University of Rochester Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Justin

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.

Monica

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.

Kaitlin

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.

Tucker

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.

Jacob

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.

willie

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.

willie

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.

willie

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.

willie

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.

Bradley

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.

Alice

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.

Erika

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.

Krista

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.

Tessa

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).

Rose

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.

Hannah

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.

Melissa

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.

Ryan

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.

Laurel

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.

Jeremy

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

Alana

I was on the Dive team, and it was really overwhelming. I found I was spending 30+ hours doing something for the team. Since U of R is a D-III school, i thought it was a bit extreme. I felt really comfortable around my dorm, and if i was in my room the door was always open. (I had a very social floor)

Laura

Steven Colbert is coming this fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are involved with Greek life.

Brittany

There really is an endless amount of activities/clubs to join or participate in. There is always something going on on campus. Athletic events are fairly popular, espescially our men's basketball, however theater, speaker, and entertainment are just as prevalent and popular on campus.

Ryan

THE BIGGEST THING ABOUT COLLEGE, your social life. Yeah, everyone goes to school to get a good education and graduate, but theres much more time than you think to do, SOMETHING other than study and go to classes. (MAKE SURE YOU GO TO YOUR CLASSES AND STUDY THOUGH). "You will learn so much more outside of the classroom, on day to day interactions with other people,than you will ever learn in a classroom while your in college". Humans are social beings, and college is one of the quintessential aspects of a young adults social life. Everyone likes to have fun, and everyone likes to have friends. Simply put, if you want to drink in college, You WILL drink much more than you ever thought you could or should. If you want to hook up with someone, play your cards right the opportunity is there. Mommy and Daddy are no longer around watching your every move. You want go to church and worship you can. Basically you can do anything you want to, just know that every action has a consequence whether good or bad. But if your in this University you already know that or will definitely find out soon enough, but we are all adults so have fun, take care of your business and enjoy the ride. Its time to see who you really are, and who you will shape out to be. COLLEGE IS GREAT, just find you niche, whether it be with a mate, a sport, a club, a group of friends, a combination of different things. Whatever, you find your niche' and you'll have the time of your life! FOR REAL

Diana

Since I've covered a lot of these topics in my other answers, I guess I will cover the dating scene. I made a big mistake. I went to the same college as my high school sweetheart. This can work out once in a great while--I've seen it work! However, as a result, I spent most of my freshman year sheltered and bored. So, if you do happen to be single, I can only give you advice about dating from your sophomore year onward. First, being single is usually a good thing in college. Unless you meet the perfect person that treats you the way you deserve to be treated, don't get into a relationship. That being said, do not be promiscuous either. UR is a smaller school than many, and word travels fast. You will probably end up hooking up with or dating so-and-so's ex, and you will probably run into so-and-so on campus more than you like. You will see your past hookups almost daily--or maybe not at all, depending on your schedule. Here's how hookups often happen. You are at a party, you're reallllly drunk, and you and a classmate from writing class end up dancing. You end up making out, you go back to the room...you get the picture. It might become more than a one-time thing, but probably not. Men at UR do not take girls on a lot of dates. If they do, it is probably because they needed a date to their frat formal.

Kelsey

There is always so much to do on friday and saturday nights... student preformances are probably the number one thing happening, and if that's not happening you will find something to do... whether it be hanging out with friends on or off campus or doing the stereotypical college party.

Kendall

Usually the most popular events on campus are basketball games and fraternity parties. Our basketball program was ranked number one in the nation for D3 sports this year. Although our girls and boys teams had the exact same record this year, mostly everyone just shows up for the boys games, which is normal. I myself played on JV this year and went to pretty much all of the games that I could make- boys and girls. A lot of students leave their doors open in the halls; pretty much the only time I did though was to have dance parties with myself and blast the music. Pretty much everyone dates on campus, not so much dates but hooks up even if they really never did before. Its just such a chance to be free. Like if you want to go out and meet up with someone at 3 am on a Monday.. you can do it.. and you don't have to tell anyone where you're going. My closest friends are all from basketball or are a couple girls in my hall.. my roommate in particular. I didn't really like her much at first but now she's actually the best friend I've ever had. I'm going back to Rochester next weekend to visit her and stay with her. I would suggest rooming randomly and not with a friend or someone you met online. Everyone who got a roommate randomly wound up having a great time while the others usually had more problems. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, it's probably because me and my roommate were going crazy and just talking all night. The biggest tradition each year is D-Day. It's basically a day where you wake up and start drinking. Pretty much everyone is passed out by like 4 pm. It's really awesome, but we actually almost lost it this year, but we got it back. People party pretty much only the weekends, although by the end of the year more people party during the week. Saturday nights you can still go out and not drink, there is always music and dancing so it would never really be weird. Off campus there are bar parties that are hosted by frats or sororities and you can get in over or under.

