so I just smiled and said hi and my name. Later that night at matriculation, I watched him step onto the stage and realized that he was President Leebron! A pretty good example of how personal Rice is.Rice TennisJulia Class: SeniorGet out of the hedges and off-campus, Rice students. Houston may be polluted, sticky, and generally environmentally unpleasant, but there is more inspiration in the city than in Rice classrooms alone. You can walk to museums and take free light rail rides to clubs and professional sports games around town, and too few students do it. More and more classes are working to integrate Houston's assets into academia (Chemistry of Art, for example, is team-taught with curators from the Museum of Fine Arts), and the new president, Leebron, is big on integrating Rice into the Houston community and vice versa. But it is way too easy to live on campus all four years, never have a car, rarely leave the library or the lab, and walk away from Rice with no idea how to pay an electric bill or budget for groceries. The school's getting bigger, more rapidly than new on-campus housing is being built, so hopefully the Rice bubble will burst for more students soon, but I worry about my peers coming out of their undergraduate experience with few to no life skills whatsoever. Tuition's going up, and there's a lot of controversy about whether this will damage Rice's unique identity as a scoop for lower-to-mid-middle-class students: the ones who don't qualify for financial aid, but who can't go yachting every weekend in the Hamptons. And yeah, it probably will hurt this identity. But the expanding undergraduate population and Rice's promise to meet the financial needs of its students may help Rice to find a new identity. We're not an Ivy, and we're proud of that fact. People here worry that Leebron is trying to make us an Ivy. He's not. But he is changing the face of Rice, and he is trying to make the Rice name more recognizable both outside Texas and outside the United States at large. If anything, we're headed for a reputation like a Stanford or a Carnegie-Mellon: Elite, private, and decidedly less pretentious than a Yale or a Harvard. Plus, we actually have professors, not grad students, teaching our classes.Danielle Class: AlumRice is absolutely brilliant on an academic level. The teachers are responsive, the students are intelligent, and the classes are really fantastic (at least those that I took in my major). Unfortunately, the school is much too closed-off for me, and offers a really underwhelming social scene. The public parties are for the most part really lame and the college system invites all the awful bureaucracy of the frat system without any of the fun. Of course, most people love it, so maybe it just wasn't right for me. Basically, Rice is a great social scene for students who studied through all of the high school and didn't go through any of the social drama of 10th grade the first time. If you had a normal high school experience, live off-campus in Montrose or West U, and try to stay out of the dorms. Houston is definitely not a college town, which is perhaps why it's so great to live here. It has great museums, restaurants, nightlife, and entertainment options. It's great to take advantage of these resources, but if you plan on doing that, make sure you have a car: the public transit systems in Houston are notoriously underwhelming. There's a lot of school pride at Rice; in fact, it's a little bit like a cult. People also get really geared up about their individual college. Beer bike and O-Week are prime examples of that; I tended to steer away from those. Basically, I love Rice as a school and I got a great education, but I had to avoid the majority of the school-sanctioned student events, because they seemed sort of puerile and pointless to me. However, I reiterate that I'm definitely in the minority on that.Graphene foam invented at Rice University is reinforced with carbon nanotubes. It can hold thousands of times its own weight and still bounce back to its full height. (Credit: Tour Group/Rice University) - See more at: Graphene foam gets big and toughLiz Class: JuniorRice is a great university to go to if you want to be thoroughly educated in an environment full of very bright, very dedicated students. The university is small-sized (for the most part this is a good thing, although occasionally I've felt trapped upon realizing that I recognize the faces, if not the names, of most of the 3000 people on campus). Rice is divided into nine residential colleges where students spend the entirety of their four years here; the college system is great in that it helps you find your social niche and serves as a nexus for activities spanning from matriculation to the yearly campus-wide water balloon fight. Rice's name recognition outside of Texas (everyone in Texas knows Rice) is mixed; I'm from California, and when I tell people I go to Rice two-thirds of them have never heard of it; the other third is instantly impressed. This is improving with time, though, as we are becoming more and more competitive and getting our name out there with the help of a new administration. A few problems - students spend too much time within our relatively small campus, especially studying non-stop in Fondren Library. Houston really has a lot to offer in terms of culture and especially interesting ethnic restaurants, but with the vast majority of students staying on campus in any given year, it can be hard to get people to leave the comfort of The Hedges (the boundaries of campus).Tammy Class: JuniorThe best thing about Rice - There really is something for everyone. Also, the worst thing, because everyone tends to have fairly small groups of friends. Yeah, you get to know everyone at your college, but most people make a small group of close friends at their college and leave it at that. However, if you make an effort you can overcome that and make friends across campus. Most people make friends here and there from activities, but don't seem to actively go out and make new friends after freshman year. It's too small for my tastes, but over the next few years, they're increasing it. I wish it was that size now! About half the people I know up North have heard of it and they're impressed, the other half have no idea what it is and just ask me about being in Texas. I love that Rice is in Houston! Houston is definitely no New York, but it provides a whole new avenue of things to explore outside Rice. Whenever I get bored of Rice nightlife there's Houston nightlife to turn to. During the day there are great restaurants and shopping, and even if you don't have a car you can walk or take the shuttle to Rice Village. There are also a lot of museums within walking distance. Big-name acts often come through Houston, and there are lots of other cultural things to do. Plus, there are tons of opportunities for jobs and internships, especially at the huge medical center across the street.Chris Class: AlumRice is an extremely small school with only 3000 undergrads and about 2000 grad students. In fact, Rice is the second smallest Division 1 school in the nation. I was always used to going to a small private school since elementary school so it never really bothered me, however, if you do not like knowing almost everyone that attends your university or seeing the same faces every day then I highly recommend you not attend Rice. When you tell people you go to Rice within the state of Texas, especially in Houston, people react like you are the Chosen One. The first thing everyone tells me is "Oh my God you go to Rice you must be super smart!" Going to Rice in Texas is as prestigious as attending Harvard in the Northeast. On the other hand you may get the occasional person who was rejected from Rice and still has a grudge against them and make sure you know it. Outside of the "great state of Texas," as it is so affectionately called by Texans, not as many people know about Rice. Back home in Miami when I told people I went to Rice, most people's reactions were either "RICE? Like rice and beans?" or "Where in the hell is that?" Baseball fans and people who know more about national universities will instantly recognize Rice. Also, the reputation of Rice seems to be growing more and more every year because of increased PR attempts to make Rice a household name.Lane Class: SeniorThe best thing about Rice- the college system is great when you are an underclassman. One thing to change- The social circle is very small. If you are in a fight with someone, it gets awkward because you see them at every social event. I would say the school could use an increase in size. When I was a freshman, however, I loved the fact that it was so small. The size kind of wears on you after a while, though. When I tell people I go to Rice, they usually are impressed and automatically assume I am smart, which is nice. Since I live off-campus, most of my time on campus is spent either going to classes or studying in the