An Enrollment Message from our Dean

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
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<p>From our Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Jonathan Burdick...</p>

<p>I’m happy to report that more than 1,200 high-achieving and exciting new students have declared their intention to enroll in the 163rd freshman class at the University of Rochester this fall. A few students still have an opportunity to reply in the next couple of weeks.</p>

<p>48% of the freshmen will arrive in August traveling from 48 other states, with 36% coming from New York State and 16% from 38 foreign countries. They earned an average 3.8 GPA in high school and scored more than 2000 on the combined three sections of the SAT.</p>

<p>UR’s previous largest freshman class was 1,192 students in 1994—the same year most of the incoming freshmen were born. Our goal was to enroll 1,175 students, so some students will be living as “triples” in our extra large rooms on the residential quad. The last large class in which many students had to triple was the current Class of 2012 graduating seniors, who are poised this month to earn record graduation rates and honors. I’m betting the Class of 2016 will surpass them.</p>

<p>I will offer more details about the U of R’s freshman class throughout the summer. For now, congratulations to all who’ve made it through the exhausting process to a good college choice this year.</p>

<p>Meliora!</p>

<p>Jonathan Burdick</p>

<p>Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid</p>

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<p>So I have ask the obvious. How will triples be decided?</p>

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<p>I anticipated this response, and I asked the Dean to make some clarifications regarding “triples”. When you fill out your Housing Preference Form, which will be mailed along with your Enrolling Student Packet in mid-May, you will get to indicate which kind of housing you prefer. You don’t always get your primary choice (Early Decision students will), but Residential Life does their best to honor your top choice.</p>

<p>Regarding triples (from the Dean)…</p>

<p>1) There is a discount (historically 20%, which would be about $770 per semester this upcoming year).</p>

<p>2) There’s no benefit to a speedy reply [submitting your housing preference form early]; there might be a benefit to meeting the June deadline for the housing application. Students can indicate on the housing application that they don’t want to be in a triple, and the vast majority of those requests are honored (some students do want to be in a triple, presumably for the discount). In recent years almost everyone who landed in a triple was someone who said they were open to that option or even preferred it.</p>

<p>3) The careful evidence from Fall 2008 is that students who were in triples as freshmen earned better than expected GPAs. In other words, being in a triple correlated with improved performance—maybe because students spent more time in the library, or maybe because the social dynamic with 3 can sometimes be easier than it is with 2 in a room. Either way, that evidence suggests that people shouldn’t be too afraid of this possibility.</p>

<p>4) Almost all of the fall triples historically have been “de-tripled” in time for the spring semester (because some students graduate in December and more students study abroad in spring). In some cases, those offers were declined: all three students wanted to stay in their triple situation during the spring semester.</p>

<p>5) The number of triples will be a lot fewer than we had during 2008 in any case. That year we opened up a brand-new upperclass housing facility with 400 new beds; this year we’re opening up another brand-new one with 150 new beds. This increase in upper-classman housing spaces and desirable options has allowed us to greatly expand the share of housing right on the middle of campus that we can reserve for freshmen.</p>

<p>I hope that helps, Lakemom. Please direct any specific questions to our Residential Life Office, and continue to comment/discuss here.</p>

<p>Missing the June housing form deadline seems to be the one “no-no” if you want to maximize you chances for getting a double and not a triple. Students who turn in this form late will be more likely to be placed in a triple.</p>

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<p>You did a good job answering my question Tyler, thanks for doing the pre-research. :)</p>

<p>If UR has not already done so, putting in that info about the discount so students can select that choice if they are open to it would be good so that the likelihood of someone who does not desire a triple is reduced.</p>

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<p>Remember, these rooms are large. The normal room is large and these are bigger than normal.</p>

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<p>Will ED get to say they don’t want a triple and have that be honored? Maybe you could give a myers briggs test to choose the extroverts who would handle it better - lol.</p>

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<p>D2 entered in 2008 and was put in a overload triple. She didn’t know she was going to be in a triple until about 2 weeks before classes started. She didn’t request a triple. Can’t remember if she specifically asked NOT to be placed in a triple. Not sure she was even offered that option. She sent her housing deposit in on time/early.</p>

<p>Despite what Tyler says, our experience was that only about half (or less) of those put into forced triples were moved/switched into doubles at the beginning of the second semester. I know that at least one of her roommates had gone to the Housing Office specially to request a double should one open up.</p>

<p>She did get a reduction in room rent and a slight boost in next year’s room lottery. (But not enough of a boost to get into any of the dorms she wanted.)</p>

<p>However, I will say the room she was tripled in was good sized. I won’t say it was roomy or spacious with 3 girls in it, but it was managable.</p>

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<p>Do ED students get to request a single as well?</p>

