Read what to do when you arrive in Houston for orientation. There's a lot, but don't get too worried, advisors will be there to guide you every step of the way! We've all been in your shoes before.
Move-In will be on August 13th, all on the same day. Specific instructions and times for move-in will be emailed in late July / early August. As a heads up, you can only move into Duncan College during your assigned move-in time! If you don’t come at your assigned time, we will NOT be ready for you. If there is an unforeseen travel problem or emergency, contact us as soon as possible.
When you get here, Advisors will help you up to your room and get your things in as needed! For that reason, please make sure that all of your items are labelled with your name and room number to minimize confusion when our eager Duncaroos are moving your belongings!
Once that’s taken care of, you’ll head to the commons where you’ll pick up your keys. Then, you’ll get to meet the college Magisters and the rest of the A-Team, lovingly called the DuncSquad! We’ll have a lot of people available to help you and guide you once you arrive at Duncan, so don’t worry about memorizing every detail on where to go.
Lunch will be provided in the Commons so that you can eat with your family and meet some of your fellow new Duncaroos before you and your family say goodbye. For parents, there will be presentations and a tour of the campus available if they are interested. After lunch, you will say goodbye to your family, as your Duncan and Rice journey will begin!
Please do not ship or mail things that would arrive prior to August 13th. Our space is very limited and used by other groups this summer, so please bring all of your important items with you. There will be plenty of time to purchase and receive personal items after O-Week. Your mailing address is:
From I-10 East or West, or I-45 North or South, take US 59 South. From US 59, take the Shepherd/Greenbriar exit (approximately four miles south of downtown). Turn left under US 59 and follow Greenbriar to the light at Rice Boulevard. Turn left onto Rice Boulevard, and the campus will be on your right. Turn right to enter through Entrance 21, and turn left at the T in the road. Duncan will be straight ahead! You’ll see lots of Advisors with signs and megaphones—you won’t miss it
Follow signs to US 59 South. Once on US 59, proceed south approximately 25 miles and exit at the Shepherd/Greenbriar exit. Turn left under US 59 and follow Greenbriar to the light at Rice Boulevard. Turn left onto Rice Boulevard, and the campus will be on your right. Turn right to enter through Entrance 21, and turn left at the T in the road. Duncan will be straight ahead.
Exit onto Broadway and follow signs to I-45 North. Take I-45 North approximately 6 miles to US 59 South. Once on US 59, proceed south approximately 3 miles and exit at the Shepherd/Greenbriar exit. Turn left under US 59 and follow Greenbriar to the light atRice Boulevard. Turn left onto Rice Boulevard, and the campus will be on your right. Enter through Entrance 21, and turn left at the T in the road. Duncan will be straight ahead.
You’re going to want to contact your roommate and figure out what the other is bringing. This way your room doesn’t end up with two fridges, two televisions, etc. (unless you and your roommate decide on that). You are probably really excited to have an awesome room that you can finally decorate however you want, but remember, it’s someone else’s, too! This means you have to be considerate of the other person’s space.
Putting a label (tape, tags, stickers) on every bag with your name and room number will ensure that all of your things end up in the right place.
They are useful for hanging mirrors, bags, umbrellas, etc. and are also approved by H&D. Do not remove the hooks otherwise you might face damage charges.
The Duncan doors are very tall and also thick, so most hanging shelves that use plastic or metal hooks will not fit over the door or will end up being too short. However, these will fit over the the bed frames and in the closets if you really want the extra storage.
Make sure that you are not in violation with anything you plan to bring. Most offenses have fines associated with them, and no one wants to get fined, right? ...right????
During your time at Rice, you may get a job, want cool Duncan merchandise, or load up on groceries. You might want to look and see if your local bank has a branch in Houston. Here are some of the banks located near Rice:
Bank of America
1025 Holcombe Blvd.
(409) 202-3002
Chase
6560 Fannin St.
(713) 795-7312
Wells Fargo
6651 Main St.
(713) 285-2780
Compass Bank
2401 University Blvd.
(713) 867-1111
Note: Chase Bank is the only bank with ATMs located on the Rice campus; in Fondren Library and the RMC. These ATMs also allow for check-depositing. Chase ATMs charge a $3.00 withdrawal fee for most other ATM cards. If you would like to avoid this fee it’s recommended to either open a Chase account or find a local bank that forgives ATM fees.
