University of Rochester Top Questions

As with any university, student groups play a major role at UR. Some of the most popular ones that come to mind are the musical groups (orchestra, percussion ensemble, jazz band, a Capella groups, etc.), activist/political groups (GreenSpace, College Dems/Repubs, etc.), media groups (Campus Times, the student-run radio station and record label, etc.), and club/intramural sports. Ok, so a few of those were personal plugs. I'm the Publisher for the Campus Times (CT, our student newspaper), and have been working with the CT since freshman year. It's easy to get involved with the CT either a little or a lot, in everything from graphics and web design to writing to photojournalism. It's also a great opportunity to meet new people, especially for a science major like me. What to say about the social scene at UR... as with everything else, there's a lot going on and it's highly varied. Some students prefer the fraternity/sorority scene -- if you find your niche there, you can find a party to go to pretty much any night from Wasted Wednesday to Smashed Saturday. If you're more like me though, most of your social interaction comes through smaller parties, organized at the houses/apartments of your friends or out at the bars in the city. If you're not into drinking, you won't be pressured to. People don't want to buy beer for you if you don't want to drink it, trust me. At least in my experience, people are welcomed into the social scene whether they drink or not. I'm sure you're all completely focused on academics and so have no interest in the dating scene, but just in case any of you are interested in any extracurriculars, I'm happy with the pool of singles at UR. Most of your dates will come out of people you meet through class or student groups, so just put yourself out there and don't try too hard. There's plenty of nice, attractive guys/gals looking for the same thing you are. In the city, some popular social activities include checking out some of our indie movie theaters (well-kept secrets), concerts, checking out the bar scene, hanging in parks, hitting up restaurants, heading up to the beach for the day (~20 minute drive), and just urban exploring in general.

Some of the most popular student groups on campus are the nationally recognised acapella groups: the Midnight Ramblers, Yellow Jackets. I met most of my friends, through clubs like equestrian club, symphony orchestra and living in the same dorm: and of course, through taking the same classes. Since our campus is very small, I recognised a lot of familiar faces at frat houses and other parties, and was able to strengthen the relationships and friendships through these social events. D-day (Dandelion Day) is one of the most significant days during the academic. This is always the saturday before finals in the Spring semester, where students are all out on the campus grounds, drinking, bonding and saying good luck on exams, and good-byes. Famous musicians and bands throw concerts throughout the day. This is one day you can see students drunk in the day time, on campus.

With over 250 student organizations on campus, there is a significant number of groups for students to choose from when wanting to get more involved on campus. Some of the popular clubs on campus include the acapella singing groups, dance groups, class councils, student government, club sports teams, undergraduate major societies, and Greek life. Many students are involved in multiple organizations forcing them to plan time for their studies and activities.

You mean I have to pin it down? People do all sorts of things here -- there are so many, in fact, that during the activities fairs, it's hard to get where you're going through all the people! I personally have been offered a position on a rowing team, a computer science interest club, a belly dancing group (and I'm a guy!) and a video game league. That's without looking -- there's FAR more than just that, and people are making new groups all the time. Parties are common to say the least. They're no unavoidable -- they keep to themselves, really -- but they're not hard to find either. If that's your thing.

As a member of Greek life, I can say that going greek was the best decision I made after coming to Rochester. The social and networking outlets that Greek life offers you are unlike any other group on campus. It has also provided a strong support system throughout my time here. There are many other popular student groups that students enjoy becoming involved with. There is a vast student government structure that allows students to see a more political side of the university. There are also several A Capella groups that are always seen singing around campus.

Former President Bill Clinton came this year. I was in front row for the school paper and it was so awesome being so close and hearing him speak. Such a great experience and feel that only here could that have happened.

Former President Bill Clinton came this year. I was in front row for the school paper and it was so awesome being so close and hearing him speak. Such a great experience and feel that only here could that have happened.

Former President Bill Clinton came this year. I was in front row for the school paper and it was so awesome being so close and hearing him speak. Such a great experience and feel that only here could that have happened.

Former President Bill Clinton came this year. I was in front row for the school paper and it was so awesome being so close and hearing him speak. Such a great experience and feel that only here could that have happened.