Sandy

Everyone at Rochester is friendly and you can always find someone to hang out with. In dorms, the doors are always open and people always smile and want to meet new people. Anything you could want to do, we have a club for and if we don't, it is easy to make one. Athletics are not very popular to watch except for our basketball games because those teams are actually good! Guest speakers (like Bill Nye!!) are always well attended and so are our performance (theater, singing, dancing, etc.) groups. Every year we have various festivals like Yellow Jacket Weekend (carnival rides, free food, cool free stuff, bands, etc.), Meliora Weekend (homecoming, alumni, and parents weekend all in one), and Dandelion Day (carnival rides, bands, free food, and drinking starting at 8am). They are all lots of fun and great traditions. There are parties every week. The frat quad is usually open with free beer (at some schools you have to buy cups at parties or are charged an entrance fee, etc. but at our frat quad and off campus frats, the drinks, music, and fun are all free!) and bar parties at clubs for 18 and older are thrown by groups and sororities weekly. You can always take a bus or taxi out to a bar or club if you want. There are things to do if you don't want to party too. There are performances, guest speakers, big bands, $2 movies, and the city to go into (restaurants, college coffee cafes, the Eastman School of Music and all of their performances, the Museum of Play, concerts/events in the city, etc.)

Allison

Sports teams are as close-knit as sororities. D-day is the biggest tradition of the year, so much so that even though the university tried to do away with it in 2008, the student organizations raised money and volunteer support to make it happen. From ballet to breakdancing to ocapella groups to improv comedy to juggling, students can get involved in pretty much any activity that interests them.

Royce

there are a lot of different groups and activities to get involved with and thats really the way that i have found the most friends. like i have said MIF is really my social life and friend group so i can only really speak of the floor that i live on. that being said, everyone on mif leaves their doors open and is in the lounges watching tv, hanging out, playing videogames or doing homework. we have lots of events and traditions through our organization that happen. theres never a boring weekend on MIF and there is always stuff to do or people to hang out with. however, other places people live do not seem to hold the same sense of community as mif especially living places that are not an interest house or a frat/sorority.

ethan

greek life is big (i'm in a frat), dorms are not party-able, bar parties are big (about 1 a week), there's a bunch of dating drama

Emily

Students leave the dorm doors open as the campus has a very neighbourly and safe feeling. Athletic events are very popular as soon as a team starts to do well, and the d3 teams are all ranked as some of the best in the country. Study hard through the week, relax on the weekend days and party hard at night. Off campus there are nearby malls, movie theatres, restaurants, all easy to get to by the school's shuttle bus system.

Nathan

There's something for everyone socially. There are about 200 clubs although maybe 40 of those are noticeable on campus. There is the greek life party scene that goes strong from thursday through saturday night(probably about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the campus is involved in this on a regular basis). There are academic councils, there are sports-but nobody really comes to Rochester if being an athlete is important to them, it's more like students who really like a sport and maybe played a year or two in high school and decide to play in college because they like it. There are only a few traditions that happen each year like Yellowjacket weekend, Meliora weekend, Winterfest, and D-day. and the only games people go to are basketball although there has been increased attendance at games over the past few years. Most people study during the week and have one night to party during the weekend. Most of the social scene revolves around drinking after 10pm. Before that there are activities and events going on but it's still college. The difference is people just work really really really hard and then let loose like one night a week and drink really really really hard. Only strong, smart, tough students will survive the academic stress. About 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students transfer after the first year and a lot of students switch majors.