library. I really like Rice's location in Houston because there is so much to do. The campus itself, however, maintains a "college town" feel, which is nice. It is a perfect mix of city life and a nature-y feel. I am not a fan of our president. He is trying to change too many things at once. The school pride could use a boost. Everyone is proud to go to Rice for the academics, but it is very difficult to get any support for the athletic department. This might be due, in part, to the administration claiming that academics should always come first. I will never forget Beer Bike. It is one of Rice's greatest traditions.Ryan Class: AlumBest things: Students who are genuinely passionate about their work, their research, their activism, their improv comedy, or whatever. Challenging, interesting classes are in high demand -- even if they're not in a popular major but "just for fun" -- and participation in class discussions is enthusiastic. Lots of people double major or dabble outside their fields out of intellectual curiosity. Everybody's busy and lots of people are busy starting something new and exciting. Not a lot of "my parents made me go to college" or "I'm looking for a class that won't interfere with my hangovers" or "my goal in life is to make a lot of money quickly." Also not a lot of grade-grubbing or competitiveness; downward curving is against the rules and study groups are the fundamental unit of social life. My only reservation about recommending Rice is that I think it is changing. The commitment to shockingly low tuition has faded completely, and so the old student population, made up of people who were accepted to elite coastal schools but couldn't afford them, is changing. The school is also looking to double in size. To what end, I don't know. Everything I know about the school might be different four years from now.McMurtry Residential CollegeParker Class: FreshmanMany parties and events at Rice are hyped up a lot, but they never quite live up to the lip service. Beer Bike, however, definitely earned every wonderful thing that's said about it. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Sure, I wasn't the happiest person in the world when a bunch of loud, obnoxious upperclassmen pounded on my door at 5:45 a.m. and handed me a warm Keystone, but I got into the festive spirit very quickly. We drank, wandered around campus, drank a little more, ate breakfast, and drank some more. One kid had Beerios for breakfast--what a champ. The parade came next, and that was unbelievably kick-ass! With our truck full of water balloons, we sought poor, unsuspecting victims from the other colleges and happily nailed them with a well-aimed throw. When we ran out of water balloons, we just started throwing people in the mud. Awesome. We made our way to the Greenbriar parking lot for the races, which were much cooler than I expected them to be. We all got really into our cheers and rallied behind our teams. A nap, barbeque, and drunken Hello Hamlet! performance later, I ended my day gladly passed out in my bed. Best. Day. Ever.Diane Class: JuniorThe College system is the best thing about Rice. I'd like to change the parking situation on campus and make it easier and more accessible for on-campus and off-campus students to park without forking over a large amount of money. It's a little too small of a school just because everyone knows everything about everyone. I spend most of my time at the varsity athletic facilities. What college town? The Rice administration cares about its students, but implement a lot of ideas that do not reflect this (such as when our breaks are, or how they spend tuition money). The lacrosse hazing incident a few years ago. There is a lot more college pride than school pride in your first couple of years, but then it turns into school pride based on the quality of education as you near graduation. Rice is a wet campus with a lax alcohol policy while most schools are completely dry. I'll always remember my first Beer Bike because it was the craziest, most unique experience I could have. Most complaints involve the food in our serveries, even though the food is just fine, and also the wide-spread apathy across campus.Sarah Class: AlumI loved Rice. I still love Rice. In fact, part of me wishes that I was in high school so that I could start at Rice all over again! Of course, that would require that I actually be in high school again. Scary. Rice has one of the best undergraduate programs in the country, and it doesn't have the ego of some of the big names (ahem...I'm talking to you Harvard, Yale, Stanford). The lack of ego makes for a great undergraduate experience. Most students aren't completely caught up in themselves and their personal greatness, and neither are the professors. This makes for a fun learning environment (remember, the competitive claws are sugar-coated at Rice). However, there is a downside to Rice's missing ego. No one has heard of Rice! This can be a problem for graduates who, like myself, relocate to another part of the country and wish that their school had the name-recognition to help them land a great job. If you yourself have a huge ego, it can be difficult to deal with people asking if Rice is a community college.Brittany Class: SophomoreRice is awesome! It's not a terribly small school, but you can still get to know a lot of people and get to know your professors well. It has good academic programs and its music school and architecture school are some of the best in the country. Houston isn't quite as lively as NYC, for example, but around campus we have a lot of restaurants and shopping areas. They are within walking distance. Also, the actual Rice campus is pretty. There are a lot of trees, and plenty of spots to just sit outside, especially because Houston can have some beautiful weather during fall and winter. Sports aren't particularly great here, and we don't win a lot of games. Because of this, there is less attendance at sports events, etc. Rice has a wet campus, and the different residential colleges have university-sponsored parties where beer is served to students of age. There is a lot of construction going on campus currently and in the process of getting started because the university is going through a growing period.Jesse Class: SophomoreThe best thing about Rice is the networking that the college system infrastructure provides. I would change the traffic flow, improve the bus system by making it faster, and if it was possible, I would make the loop a two-way street. Rice is just the right size for a private school. If they've heard of Rice, they usually gasp and their eyes get real big because they are impressed. If they haven't heard of it, they just say, "Oh, where the hell is that?" Most of my time is spent in class or in the servery, other than that, I'm OC. Definitely, "What college town?" The admin can be frustrating and sometimes it's hard to get ahold of people. The missing student and the racial slur. YES! Unusual? hah, I think unusual is a trait marked by brilliance so, of course, Rice is unusual in many aspects. I will always remember walking through the Sally Port for my very first time. Most frequent complaints are about the food.Cody Class: SeniorThe best thing about Rice is the integrity of the degree. If I could change one thing it would be the lack of money given to the athletic department. When I tell people I go to Rice they automatically assume I am smart. I spend most of my time on campus in class. This is not a college town. I've lived here my whole life and the city does not revolve around the campus of Rice. I think the rice administration could care less about athletics. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the issue with the kids getting held up at gunpoint on the way back from campus. There is not a lot of school pride. There are some things that are unusual about Rice, like the college system and beer bike. One experience I will always remember is playing on Friday nights under the lights at the stadium. The most frequent complaints that I hear are how the administration couldn't give two shits about athletics.Mike Class: SophomoreThe most important characteristic of Rice is its college system. This is generally the reason to hate or love Rice. It definitely has it's ups and downs, but in my opinion, it has more ups than downs. Being that you're living with the relatively same group of people for your 4 years means that you're able to make some really good friendships that would be hard to keep/make at other universities. And if it turns out you don't like this group of people, you're allowed to transfer colleges. Also, it allows you to make contacts and friends with upper-classmen, much more so than at other traditional universities. This allows you to have a resource when you need help that isn't a counselor, someone who has been through what you're going through. Also, it helps create a smaller "family" inside the overall Rice community that will be there for you and support you.Rick Class: FreshmanThe students at Rice are absolutely top-notch! They're the reason I chose to come to the school over places like Duke and Vanderbilt. In general they aren't too preppy, too tacky, or too geeky (though they are geeky). Most of them are either super-bright and can coast through class, or super-hard workers who power through the class. The worst part about Rice right now is the administration/construction -- the two are more or less inextricable right now. With fences going up everywhere, the beautiful campus I saw on my initial tour is now a field of cranes and temporary sidewalks. The administration's decision to erect the Pavilion in the center of the campus seems particularly ill-suited to students' needs. In general, President Leebron's Vision for the Second Century seems to be taking Rice in a direction most students disagree with.Aure Class: SophomoreRice's residential college system shapes most facets of life about the university. The campus is divided into nine (soon to be 11) residential colleges. These are a great way to build a sense of community really early on, find a stable group of friends, become close with upperclassmen, and bond with a really diverse range of people. The residential colleges are small though, which means that there's not really the critical mass to support a lot of alternative or specialized social groups. It also means that everyone knows everyone else's business, so that's just something you learn to deal with. During their sophomore year, most Rice students become more heavily involved with their extracurriculars and really start to gain friends outside their college, but that happens at whatever pace you want it to happen at.Alex Class: SophomoreThe brilliant people who have come out of their shells since high school and are comfortable with being their fun-selves. I would increase the number of undergraduates to make it have a little more college-size feel. Too small. People are usually very impressed and react by saying something along the lines of "Wow! You must be really smart" Most of my time is spent at the athletic facilities for soccer because it pretty much consumes my days especially in season. Definitely "what college town" There isn't too much school pride especially when it comes to athletics - except for baseball maybe One experience I'll always remember was beating the number 8 ranked University of Texas Women's Soccer Team my freshman year. Played defense and we held them to no goals. Parking and the shuttles.Sarah Class: FreshmanRice is amazing. The residential college system is so great. It makes the best pride and fun and family. People that go to Rice are always smart. This makes life her so interesting. Everyone has their dorky side, but hey that's what makes life so fun. Rice is small, I love this. You know most people, but never all people. Within your college, you will meet basically everyone, but there are always new people coming every year. And all the people you meet are amazing, they are the people that you never knew existed but complete you perfectly. There is always so much to do at Rice too. There are so many clubs, intramurals, activities that you can never be bored. Also the architecture and trees make Rice a beautiful campus!Caitlin Class: SeniorThe best thing about Rice- The College system. There is nothing better for meeting people, building community, and loving your school. Rice is a great size- big enough not to know everyone or feel suffocatingly small but still small enough (especially the colleges) to have a real closeness. People in Texas especially react very positively if I say I go to Rice, but sometimes people from other parts of the country do not know it well. I spend almost all of my time on campus, I love the campus and there is so much to do. Houston is fun too though- lots of good food! And lastly, the big controversy on campus currently is all of the construction- but it is for the best in the future so I guess we can all put up with it.Brian Class: SophomoreRice is amazing. The residential college system is a big plus; inter-college rivalries are an integral part of our community. I like Rice's size as it is now. When I tell people I go to Rice, they usually ask where it is since most people I talk to don't know of Rice - I think Rice is underrated as a university and should be recognized more. The campus itself is very nice, especially when all the construction is finished. School pride is very high; despite our competitiveness in intramural sports, we all band together as a university when cheering for Rice sports. I will always remember O-week, which was one of the best weeks ever.Harper Class: JuniorBest thing: a great education, prestigious, well-known by graduate schools One thing I'd change: Give more scholarship money to middle-class students School size: Just right Reactions when I tell people I go to Rice: awe, surprise Most time spent: dormitory "What college town?" Rice's administration: No opinion Biggest controversy: Can't think of it right now School pride: Yes, we have pride. Unusual: Story about Willy's statue Memorable experience: Bill Clinton's visit Frequent student complaints: Sometimes the food in the serveries isn't so great.Jordan Class: AlumOutside of the college system, my favorite part about Rice is Willy's Pub. It's a self-sustaining basement bar run by students that is just a sweet place to be. During the afternoons' kids go down there to study and snack, but at night it's just a chill place to relax and socialize. Drinkers and non-drinkers alike gather for weekly trivia competitions, live music, themed nights, dance parties, and interesting conversations. When I was abroad I didn't miss my hometown or my dorm - I missed Pub. The atmosphere is just so inviting and the people so lovely.Mark Class: FreshmanOne thing that I like about Rice is that most people seem really happy. It might be because of the mostly-sunny weather and friendly atmosphere. Another thing that I really like is the non-competitive atmosphere. I have never met anyone who studies to "beat the curve" and everyone collaborates on problem sets. The Residential College System makes it very easy to make a good number of friends easily, and you have many acquaintances. Our small size is also a big plus. I really like it that between most of my classes I see one or two of my friends.Melissa Class: FreshmanThe best thing about Rice is that I know when I graduate I will have something waiting for me, and anyone who hears that I go to Rice knows the same thing. The most common response I get from people is: "That's a great school" or "Wow, you must be really smart." I spend most of my time on campus (besides the gym) at my college. The college systems are really great. You will find a lot of your friends at your college but that still doesn't exclude friends from other colleges. The system is a great way to get to know people quickly.Phil Class: SophomoreThe best thing about Rice is the people you will meet. The residential college system and small student body creates an environment where large interconnected groups of friends are formed. There are people here from every socio-economic background and because half of the student body is from different parts of the world it is a good place to really get a feel for the opinions of many different areas of the world.Rice SoccerAnila Quayyum Agha — Rice Gallery

I’m empathetic to hearing minority voices, but exclusively focusing on an anti-capitalist and anti-civilization view of history seems problematic, especially given the progress in the West, and the US specifically. Critics of Zinn’s version of history come from Stanford, Harvard University, and even Slate magazine.Dr. Sam Wineburg from Stanford University has a critique of this most popular book for history students in the US:"It seems that once (Zinn) made up his mind, nothing—not new evidence, not new scholarship, not the discovery of previously unknown documents, not the revelations of historical actors on their deathbeds—could shake it," Wineburg wrote. He added that "history as truth, issued from the left or from the right, abhors shades of gray. It seeks to stamp out the democratic insight that people of good will can see the same thing and come to different conclusions."Source: Is book by Howard Zinn the 'most popular' high-school history textbook?The Stanford News summarizes Dr. Wineburg’s argument pretty simply:Zinn's desire to cast a light on what he saw as historic injustice was a crusade built on secondary sources of questionable provenance, omission of exculpatory evidence, leading questions and shaky connections between evidence and conclusions.Source: Zinn's influential history textbook has problems, says Stanford education expertHere is my quick summary of Wineburg’s critique:The use of yes/no questions which ask for a dichotomous answer, rather than one of nuance, which is likely more historical.What seems like a deliberate misrepresentation