Guys~really need your advices, hard decision to make!

go to rice.  

any reasons?

reason: you only mentioned U.Mich's ranking as a reason for wanting to go

I know (if my resources aren't wrong) that  Rice and Michigan have the same professional development, the same theory/ practice pedagogy. However, it seems that U.Mich is offering more resources for students such as their study aboard program, their cooperation with other schools, and more scholarship and GSI chances. 

Michigan has an open studio and rice has an closed one.Both have positives and negatives, but I am OK with both.

It is just s hard to decide since the two school are so much alike.

And I could not go to their open house since I am living outside the US

hm... From what I hear, Rice really prepares students to enter the field with real, marketable and useful skills.  Not that Michigan doesn't but I've known several Rice grads (albeit 5 yr professional degree holders) and they were total rockstars.

Rice is unusual in a sense because these students get jobs all over the place. Like MIT grads.  I see MIT kids everywhere. Rice is the same boat.

Michigan does have some intangible advantages you might want to consider. Like school pride. It's in a small college town. People love their sports and it can be intoxicating to some degree.  For an international student, it can be a lot of fun.

Also, the winters are unbearable. People really pull together and make the most of situation. It's times like this when you develop a wonderful community of friends. Then when spring hits and the weather changes, the party moves outside. The town will transform and it's like a brand new place. It's simply awesome.

I have worked with recent MA.arch grads from Michigan in the past 12 months. A nice girl out in San Francisco.  She was doing marketing for San Francisco Planning and Urban Research (SPUR). Very cool organization. She was a great designer and had tons of vision, which she attributed to the freedom of UM's studios. Lots of options. Fabrication, urban design...all sorts of stuff.

If this was a business decision and you were taking offers from bidders, you would most likely go with the lowest, qualified offer...in this case you say that's Rice. Done..the answer is rice.

However, both are good schools and they are both clearly interested in having you.  Take this opportunity to ask for a best and final offer. They are more than capable of making greater  financial accommodations.

See how they respond. If the tell you to take a hike, tell them to pound sand and go with the other!

Either way -- Congrats on your earlier success and get ready for a wonderful education and epic career!

Cheers