University of Rochester Top Questions

Rochester isn't really a college town so there is a big sense of community on the campus. At times this can feel isolating, especially for freshmen who can't have cars, but the location causes students to become more active on campus.

I'l admit, U of R wasn't my first choice and I wasn't sure if it was the place for me when I sent in my deposit. But it has a really interesting dynamic, great academics, and I'm really glad I ended up here. I think UR's size is a real benefit. Some Intro classes do tend to be large, but are small enough where you can still develop a personal relationship with your professor. I had the opportunity to be in several discussion based classes as a freshman and this isn't really out of the ordinary. But UR also is a top-notch University with professors doing high level research in their fields. Its small undergrad size allows for amazing opportunities for undergrad research and independent study. Very few schools offer the same intimacy and research availability. While the city of Rochester gets a bad rap, I honestly think its an above average college town. Lots of music performances, a quaint independent theater and decent night life. Despite what outsiders might think having heard about kodak filing for bankruptcy protection, Rochester is doing fine economically---it was recently listed as one of 10 cities 'poised for greatness' and its really starting to flower. The worst thing about UR is that its name doesn't carry as much clout as its academics deserves. I think that the quality of education and caliber of students makes UR a peer school with WashU, Tufts, CMU, Emory, and JHU (I know a bunch of students that turned down all of these schools and many more) However, UR is practically unknown in many circles. Nevertheless, lots of UR students attend top grad schools and it is well known in academia. Ultimately, its name recognition is more annoying than anything else, and isn't something that will really hold you back in achieving your career goals.

Personally, I love the University of Rochester because of the neat and tight community. It is academically oriented and was able to meet many friends who I could share my passion for learning and academics. But at the same time, students here are unique and are allowed to continue on their extracurricular activities and hobbies. As a result, students are always vibrant, active and happy! Students definitely have school pride, except for one aspect, the Rochester winter.

Personally, I love the University of Rochester because of the neat and tight community. It is academically oriented and was able to meet many friends who I could share my passion for learning and academics. But at the same time, students here are unique and are allowed to continue on their extracurricular activities and hobbies. As a result, students are always vibrant, active and happy! Students definitely have school pride, except for one aspect, the Rochester winter.

Where to start... I love it!! Everything about U of R screams "you belong here" aloud to me. The red brick construction, the open air of the academic quad, the catacombs and endless halls of knowledge of our main library, the people who greet me with a smile even when I'm in the foulest of moods. For me, there could be no better fit, and I encourage everyone to give it a shot!

Rochester is one of the best school's in the country in my opinion. However, many students do not realize this because it is not an ivy or not in an ideal location. Once you come to terms with the weather, you are really able to enjoy all that Rochester has to offer. I can not imagine the academics being stronger at another university than they are here. And with so many extra-curriculars you can become involved so much that you have a full day every day of the week. The school's size is the perfect size at around 5,000; not too small to know everyone, and not too large to get lost and go unnoticed.

School administration cancelled bar parties. If there is one thing that unites the students, it is whenever they do that. It happens every few years and usually ends up not being a big deal-but it is the most riled up I've ever seen people here.

Quite frankly, one of the biggest draws of the University of Rochester is our open curriculum. Don't want to take math ever again? Well, then you probably won't need to. Think required gym was stupid? Good, you don't need that either, but if you do decide to take one, that's fine too. What happens is that all the classes are split into 3 different categories: Humanities, Natural Science and Social Science. Your major, once declared, will fall into one of the three categories. The remaining two categories require the completion of two clusters, one in each remaining category. The clusters are 3 related classes and there are a ton of choices. So many that I see multiple classes I would love to take, but simply don't have room for. A large majority of the teachers really want to see you do well, and there are a ton of options if you are struggling. I have teachers who know every person's name in a 100 person lecture hall. We're a small school, and I wouldn't change it as it's a small town feel with the option of the big city right there. Seriously, take the Red Line of our busing options and there's the city! You will get people who go "Oh, Rochester, RIT right?" when you tell them where you are going. I know I did in my hometown. However, the University has a name and a reputation so while the average person on the street in my hometown thought RIT, my primary care doctor, and the nursing staff knew exactly where I was going and were thrilled for me. Dealing with the financial aid offices can be frustrating at times, but I see that at almost every school that my friends go to and my brother went to. Sometimes people are not as responsive via email as I would like, or the email goes into the spam box, but these are both fixable problems. There is a price tag, and that was, and still is, the biggest drawback. College is expensive, but I cannot see myself anywhere but here at the University of Rochester.

