Is Rochester a match/fit for me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
1

<p>Hi, I'm just researching my options and University of Rochester seems really good. I'm just looking for a little bit more information.</p>

<p>Although I'm not sure my stats are good enough
GPA: 3.4 (ughh)
SATs: 1960, retaking, hopefully will get 2250+
ACTs: 30, retaking, hopefully will get 33+
ECs: ENACT (Environmental Action)</p>

<p>I will be visiting in a few weeks and I plan on having and interview, hopefully that will help my chances. </p>

<p>As for what I'm looking for in a college...
Location: Rochester is fine. I live in Pennsylvania and I want to get away. xD I'm not fussed about the weather.
Major: Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Ecology... one of those three.
Rochester seems to be one of the few colleges I've looked at to have Ecology so that is a positive. :)
Tuition: My family makes around 60-70,000 a year, and I'm very concerned about Rochester's Financial Aid? Are they notoriously bad or will I be okay? This might be a deciding factor.
Also how is Greek life, partying, and drinking at Rochester?
I'm not the biggest fan of these things.</p>

<p>So overall do I look like a good candidate? Thanks.</p>

2

<p>You seem like an excellent fit for U of R! Although your GPA may seem low Rochester looks for a well rounded student and does not just look at your GPA, but everything you will bring to the school. This also goes for your SAT scores. 1960 isn’t bad! Study hard and do your best to do better on the next one! Your act score seems in range of U of R 's average. </p>

<p>Is ENACT the only EC you partake in? Are there other community service organizations you volunteer with? Do you play an instrument, belong to a club, engage in competitions, etc…?</p>

<p>An interview is always a good idea! Be yourself and show them why you deserve to come to the U of R.</p>

<p>Your intended major seems to be a perfect mach for U of R! It has a great science program repeatedly ranked top in the nation, especially the pre-med course.</p>

<p>U of R is very generous with financial aid and merit scholarships. I read somewhere that around 90% of freshman students receive some sort of financial aid or scholarship. I myself received a very generous merit scholarship. </p>

<p>Link to the financial aid site: [University</a> of Rochester : Money : The Aid Process](<a href=“http://www.enrollment.rochester.edu/admissions/money/default.shtm]University”>http://www.enrollment.rochester.edu/admissions/money/default.shtm)</p>

<p>Greek life takes up about 23% of the campus community. I have read that most of the social scene is affiliated with Greek life and most of the party’s are held in the frat quad. Although 23% may seem large don’t worry! U of R students do not have to engage in Greek life and many don’t. If you don’t want to do these things there is no pressure to do them.</p>

3

<p>Academically, you’re right in the middle of the range for accepted freshman in terms of your standardized scores; however, your GPA is the low side.</p>

<p>[University</a> of Rochester Admissions Information - CollegeData College Profile](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=117]University”>University of Rochester Acceptance Rate | CollegeData)</p>

<p>UR is generous with merit aid. Approx 73% of all students get some form of gift aid with the average award being around $9,620. (See this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/696637-merit-aid-percentage-common-data-set-4.html&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>It’s hard to say if your stats and activities will garner you merit aid. But you will certainly require need-based aid to attend UR.</p>

<p>Have you used the EFC calculator on UR’s financial aid page? UR uses the CSS to determine you family’s EFC (expected financial contribution). It will consider not only parental income, but also familial assets (like the value of your house and other properties your family might own, savings and investments). For many families the EFC comes as something of shock. It’s better to be prepared and informed now than disappointed later.</p>

<p>[University</a> of Rochester : Financial Aid Estimator for First-Year Students](<a href=“http://enrollment.rochester.edu/financial/estimator/]University”>http://enrollment.rochester.edu/financial/estimator/)</p>

<p>UR’s Bio dept is excellent! UR does offer a Ecology/Evolutionary Bio track. Environmental Science is offered through the geology dept. There is no Marine Bio program.</p>

<p>Yes, there is a Greek presence on campus. It is not the center of weekend activities, though. Lots of other stuff to do. Even in the winter. </p>

<p>Good luck with your interview! Rochester is very pretty during the summer.</p>

4

<p>Thanks you.
Could anyone tell me what the interview will be like? Is it formal or informal?
What type of questions will they ask me? Should I be humble?</p>

5

<p>Interview will be informal. Be prepared to talk about yourself and your interests. Have any questions you might want to ask about UR ready to go. </p>

<p>And be yourself. Don’t fake humility.</p>

6

<p>Thanks, I’m so glad I asked about this stuff on here…
Is there anything I should keep in mind while visiting? Like something to look for?</p>

7

<p>Ignore all the messy construction going on on campus right now. When I was there 2-3 week ago, several of the campus roads were all torn up. As is Danforth, one of the dining halls.</p>

<p>Do take the campus tour. The Library is a special favorite of mine.</p>

<p>And try some of the interesting restaurants on Park or Monroe Aves.</p>

8

<p>Thank you. Also I’ve heard it is good to ask a few well-thought out questions during interviews to show that you are genuinely interested in the school (which I am!). But I don’t know what to ask, I’ve found most of my questions answered on the website, or through CC. xD Is it bad if I don’t ask questions?</p>

