Locale of U R?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Rochester
1

<p>please describe the locale in which U R resides. urban (gritty urban, upscale urban?), suburban, town, village/rural? </p>

<p>How far is (center of) the campus to the center of rochester, or where there are coffee shops, bars, cinema and things to do? A walk? a car ride? Is there public transportation available from campus?</p>

<p>To what extent does a UR student need a car to get around at UR? anyone know the pct of students who have a car?</p>

<p>closer up view
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=600+Wilson+Boulevard,+Rochester,+NY+14620+(University+of+Rochester)&sll=43.131746,-77.625275&sspn=0.027373,0.051928&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=600+Wilson+Blvd,+Rochester,+Monroe,+New+York+14620&ll=43.128958,-77.630081&spn=0.013687,0.025964&z=15%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=600+Wilson+Boulevard,+Rochester,+NY+14620+(University+of+Rochester)&sll=43.131746,-77.625275&sspn=0.027373,0.051928&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=600+Wilson+Blvd,+Rochester,+Monroe,+New+York+14620&ll=43.128958,-77.630081&spn=0.013687,0.025964&z=15&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>back up view
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=600+Wilson+Boulevard,+Rochester,+NY+14620+(University+of+Rochester)&sll=43.131746,-77.625275&sspn=0.027373,0.051928&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=600+Wilson+Blvd,+Rochester,+Monroe,+New+York+14620&ll=43.128802,-77.630081&spn=0.109496,0.20771&z=12%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=600+Wilson+Boulevard,+Rochester,+NY+14620+(University+of+Rochester)&sll=43.131746,-77.625275&sspn=0.027373,0.051928&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=600+Wilson+Blvd,+Rochester,+Monroe,+New+York+14620&ll=43.128802,-77.630081&spn=0.109496,0.20771&z=12&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>any input wd be appreciated (ya don't have to answer all teh questions)</p>

2

<p>found this, too, for extra info. Still lookin’ for people’s experiences and undestanding and viewpoints on the questions above.
[Panoramio</a> - Photo of Aerial view of River Campus](<a href=“Panoramio is no longer available”>Panoramio is no longer available)</p>

3

<p>The campus is on the outskirts of Rochester. The campus itself is open and green, and really has a “campus” feel. There are some bars & restaurants within walking distance of campus; a student favorite is the Distillery. Another favorite, although not really within walking distance, is Jay’s Diner, open 24/7. Freshmen are not permitted to have cards, but many upperclassmen do. My d had little problem finding rides when necessary. </p>

<p>Public transportation can also take kids around Rochester. The school does run shuttles to malls and shopping areas that have movies, restaurants, bowling in or nearby.</p>

4

<p>thanks, chedva. Do you know if the public trans can be picked up at the campus? </p>

<p>also, Looks like UR is pretty close to the airport.</p>

5

<p>All this info is on the rochester.edu website.</p>

<p>I just came back from visiting. The campus is 10 minutes tops from downtown and shuttle buses run there every half hour or so because that is where the Eastman Music School is located. Eastman is part of Rochester. Look it up. </p>

<p>The campus is right on the Genesee. It is compact with a lot of green space, mostly Georgian-style buildings except in the science area where the architectural style is much more modern. A park runs for a great long way along the river. </p>

<p>UR isn’t next to a “college town” area of bars. It’s more a greenish island that isn’t far from things in Rochester, which is actually a fairly nice place. The really bad part of the city is way up on the other side of downtown to the northwest, not close to campus.</p>

<p>Public bus routes come to campus but the university runs shuttles to the malls, etc.</p>

6

<p>thanks for the input. it is helpful. I did look at the UR website and I could not find anything about the gritty or the bad part of the city of Rochester. To get a better picture of something, it helps to get multiple points of view on it like the proverbial blind man and the elephant.</p>

7

<p>I’d guess that the address in Manhattan is probably the alumni club!</p>

8

<p>I had edited that post, chedva, since it seemed that I was solely relying on web searches to get info. But I thought it humourous, so here it is again,</p>

<p>I originally filtered out UR as a college since a google maps inquiry revealed to me that it was in the middle of manhattan, and my son said he did not want urban. lesson, as we all can attest when trying to navigate to places from the august web pages of our 21st century oracle, Google, Think twice and use common sense. :slight_smile: Somewhere on cc+ is my question about 5th av.</p>

<p>[university</a> of rochester - Google Maps](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>

<ul>
<li>post 10
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/160594-brandeis-vs-university-rochester.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/160594-brandeis-vs-university-rochester.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
</ul>

9

<p>I know quite a bit now about Brandeis and UR. The thread you linked to is hilariously bad; there are repeated, uninformed statements about Brandeis being better in sciences. All I can say is you’ve got to be kidding. UR is a top tier research university with the leading optics center in the world. It gets like $400M in research $$ and is 7th in earnings from technology. The sciences at UR are huge and the campus is literally next to the medical complex with the labs and facilities for undergrads in many cases being the same buildings used by the grad programs and researchers. </p>

<p>Brandeis is a very good school with a number of strengths but that thread crossed into an alternate dimension.</p>

10

<p>Roderick just a little more input about Rochester for what it is worth. While there are some areas of the city that are iffy, The metro Rochester area in general is very nice and very affordable. Brighton just east on Elmwood and the eastern suburbs including Pittsford, Perinton and Penfield are all middle to upper class with extremely highly ranked schools. They have nice restaurants, hotels, and shopping.</p>

