<p>Hi everyone! I got accepted to Rochester for class of 2018.
I'm very very very excited :D </p>
<p>I was just wondering, how is the diversity at Rochester?
I am aware that Rochester is a very diverse university.
However, I've never visited the East coast/ Rochester before so I have no idea what its like over there.
I am an Asian American from California. The place I live is very very diverse, and people are generally very accepting, so I've never really encountered racism or anything like that before. I know that there are many international Asian students at Rochester but are there any Asian Americans? </p>
<p>Is there a lot of interaction between different cultural/ethnic groups, or do people tend to stick with others with the same cultural/ethnic background? I would love to branch out, and be friends with people of all backgrounds, but I hear there is not much mingling between different groups. </p>
<p>How is Rochester? What do you like about Rochester? What do you dislike? </p>
<p>There are many Asian-Americans. I have no idea how that breaks down by country of origin, etc.</p>
<p>As a parent, my kid came from an extremely diverse public school with kids of different races, ethnic backgrounds, income levels and, because we’re near research universities/facilities in Boston, a lot of kids coming in from other countries for a while. (That, btw, was kind of hard on the kids because they’d make good friends who would literally go to the other side of the world in a few years.)</p>
<p>UR is not nearly as diverse. I don’t know of any school that is that kind of diverse, unless you get to really big places and then only a few of those - e.g., a Boston University or NYU - but at that scale I’m not sure “diversity” is really the right word because groups are much more likely to stay together.</p>
<p>As for friends, mixing, etc., it really depends on you and your interests. You can join any number of clubs - which are ridiculously popular - and that interest defines you much more than ethnicity. </p>
<p>@Lergnom Thank you for your response =). I heard that Rochester has many many many clubs/organizations, so I’m looking forward to joining those. Can you tell me more about UR? How is the weather? Is your child enjoying Rochester? Thanks =). </p>
<p>There was a thread on the front page called “were we fooled” that has my basic response. </p>
<p>As an update to that, she’s now trying to finish work on something for publication. It’s related to the work that was presented at a major conference. Her experience with research is not uncommon at UR. Other parent posters have talked about this.</p>
<p>She absolutely loves UR. But as I say in the other thread, she’s done a lot, from clubs to working at the school to research. And she’s stayed in the summer and really enjoyed the freedom, the activities in and around Rochester, etc. </p>
<p>Rochester weather is very different from most of California not above 5000 feet above sea level. It’s grey a lot, but not marine layer grey. More like much of New England grey. The moisture blows in off the Lakes Ontario and Erie (which act as big refrigerators), and this makes it grey and cooler. That blown-in moisture turns to snow quite often in the winter, and winters can be long, dreary, cold, and snowy, like much of New England and upstate New York. Buffalo, which is slightly south of Rochester, used to announce that the average number of days above 90 was one per year. I don’t know if that’s true of Rochester, but it’s not promising for someone from much of Cali.</p>
<p>Having emphasized the negative, I should also say that many people in the East find this weather a pleasant relief from the stifling heat and soggy winters of much of the east coast. There is nearby downhill skiing for those who enjoy snow, ice skating, cross-country skiing, hiking, biking of all kinds, etc. It’s just different from sea-level, desert Cali in climate.</p>
<p>OP, Might I suggest you join the Class of 2018 Facebook page? I think you’ll find a bit of diversity at UR and, according to my guy (a sophomore there), everyone is welcome. How much you participate in things will be the big determining point - you’ll definitely be welcome places.</p>
<p>Do read the “Were We Fooled” thread if you haven’t. I wrote more on there too. My guy loves everything about the place and is extremely active.</p>
<p>I live in Roc… Weather stinks, not going to lie, but we’ve stayed here bc it’s a great little city rich in the arts. My girls love UofR but didn’t apply bc it’s in our backyard. I think it’s great to experience something completely different for your 4 yrs of college but I’m guessing the gray days would not keep you here for long. It can get downright miserable. </p>
<p>The weather… I must say that my DS is gloating because they have had less snow and milder temperatures at UofR this winter than we have had in the Chicago area.</p>