9

<p>all4game:</p>

<p>I found the data on last year’s admitted freshmen (from the UR admission’s office site):</p>

<p><a href=“http://enrollment.rochester.edu/admissions/res/pdf/factsheet.pdf[/url]”>http://enrollment.rochester.edu/admissions/res/pdf/factsheet.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

</p>

10

<p>HEY! I thought I’d give this a reply since I went through this whole process last year, and I seem to have a lot in common with you. I’m going to be a freshman at UofR this year! </p>

<p>FIRST OFF: Don’t sweat it about the stats. I came to find out that they literally mean NOTHING! Okay…well not really nothing, but the fact of the matter is that you make the cut. I ended senior year with a 3.5 unweighted gpa (Something i’m not proud of ._.) and my cum was 3.8 I got a 1970 total on my SATS and a 29 on my ACTs. Now, I had a lot of Ecs that I’m really passionate about, so that might have given me the upper hand.</p>

<p>Could you tell me more about ENACT? It sounds cool, but unless you devote a lot of energy and time to it, you should have other things that you’re involved in too. I know for my application I put down that I was involved in Theatre, Motif (a creative writing club), SHIP (Students helping international peace, a volunteer chapter my friends and I started) and just some other hobbies/interests of mine. Don’t go overboard, but just be honest with who you are.</p>

<p>DO NOT SWEAT THE INTERVIEW! Out of 6 interviews (Two being Princeton and Brown) it was my best one. It was also the first college interview I had. We just chatted about things we liked to do, what we’re interested in, and what I’m thinking about for the future. It was really relaxed and definitely two-way conversation; it was NOT an interrogation by any means. The tour was great too. We went to the info meeting and it was me and two other students sitting with the Dean. I can’t tell you how personal UofR is.</p>

<p>I also live in PA, about an hour outside of Philly :wink: I love cold weather, much to the dismay of my mother.</p>

<p>I know that Bio and really any science is HUGE at UofR.</p>

<p>I could not have been happier with my tuition package. In fact, it was the most generous out of all of my colleges. I had a 6k merit scholarship that was renewable every year if I kept atleast a 3.5 gpa and about 27k in need-based. My family makes about 60k a year. We called my financial advisor (He is AMAZING, he is always willing to talk if I have any questions or concerns) and he actually let us put in a request for MORE money. They bumped my scholarship up to 8k a year and my need-based to 30k a year with 5000 in the best kind of loans (Can’t remember if they’re unsubsidized or subsidized lol but it’s the good kind) They REALLY want you.</p>

<p>I’m not into drinking or anything, especially NOT greek life. UofR seems pretty chill though. There’s a thread on the class of 2014 for people who don’t want to drink or smoke or do drugs and I can tell you there are a LOT of people who don’t. As far as parties, it seems there are parties on campus every weekend (ofcourse) but a lot of people do other stuff. There are $2 movies, club sports, and just a bunch of other groups. Some people have TV show marathons like watching Dr. Who etc etc. It really seems like a good group of kids.</p>

<p>Just show who you are and what you like and what you’re passionate about. I learned that it’s really not a numbers game (Unless you’re trying for the Ivies, which sadly it is) and UofR is big on personality and you as an individual. </p>

<p>Hope this helped!</p>

11

<p>This is all great stuff… as an Admissions Counselor I can just about promise you that your interview will not be an interrogation. When I interview a student I try to remember that I will eventually have a transcript, letters of recommendation, test scores, essays, etc. to review as well, all of which give me an idea of what type of student my interviewee might be. So, in the interview I just focus on getting to know each student personally… If you visit the University of Rochester’s wesbite, go to the admissions page and check out the blog, you’ll find some advice from our counselors, most of whom recommend that you relax and have fun with it… here is the link… [Rochester</a> Admissions](<a href=“http://enrollment.rochester.edu/eblog]Rochester”>http://enrollment.rochester.edu/eblog)</p>

12

<p>Ahh, this school sounds so awesome! :3
I can’t wait to visit. </p>

<p>Litlhurry - you do seem to have a lot in common with me. Thank you for the reassurance about stats. Although I know mine aren’t the best, I hope to improve my standardized test scores. And while I’m lacking in EC’s, I am passionate about things that might not show up on my resume, its not like I go home and sit on the computer all day. Hopefully I can convey that through the interview. xD
And, I also live about an hour from Philly, what a coincidence. XD
Thanks for the information about the financial aid as well. I’m worried I’ll fall in love with a school I can’t afford. Dx And of course, the information on the drinking/partying/greek life is great, thanks a lot. :)</p>

<p>MConklin, thanks for the link, it was very helpful. :)</p>

13

<p>I’m a sophomore at UofR, and I have to say… I LOVE it there! It’s incredible and such an amazing fit for me. I don’t really engage in Greek life, but as others have said, there are plenty of other things to do. You can always take the Red Line (bus) down to Park Ave and explore the area. We have a multimedia library, so you can check out movies if you’d like! The people at UofR are incredibly nice, welcoming, and easygoing. You should definitely take a tour if you have the chance. If you don’t enjoy snow all too much, we also have an underground tunnel that leads to most of the academic buildings so that you don’t have to brace the snow during the school year :)</p>