<p>I heard the U. Rochester is 2miles to downtown, 2miles to airport. how's the safety over there? and how's the airport noise? </p>
<p>I'm not from NY and not interested in Greek life, how hard for me to fit in?</p>
<p>cool5s,</p>
<p>Just to throw some quick stats at you…</p>
<p>60% of U of R students are from out of state.
22% of U of R students participate in Greek Life, so you would be in the majority of both categories.</p>
<p>When I was an undergraduate here, I found that the more involved you were in your extracurriculars and your daily hallway activities (eating lunch/dinner and hanging out with your residence hallmates) the easier it was to fit in and make friends. </p>
<p>I must admit the first few days at Rochester I always noticed the planes overhead, but after the first week you almost forget that there’s an airport nearby. This is the same as hearing the bells of the Rush Rhees Library. During your first few weeks on campus, you’ll notice that they chime every 15 minutes, but once you hit October you can subconsciously block the noise. Does this happen to any other current students??? I’m just curious.</p>
<p>In terms of campus safety, I always felt safe on campus at any time, but you always have to have your wits about you (as you would anywhere). Rochester is New York’s 3rd largest city, so of course crime happens, you just have to realize that traveling alone around 2am in certain parts of downtown might not be a good idea. The typical U of R student would not find themselves in these precarious situations. </p>
<p>During the day I have no problem running through downtown around Eastman, Frontier Field, High Falls, and the Blue Cross Arena.</p>
<p>Rochester’s airport is not busy. You don’t notice the planes except to the extent you notice one because they aren’t that common. It’s not like living near JFK or LAX. </p>
<p>There are other threads about crime. I subscribe to a service that sends me crime reports. The “bad” part of town is northwest of downtown. You have no reason to go there. There is actually more crime south of the city, in the suburb of Henrietta, than in the area around UR, including most of the 19th Ward. The 19th is a mostly minority neighborhood on the other side of the river from UR. Crime in the 19th is mostly inland and toward downtown. A number of students live right across the river and that area is pretty safe. </p>
<p>There is some street crime late at night in the nice areas of Rochester - like in the really nice home area around Park Ave. There is a little, again mostly late, in the areas between UR and Park Ave, but not a lot. There is less crime in this part of Rochester than in Ann Arbor - where I lived (and I’m not including the recent sexual assault wave in A2). </p>
<p>Frats are not a huge thing on campus. The school is large enough and small enough that they exist and do well. There seems to be less of the social issue relating to frats at UR. By that, I mean there isn’t a great divide.</p>
<p>There are bad parts to the city of Rochester, just like any other city, but you never have to go there. You can easily get to some fun city neighborhoods, like South Wedge and Park Avenue, on the university’s shuttle busses. Just be aware of your surroundings late at night as you would anywhere. To me, the campus itself feels very safe, even at night. </p>
<p>The airport is pretty small. Frankly, I don’t notice the planes on campus any more than I do in the other parts of the city. I think TSocash is right – there’s never much air traffic, and you wouldn’t notice it more than the bells or the school’s carillon. </p>
<p>The majority of students are from out of state, and there are lots of international students. Also, just because students are from NY doesn’t mean they’re familiar with the Rochester area, they might be from New York City or another region which is a very different environment than Rochester. </p>
<p>Greek life is present on the campus, but it’s a minority of students. I’ve never wanted to be in a sorority, and I don’t feel like my social life at Rochester is lacking because of my choice. I joined some extracurriculars, and will be living on a special interest housing floor this fall. As a transfer student, I met plenty of friends through these activities and my classes. I generally find students here very friendly, whether or not you or they are involved in Greek life.</p>
<p>Thanks TSocash,Lergnom and lilac13.
I’ve saved your posts and will read them again if I would get in UR. :)</p>
<p>BTW, NY has a law that prevents sororities from having their own buildings. Some outdate garbage about unmarried women living together, about as relevant as a law requiring horses to be bridled on public streets. So sororities at UR, like pretty much any school in NY, have floors in dorms instead. That seems to integrate them more into the rest of the school.</p>