of the early strategy in World War II.Zinn is very interested in changing the ideological narrative about history, including the atomic bomb, rather than looking at history.Zinn’s book was published 20 years ago and yet hasn’t been updated to reflect “prodigous reasearch” some of which challenges his thesis. More specifics here would probably be helpful, IMHO. However, the author mentions Japanese documents which have become available which perhaps cast Zinn’s thesis in more questionable light.The text itself turns students into observers rather than analysts. (Presumably it’s not a “just the facts” type approach to history.)Not to mention, the risk is that Zinn’s history becomes our only understanding of history.The author cites two other critics:Jonathan Zimmerman (he says teach both)Oscar Handlin of HarvardThe New Criterion points out the following:Zinn’s story—noble savages oppressed by nasty capitalists—was calculated to appeal to the politically correct, anti-American spirit that has been regnant among the country’s elites since the late 1960s. But its flaws were early on pointed out with devastating precision by the Harvard historian Oscar Handlin. Handlin’s brief is—or should have been—fatal. Writing in The American Scholar in 1980, he noted:It simply is not true that “what Columbus did to the Arawaks of the Bahamas, Cortez did to the Aztecs of Mexico, Pizarro to the Incas of Peru, and the English settlers of Virginia and Massachusetts to the Powhatans and the Pequots.” It simply is not true that the farmers of the Chesapeake colonies in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries avidly desired the importation of black slaves, or that the gap between rich and poor widened in the eighteenth-century colonies. Zinn gulps down as literally true the proven hoax of Polly Baker and the improbable Plough Jogger, and he repeats uncritically the old charge that President Lincoln altered his views to suit his audience. The Geneva assembly of 1954 did not agree on elections in a unified Vietnam; that was simply the hope expressed by the British chairman when the parties concerned could not agree. The United States did not back Batista in 1959; it had ended aid to Cuba and washed its hands of him well before then. “Tet” was not evidence of the unpopularity of the Saigon government, but a resounding rejection of the northern invaders.And on and on. Handlin leaves Zinn’s “deranged … fairy tale” in tatters. It is worth noting, too, that Zinn’s contempt, though focused on America, is fired by a more global hatred. As Handlin noted, “It would be a mistake … to regard Zinn as merely anti-American. Brendan Behan once observed that whoever hated America hated mankind, and hatred of humanity is the dominant tone of Zinn’s book. No other modern country receives a favorable mention. He speaks well of the Russian and Chinese revolutions, but not of the states they created. He lavishes indiscriminate condemnation upon all the works of man—that is, upon civilization, a word he usually encloses in quotation marks.” And yet this book is the source of choice for countless high schools seeking to teach American history. It is soon to provide the script for a television series that will reinforce and codify its anti-civilizational message. What does it mean that such a work, demonstrably a tissue of half-truths, inaccuracies, and self-hating tendentious misrepresentations, should succeed so lavishly? It is sobering to witness the corrosive progress of politically correct sentimentality, the effect of which is not so much to triumph over historical truth as to render it, while the spell lasts, irrelevant.Source: Howard Zinn's fairy taleEven the Slate points out the following:But in other ways—ways that strike at the very heart of what it means to learn history as a discipline—A People’s History is closer to students’ state-approved texts than its advocates are wont to admit. Like traditional textbooks, A People’s History relies almost entirely on secondary sources, with no archival research to thicken its narrative. Like traditional textbooks, the book is naked of footnotes, thwarting inquisitive readers who seek to retrace the author’s interpretative steps. And, like students’ textbooks, when A People’s History draws on primary sources, these documents serve to prop up the main text but never provide an alternative view or open a new field of vision.Howard Zinn has the same right as any author to choose one interpretation over another, to select which topics to include or ignore.Source: Is A People’s History of the United States Any Better for Students Than the Biased Textbooks It Replaces?This Guardian critique is quite balanced:Zinn did give voice to many heroic, plebeian losers. He punctuated his narrative with hundreds of quotes from slaves and populists, anonymous wage-earners and such articulate radicals as Eugene V Debs, DuBois, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Stokely Carmichael, and Helen Keller. Those supplied texture and eloquence absent from the author's own predictable renderings. But to make sense of a nation's entire history, one has to explain the weight and meaning of world-views that are not his own and that he does not favor. Zinn had no taste for such disagreeable tasks.Source: Howard Zinn's biggest failing | Michael KazinFurther Research:Dr. Wineburg’s critique: https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Wineburg.pdfArawaks A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn Review by: Oscar Handlin The American Scholar, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Autumn 1980), pp. 546, 548, 550This is the cite to Oscar Handlin’s critique. Its available on JSTOR, which your local library may subscribe too. I believe JSTOR will allow you a couple free articles a month to view.Atlantic critique of Zinn: Lies the Debunkers Told Me: How Bad History Books Win Us OverHere is a long-ish article whose overall bent is critical, but largely a 1000 foot view critique of Zinn’s radical politics. For instance Zinn’s ignoring the vast problems of the Soviet Union in the wake of the end of the Cold War, while critiquing the US in multiple ways). Howard Zinn's Influential Mutilations of American HistoryA People's History of the United States: Howard Zinn: 8601400691809: Amazon.com: BooksHistory Textbook comparison (Zinn isn’t included, but this provides a criteria for looking at textbooks. Arguably, some of those included might serve as a better alternative history textbook: A Consumer's Guide to High School History Textbooks

Life in the UK 1970s through the prism of puberty.Monday, January 5th, 1970. Mrs. Line, our class teacher: “Now children, open a new page and write the date. Don’t forget, it’s 1970 now. Not only the start of a new year, but a new decade!” I was 7.Life was idyllic then. We rented a huge 17-room Georgian country house for the princely sum of £8 per week, caught the bus to school from under the Chestnut Tree at the end of the lane, and sometimes rode there on the backs of cows being led from the milking parlour next door. My Dad had given up his job in the “rat race” of mechanical engineering and was trying to make a go of being a maker of fine bespoke custom furniture.My bedroom was on the middle floor, right-hand window.We made friends with some children along the lane, who at first I thought were brother and sister. I was surprised when the ‘brother’ told us her name was Sarah. Once I realised she was a she, I developed a huge crush on her. I’m not sure what that says about me… But it was never to be, she was 12, rode a horse, and was way out of my league anyway.We ran free in the countryside, exploring the woods and fields, finding a spooky “gibbet” at the top of the hill beyond, on which dangled a variety of gruesome corpses of crows, squirrels and other unidentified animals. No idea what that was about, in hindsight. We built dens, played in the hay loft of the farm next door, “helped” them out with milking, rode our bikes around the lanes, played cowboys and indians, helped ourselves to apples, pears and plums from the trees in the orchard. We paid little attention to popular culture at the time - all of our leisure time was spent outdoors, come rain or shine, snow or flood (which was a feature of the area come winter, when the Severn burst its banks).I vaguely remember some kids at school talking about some pop festival that was supposed to be really cool, but I had no idea who any of the bands were (Isle of Wight 1970). We had a TV but it was black-and-white, and as far as I can remember, we almost never watched it. At Christmas, all of the villagers were invited up to the manor house (the whole place was still run along the same sort of feudal lines that it had been for centuries) and we were taught to ring hand bells to accompany a rousing round of carols. Then we’d tour the surrounding lanes, singing our little hearts out and ringing the bells. It sounded amazing, like a touring choir, not a half-hearted