A cappella is huge! midnightramblers.org, jackets.org, urvocalpoint.com, and urafterhours.net. All of performance arts are big, including the two indian dance teams, Louvre contemporary dance, Ballet Performance Group, Rice Crew, IBTL Improv, TOOP theater, D'Motions Hip Hop, and Mariachi Meliora... just to name a few. http://sa.rochester.edu/ccc But there are hundreds of other types of groups too.

Music and theater groups are very present. There's shows a couple times a month on campus. It's easy to get over to Eastman to see the philharmonic. Greek life isn't a huge deal. If you are a part of it it does enhance your social calendar. But if you aren't its not a big deal and most fraternity parties are open anyway. Nobody cares about sports. There's lots of hooking up, not a lot of people date. It's by choice or self imposed social isolation. Most people meet significant others from class or through friends. The bars are fun and are a short drive from campus. There's a lot of sketchy locals so if you are female go in a group. The hard part is finding someone willing to stay sober to drive back.

A capella is really prevalent here- we have really great groups that are pretty famous and travel all over. Our most popular one is all-male, and is called the Midnight Ramblers. They travel a lot, and have made a ton of CD's. They've also been featured on a lot of random mainstream music. They're amazing. However, all music and theatre is pretty dominant here. There's a really cool artsy vibe in certain circles, and while most require auditions, there's always something for you to do that's true to your passion. The dating scene..... eh, no school has great typical dating. It consists of mostly hookups at frat parties. People here are truly of the opinion that you should study hard, party hard. During the week the scene is pretty dead, but on the weekends frats are very popular. However, if drinking isn't your thing, there's a ton to do on campus, and there are a million people like you. The party scene gets a lot of hype, but it's not like there's nothing else to do on a saturday night.

Most people don't leave campus much, especially if they don't have a car, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It means there are always people around campus, and it makes campus more lively.

The most popular student groups on campus are the minority groups such as the Black Students Union, the Chinese Students Union, and the Greek life. Although students in certain student groups will interact and socialize with others, there is a bond formed in them that can make it difficult for outsiders. There are plenty of social activities and interactions, and more often than not the challenge is deciding which events to attend as opposed to boredom from having nothing to do. Parties are certainly relevant at Rochester, but there is no pressure to be a part of that lifestyle by the majority of the student population (although there may be some in one's own personal peer group).

The dating scene couldn't be any more pathetic. All partying on campus either stems from a sports team, or almost always a greek party. The greek scene is completely dominent on the social scene. Athletic events are mildly popular. There are almost always movies playing every friday and saturday nights. Having a car on campus is the only way to have any sortof independance/mobility while at school. There are a lot of events on campus involving performances from student groups, as well as performances and lectures that the school imports.

Everyone is extremely friendly at Rochester and the events and programs going on are almost always well attended. 's great because everyone, although we spent so much of our time in the library studying, are the kind of people that really like to get up and do things. 2 am on a Tuesday is an extremely busy time. Most people are still awake, studying perhaps, but maybe having a cooking party in someone's kitchen, watching a movie, or if it's nice outside, taking a midnight stroll. There were many groups of friends on my floor but everyone was friendly, and I became really close with a small group including one of my roommates. Some of my best friends also came from people someone else introduced me to, and through dance. I do wish people were more enthusiastic about meeting people in class. I have made a couple in that sort of a setting, but it is difficult with the big classes. I am part of the D'motions Dance Group, it takes up almost all of my time, at least half the year, and I love it. I have always loved to dance but haven't ever really done that much seriously before and this is the perfect setting. It is a very focused group, practice is imortant, and we are all reallly passionate about the dancing. However it is most focused on bringing people together and enjoying dance. The way it is set up was exactly what I was looking for.

The social life at Rochester is what you make of it. Getting involved is very easy to do, but some people don't. As a freshman, you become very close with your hall and they become very fast friends. There are weekends every season for the campus to enjoy, such as Meloria Weekend, Dandelion Day, and Winterfest.