11

<p>hi, i was wondering if any one has more links to see UR’s campus?</p>

12

<p>There is really nothing gritty about the neighborhood that U of R is located in. Nor is it upscale. To the west and north is the Genesee River; U of R is tucked into a bend in the river. To the east is Mt. Hope Cemetery, and beyond the cemetery a commericial strip known as Mt. Hope Avenue. Across Elmwood Avenue to the south is the Strong Memorial Hospital complex, and behind the medical complex are apartments and modest homes largely occupied by medical and nursing students. It is an active community, but lacks the sort of density I would associate with a true urban neighborhood. There are some semi-sketchy neighborhoods across the river from the U of R campus, but there is no need for most students to roaming through this area at night. The Rochester airport is about a mile from campus, which is often buzzed by low-flying aircraft arriving at or departing from ROC.</p>

13

<p>You hear more ducks and geese than airplanes on the river at UR. The geese are kind of loud. The carillon which rings the hours on campus makes more noise by far. </p>

<p>The area across the river, which is connected by a footbridge, is the 19th Ward. It’s a mixed area, mostly lower income, has some issues but isn’t particularly dangerous. No reason to go there, except for the area right over the bridge where UR has build some apartments and there’s a new development. Some kids live off campus over there because it’s so easy to get to school.</p>

<p>The nicest area in the city is near Eastman House. The distances are all so small; you can go from downtown to UR in 10 minutes, from downtown to Eastman House in 3. The side streets are lined with a wide mix of sometimes very, very large homes. This area is again maybe 10 minutes away from UR. Rochester is, after all, home to Xerox, Bausch & Lomb & Kodak. And Wegman’s, the rather amazing grocery chain.</p>

14

<p>THanks for the rundown on the neighborhood around the campus. Doesn’t seem rundown. Further, some of you seem to be parents and it is obvious that u care about your kids (u would nt send them to a bad area, I cd tell). My son has been extremely busy handling his challenging jr worklaod , so I have trying been to scout candidate colleges for him. One of the few things I heard him say, however, as a criterion, was that he was not comfortable with ‘sketchiness’ in the locale and rundown-ness in the facilities. </p>

<p>This is different than me - I believe college is about the life of the mind+, peeling paint is to be forgiven, and those ‘sketchy’ characters are really your fellow human beans :slight_smile: But he is the guy who has to live there for 4 yrs.</p>

<p>We are from chicago and do not have tons of resources so we need to get as much info as possible b4 visiting.</p>

<p>+I liked the close up picture in the above panaroma link of the library showing Aristotle, one of my heroes.</p>

15

<p>When the time is right, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting the U of R campus. It will most likely stand out in your son’s mind as one of the most beautiful campuses.</p>

<p>The University of Rochester is only 2 miles from the center of downtown, but due to its location you would never know you went to school in an “urban” setting. The River Campus, where most graduates spend 95% of their time, is surrounded by the Genesee River, 3 parks, the Mt. Hope cemetary, and the Strong Memorial Hospital. These are wonderful things to be surrounded by, and it makes the campus seem more like a beautiful island in the city of Rochester.</p>

<p>These “buffer zones” to campus keep things quiet, and you feel safe while on campus. However, it is VERY easy to get off campus to go to the malls, restaurants, theaters, etc. thanks to the free shuttle system available to students. You don’t need a car while at the U of R, (freshman can’t have them), but it is nice as an upperclassmen to have the freedom to travel to off campus sites whenever you want to. </p>

<p>I want to explain the “buffer zones” a little more…</p>

<p>The Genesee River: The River Campus is situated on a bend in the river, essentially surrounding campus to the west and north. It’s nice to have a river next to campus instead of a highway. It’s also fun to see the U of R crew teams practicing, and to see people kayaking. 2 miles downsteam in the center of the city is the 99 foot tall High Falls, which is really pretty.</p>

<p>3 parks: Just south of campus is the Genesee Valley Park. Here you will be able to utilize an ice skating rink (UR club hockey plays here / UR students can rent skates), use one of dozens of fields for any number of activities (UR club frisbee / UR Varsity X-C running / UR cricket players / faculty softball games are all utilizing this Park). </p>

<p>GVP was also designed by the same guy who designed Central Park in NYC. </p>

<p>During the fall this park is absolutely stunning with all of the oak trees turning bright red. It is definitely a great place to run/walk/bike/rollerblade. Plus, in the center of the park the Genesee River and the Barge canal merge, providing you with countless miles of traffic free pavement paths.</p>

<p>Highland Park is east of the campus on the other side of the Mt. Hope Cemetery. This park is home to the most beautiful Rochester festival… The Lilac Festival!!! This park has a variety of trails, paths, flora. Highland park is an amazingly beautiful arboretum. </p>

<p>The Baush and Lomb Riverside park is wedged between the River Campus and the Genesee River, providing students with more greenery on campus and a bike path that goes along the Genesee River.</p>

<p>Mt. Hope Cemetery: Some people say to me “why do you like having a cemetery as your border?” The Mt. Hope cemetery borders the River campus to the east. Thanks to the amount of trees in place, you really can’t see the cemetery at all from campus (except in the upperclassmen housing called Hill Court). The cemetery is beautiful and historic. It is also fairly gigantic. Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass are buried here. This is a phenomenal place to run / walk / explore.</p>

<p>The Strong Memorial Hospital: This borders the River Campus to the southeast, but is really a 5-10 minute walk from the center of campus. Research opportunities / volunteer opportunities are at your fingertips!</p>

<p>Having these “buffer zones” around campus keep things quiet. While on the University of Rochester River Campus you will get a very collegiate feel. You don’t have busy traffic, and it helps to keep a number of people who are unaffiliated with the campus down. </p>

<p>It’s beautiful, definitely drop by!</p>

16

<p>UR’s facilities are excellent. The main library is beautiful. I wrote about this in another thread about visiting campus for admitted student day.</p>