Sean

Plenty of things to do. Interested in something? it's probably there. If you want to drink / party. Thursday - Saturday there's bound for something to happen. Just want to chill? We have two coffee places open at night a Starbucks and a smaller brand coffee place (the smaller one has fruit smoothies...starbucks does not...) Classical music buff? RPO has concerts usually every week. Internationally well known musicians come every year too (Yo-Yo Ma, Ishtak Perlman...etc) Metal? Well there's Waterstreet music hall and they cater to a variety of types of rock. They have a mash pit too if you're into that sort of thing. Plenty of varieties of food at varying prices / quality within 10 minutes from UR. Basically, despite the rumors, there are always things to do if you're willing to look a little bit. That and on a freshman hall, someone's bound to have a PS3 / Xbox360 / Wii if you're feeling lazy. Just make nice to them. Or....find the Rich kid who has the 60 inch plasma HDTV and make nice. =P (Trust me...there's always one...I should know...as a D'lion and Freshman Fellow on move in day we move in all the stuff for the freshman and a 60 inch TV is one of the heaviest things I had to carry.)

Travis

Im in a fraternity, good bad whatever, the partying at U of R dissapears in the winter, no one wants to go out or do anything, when its nice out some people come out but mainly just friends of people in my fraternity. There is a no drinking games policy...no beirut/beer pong, but thats fairly loosly enforced, but on campus there is a ban on kegs, so that really limits the ability of a fraternity to provide alcohol, and attract party goers. Kids leave their rooms unlocked alot, and occasionally get stuff stolen. No one really goes to athletic events other then maybe basketball games, but then its just mainly the baseball/football team there and then some sorority girls. The school brings in some D list speakers who no one really goes to see, the arts program here is flat out pathetic espetially the preforming arts. Im nocturnal, so I stay up late all the time, I like to play video games and watch sports center late at night, often with my buddies. This past year the school decided to stop funding our only school wide event , d-day, citing some rediculous reasons, but really they just want us all to be robots. The fraternities on campus that dont completly comply to rules get in trouble and get removed, one of the 8 frats that had been there for atleast 100 years lost their charter last year and cant rejoin campus, the beginning of the end...

ben

there are a great number of student groups on campus, and generally, most of students' social lives revolve around the groups that they are involved with. for the most part, though this is not entirely true, the most socially active people are those that are involved in greek life or those that are on a sports team. of course this is just a sweeping generalization and i have friends that love to go out as much as i do that are not involved in either of those groups. over the past few years, fraternity popularity has gone down for some reason (new membership went down significantly this past year compared to other years... it could be due to people finding other social avenues or just the types of people being admitted to rochester have changed over the years/gotten more competitive). the administration is definitely cracking down on fraternities, and i keep hearing stories about "how much better this event used to be before the administration started being so strict about it." i am a new fraternity member and i really enjoy it. it has helped me meet new people and is continually a source of fun. sorority popularity/numbers are still relatively high. greeks are not exclusive at all; many of my friends are not involved with greek life and it doesn't hold me back from making new friends outside of the frat house. if people "go out," its usually to the frat quad or to bar nights ("bar nights" take place at bars/clubs, are hosted by some campus organization, and are usually over/under. these are usually very popular and there is 1 or 2 per week during the week on a tuesday or thursday). the social life is not fantastic compared to other huge party schools, but if i wanted a huge party school, i wouldn't be at rochester in he first place. the social life is what you make of it, and i manage to have a good time just about all the time. one great thing about rochester that i really liked is that adjusting to college early freshman year was not as hard as it could have been because all of the freshman live in the same freshman-only buildings and the school makes an effort to force you to meet other people. my best friends are from my freshman floor and in the fraternity that i joined, and i spend a lot of time with both.

Sarah

It is what you make of it. There are a lot of opportunities to get involved and plenty of things to do - just find something you're interested in and try it out! There's something for everybody.

Gene

At Rochester, people study hard and party even harder. Even if people were out all night, they're usually up early the next day getting over their hangover in Danforth with their books ready to head to the library. There are also plenty of groups and organizations that people are involved with that have nothing to do with academics or drinking. And it's fairly easy to create more with free support from the University. As for traditions, nothing is bigger than D-Day (Dandelion Day). This day is the definition of the "study hard, party harder" motto. On the last weekend before the end of classes, just as the April rains begin to depart Rochester, everyone heads out to celebrate the arrival of spring. The day's activities have been undergoing some reconsideration in the last few years, but the tradition will continue on in way or another.