and out of tune doorstepping that seems to pass for ‘carol-singing’ now, if anyone still does it at all.1971 brought the first of several downshifts in our circumstances. The country house, as I mentioned, was rented. It was owned by the manor house, and one of the ever-so-posh daughters decided she needed our house, so were were summarily evicted and had to find somewhere else. My Dad’s little carpentry workshop was in the town of Tewkesbury, so we found a place to rent there, but oh my, what a come-down! My brother and sister had to share a room though I was lucky enough to have one for myself, albeit about a fifth of the size of the previous. It was on a council estate that just seemed so bleak, and while it had interrupted views over fields, it wasn’t the same. I remember being overcome with grief at this change, and cried myself to sleep every night for weeks.Typical housing in the rougher end of Tewkesbury, though we had a terraced house, not a flat.Still, as kids do, we came to terms with it and adapted. Starting a new school, I fell foul of a difference in culture on day 1. When taking roll call, the class teacher called my name. “Here!” I replied, and he stopped. “Here what?” he said, angrily. “Here I am!”, I replied, oblivious. All the class laughed, but I didn’t know why. “Here what, boy!?” he asked again, even angrier. Luckily another kid helped me out, hissing in my ear: “here, sir”. “Oh! Here, sir!” I said, and after a pause he accepted it and moved on. Phew! It was my first encounter with mindless authority - at no previous school had we ever had to call a teacher sir or miss. I wasn’t being cheeky, as he assumed, just ignorant of the system. Still, as I settled in I realised that he wasn’t a bad teacher, in fact he became one of my favourites, teaching ‘Practical Maths’, which was a sort of Science Lite.In 1971, Tewkesbury celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury, which settled the Wars of the Roses. The town held a huge festival and parade, with many floats. My mother, a teacher at Tewkesbury School, organised an enormous float for the school, with a Tudor theme. On the back of a flatbed truck, a scene from a banquet at the Tudor court was laid on, with a jolly King Henry throwing chicken bones over his shoulder, surrounded by courtiers and pages. My brother and I dressed as pageboys. We all sat around a huge refectory table my father had made, and the King sat on a huge wooden throne he’d also constructed. The truck itself was disguised as a Tudor castle. It was all very creative. Amazingly, footage of this parade was captured on ciné film and posted to YouTube a few years ago. Discovering this clip was like finding a time machine. Our float comes by at around the 13 minute mark, and I’m the geeky looking 8yo kid with the mop of curly hair in the foreground at 13.03.We made new friends including some very saucy girls from the neighbourhood who opened my eyes to a whole new world of erotic possibilities. Yes, even at 9. Curiosity of that type was normal then. I started to pay attention to the TV more than I had, and started to watch Top of the Pops regularly. Still black-and-white of course. Another distant crush from the time was on Eve Graham from the New Seekers, and then Clodagh Rodgers. Very fickle. I fantasised that Benny Hill was my jocular uncle. I also bought my very first record around then - ‘Rocket Man’ by Elton John.Unknown to me, my Dad’s business venture was failing. At first he had been very successful and had more orders than he could fill, so a waiting list developed. That wasn’t a problem, people were happy to wait, as his work was very high quality. But he decided he needed to expand, and went in with some other artisanal businesses to buy a derelict old building on Tewkesbury wharf. The plan was to renovate the building as a communal enterprise, move the furniture making there, and rent out the rest of the space to other similar ventures. Unfortunately the hippy ideal of everyone pitching in to obtain raw materials and so forth hit the rocks, and the various partners fell out over spiralling costs. By 1972 the plan fell through, leaving my dad with huge debts. He decided that he couldn’t continue, and would have to get a ‘normal’ job again.So another move was dropped on us kids out of the blue. We’d only just got used to this place, and I had started to quite like it. It wasn’t the country idyll, but it had its compensations. Mainly in the form of Jane and Sandra. To sweeten the deal, it was agreed that in the new place, we could get a colour TV. This move was right across the country, to the new town of Hemel Hempstead. The house we ended up in was bigger than Tewkesbury, and we all had our own rooms again. So unlike the Tewkesbury move, it didn’t feel like a grievous loss, even though we were once again leaving our friends and having to start from scratch. We moved in in the spring of 1973, and at once set about exploring our new environs. The neighbourhood we moved into was quite new - the house was just 5 years old. Hemel was expanding, and at that time, our house was on the very edge of the expanded town, overlooking fields. That was a sort of continuity, since the Tewkesbury house had overlooked fields too, and we felt like country kids at heart. But that was soon to change, and the house (which my mother still lives in), is now in the middle of the neighbourhood, surrounded by many other houses. The fields can’t be seen any more.I had a Gloucestershire accent - something akin to a west-country burr, but a bit posher. Hemel Hempstead was filled with Londoners. The culture was completely different; I didn’t fit in at all. My accent was mocked, which I could take, but I was also called “posh boy”, which I couldn’t, because it was so far from the truth. I encountered my first experience of bullying, though at this stage it was mild. Much worse was to come. Even understanding what people were saying was hard at first - passing a new acquaintance in the street on my way home from school, he called out “Wotcha!” I said “what do you mean?” He looked at me like I had two heads, incredulous that I didn’t know that ‘wotcha’ was the usual form of greeting around here. Oh well, he put me right on that one.Hemel was actually quite a cool place to be, we thought. The neighbourhoods were modern and separated cars from people. As kids we could move around freely without crossing any roads (main through roads had underpasses), and the area was filled with small play areas and parks. The entire neighbourhood was ours to play in and we had extensive games of hide-and-seek that ranged over the whole area (a square mile or so) and would last all day. A strange disembodied road disappeared from the end of our road over the cultivated fields. It went nowhere, but ended after half a mile or so. One day an enormous quantity of bricks was delivered to the end of this road. It was the start of building work on a new housing estate. But before that happened, us kids would use the bricks to build a “house” or two of our own. These were built up using proper staggered courses, but no mortar. They even had an open fireplace, and a roof made from the polythene sheeting the palettes of bricks came wrapped in. Needless to say it was very dangerous, but we were somewhat aware of it, and were careful not to lean on the walls. In places they were even buttressed to keep them upright. Impossible to imagine adults not being paranoid about kids playing with thousands of bricks today!After one term at junior school, I started high school in September ’73 aged 11. This was a year of strikes and political disruption, culminating in power cuts. We were oblivious to the politics, and the power cuts were quite exciting. Seeing industrial strife and problems on the nightly news was all part of ‘normal’, then. At least we could watch them in colour - that part of the deal was honoured, though like most people, we rented our TV set. Actually there was little to watch - there were only 3 channels, and one of them (BBC2) was still part-time, showing either the test card or ‘trade test transmissions’, odd random documentaries that we nevertheless watched because it was better than nothing. On the other hand, kids’ TV was great - we had Blue Peter and Magpie (Jenny Hanley, another crush), Banana Splits and all the rest of it.One day in early 74, my Dad got a phonecall. Afterwards, he told us he had to go out. He never came back. He left my Mum and us for another woman he’d been seeing at work. While at the time this was just another change, a blow to be dealt with, it affected me very deeply in ways that took years to understand. But the immediate effect was a kind of withdrawal into myself, which made me a further target for bullies, against which I had no tools to deal with. I was bullied relentlessly, frequently and mercilessly for the next several years. My situation was made worse by the fact that my mother taught at the same school. While she never took me