University of Rochester is not a flawless school. No school is. People complain about Dining Services, the Rochester city area, etc., but as a senior in my final year here, what I notice most about the student experience at U of R is that everyone is happy. While everything may not be perfect, so many things have gotten so much better over the past four years. The admins are completely willing to revamp entire dining centers or build a new dorm (or two) if they need to--recession or no recession. Stay here long enough, and you'll see how hard they're working to make this campus a great place for students... even if they do mess things up now and again. Moreover, U of R is a beautiful campus filled with positive and talented people. There's a niche here for everyone, and you're sure to live a balanced life while still actively engaging in challenging classes with some of the best educators in the country. I've had dinner at professors' houses and even consider some of them personal friends. Plus, professors will not hesitate to put in a little extra work if it will do a student good. I can't tell you how many times professors have invited me to plays they thought I'd find interesting, offered me a job/research opportunity, or even nominated me for a student award. And they do all of this for me and for many others simply because they appreciate their students. U of R is a small school with a lot of resources, opportunities, and (most importantly) heart. You will have a great time here; you will make lifelong friends and connections; you will receive an education that you can proud of and that others will respect.

Involvement is what stands out to me most about the UR. We have hundreds of student organizations... way more than other peer schools. And almost everybody is involved in SOMETHING, because there is a group and community for every interest and passion. http://sa.rochester.edu/clubs/ Students are also really passionate about their interests: few students simply take classes and end their day at that. Most are involved in some sort of additional academic research, innovation, or other project at the school or in the community. The administration is also really encouraging. To connect with a faculty member you have to put yourself out there, and take the initiative to set up a meeting... but I've found that almost all of them are not only receptive, but excited about getting to know you. The deans are really connected with the community. Speaking of the community... I was surprised by how vibrant the music, performance, and art scene is in Rochester. There are a surprising number of great restaurants too. But a lot of that is a ways of campus. There are discounted taxis, free shuttles, busses, and free bike rentals to get you there... but this is a suburban campus moreso than urban, so sometimes getting out takes planning.

The school is definitely a bubble, you won't get off campus much without a car. It's a study hard during the week, party hard on the weekends type school. After the "new ivy" ranking, the administration has tried to crack down on the social scene. There's zero school pride in athletics, most people have never gone to a game for anything. Lots of diversity, lots of things to do for fun partying and otherwise.

The size of Rochester is pretty amazing- small enough to give you personalized attention, but large enough to have decent resources and great aid. When I say I go to UR, most people, especially in academic circles, are really impressed. Alot of people not in academic circles think we're RIT. WE'RE NOT. We're way better. There's a lot of school pride- maybe not in the traditional sense of athletics, but in our school itself. Students wear a ton of UR clothes, and are really proud to be here. It gives us a great sense of community. On campus, I spend most of my time in Gleason, which is this awesome part of our library that was designed by students. It's technically a study area, but it's really more of a socializing/studying place. It's really fun, and really a great place to chill with friends and even maybe get some work done. There's not really a college town feeling, but there's plenty to do in Rochester. We're home of the original garbage plate (if you've never had one, they sound completely disgusting. If you've had one, you know they're amazing), and have a great music and theatre scene. There's lots of cute little diners and coffee shops in the city, but none are really within walking distance. However, the bus system here is really amazing. I go off campus quite a bit, and it's not difficult at all to find buses. They're a great resource. The only real complaint about Rochester (except maybe the price) is the meal plan. Our food is by no means great, and it's really expensive. But we do have some good places, and you learn where to go, and more importantly, where not to go pretty quickly. Hint: stay away from Danforth. Another hint: Douglass is pretty much the best place on campus to eat. Several people have told me we have the largest Starbuck's on a college campus- I'm not sure that's true, but it is a really nice one, and has pretty much all the options of a full Starbucks. Hillside, a little cafe in Sue B Residence Hall, now has panini's, which are delicious and made fresh when you order them, but because of that, there can sometimes be quite a line. That's new this year though, so maybe eventually they'll stop being so incredibly popular. One experience I'll always remember..... there are a million. But my first really great memory was Yellowjacket weekend, which is sort of a kickoff to the school year. You get a free "jersey", and there's a full fledge carnival. It was really fun, and msot of the school shows up. Like I said, everyone's really happy to be here.