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<p>So, with the large class from 2008, did the acceptance rate drop the following year? Wondering if it will be tougher for my D who will be applying for fall 2013 admission.</p>

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<p>Enrollment data for 2008 (class of 2012):</p>

<p>Admissions Freshmen Transfers
Applied 11,593 792<br>
Admitted 4,909 198<br>
Enrolled 1,157 100 </p>

<p>Enrollment data for 2009 (class of 2013):</p>

<p>Admissions Freshmen Transfers
Applied 12,111 936
Admitted 4,686 198
Enrolled 1,087 89 </p>

<p>(Data from UR Fact Sheets for appropriate year)</p>

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<p>I noticed among this year’s incoming freshmen, around 16% are international students. I remember for previous years, only around 9% were international (according to the UR brochure i received along with my acceptance letter). Does anyone know why it changes so significantly this year?</p>

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<p>The other question I have is that I just called residential life to ask about other questions on the housing forms and other than being a non-smoker there are no other questions to match the students. Other schools do ask these type of questions eg go to sleep late or early, clean or messy habits.</p>

<p>Why doesn’t Rochester ask a bit more on the room mate forms?</p>

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<p>UR believes in random assignment. They have thought about this at length and have decided the data says no system for assigning roommates is better than random. </p>

<p>I agree, btw, not that my opinion matters.</p>

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<p>I believe that you can request a specific roommate, but other than that roommates are randomly assigned. As long as both students put each others name on their housing form, they will be matched.</p>

<p>The Class of 2016 facebook page has a lot of activity right now. Students are offering up their own “mini-bios” to other enrolled students to find roommates with similar interests, habits, etc.</p>

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<p>@happygirl</p>

<p>Here’s a recent article from the Campus Times (UR student newspaper) about the stepped-up international recruitment at UR.</p>

<p>[International</a> recruiting efforts expand at UR | Campus Times](<a href=“http://www.campustimes.org/2012/04/19/international-recruiting-efforts-expand-atur/]International”>http://www.campustimes.org/2012/04/19/international-recruiting-efforts-expand-atur/)</p>

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<p>WayOutWestMom, I would be pretty not so happy if on move in day I found myself or my student in a triple with no warning. Sounds like you took it stride but I think that was inappropriate.</p>

<p>I imagine there are students who wouldn’t mind or would be interested in saving the money so in fairness, UR should let students know about the triple situation and if a student is put in one, they should be told well before check-in day.</p>

<p>In terms of trying to match one’s self with a roommate, there are pros and cons to that too. I know for myself, I have emailed with people that I had first met online and when I met them in person, they were not really like what I thought they would be like based on my correspondence.</p>

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<p>I assume international recruitment has 2 purposes: raising UR’s profile (because the big name schools do this) and changing if not decreasing the amount of aid. I said changing because I have no idea if UR is decreasing, increasing or keeping the total amount of aid the same. But as a rule, if you’re an international student, you’re more likely to be paying the full cost. </p>

<p>Correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

<p>My kid’s experience with roommates is she didn’t like her roommate much at all and then ended up rooming with her again. Your feelings change over the year. Random worked just fine.</p>

<p>Other than agreeing on a specific roommate, you can choose to live on a co-ed floor. My kid did that. Liked it a lot. The only “issue” was her hallway’s bathroom was male so she had to walk the extra 10 yards to the female bathroom. Not a big deal.</p>

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<p>Is a co-op floor a choice as a freshman?</p>

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<p>To clarify: D2 found out about the triple in advance of move-in day. She found when when her RA emailed the names (!!!) of her roommates 2-3 weeks before Freshman Orientation . At first she couldn’t figure out why she got 2 names, then realized she was in a triple. Surprise!</p>

<p>Her roomies were randomly assigned; one was an international student from China. Neither roomie became a BFF and none of them elected to room together the following year. But despite having absolutely nothing in common interest-wise at all ever, they managed to peacefully co-exist for the entire school year.</p>

<p>Co-op? Or Co-ed?</p>

<p>Co-ed floors are available in Sue B. (Single sex rooms on the same hall. Bathrooms are single sex. You must specifically request it.) IIRC, the Quad dorms are co-ed by hall with boys’ and girls’ halls sharing lounges/kitchens/study lounges. But that could have changed.</p>

<p>There is some special interest housing which require a student to participate in the activities of the program. Not quite a co-op (except for Drama House where I think students are required to contribute chores/house upkeep as part of their condition of living there.)</p>

<p>[Special</a> Interest Housing : Freshman Housing](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/reslife/freshmen/special-interest.html]Special”>http://www.rochester.edu/reslife/freshmen/special-interest.html)</p>

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<p>My mistake, I meant co-ed :). I however did dorm in a Vegetarian dorm that was called a co-op dorm in college that was allowed to be off the food plan because we cooked our own meals in a community kitchen on the 3rd floor.</p>