University of Rochester
Reviews

Curriculum

I love the curriculum here at the U of R. Having no core required classes except one writing course leaves room for double majors, double minors, or even triple majors. The cluster system also ensures that students experience fields they otherwise may not have even touched. A+ in my book!

You Have to Look for It.

It's not obvious and the frats can make you wait outside for a party for a really long time. Pregaming is a good idea. It makes the wait less brutal when it's cold outside.

So Far So Good

everything is very collegiate and friendly, and everyone is intelligent and interesting.

Amazing Professors

They're all excited about the materials they teach, and not extremely hard. They are all also understanding

Convenient Shuttles/Buses

The University's shuttles/buses take you anywhere in the city you'd want to go. They run often and on time. You can get to various fun downtown areas, shopping centers, the hospital, graduate housing, and more. It's extremely convenient and very well run. There are also a few Rochester city bus lines that come through campus, which can help you get to anywhere else. The main issue people have is parking (limited, not open to freshmen, and expensive). However, it's not a huge problem for most people, and you don't need a car during the school year.

U of R Tech

Most students do have computers and there is a great IT center for computer help. Great computer loaner system and all libraries equipped with computer labs. Wireless internet great even in dorms which is very convenient. Printing on campus expensive but accessible. Personal printer and computer recommended.

Excellent

Having your own laptop is necessary, especially if you want to work in your own dorm. However, school computers are good, and internet is fast (including wireless).

Nice People

A lot of the people on campus are friendly and are very helpful. You'll naturally have a nice social life here.

Greeks Are Abundant, but Manageable

Greek life is fantastic at Rochester. It's not a make or break thing, but being Greek definitely opens more doors for you. That being said, Greek life at the U of R is nothing like the movies. There is a strict anti-hazing policy, and there's no "in" frat or sorority. There are plenty of frat parties that you can go to even if you're not Greek.

Parking Is Horrible

Parking is hell. It's honestly the single worst aspect of UR. It's outrageously overpriced, and you can only park in the lot to which you're assigned (usually at least half a mile from classes) You're ticketed early and often. Don't bring a car if you can avoid it. The buses tend to work well, and a few lines are free to students, though they rarely run on schedule. The airport is nearby, and a bus/train station is only a few miles away. It's easy to go long distance, or even short-distance, but on-campus parking is terrible.

There If You Want It

Most people on campus drink at least sometimes, and probably half smoke weed. Cigarettes are actually far less common than at most colleges. It all depends where you live, where you hang out, and what you do. There's drunken debauchery on the frat quad, but it's by no means all-encompassing. There's not much "classy drinking" so to speak...the vast majority of people drink whatever is the cheapest. The school has cracked down on lots of the fun activities, so more binge drinking happens in dorm rooms rather than at more social events.

Personality

The best thing about the University of Rochester is that we have a personality. Everyone is different, but as a whole, everyone works together to create a really positive academic and social environment. Never is there a dull moment or hostility, something is always going on. Although there are so many other good things about our university, the best is the healthy environment.

Guys & Girls

Everyone is generally easy to get along with with the exception of those few black sheep. Guys are on the average (some hot, some not), the same can be said about the girls for the most part.

Start With the Frat Quad Then Work Your Way Off Campus

Nightlife on campus is dominated by frat parties, especially as a freshman. As you get to know more people, you'll go to more parties in suites or off campus, but expect to spend a fair amount of your time in frat houses freshman year if you want to drink and dance and flirt on a weekend night. It's fun enough for a year--no problem getting in anywhere, regardless of Greek affiliation or age, never any cover or prices for drinks, and there's usually a mix of loud music in dark basements and more relaxed chilling upstairs.

However, going to the same five or six places does get old, and you'll need to develop your social circle if you want to have variety. House parties are pretty fun, and there are busses going downtown running until around 2am on the weekends if you're into the club scene. Certain clubs are harder than others on fake IDs--ask your upperclassmen friends first before trying yours out.

No Pressure

Drugs are definitely available everywhere but there is no pressure to try them if you do not want to. The most common drugs are alcohol and pot but if you ask around you can find coke and ecstasy.

Majority Are Greek, but You Really Don't Feel the Pressure

The majority of campus seems to be Greek, or at least it feels like it. But the nice thing about this campus is, you don't have to be Greek if you don't want to. Majority of my friends are Greek but there hasn't been much difference. Depends on your friend circle really. But multi-cultural greek have great programming and events definitely.

Weird in a Good Way

A lot of the people at UR are pretty intelligent and kinda nerdy but not in a completely socially awkward way, just enough that it makes things interesting. Everyone seems to have their own distinguishing characteristic that is usually quite interesting and makes it a really fun place to live and go to school. Definitely a school where it's easy to be yourself and you'll always be able to find a group with similar interests no matter how strange they may be. Also Greek life and the party scene is definitely present but it is also very to common to not be involved in it. Really awesome people and atmosphere here overall.

BIG

The freshman dorms are very large from what i've seen compared to other colleges, especially if you are living on the residential quad. For corridor style dorms the best place to live is on the res quad in my opinion since they are bigger and closer to everything (Gilbert is the best freshman dorm in my opinion since it also has the nicest bathrooms). Upperclassmen housing is pretty decent but it is difficult for rising sophomores to have good options since it is based on a lottery system based on seniority in class year.

