Rochester, NY
University of Rochester

I graduated from University of Rochester in 2013 and I had a wonderful educational and extra curricular experience. I was able to create my own major and study things that set me up for a career journey that has been anything but mundane. As well as with extra curricular experiences that have allowed for me to be prepared for experiences in my professional personal life that were invaluable and I could have never learned in a classroom.

he U of R also gave me important life skills such as advocating for myself and being aware of the people and my surroundings. My favorite part about my summer was taking the Audio engineering class because I learned how to create mixtapes for my own music as if I was a producer in a studio working with an artist. I also enjoyed the Medical Mystery class because I learned how to do CPR, do stitches on a banana and I Learned how to assess how critical a person is if there was any kind of accident or danger. These are skills that are helping me to become a better person who has discovered a new interest that I never thought I would be interested in. Thanks to this opportunity I learned what I am looking for in a college and what I can expect during my college career.

My freshman year at UofR has been extremely enriching and fulfilling. I've met people from all walks of life and had the opportunity to be exposed to an amazing network of alumni and professors. I enjoy living on campus, even though the Rochester area isn't the most vibrant, yet the campus life keeps you busy enough.

Overall, Rochester is a good school. There are always activities on campus, and there are great opportunities for tutoring and learning outside of class. My main critiques are that the bigger and better dining hall is closed on the weekends, and some of the dorms aren't ideal.

I love the school and the entire atmosphere. There are definitely improvements that can be made. Some departments try to weed out students by placing in bad teachers, the food is often very similar making it pretty monotonous, and there is sometimes not much to do outside of clubs, but the overall experience is really good and the students are very friendly and intelligent and interesting.

The University of Rochester has a beautiful campus. Once you step in, you are instantly blown away by its beautiful architecture and plant life. Though the campus has some useful on-campus facilities such as ample food places, a grocery store, a bank, a religious center and a mail center, it is located quite a ways away from others like the supermarket or the movie theater. However, shuttles that are quite convenient arrive on time at different intervals during the day to ship you to your location. In addition, U of R students get coupons for taxis! The on-campus housing is quite nice, especially that of the first-years. The rooms are bigger than you'd expect, and close to campus with in-building facilities available for use. No matter where you end up, every student is a die-hard fan of their own dorm. Student life differs from student to student. Some are hard-core party-ers, and there is no shortage of frat parties and get-togethers available on campus every weekend. Others prefer sports or arts organizations, and there is no shortage of those either. For those who prefer to study all night long, the libraries are open through the wee-hours of the morning, and there's always someone available to assist you. The food is quite literally gourmet and the people on campus are just wonderful and accepting. Not only are you sure to find students who share your interests, or even those who oppose you, the University's high international student population means that there are students from around the world who are very friendly and willing to get to know you and share their culture with you. And of course, the academic life is just fantastic! If you have a class or skill you've always wanted to take/learn, chances are the U of R can help! You aren't required to take the useless prerequisites most colleges force you to take, and you can jump right into the courses for your major! If you haven't decided on your major, the U of R can help there as well, and you can explore your many options through the College of Arts and Sciences. Your schedule can be very flexible, and your teachers and TAs are always willing to help. If you need further help, there are three different tutoring organizations on campus, as well as other groups that help with papers and career and interview preparation. The University of Rochester also makes many academic opportunities such as research and internships available to students starting from the very first year. I love being a student at this school, but it does have its downsides. For one, this school is very expensive, and tuition goes up every semester while your financial aid goes down because, like many universities in recent years, U of R seems to be a bit more focused on construction that it should be. Also, if you don't like snow, you will hate the weather. But overall, this is a place worth visiting at least once.

