I notice some speculation about Rice, and thought I might be able to shed some light. Dr. Villado hinted that the faculty split up the applicants and decide on their own who to extend offers to. Dr. Villado is offering two positions and it looks like Dr. Beier is offering two as well. Dr. Villado told me that he had a short list of four people for his two spots. He conducted phone interviews in late January and has sense extended two offers. He said if either of those students choose a different program, it's likely he'll extend an offer to one of his other two potential students. I'm not sure if Dr. Beier is making her choice the exact same way or not. Hope this helps.