I get the impression (and this is just a quick 30 second personal opinion) that Rice is more theoretical, and is relatively well connected to the rest of the architecture world, while UVA is somewhat more conservative and craft-oriented. RIce is also small.

From what I heard so far, I would suggest you to go with UVA. It is a place, where you can get more opportunities to learn lot many new things in the exiting field of architecture.

I don't know too much about Rice, so this isn't so much a comparison of the two schools as it is an explanation of what's currently going on at UVa.

UVa SARC is certainly a smaller school. Really no more than 20 - 25 students in each admitted M.Arch class. This, combined with the committed faculty at UVa, means there is excellent access to the professors and lecturers at the school. The grad student / faculty relationship is very collaborative in nature. You could feel comfortable asking any professor at any time for a crit on your studio project. Also, its more than likely you will be able to work as a Research Assistant or TA for a professor.

Despite UVa's small size, there is a pretty large breadth of opportunity in the school, with more to come in the future it seems. They are rooted in their strengths: a strong understanding of architectural history and architectural theory...you'll take plenty of classes in these areas if you haven't already. And an understanding of Place is a vital starting point in any project. Call these more conservative approaches, sure, but what is exciting is their reinterpretation in contemporary thoughts of architecture. And its the access to that cross-section of thought which exists at the school...the old-school to the new-school, which gives you a really rich understanding of design...and I'm not sure how long it will last as the old-school professors...well, they're getting old.

Yes, a strong craft tradition exists, but it is by no means backwards looking. You are as likely to do hand drawing as you are to use Grasshopper...and really the combination of the physical and digital is highly encouraged. You are as likely to see gorgeous plaster-cast, wood and soldered metal models as you are to see mind-blowing 3D printed and CNC routed ones. MAKING is one of the highlights of being a student at UVa...there are plenty of opportunities to get your hands dirty. And not the just conceptual stuff either. ECOmod is one of the better design build studios in the country.

One of the perks of being in the A-School is the cross-disciplinary access between the departments. UVa has a very fine Architectural History program. But the highlight is the Landscape Architecture program, one of the best in the country. The access to ideas about landscape design, and the ability to easily take classes in the landscape department, even studios, and work with those students is a real asset.

UVa has a solid Alumni network. Friends of mine have gotten jobs across the world because of their UVa contacts. And UVa does everything it can to hook you up with the best firms in the country. The externship program gives you a chance to request a one week externship over winter break with a firm of your choosing...arranged by the school. Just getting your foot in the door can go a long way to making contacts for future employment.

UVa has a number of study abroad opportunities. Traveling studios in the past have traveled for a week or two to Barcelona, New Orleans...and Hong Kong....I think. Also, summer travel programs abound, big and small. This summer, there's a studio in India, a studio in Vincenza, and summer classes in Hong Kong.

And...Charlottesville is a cool town.

Hope that all helps a bit.

Rejected at both when I did this.  Hey, but still managed to get educated and licensed.

My suggestion is Virginia.

Virginia is a beautiful campus, the architecture school is small, you'll get individual attention, and their alumni help each other more than at many other state schools.  The New York market recognizes it ... for everything, including architecture.  I, too, noted the close link to both architectural history and landscape architecture.

Rice has nice buildings, but it is not a beautiful campus.  It's also small and of high quality.  They have a required internship toward the end, in the summer before the last term. The only real advantage is that it's in Houston, an urban lab, but at the beginning of the school year (Sept/Oct) and at the end of the school year (Apr/May), you will be in sweltering heat.  Alumni ties in architecture are also strong.

Finally, since neither are that profound in technology, UVa still continues to use the summer session before and graduates you in May, about 3 years later.  Rice uses 7 semesters and graduates you in December, 3.5 years later.

The "no" from Virginia stung.  The information on a school was not available via a venue like this, so I didn't know how prestigious and sought after it was.  The "no" from Rice was "eh, looks like I won't be living in Houston for over 3 years."

I can weigh in on employment in Texas with regards to Rice. I currently work with an architecture firm in Dallas and we are busting at the seams with work. Many firms across the state are hiring. Although this isn't a solid number, I'd say Texas firms probably hire 4 out of 5 people from Texas schools. Nearly all my colleagues were educated at Rice, A&M, Texas, UTA, Tech, or LSU. It's the same all over the state. This has been changing a bit over the last year as the U.S. has seen Texas thrive during the recession. I've noticed an influx of out of state grads popping up in Dallas, Houston, and Austin because our economy is so strong. Plus we don't pay state income tax. That's not something people usually talk about when deciding schools. However, if you stay in Texas to start your career, you'll have a little extra money to pay back your loans instead of paying the government, lol. The cost of living in Houston is also very reasonable.

And the heat isn't that bad. You can get used to it.

All of your assessments about TX seem right.  I would imagine 4 out of 5 hires coming from Texas schools.  All of its cities are affordable and the "no income tax" thing is a bonus.  Of the big cities, Houston is the hottest and most humid, but once I got into Rice's a-school building when visiting one May, the nice cool A/C hit me in the face, and it's standard in Houston, even in its underground  downtown tunnels.

I think the OP wanted to be go back to NYC, though.  Both are good for that goal, but I think UVa has a slight edge.