Unique Curriculum

I love the University of Rochester's curriculum. It is one of the reasons that I chose this school. There are no required classes except for writing, and even with that there are so many different types of interesting writing classes to choose from that many often love the class. Instead of having required classes, UR has a cluster system where students have to choose a cluster, consisting of 3 related classes, outside of their major. There are humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences and the two categories that the students major is not contained within are the two categories that the students have to choose a cluster within. One cluster in each category. This is a brilliant way to ensure that students learn things outside of their main field of interest while also allowing them to choose something that they would like to learn.

Pros and Cons

the sports teams themselves are very segregated, they stay in their own communities and basically act as their own fraternities and sororities. the campus has very low spirit for the teams which is sad, because so many of them are actually very good and win conference and tournament titles regularly.

Athletics are important @ the U of R

University of Rochester Athletics have been gaining support from fans over the past 5 years. As a Div. III school, Rochester has excelled in producing winning teams that compete on the national level. Every year at least 1 of our teams is in the hunt for a national title.

Currently, our Squash team (only Div. I team) is ranked 4th in the NATION! Our Women's Basketball team is in the Sweet 16 (our Men's team is always great too). The women's Swimming and Diving team won their leauge. Women's Softball won the league title last year. Men's and Women's Soccer consistently rank in the nation's top 25. We had a recent National Champion golfer just graudate.

Sports at the University of Rochester are good, and our recent accolades reflect that.

School Spirit is on the rise as well! The "Fill Fauver / Pack the Palestra" initiative attempts to pack the venue with crazed fans at 1 game/match for every Varsity team! Very cool! Students who love school spirit should definitely get in on this.

Intramurals and Club Sports are available to everyone too. So many options!!! State of the art facilities! The U of R athletic reputation is gaining steam.

The Athletic Facilities Are Top Notch

As far as Division III sports go, the University of Rochester has some of the best athletic facilities in the nation. The Goergan Athletic Center has a state-of-the-art weight room, with ample amounts of machines, free weights, and treadmills. If you're feeling active, there are 4 basketball courts, 4 tennis courts, 4 squash courts, 2 racquetball courts, an indoor track, and an indoor pool to use too. This is a very popular destination for students with free time. Fauver Stadium and Lyman Tennis Courts are also amazing.

The dormitories are standard for freshman, sophomores, and juniors. When you're a senior though, you can live in the Riverview Apartments which are glorious and brand new.

The academic buildings are decent. Laboratories are nice and we have a brand new Biomedical Engineering and Optics building which looks amazing. The Library is huge and has a ton of studying options.

Dining facilities are standard.

Overall the University of Rochester has a beautiful campus, and it is very comfortable to live here. (In the winter, you can stay warm by utilizing the underground tunnels)

Open Curriculum & Leadership Oppotunities

What makes the University of Rochester special include the following things:

- The Curriculum. There is only 1 required course, ensuring students can learn what they love. This leaves most students a chance to double or even triple major. No useless required general education courses!!!

- Take 5. A tuition-free fifth year can be granted to seniors who can propose to take courses outside of their major for the benefit of expanding their knowledge. The U of R really puts their money where their mouth is here. Lot of seniors stay for a 5th year to study another topic that they love.

- Combined Admission Programs. Want to accelerate you masters degree without dealing with applying / taking GRE's & MCATS??? This is how you can do it! Check out the website. Incoming freshman can sign up for REMS (guarantees admission into U of R med school), REBS (guarantees admission into U of R Simon school of business), GEAR (admission into Hajim school of engineering grad school programs), and GRADE (guarantees admission into U of R Warner school of education).

- Study Abroad. Over 70 different programs in over 30 countries

Finally, why I loved U of R... THE STUDENT LIFE. With only 5,000 undergrads on campus, and over 230 clubs, YOU HAVE A HUGE OPPORTUNITY to become a leader on campus (aka resume builder!!!). If you want your undergrad experience to be more than studying at the library, join at least 2 clubs and make a difference on campus!

Best Food Variety!

Rochester has a multitude of restaurants featuring dishes from all over the world. Thai, Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean, to good old fashion Dinosaur BBQ!!! Park Avenue is a 5 minute drive from campus (or a free shuttle bus trip) and has a very "College Town" feel. Restaurants, diners, and coffee shops are numerous and delicious. The variety is unparalleled for a city of it's size. The Eastman School of Music, and corporations such as Xerox and Bausch & Lomb bring a very artsy and sophisticated crowd to Rochester, which has helped to draw such great restaurants.

Also, Rochester is home to the greatest supermarket chain in the United States - WEGMANS. If you can't find what you're looking for on campus or at an off-campus dining site, you will certainly find it at Wegmans. There are 3 Wegmans super stores within a 15 minute drive (or free shuttle bus) from campus.

The food options off-campus are tremendous and accessible.

All Kinds of People Here

For a small campus located in a small city, the diversity of the student body is impressive. Students of all ethnicities interact with one another, campus gays and straights get along, and the possibility to practice your own religion exists. Many international students, mainly from China, but also from many parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America go here.