University of Rochester Top Questions

Diverse. Let's just say that. You'll get a speech about it if you come here to visit from one of the dean's. He'll tell you all about the diverseness. Basically he picks the students with the most ridiculous background story and tells them to you. Usually it boils down to... # of people from various continents / nations That special person who has a company already That person who had no money but got 50 scholarships and now has a free ride # of people who do a particular sport...etc etc. It goes on. It's interesting though. Everyone is usually pretty nice to each other. Despite what seems to be a "liberal" education, it's pretty well balanced here and everyone for the most part is respectful. I say "liberal" because usually the big outbursts of protests tend to come from the left and not the right. Which, personally, bothers me just as much but it's a nice change from what I usually see on TV (maybe because I don't watch Fox news =P)

The school is very divided, the black/hispanic population lives in GLC, the sorority girls in phase, the asians on the quad, and the athelets in towers. There are obviosly all different religions here like everywhere, and historically there is a large jewish population, esp from the NYC area. The same as the rich and the poor kids, there are both and people dont discriminate or anything, people are generally accepting and understanding. Most people would feel at home here unless the cold turns u off. Class wear depends on the weather, nice clothes when its nice, sweats in the winter. People typically eat with thier friends, so the notion of a "clique" is simply stupid, and a word used by someone who doesnt have friends, or anyone to eat with. People are as aware as they want to be, no more here than anywere else, well prob less than georgetown, princeton, but they arent stupid. I have no idea what kind of voters there are at U of R but its generally agreed that pres bush isnt doin much of anything productive.

there are plenty of student groups that represent different backgrounds and interests, but to be honest, i have not been involved in them so i can't really comment much, except for the fact that many of them are well-known/respected on campus. again, as i mentioned before, the student body is very "middle-of-the-road" : there is plenty of diversity on campus but many groups don't socialize with others (i am caucasian and have never been to an asian/black/hispanic group social event); there is a lot of financial diversity... the student body is not all snobby/rich like other schools, and you aren't able to tell who is or isn't because no one really acts like it.

On the whole, I find that students here are kind, friendly, genuine, and down-to-earth. Students are intelligent and talented, but they lack the "elitist" attitude that people sometimes associate with top schools. It's so refreshing and it makes for a wonderful environment. You'll find people having both intellectual and goofy conversations - again, there's a really nicely-balanced vibe to the student body. People are genuinely interested in learning, and that makes for a great environement. There is a noticable LGBT presence on campus - not huge, but definitely there. Everyone I've met so far has been nothing but tolerant and supportive. People here typically come from a middle class/upper middle class background. There's a mix of everybody, though. Different racial/ethnic groups definitely interact with one another, though at times it does seem a bit segregated.

As an underrepresented minority coming from a predominantly (some say "overwhelmingly") Hispanic community, it certainly was a culture shock arriving in Rochester. But, there are many of services available for students to integrate themselves with the rest of the community. Unfortunately, the lack of racial/socioeconomic diversity on the campus creates a sense amongst many "minorities" that they're not understood. (I was one of those.) But I always felt that it had more to do with the fact that many students lacked contact with students from different backgrounds. There was rarely a lack of interaction between different groups. Being that Rochester is a (very expensive) private university, there are plenty of stereotypical spoiled "rich kids," but many more liberal-minded individuals with which one can connect. This, in the end, helped tremedously.

predominantly Caucasian, though there are sizable percentages of minorities...approximately 60 White, 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} asian, 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} black, 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} hispanic, 5{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} other.

There are many very active religious groups on both campuses and an active Pride group at the River Campus. At Eastman, because of the amount of Asian students, there is a small divide between the Asians and those of us who are not, unfortunately. I try to bridge the gap, though -- my best friend at school is from Shanghai. The LGBT community is not only excepted at Eastman, but is the majority of the male population. Four tables of students in the dining hall at Eastman... one is Asian. one is full of brass players. one is full of obnoxiously loud singers. one is a strange mix of all three. The dining halls at the River Campus are too busy for me to notice what kinds of people the tables are comprised of. haha. Rochester students are from all over the world. I've met some people at school that are some of the richest people I've ever known, but there are also some lower middle-class people who take out massive amounts of loans. Students are VERY politically aware. The majority are left-winged, but there are many who swing toward the right as well. Students at Eastman do talk about how much they'll earn one day. There is a facebook group called "My tuition costs more than my future annual salary."

The kind of student that would feel out of place here is the student with a lower income and some minority students, but Rochester seems to have a very diverse student body to me. Most Rochester students are from somewhere in New York state or New England. I would say students are predominately moderate or liberal, but there is a conservative voice on campus. Many students talk about how much they'll be making one day and how much their starting salary will be upon graduation.

There is a broad mix of students at U of R. Since the school is pretty good about finacial aid, and both the liberal arts and sciences are strong here, there isn't really any more of one type of person than other types. Rochester is a pretty apolitical campus, which may be seen as a downside to some, but people tend to enjoy not being constantly harassed about political issues.

Basically, 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the kids who go to rochester are in frats or sororities. But you would never know it since most of the campuses parties are at Frat Quad, where in exchange for free beer you have to put up with the latest rap and pop music playing too loud to talk to anyone, darkness, and some generally horrible smells and sticky floors. Oh, and most people are assholes there. The sports teams are annoying as well. None of them are good at their sports, everyone is D1...or D3, i forget which is the bad one, save for squash who are apparently amazing. However, although they are bad at their sports and generally only got to the college because of their "skill" they aren't the brightest people. Yet they all think they are awesome. It's a lot like High School, cause frat guys and sports guys think that they are the popular kids. if you want a constant party kinda social life, you have to join a frat or a sports team not that there arent cool people, but i would say that most people fit into this stereotype.