Charlie

Sports teams don't receive very much attention on campus, though this has been changing recently. All the standard college type clubs, singing groups, dancing groups, club sports, martial arts, political interest groups, volunteer networks, etc...

Jenna

There are so many clubs and organizations on campus, and more are forming every semester. I could not tell you which is the most popular. Athletics are not very popular at our school, or at least, few people go to games. There is a Greek scene on campus, but it isn't the only scene. There are also many fraternities and sororities that do not have on-campus housing so are less accessible to students. D'Day is the biggest tradition at UR, and it involves alot of drunk people. I'm not really sure what the original tradition was, but now, it's to wake up at seven in the morning and have a "power hour."

David

There are many different student organizations on campus, and most students are involved in something. Sports aren't really all that big here, as we only have one Division One team (the squash team), but sporting events are relatively well attended. Regarding the party scene (which every prospective college student is curious about, but will never feel comfortable enough to openly ask about), there are occasional over/under bar parties during the week, and the Fraternity Quadrangle (Frat Quad) consistently has parties on Fridays and Saturdays. Unfortunatly, the fraternities on the Frat Quad tend to attract stereotypical frat boys, which is good if you're into that type of thing, I guess. There are also fraternities off campus, and the only one of these worth mentioning is Chi Phi, which not only has the best parties at Rochester, but also has the coolest brothers, who tend to not be assholes. Sororities are present on campus, and many girls join them, but they don't really ever throw parties or host events. They frequently have mixers with the fraternities, but if you are not a brother somewhere, you might not notice they exist.

Josh

There are a fair amount of clubs, and I've never tried it but it seems to be relatively easy to form one if you want to. I have done URTV in the past, which is the campus tv station, and that was a lot of fun. There is also a radio station some friends of mine are on, as well as lots of other stuff. Every friday and saturday night there are movies shown in one of the big lecture halls, they are generally pretty good movies, and it's only 2 bucks for a ticket, or you can get a season pass for less than that per movie. Every spring they show the spring porno, where thats exactly what it sounds like. Freshman year it was Pirates XXX and that was hilarious. Athletic events arent that well attended, save for athletes friends generally.

Cristina

There are a lot of different clubs. Although this is cliché there really is something for everyone. I am on the Ultimate Frisbee Club and I absolutely love it. The people are so chill. Spring is our season and for spring break we went down to Georgia and played teams from all over the US. It was one of the most exihilerating experiences of my life. Well due to fire safety laws we can't leave our doors propped open because it is technically a fire hazard but if that law didn't exist people would probably have their doors open a lot more and people still do it is just not encouraged. They have planned some really cool acts to come and visit us on campus from musicians to comedians they really want to set a fun environment for the students. I guess Gym Class Heroes came one year. One of the biggest traditions on this campus is D-day. It stands for Dandelion day but it is basically a day where everyone on the campus gets totally smashed and stays that way for the entire day. Pledging is a big deal but at the same time it isn't. Like it is a great experience for those who do but you won't be left out if you don't. Pledging is probably the minority in terms of the entire student body but they are still incredibly active on campus and a lot them are really cool people especially Phi Sigma Sigma. On Friday and Saturday nights, they show up and coming popular movies on campus in one of the lecture halls on this big screen for only two dollars. They showed Across the Universe and also Pulp Fiction and the student body gets to vote on what movies they want to show during the semester its a really great time and they also sell refreshments there to help to set the mood of a movie theater.

Alex

Greek life is a must for a lot of people. Those who don't choose it manage fine of course, but I would wager more than 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of sponsored fund raisers, drives and community service are rendered through the Fraternities and Sororities. I wouldn't say an unusually amount of drinking goes on, but other drugs or substances tend to be absent from the majority or parties throughout campus. Comedians, acapella groups, speakers and performance groups are all a blast to go to.