Rochester's curriculum is great for anyone entering college unsure of their major because its lack of a core curriculum lets you explore your interests before you have to declare a major. My biggest disappointment in UR is that its administration's priority is very obviously public image over student satisfaction. The majority of its resources go toward trying to live up to its reputation as the small yet excellent research university recently deemed one of the "25 new Ivies," but in the process it neglects students' needs and ignores students' criticisms. This last year, there was a lot of controversy over the new meal plans that will take effect in the fall. The new plan changes meal plan requirements, making them based on residence rather than class year, so that ideally those with access to a kitchen will have smaller plans that those without. But the details of the plan are only changing which students will be bound by an expensive and unnecessary too-large plan.

Overall I would say that the University of Rochester provides well for its students. Every college will have its shortcomings and Rochester certainly isn't without them, such as the constant battle with the meal plans and housing, but students are also not afraid to let their voices be heard and tell the administration how they feel about these problems. Rochester is not a school that has much in the way of school pride, athletic events are poorly attended and most campus events have to bribe students with free giveaways to get them to show up. The University of Rochester is in a unique location that separates it from the rest of the city so that there isn't much of a college town atmosphere, and it is my understanding that predominantly students do not stray far from campus.

The Rochester campus is a "bubble" which is pretty isolated from them outside city. In actuality it is not safer because of this. There is a serious lack of reliable transportation to and from the campus. There is a lack of diversity. There is little to no school pride. The food on campus is pretty bad because the school's food provider is Aramark which is crap. The students are far more interested in their GPAs than in meeting new people. The entire social scene revolves around greek life. Even the greek life isn't that socially spectacular.

One of the best things about Rochester is the way the curriculum is set up. The fact that you can take pretty much any class you want coming into the school is great, and really designed for most college students, who don't know what you're doing. Everyone is also really helpful, and there to make sure you're doing what you want to be doing. Another thing that really played a part in my decision to come to Rochester was the fact although the students with themselves, they don't bring that through to each other. Everyone is always studying together and helping everyone else. It's a really community-oriented environment. People seem impressed when I say that I go to Rochester, because the school is getting more popular and known around the country. It's becoming one of those "new ivys" i think. There is definitely a lot of school pride. As always we show it in sports, particularly basketball, but it's also really strong because the class presidents and administration work hard to make class activities where we can all get closer. One complaint, and a recent issue on campus was regarding housing and the mealplan. Up through my first year students at Rochester could pick a variety of meal plans, governed by what year you were. The administration made its best guess as to how to limit younger students new to college so that they would always have a sufficient mealplan. However they have recently changed the policy and it is now tied to where you are living. For me this has turned out not to be that big on an issue, but when I first heard about it I agreed with most of the school that this wasn't a very good idea. Peope who were planning to change to a certain mealplan couldn't, because of where they were living, and some living arrangements closer to eateries with one kind of payment style, are going to house a lot of people unable to buy a lot of the food there. This has been a big issue so far and it is great how the students have already petitioned together many times for it to be changed. There's a lot of school spirit and strong leadership skills in our school.

Rochester is a great place to try new things in both academics and extra curriculars. It's unique cluster progam makes taking interesting classes so easy. My freshman year, I took a lot of classes that didn't relate to my major, and found that I wanted to double major in a new area. Rochester students work really hard during the week, and let loose on the weekends.