for any lessons, thank goodness, it was bad enough even having the connection to ‘one of them’, as the teachers were thought of by pupils.I daydreamed my way through the first few years of high school, getting poor to middle grades, constantly under threat of yet another beating up. I was good at a few subjects - maths in particular, though it was nevertheless hard work and never a passion. My parents divorced, and my mother started seeing a few new people. Between her job, the divorce and these new dates, she seemed to have very little time for us kids; we were just left alone to do our own thing, cope with stuff unhelped and unguided. We didn’t even help each other - for some reason, this atmosphere of all being in the same boat yet having to deal with it in our own way, separately, meant that we grew apart as siblings. To this day I only have distant relationships with my brother and sister.One of my real interests at the time (and still) was aviation. A benefit of moving to Hemel was that it was close to Luton airport, and planes flying out of Luton would come up over our house and school at a still low altitude. Plane-spotter’s paradise, with a mix of Comets, Britannias, BAC 1–11s, Boeing 720s, 737s, 727s, and the brand spanking new TriStars (L-1011) that had just entered service with Court Line, based at Luton. A passion for planes was my one way to make friends, and even still at primary school a new friend and I decided to cycle over to Luton after school to watch the planes. After all, they were so low over the school, it couldn’t be that far away, could it? It was 9 miles to be precise, but as 11 year-olds, that was far enough. We also didn’t know how to get there, though we knew the rough direction, and ended up lost in the back lanes, so the eventual distance must have been much more! We made it though, and had fun watching the planes close up. Court Line - wow, those colours! So modern, so exciting, so seventies! We didn’t get home until 9pm; my mother was sick with worry! We did the trip a few more times, but always told her we were going, that was fine, as long as we told her, the distance or the negotiation of a very large town like Luton was never an issue.In late summer 74, as I was struggling with my Dad leaving, Court Line went bust. Those colours were no more. The one bright spot in my life, as tenuous as it sounds, was gone. It seemed to be part of a pattern. At the same time, we watched as Nixon’s presidency unravelled. It didn’t seem that important to us as Brits, but we still sensed it mattered. Turmoil and despair were the order of the day, at every level from the personal politics of the playground to the leader of the free world.At school I became friends with a lad called Mark through our shared interest in planes. He’d built a cockpit of a Lancaster in his Dad’s garage out of a bunch of old aircraft instruments and some plywood. It wasn’t a very authentic reproduction of a Lancaster, but it was fun to play in, and he’d even rigged up an authentic-sounding machine gun sound effect, using a relay and a speaker. He explained how the relay switched itself on-and-off repeatedly, and how a capacitor wired across it slowed it down to the right sort of rate for a gun. I got it, and an interest in electronics was kindled from that. What I didn’t know was that Mark had a bit of a bad streak of his own. As a result of our friendship I fell in with a group that enjoyed making mischief, and I was very eager to please. They encouraged me to do bad things ‘as a dare’, and I would, readily. This got me into a lot of trouble. On the plus side, Mark knew a lot more about popular music than I did, though we had a mutual like for Bowie. But he also introduced me to lots of other stuff like Led Zeppelin and Queen. When “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released, it was a phenomenon.At that time, I’d been goaded into stealing some light meters from the science lab as a ‘dare’, on Mark’s behest. We got caught, though not straight away - it was not until the afternoon games lesson (soccer on the top field in late autumn rain) that the deputy head called us off the pitch to confront us with the evidence. As a child of a teacher, it was extra humiliating for her that I’d done this, and I knew I’d have merry hell to pay when I got home. I didn’t really understand why I’d done it myself, but the despair I felt at finding myself in this position on top of everything else that was wrong seemed overwhelming. I couldn’t face going home, so I went for a long ride on my bike. It was cold and wet and grey, and Bohemian Rhapsody was going round my head, “nothing really matters”, and I decided to end it all. I was riding up a road where oil tankers passed regularly, coming from the Buncefield depot (which infamously exploded in 2005, creating the biggest peacetime explosion ever heard in Europe). I decided to deliberately swerve under the wheels of the next tanker. Well OK then, not that one. The next one. No, the next one, really I will. Obviously, I didn’t. At the time I felt I’d chickened out, so it seemed like another failure. I did go home, and I did get hell. In fact my mother broke my nose. But I felt it was deserved.The humiliation wasn’t complete though, because I’d been stealing stuff for months, and had a big box full of it in my room. Stuff that seemed cool, but which I had little use for really - it was all just to show I could be as bad as the other boys. Badder even. I wasn’t a wimp you see, despite being beaten up so often. The school had noticed stuff disappearing, but didn’t have a handle on who had taken it, until the light meters. Then it all became obvious, and my mother had to bear the embarrassment of another teacher coming to our house to recover all the stolen property.In the outside world, 1975 saw the UK inflation rate hit more than 24%. This must have been appalling for adults, but as kids while we noticed the rising prices of our favourite sweets, we just asked for (and got) more pocket money. Mine went up from sixpence (old money, 2 ½ p new) to £1. The exact same thing was happening in the country - prices shot through the roof, so workers everywhere simply asked for more pocket money. In most cases it wasn’t so readily forthcoming however, and so strikes went on. And on. And on. As a family we struggled. My Dad never paid any money to my Mum for child support, and we had to live off very cheap food, and not much of it. I remember nearly always feeling hungry. Sometimes I’d manage to save enough pocket money to supplement my daily diet (luckily we had school dinners, which while uninspired and often quite poorly made, were plentiful, nutritious and very welcome) with Mars Bars bought from the school tuck shop, a new idea they tried that year. But it was painful watching a Mars Bar’s price slowly slip out of your grasp.Christmas 1975, and another teacher at the school suffered a house fire in which her 8yo daughter was killed. They were family friends and my mother offered to let them stay with us over Christmas as the teacher (another single mum) and her son (similar age to me) were homeless. At the time I didn’t understand about grief or the loss of a child, so though we were sympathetic, we didn’t really empathise with it completely, as children. The son in particular was having a very hard time dealing with it, and was extremely angry and emotional. In hindsight I feel so sorry for them, but at the time it just seemed like someone having a toddler tantrum every few hours, and being annoying not wanting to join in with our fun outside in the snow (it was a rare white christmas). What a terrible tragedy, utterly heartbreaking for me to recall now.By this time my Mum was seeing a new chap, and it was getting serious. At first I liked him - he had a deep interest in aviation too, so I thought that was a real bonding point, but in the longer run we had extremely little in common. He took an authoritarian approach to parenting, and quite quickly I grew to dislike him. We were always butting heads, and while I was probably craving a father figure, this wasn’t what I had in mind. When he and my Mum announced their engagement, I was left feeling pretty desolate. Essentially, his ‘style’ of parenting amounted to just another source of bullying. In January 76, Concorde entered commercial service and my stepdad-to-be took the day off to go and watch. I could have gone, but I had to obtain the headmaster’s permission to not be in school that day. He refused, as due to my recent misdemeanours involving the theft of school equipment (resulting in no more than an official caution for all of us), I didn’t deserve it. My parents agreed, and this was obviously why they told me I had to obtain the head’s permission personally.My mum and stepdad married in April of 76, and of course being a teacher, her name change was announced to the whole school. As it was, all eyes turned to me, blushing a bright red. I don’t know why I reacted like that - I hated