I find the majority of the kids come from middle class backgrounds. All of us depend on financial aid some people more than others but there is a social setting appropriate for all different backgrounds. There are a lot of kids from different countries and there are some who are from NY. Actually a lot from NY and Jersey and Pennsylvania. The students come from all different walks of life in terms of political views there are clubs for democrats and republicans but they are not really active on campus maybe for elections but that's all I have ever heard from them. The kids here live for the now with awareness of the future which I think is the best way to live.

Most students come from financially stable backgrounds from the Northeast, namely upstate New York and the tri-state area. While student diversity is stressed by administration, if you tuck yourself into the right pocket you may never know that was true. There are really no extreme, outlandish disagreements between students. I myself for example have both arms, my sides and back covered entirely with tattoos and consider myself more than generously accepted at this fairly conservative University. Either way, the students are great.

I don't really think that anyone would feel out of place at UR. There is a lot of diversity in race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc. on campus. Plus, there's a group for almost every single culture/lifestyle choice. You wouldn't believe the number of people who come here from different countries. I think that there are more people from China and Peru here than there are from Rochester. I think the only people who would not be comfortable here would be someone who has issues with being with people from a lot of different backgrounds. As a few examples, the school is about 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Jewish, we have a club for people of Latino background called Salsa (they just had an awesome party), and I know like a gazillion people who are active in the club for people who are LGBTTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, or questioning). It's really a very diverse and accepting community. Most students wear warm things to class. I'm not going to lie, it's cold here, but people from Hawaii have been known to get used to it, so you can, too. Jeans and hoodies are the norm, but trendiness depends on the person I guess. Different types of students really mesh here. I once went out to dinner with some friends and my family, and I said to my friends that the waiter would probably mistake us for sisters. Yeah, we're all different races, but I forgot. We're pretty heavily liberal up here, but there's a Republican group, too. One of my favorite people is the president of the college Republican club.

Ton of asians, ugly girls

The student body is normal...no complaints. I think any person would feel comfortable and find a group of friends here.

Rochester is fairly diverse, especially for being in Upstate NY. The majority of the student body is from the Northeast, but there is also a fair amount of westerners like myself. The most prevalent religious affiliation is Jewish, I think, and I wouldn't know from experience but from what I can tell they offer a lot of activities.

There isn't much diversity on campus, and different ethnic groups tend to stick to themselves. I don't think anyone would really feel out of place here because everyone has a certain place. I have heard a good amount of homophobia and racist remarks, but I know other people who are open and accepting of others. Mostly the kids dress similarly, fairly conservatory. There is a good range of students from the right to left.

There are a lot of groups on campus and they are for the most part, all supported. I would say a student that felt out of place would be one that wasn't interested in doing work and learning. EVERYONE here wants to do well! Most students dress in sweats in the winter because it's so cold. But once the sun peeks through EVERYONE is outside on the grass or playing frisbee or football, wearing skirts and flip flops. It's the greatest time of the year! I would say most UR students are from NY state. Other than that, there's no real demographic. Most people here are middle class to upper middle class or even higher than that. People walk around wearing Uggs and North Face jackets constantly. I don't think students are huge on the politics thing. Students are concerned with their future more than I've ever seen!

I mentioned before that I though we were laid back. There are activities on and off campus, groups etc. but for the most part we just are, and this is probably a function of being indoors for much of the school year--it causes us to rarely do any campus wide activities.

Rochester is not the most diverse campus, but that's not to say there's no minorities. The different minority groups do tend to hang out in their own groups so there's not a ton of inter-racial mixing, but there's definitely not an attitude of racism or anything like that. In terms of socio-economic status, there is very little awareness. I have friends who are very very rich, and friends who are from working-class families, and no one seems to care at all. I was surprised when I got here how little political activism there is here. Like most schools there is a very vocal left-wing, but they rarely do more than talk, and there is definitely a conservative population as well, and plenty of people are friends with people of differing political viewpoints. People generally wear jeans on campus, and sweatpants are common as well. In winter UGG boots are everywhere (ick) but they are convenient in the snow and salt, if ugly. Students here are not especially fashionable.

Most students wear sweatshirts and jeans to class. Occasionally someone will be dressed in a polo shirt but most students just dress "comfortably".

I think the socio-economic backgrounds of the students are very diverse. As far as racial and ethnic backgrounds, it is a bit less diverse. There are still many international students here but the majority of the students come from the northern NY area. Socially, there is quite a barrier between the less social studious types and the students that go out on the weekends to bars and frats. I think the person who would stand out at UR would be the goth, extreme type. Although there are "nerdy" kids here, they aren't very outgoing or rebellious. Four tables at the dining hall look like this: the first is the football team, they just got back from practice, are very loud and arrogant. The second table is a sorority, they aren't quite as loud but every once in a while will do something weird like clap in harmony or laugh really loud and everyone will turn and look. The third table are the less social, good students and they keep to themselves and every once in a while you will hear a glimpse of their conversation and it revolves around World of Warcraft. The fourth table is a mix of the first three tables and consists of a few boys, a few girls and they will talk about recent news around campus and around the world and sports news and what is going on this coming weekend and how wasted they got last weekend.

Some students wear pajamas to class, especially if it's a morning class. Others wear T-shirts and jeans. There are also some students who always look very put-together. Everyone goes for comfort though in the winter months- boots and sweatshirts!

I think the student body is very active and very accpeting . There are groups focusing on stopping racism, stopping violence, stopping sexual harrassment etc and the students are very open and accepting. There is a large population from the rochester area and a large population from the east coast area.