Yell O. Jacket

The Midnight Ramblers are GODS! (If one of the Ramblers reads this, I'm interested. Call me). Anywho, they are a fantastic all male a capella group. I know that sounds really lame, but they are so often better than the artists that actually sing the songs that they sing that it's incredible. Plus, they are so cute. They got second place (I think) for best college a capella group in the nation a couple of years ago. Also, the Banghra team (Indian dance team) is incredible. You will learn to love Bollywood music if you don't already. I'm involved with Undergraduate English Council and Undergraduate Medieval Society. They are really awesome and fun organizations. I'm really involved in both, but I guess I'll talk about Medieval Society. Basically we're a bunch of people who really like medieval history, literature, mythology, and even modern medievalism (Yeah Monty Python! Yeah Men in Tights!). Anywho, we get professors at the school and out of the school (starting next year) to talk to us about their Medieval research. We just had a grad student talk about medievalism in modern video gaming. It was awesome. Students here usually leave their doors open. It depends on the person obviously, but some halls have open door policies where it's pretty much agreed (unofficially) that if you're in, you're door is at least cracked open for easy friend visiting access. Athletic events are not so big here, but we have kick ass male and female basketball teams here that everyone gets really psyched about. Guest speakers are likewise awesome. We had Colin Powell at the beginning of the school year and had Bill Nye the science guy just recently. We can get some really cheap theater tickets through the school. Dating is easy here for both sexes. My roommate got a boyfriend during orientation and has kept him ever since. My longterm (from home but who is also here) boyfriend and I had a breakup a couple months ago, and ever since I've been hit on like crazy. I'm not interested right now, but it's really cool for me (an average looking person) to have so many people interested (and all really nice guys, too). My closest friends are from my hall/classes, but mostly we bond over food. That's how friends are made for life, bonding over food. Fraternities and sororities her exist, have a following, feel the closeness, etc., but they are not the little cliquey thingies that you see in bad Lifetime movies. They're tight, but they're not the sole determinant of a fun time at college. Most people aren't in frats and sororities, but that doesn't mean that we can hang out with the people who are. Drinking is totally not necessary to have fun on this campus (I don't personally), but if that's your scene, there are enough people who do. It's not a party school in that the partiers don't disturb the non-partiers, but for the party-girls/party-boys there are plenty enough of them that you won't be disappointed. PS It's completely possible to go to a frat party and not require a social lubricant by the by. I don't have a problem with the people who drink, but I just wanted to let you guys know that partying anywhere can be done without drinking (self-tested experiment).

Peter

The only thing to do on the weekends is drink at frats

Theresa

Soooo may activities and social events! One thing I love about this school is the fact that it is not a party school. Sure there are plenty of drinkers/partiers, and if that is what you want, believe me you'll find it. But there are just as many people who don't drink often, or at all.

Jessie

The a capella groups on campus are probably the most popular because they're actually amazing. We also have a division one squash team which is definitely something to brag about. Music is popular because we are affiliated with the Eastman school, athletics are popular among people who like athletics. Greek life is really excellent here because it isn't overbearing or obnoxious, it's basically like having a group of your regular friends with a name on top. The sororities host bar parties and events throughout the year and the fraternities have lots of parties on the weekend, and once you find a place you're especially comfortable you'll definitely make lasting friends.

Dawson

A Cappella is a popular activity on campus, especially for freshman girls who want to dote on their favorite singer in any of the several groups. Off Broadway On Campus (OBOC) is another popular group, theatre-oriented. Greek life is extremely popular. I'm involved with WRUR, the campus radio station, which is a nice activity here but not as well known. Athletic events are not very popular; Rochester is known to not be the best in this area. I try not to leave my dorm room door open. Recently a student had their laptop stolen while they were gone for five minutes in the bathroom. Next year, however, Ill be living in an on-campus house where I will feel safer. I met my closest friends by chance; we lived nearby in a freshman dorm and were at the same party together during freshman week. The dating scene consists mostly of getting drunk and meeting people at parties. Surprisingly, this ends up with just about as many one night stands as it does relationships.

Kristen

Frats are huge if you're freshmen or sophomores. After that, they become kind of boring! Basketball is huge here, but football not so much. On freshman halls students leave doors open and interact a lot. Dating scene is fun...but meeting someone usually takes place at frats or parties. Closest friends were from sports teams and working in the gym. If I'm awkae on a Tuesday that late, I MUST have an assignment due! People party Thursdays and Saturdays for sure. Fridays are kind of slow. Off campus is great if you want to eat. Restaurants here are insane. I swear Rochester has more restaurants than anywhere in the world!!