There are a ton of student groups on campus, and most people I know are active in at least one. I am a member of the Policy Debate team, which I can safely say is the single best decision I've made in college thus far. Debate is one of the more active and organised groups on campus. We attend tournaments around the country about every other weekend (driving or flying, depending on distance), which is great fun. Nothing beats the school paying for our travel, tournament and hotel expenses to hang out with good friends and compete against rivals from other schools for the weekend. We're open to all levels of activity and experience, whether you're a TOC champion high school debater who wants to go to national tournaments or someone with no debate experience who wants to try out a tournament or two, and the only thing you pay for is food. I cannot possibly recommend this activity enough. If you have never done it, all I can say is this: it's almost certainly nothing like you imagine, anything that interests you can probably become a debate argument (seriously... there was a team from Bard College that would do weird postmodern performances, make jokes about debate and read abstract poetry about Nietzsche and they did pretty damn well) and it is the most intellectually rewarding thing you will ever do. Athletic events are relatively popular as a way to kill a couple hours with friends, but our sports teams are not very good in general. Rochester doesn't recruit many sports players, so we get whatever Rochester students happen to be good at sports, more or less. Guest speakers are fairly common and pretty popular among the more academically oriented students, and there's a theatre on campus that plays movies for about $2 a couple times a week. We also have live theatre, a couple a capella groups, some on-campus bands, etc. The dating scene? Meh, who dates in college? At any rate, I guess the hub for that would be the frat parties, which range from huge and bumping 3+ nights a week when the weather is nice to a virtual ghost town on the worst winter weekends. On an average weekend night, there are probably at least a couple hundred students on the quad, so it's not hard to meet new people. Some people go out every weekend (many starting on Thursday night), while others very rarely go to the quad. If you ask a frat brother, the frats and sororities ARE the social life on campus, but plenty of people get along just fine without them, especially since many students have ample space in off campus dwellings for parties and get-togethers of their own. I met most of my friends either in class or through debate. Most of my friends I met through parties on the quad have long since graduated. Most of my close friends are debaters, partially because I fancy myself an intellectual and so do many debaters, but also because I travel with them regularly and we end up spending a lot of weekends together at debate tournament hotels. We used to have a tradition called Dandelion Day. It was officially just a school celebration, but unofficially it was the day that every student made it their solemn mission to be drunk by 11 am and stay that way all day. The administration pulled the plug on it because of this this past year, but students 'celebrated' anyway.

I already talked a little bit about this, but let me talk about night life. The party scene at Rochester is variable. When it is warm out, the parties can be great. The only parties on campus are from Fraternities, but there are a lot of them so it works out. The parties that are publicized can get really big and chaotic, but usually controlled. I prefer parties with only about 20-30 people in a suite in one of the residence halls, but those can get broken up. Only about 20-25{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the school actually goes out on the weekends, so you usually see the same people out. During the winter, it can get difficult to get the energy up to go out. There are bar parties by sororities and fraternities, and since those are inside, they usually get more attendance. During freshman year, people who do go out usually go out about 3-4 nights a week, and that slowly decreases as age increases. When I was a senior, I went out once or twice a week, and usually went out to the bars. If you don't drink, there are always campus activities having events. There are also a lot of local cafes and stuff to hang out in. There is a group on campus called Campus Cinema Group, and they usually have showings of recent movies in our movie theatre for a cheap price. It can get depressing sometimes if you don't go out, but I think people find something to do . If you do want to go out, I highly recommend joining a sorority or fraternity. My social life quadrupled when I joined my sorority. It makes it so much easier to make connections and network with other people in the Rochester community. I made my best friends on my freshman hall, but most of my other friends are the girls in my sorority. Not only that, joining my sorority made me a leader in my school and among my friends. It developed my self confidence and my interpersonal skills which are essential for the real world. It is your friends and social life that prepare you for the real world in college, not the academics, so make the most of it.

Social life around finals is haggard and potholed. however, it all depends how much work you have and how social YOU are. mostly everyone will make time to hang with their friends, but usually people do their work...or slack off for a few months and do it last minute. As a whole, the student body does pretty well for itself, but its divided into two halves: the studystudystudy, and the people treating college as an experience