Most lists of colleges tout the lighter side of student life, singling out those with a big party scene, great food, decent dorms or an entrenched Greek life.

Not this one. Unigo and The Huffington Post culled the top 10 schools for those who want to work hard and get far — the Tracy Flicks of the world, united, who "know exactly what they’re going to become and how great they’ll be once they get there."

On the list of colleges with ambitious students is Houston's Rice University, which earned the No. 8 spot due to a challenging curriculum, particularly in the prestigious engineering school, and the tendency of students to buckle down, with many double- and triple-majors and a healthy amount of pre-med students who balance their required science courses with a major in English.

Whether the hard work is worth it is another question, since the students note that nationwide Rice has a lower profile than other schools on the list like Amherst (in the No. 1 spot), Princeton, and Georgetown.

But Rice's star seems to be rising, especially with a newly minted Rhodes Scholar on campus.

Do you think a spot on this list a plus or a liability for potential students? Are Rice students all work or are they the work hard/play hard types?