The University of Rochester attracts a large group of academically-focused individuals. The undergraduate students spend many hours in the library studying for their difficult courses, but still manage to get involved in some of the many extracurricular activities that the school has to offer. The student population tends to be very involved in the arts, getting involved in the many performing arts clubs on campus. There are clubs and organizations for diverse interests, whether you are interested in finance, political science, debate, or engineering. Although we have varsity sports, watching sporting events is not a high priority unless you are supporting a friend. We have many intramural sports clubs though. The College of Arts & Sciences offers a diverse curriculum that allows students time in their schedule to explore multiple interests. Instead of requiring general education courses, the College requires you to take courses in three areas: Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Engineering. One academic area is satisfied by your major. The other two areas may be satisfied by an additional major, a minor, or a cluster. Clusters are a subset of courses that satisfy your studies in that area and are typically made up of three or four courses. These credit hours and the flexible scheduling allows you to try out whatever courses and areas of interest you desire. The College is one small portion of the University of Rochester, as it also includes the Eastman School of Music, multiple graduate schools, and the University of Rochester Medical Center. The immense size of the university provides a wide variety of opportunities for students to take advantage of. However, a University of Rochester education comes at a very high price with very little financial aid available. Looking for outside scholarships is definitely a great idea if this is a school you are really considering! My advice in looking at the University of Rochester is to visit and tour the school! The best way to get a feel for the school is to actual visit and talk to the students. There is a pretty diverse population of students so you are bound to find a great group of friends either way, but it is a good idea to come and see if you can picture yourself going to school there for four years. There's nothing better than in-person experience!

The most attractive factors about UR are its rigorous academics and open curriculum. It's amazing how many students here double or triple majors because the curriculum allows them to. This may help bring ease to some students who are worried about what they want to do in the future because the open curriculum allows them to embrace that uncertainty and passion for learning. Also, the student body tends toward collaboration over cutthroat competition, which makes a positive difference on the whole college experience and the relationships we build. Beyond classroom academics, UR provides numerous opportunities that enhance the learning environment so that there are ways to challenge each student no matter what academic background they are coming from. There are research opportunities for the ones who know what they want and accessible faculty who can serve as mentors for the ones who need a bit of guidance. Even though this is a research university--and sometimes during the large lecture classes the professors seem indifferent to teaching--most of the time they are available for extra help if students care enough to reach out to them during office hours, and they are almost always eager to know those students who want to learn more. One of the drawbacks to this school is how isolated it is from the community. In the midst of dark, snowy winters and seemingly endless mid-semester work, students don't really find a reason to get off campus. There can be a disconnect from the surrounding community for those who don't bother to venture off campus, and that's a loss of possible opportunities to learn from and contribute to the city of Rochester; however, the opportunities are definitely there for ones who value that type of engagement. Also, this school is well-known for some of its STEM departments, so there are many STEM majors, but humanities majors may seem to lack presence. While there may be occasional political conversations here or there, there isn't much political activism or sense of urgency to prepare ourselves to be politically aware and involved adults. The school prides itself in its open curriculum, but it's easy for certain majors to become isolated in some aspects and neglect the importance of politics or arts while being drowned in the rigorous curriculum and their own mindset for what they deem as necessary knowledge for the real world.

The University of Rochester was not a college that I was completely impressed with. While it had adequate academics, the University felt very insular and not community-focused, unlike other schools who seek to benefit the communities in which they reside. There have been prominent sexual-harassment cases against graduate students recently, which cast a long shadow over the administration of the University, with them at odds with their faculty. This is one of the biggest reasons to really make sure you want to go there over somewhere else.

Truthfully, I cannot imagine myself at any other college. The University of Rochester has the kind of environment where you feel like you fit right in, but there's such a diverse and exciting group of students who all bring in so many new experiences and worldviews that things never get boring. Students are very academically driven, and I mean this in the best way possible. People here are genuinely excited about learning, and it drives you to get excited, too. The people here are genuinely supportive of you and your academics; I rarely feel like there's "competition." You feel more motivated by the sheer interest and excitement you get out of learning new things and getting to share it with others, while hearing about what they're learning about as well!