attention of any sort, and was hardly in favour of the marriage anyway, but still, it was nothing much to do with me. But bullies had a new angle! My name didn’t change, only my mother’s did, so they’d taunt me about what my surname should be. Even my basic identity was under attack.You’d think being caught stealing from the school would have taught me that lesson, but it didn’t. I merely switched targets. Mark and I would go and steal model aircraft kits from Woolworths and W.H.Smiths, both easy targets. Our MO was to simply walk in, pick up what we wanted and walk out. No furtive glances, hanging about or anything that would give security staff time to latch onto us. As a method, it was remarkably effective, and between us we built up plastic airforces the envy of any schoolboy. Getting away with it was a kick, further reinforcing the behaviour. We had a close shave when I got stopped leaving the store and asked to show a receipt for what I had in my hand. At that, Mark abandoned me immediately, leaving me to my fate. But as it turned out the staff member was a bit half-hearted and I was able to leave the store (without the goods) when her attention was elsewhere and escape. Mark and I felt we’d pulled off a great escapade, and had a big laugh. Bowie’s “Golden Years” was the soundtrack to that episode.A few months later I went to Woolies to steal something, this time alone. I got caught by the main security staffer, and this time he left me with no way to escape. I was taken to a back room and the police were called. I was driven home in a panda car and delivered to my mother. She was strangely quiet and seemed to have been crying. I was merely sent to my room. Later my stepdad came in and told me my mother’s dad had died that day. The news was flung at me with contempt, as if it were my fault. Because of this unfortunate conflation of the two things, I was excluded from the whole grieving process, funeral and aftermath of my grandad’s death - a person I was very fond of. It was as if, for me, it had never happened. It was so weird, and became a big burden of guilt for me. Years and years later, I remember it all came pouring out when I was talking with some friends about our grandparents.Because the police were involved, my parents told me I had to face court for my crime, and what happened would be up to the judge. I didn’t know anything about legal proceedings, but I did know that criminals were sent to prison if the case went against them. I couldn’t see how it wouldn’t for me because I had done it, no question. So for months my parents made me fret and sweat about what would happen ‘when I went to court’. Once again I was feeling suicidal, but somehow day after day I didn’t do anything, just got through the day.At the time, my stepdad decided that a good dose of hard discipline was my solution, and made me join the air cadets. After all, National Service hadn’t done him any harm; made him a man, toughened him up and all that bollocks. I went along with the idea, because I liked planes. The reality was an awful lot of being shouted at, “square bashing”, etc. That was all fine, no problem, just a bit boring. I learned how to strip down a gun (.303 rifle, WW2 vintage!) and even how to shoot it. Quite well, in fact. But cadets was mainly another theatre for bullying. In particular, one older lad Dallyson, made life hell for me and several other younger cadets. His bullying was both overt, and indulged by the officers, and covert, which was much worse, and went unwitnessed by his superiors. One time a friend and I ran into him outside of cadets, and on the excuse that we’d somehow caused some trouble for him at cadets, beat us both up, leaving us with bloody noses and our bikes unridable with bent wheels. Eventually it got so bad I stopped going, making excuses. This was the peak of being bullied - at school, at home and doing stuff like cadets. I eventually chucked it in, but when asked to explain my reasons, I didn’t expose the bully (or bullies, I have no doubt it wasn’t only Dallyson, he was merely the worst). I wish I had, it might have worked, but by then I was pretty meek - years of bullying with nothing ever happening to the bullies had taught me that ‘telling tales’ to a teacher or other authority figure (which I already had issues with) had no effect. In fact it often brought down more bullying on me, as one teacher did on one occasion by siding with the bullies against me.The summer of ’76 is remembered for being long and hot, and the summer holidays were largely spent lounging about in the back yard, waiting for the ice-cream van. If we were feeling particularly energetic, we’d take our bikes out into the country lanes, or set up a course through the woods. I remember very little of it, my thoughts almost totally occupied by my imminent imprisonment, or whatever fate awaited me, but I did have one thing to look forward to. My Dad had by this time emigrated to Canada with his new woman, and invited me to visit for a few weeks. This was to be my first time abroad, my first flight, and my first time travelling alone. My parents couldn’t wait to have me out of their hair.While I was angry with my Dad for leaving us and turning our lives upside down, I still didn’t understand it properly or know how to consciously express it, so I was happy to visit. My Dad was living in a mobile home in a forested park near a lake in Nova Scotia. While it was very low rent, it seemed like a lovely spot to me. Also, my Dad was such a different person to be with compared to my stepdad. He didn’t shout at me or talk down to me, he shared his plans with me and asked for my thoughts. One of the things he wanted to do at the time was to fit a pump to a new borehole and plumb it across to the house for the water supply. He took me on the shopping trips to get all the parts and explained what everything was for, and how pipes had to be fitted together with sealing tape to ensure they didn’t leak. One day I was left at home alone while he had to go to work, and I realised that everything was there to do the pump. So I just decided to do it to surprise him. When he came home, we had running clean water on demand, all neatly installed and without a single leak. He didn’t say much but checked it over and told me it was as good as he would have done. He later took me out for McDonalds as a treat (my very first, they weren’t in the UK at the the time except for central London). I was very proud of myself and realised for the first time there were useful things I could do that wouldn’t earn me a shouting at. The trip was 3 or 4 weeks, and was wonderful. I saw most of Nova Scotia as we took a few road trips around the state, and enjoyed my time with my Dad very much. The only thing tempering it was the thought of my ‘court date’ when I returned. I wanted to talk to my Dad about it but I was too ashamed of myself. In hindsight I’m sure that would have been a huge help, but I never did bring it up. I flew back to the UK by DC-8. I saw England through fresh eyes for the first time in my life - I had grown accustomed to Canada with its dark greens, pine forests, lakes, telegraph poles and wires everywhere. It was sunny and warm and driving back from the airport I was struck by the lush greenness, as if I’d never seen it before. It was a pleasant experience.Anyway, soon the date for ‘court’ arrived, and I was driven to the police station, where I received a caution and that was it. Obviously they wouldn’t be taking a 13yo to court for shoplifting, it had all been a trick played on me to make me mend my ways. In that, it worked, and I never stole again, but the other effect it had was to make feeling depressed and near-suicidal ‘normal’, which it has been more or less ever since.1977 I turned 15. I was still a withdrawn, daydreamer type, but a little more self confident. The bullying I’d suffered for years eased off a lot, it was as if the bullies grew up and realised that it was a bad thing to do, but also by then it had become so normal I just didn’t care any more. It had no further effect on me. They’d done their worst and I was still alive, so perhaps I’d won, sort of. Punk was happening, and I really liked it. There was something about it that connected with an unspoken anger I had below the surface. I never became a punk, but I enjoyed the music a lot. At school we were supposed to be focussing on ‘our futures’, but at the same time punk was singing its stories about ‘no future’, and industrial unrest and turmoil rolled on the news every night. It was hard to be optimistic about the future, and no-one seemed to have much ambition or clue as to what they were going to do. I was unequivocally told by the careers advisor that I ‘wasn’t university material’, so I’d better start thinking about a job and soon.My mooning crushes also rolled on. I was hopelessly shy and unable to act on any feelings I had for anyone. An apple-cheeked girl in my class called Leslie Schofield (how provincial it sounds now!) was the target of my blushes at the time. I wonder what she’s doing now? She lived around the corner from me and I’d often contrive to ride my bike past her place, hoping to catch a glimpse. But I never spoke to her once that I can remember.In the summer we had a holiday in Wales, and again I was struck by the magnificent landscape of the country. I’d been to Wales a few times before, but this was the first time I really noticed it. Seeing the sun reflected off the tops of the dark hills in the Dysynni valley is a powerful memory. I later discovered I had many ancestors from this area, so perhaps I felt a kind of spiritual connection to the place?1978 was the year I took my ‘O’ levels. They’d been building up to it for a year or more, and you’d think it was the most important passport to your future life imaginable, the way they went on about it. I still had no idea what I wanted to do, but I did know that it would probably be something technology oriented. I’d long given up my childhood dream of being a fighter pilot, I knew deep down I wasn’t the ‘right stuff’ for that. Maths I was good at, no real issues there. Physics I liked, but I was a hopeless student. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand it, it was just that our teacher was so inept and unable to command authority that every lesson descended into chaos and mischief. I took great delight in deliberately not learning a thing, having pornographic pictures pasted on my exercise book, and generally acting the fool. At one point the teacher gleefully expressed his belief that I would fail my exams miserably, and that it would ‘serve me right’. I laughed it off, but in private I realised he had a point, and that the last thing I wanted was to give him the satisfaction of having me fail. Perhaps this was his psychology all along, but in private I doubled down on getting Physics down pat, while keeping up my moronic appearances in public. Come the exams in May/June, I breezed through them, scoring As in Maths, Physics and Geography, and Bs in everything else except German, for which I got a miserable D. These were decent grades, and I definitely could have gone on to do ‘A’ levels in spite of them all, but I decided I’d had quite enough of school, and left at 16.So now what? At the time, tertiary education was split among colleges, polytechnics and universities. Later all the polys became universities. I visited Herts poly and throught it was pretty cool, but I couldn’t quite decide that more education was what I wanted. I fancied having some money, so perhaps a job was a better option? I was very interested in electronics by then. I had very little money to spend on it though, and most of my tinkerings involved sourcing parts from old radios or bits of electronic scrap that came my way, while reading a lot about it in magazines and library books. I decided to apply to a few electronics companies, such as GEC Marconi (part of a telecoms giant), Data 100 (mainframe computer manufacturer), someone else who I forget, and Dymar Electronics (radio manufacturer). Data 100 took in a lot of local school leavers and had them sit an aptitude test, which was a combination of IQ type puzzles and simple mechanical and electrical puzzles. I scored 100%, and was told I was the only student ever to have done so. But I later failed the interview for the company because I had no idea how to present myself in a positive light - it was all new to me. I also had an interview at Marconi which was little better, for various reasons, and the one with the unremembered company was a wash also. Dymar took their time getting back to me, and it was last chance time (or A levels at college). This interview was totally different to the others. Very informal, and without any real stress of type that some interviews put you under. It was like having a chat with a pleasant old uncle. I relaxed, opened up and talked myself into a job that came with a great apprenticeship.The first year was to be full time college, but with pay. It was awesome. I learned lots of real trades, like metal machining and fabrication, welding, casting, etc. but also lots of electrical and electronic stuff. There was also higher maths and physics that counted towards A level equivalents. Having money, albeit only about £20 per week, was simply amazing. While I was still living with my parents I paid them some nominal rent and keep, and that didn’t leave much left, but it was enough to socialise with friends. During holiday periods, I would go and work at Dymar, doing the rounds of the factory to learn all about various commercial operations. The first was working in the stores, a vast warehouse full of components. It was menial work, very tedious, but relieved by having a fellow apprentice working alongside me who was good for a laugh. Also, all those components! A godsend to electronics as a hobby, thanks to the odd part getting ‘lost on shop’ as it was called.The winter of 1978 was the usual chaos in the country at large. The ‘Winter of Discontent’ they called it. Teachers and Nurses striking for pay. Public sector workers of all kinds taking action. Rubbish piling up in the streets. The government threatening an imposition of martial law and a takeover of essential service by the Army. Honestly, it was apocalyptic. But we had Bob Geldof on TOTP, singing “Rat Trap” while tearing up photos of Olivia Newton John and John Travolta (who’d been No 1 forever until then) and all was well enough in our little bubble.By this time my relationship with my parents was going downhill fast. It didn’t hit bottom for a few more years, but with my step father in particular it was almost open war. It was especially obvious in contrast with my brother, with whom he had a good relationship. I didn’t resent my brother over it, but despised my stepfather even more for using it as a means of scoring points against me. When my mother wasn’t around he would abuse me verbally and occasionally physically, calling me names and telling me I was a wimp and should toughen up. On the one occasion I did fight back he laughed as he punched me clean across the room (he was about twice my weight). Obviously that’s what he wanted to do all along, just needed the excuse. I didn’t try it again, and I’m certain my mother never knew anything about it. In her eyes he was the perfect man, the perfect Dad, and could do no wrong. She always took his side, so my relationship with her was rarely much better.In 1979, Margaret Thatcher swept to power. I wasn’t old enough to vote, but if I had been, I probably would have voted for her. I wasn’t very politically aware, and hadn’t signed up to any particular ideology of any kind. But it did seem as if the chaos couldn’t continue, and perhaps her approach would work. It turned out to be right, but also a very painful adjustment for a lot of people. I can recall the day the election result was firm, our teacher for electronics couldn’t help but have a very broad grin on his face all morning. Even our usual shenanigans couldn’t dislodge his pleasure. I had no idea why he was so pleased. As the 80s unfurled, Thatcher’s policies had remarkably little impact on me personally - I neither prospered especially, nor suffered as the miners and traditional manufacturing industry did. It wasn’t until the middle of the decade that I was able to finally move out of my parents’ home and get a place of my own, despite it being my dearest wish for years.’79 was also the last year of full time education. from then on, my apprenticeship worked on a day-release basis, with 4 days a week working and 1 day of college. It was also the year that I first got really drunk, and more than once. Not being keen on beer at the time, I drank ‘shorts’, and typically sweet ones like Southern Comfort. Not a good choice for getting drunk on. Often this was led by going drinking with mates from college; one of them worked for ICL, a computer company with a heavily subsidised social club and bar. When I turned 17, I started driving lessons. On one occasion, I went out drinking with my mates at ICL the night before a lesson, and it was a major headspinner that time. My sister woke me in the morning telling me my instructor was here, and I woke up to find I was still drunk. I did the lesson anyway, in a terrible state. My instructor must have noticed, but nothing was said! Later that year I was able to buy my first car, a 1970 Vauxhall Viva for £200. I didn’t pass my test until 1980, but having the car gave me a lot of practice ahead of the test, so I passed easily, first time.That car was a heap, but it represented freedom to me. The 70s hadn’t been the best years of my life, though here and there it held fond memories. Thanks to the car, getting out of school, new friends, paid work and prospects, things were looking more optimistic than they had done for a long time. My social life was about to explode, though I didn’t know it, and the 80s were fantastic years, especially after I left my parents’ home.