First things first, it's cold. Really cold. A lot of people have trouble adjusting to the winters. They're not so bad if you've lived in the NE or somewhere else with lots of snowfall before, but pack warm and be ready for the hell of a car in winter if you drive :) It's a fairly small campus, although it's expanding quickly over these next few years. This means that the party scene isn't always as active as you'd like, but it also means that you see some of the same people in a lot of your classes within a given major, the school administration is more flexible about, e.g., paperwork problems, etc. The city itself isn't really a college town, but there's stuff to do. There are a decent number of restaurants and bars in the nearby area, although pretty much nothing within walking distance. There are a couple live music festivals in the city each year, and there are usually good concerts either in Rochester or a nearby town like Buffalo. The local music scene is great, although it's hit-or-miss bringing it to campus these days. Housing is DIRT CHEAP in Rochester. It's very hard to get permission to live off campus as an underclassman, but once they let you off, assuming you have a car, it's a very good idea. The going rate for a room in a rented house or apartment seems to be around $300/month, less if you're willing to give up some space. I know a lot of people who rent full houses with only 1 or 2 roommates and pay substantially less than the price of dorms. The #1 complaint most students have is the horribly meal plan they force everyone on campus into. It's overpriced and terrible. Not as bad as, say, my high school food was, but it will still leave you craving fast food as if it were gourmet. Paying $7 for a 12 pack of soda only stings a little less when the $7 is dining plan money (which students frequently call monopoly money because it's next to worthless). They force you to overbuy, too; most underclassmen have enough meal credits to provide free food to all their upperclassman friends without coming close to running out. I think I had around 100 meal credits left at the end of the first semester. That's $700, gone. You will learn to despise Aramark. On the plus side, if you're willing to go spend real money on food from time to time, Rochester has good diners and the always delicious garbage plates (google it, they're delicious, best 3am post-bar food EVER!)

Rochester is a great place to go to school. It's a small school in a big university, so it has a nice small school feel but not too small to make you claustrophobic. When I first got there, I thought I was going to hate it because I'm from a big city and Rochester is a small city. I was worried I wouldn't be able to relate to the students from upstate New York. But my freshman orientation was an unbelieveable experience and I quickly met friends that I will be friends with for my entire life. The people at Rochester are unique because they are kind and inviting rather than cold and snobby. The actual campus is easy to get around , except in the winter when it is freezing. Investing in a North Face down coat is essential for survival. There is a city, and having a car is necessary after freshman year to prevent dying of boredom. There are cute cafes and restaurants in the city and they're only about a 10-15 minute drive. The best part about the city is Wegman's, a huge supermarket open 24 hours a day. Since the food on campus is terrible, Wegman's will get you through those late night study hours. The administration has improved significantly since I was a freshman at Rochester. As a member of a sorority, I had to work with the administration often, and they sincerely care about the well being of the students. Our Greek life on campus is a large part of the extracurriculars on campus, including community outreach, philanthropy, social events, and public service. Four years at Rochester, while it can seem tough at times, is worthwhile in the end for the incredible education, the outstanding people, and the unforgettable memories.

Rochester is very small and you can find/make many close friends. Every person has a hidden talent or something special about them. When I tell people I go to UofR, they say "Oh! Tha'ts a good school!" or "wow, you are in the middle of nowhere". Downtown Rochester is pretty awesome, with Eastman School of Music right around the corner: lots of concerts, there is a thriving music scene. However, in the 19th ward, right next to campus, is the section with the #1 crime rate...in all of New York. So don't go there after dark. Rochester is probably the forgotten hero of our nation. We have a LOT of firsts...we have Kodak, we have George Eastman, we have Xerox. the eerie canal is right by us, we have the largest laser in the world, we have one of the best medical schools. We also have a fuckload of lilacs (Lilac Festival) and is the eternal home of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. Mount hope Cemetary is the largest colonial cemetery in the nation. the administration goes through busts and booms, just like the economy. They vascillate from a liberal, student-oriented approach, to a money-guzzling, 'screw you', 'no fun' administration. As of 2008, they are in the upswing of the latter =( Rochester is lots of fun but lots of work...and a little annoing at times, but generally a good school