Questions about life at U of R

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
1

<p>My son is planning to attend U of Rochester this fall, and I would love any inside scoop I can get on the following subjects...</p>

<p>(1) We're on Sprint - does that get a good signal on campus, or is there a different carrier that works better?</p>

<p>(2) Is there anything smart to do about dorm or meal plans? (meal plans seem to get more complaints than anything else I read about) Is he going to get assigned to a dorm, and then be obligated to a certain meal plan, or is there anything he can do to improve his situation?</p>

<p>(3) When will he register for his first semester of classes - is it before he gets there or during orientation? Will he get any advising, or just pick four classes and dive in?</p>

<p>(4) What placement tests will he take? Will the tests determine what Calc class he should start with? He's in AP Calc AB right now. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Hi my daughter is a freshman great questions</p>

<ol>
<li><p>We don’t have Sprint so I can’t help there</p></li>
<li><p>All freshman are required to have the meal plan with the most meals. My daughter (who came from the residential high school background) and I don’t think the food is too bad. There is a food thread further down on this U of R page. Basically students can supplement the menu plan by using the kitchen in their dorm, having food delivered from off campus (pizza, chinese) and taking the shuttle bus to the grocery store on the weekends.</p></li>
<li><p>Some registration will begin during the summer. Students will be able to sign up for science and math courses then. There is advising during Freshman week. Also in the summer students can fill out placement forms online for foreign language. Some placement is based on AP scores. I’m an over the top documents/forms mom. I think I sent D to U of R with all her AP scores just in case anything was questioned.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>We have NEVER had a problem with registering for classes. Everyone is extremely helpful and accommodating. D registered for Fall classes on Wednesday. She was in the last group of sophomores and got everything she wanted. </p>

<ol>
<li>As I said in 3 I remember there was an online placement test for modern language. For D’s sciences and math her placement was by AP scores only I think. That said she had 4 or 5 in bio, chem, and calc BC which may have made placement a little easier.</li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this helps. Good luck to you and your student. Meliora!!</p>

3

<p>D is a sophomore</p>

<ol>
<li><p>We have Sprint and generally the campus has good signal coverage–except inside the tunnels, which is to be be expected. </p></li>
<li><p>The meal plan is one of those things that all dorm students have to take. Even though the meal plans is assigned by dorm, he will still have couple or three options–chiefly how many meals per week he wants to purchase. All dorms have hall kitchens and all kinds of food delivery from off-campus is available. He will also be able to have a mini fridge and microwave in his room. (One has to buy or rent them–they don’t come with the room.) So he can supplement his meals that way too.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Food isn’t awful, just tends to be monotonous. There are several different options available on campus other than the 2 main dining halls where a student may use his meal card. (Including a Starbucks and an organic deli). D also tells me that major renovation/upgrade of the main dining halls is being planned for this summer.</p>

<p>However, vegan/vegetarian dining choices are pretty limited. </p>

<ol>
<li>Your son will get a registration booklet in mid July, IIRC, he will be asked to take an online writing assessment (unless he meets certain SAT/ACT/AP guidelines) and will be able to register online for most of the available classes starting on a given date. Some students who place out of the most common freshman classes may not be able to register for the appropriate upper level courses until they arrive on campus for orientation and meet with their advisors since some advanced placement requires departmental approval.</li>
</ol>

<p>All freshman are assigned an advisor and your son will meet with him during orientation. The advisor must give final approval for his schedule before classes start. Once students declare a major during their sophomore/junior year, they then choose their own advisor from their major department.</p>

<p>D has had only one issue with registration–she delayed taking her writing assessment until August and consequently got her writing placement back late and by the time she did get her placement all the freshman writing classes she wanted were filled. She took her writing class second semester-no big.</p>

<ol>
<li>UR doesn’t give placement tests, per se. They use AP scores to determine placement.</li>
</ol>

<p>The policy is here:</p>

<p>[Advanced</a> Placement Credit : Center for Academic Support](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/College/CCAS/AdviserHandbook/AP.html]Advanced”>Advanced Placement : Advising Handbook : College Center for Advising Services : University of Rochester)</p>

<p>A 4 or 5 on Calc AB AP exam will put him into Calc 2. Or 3 or below will place him into Calc 1.</p>

4

<p>Thanks meezermom2 and wayoutwestmom! Good information on registration and meal plans. We have to add another phone line to our Sprint plan for our youngest, so I thought I should try to figure out if I was going to have to get my oldest son on a different plan before making the addition.</p>

<p>So - any other insider advice on U of R?</p>

5

<p>I have some meal plan advice! Incoming Freshman have the option of 2 meal plans. One of them is larger than the other. To save some money, DEFINITELY select the smaller (therefore cheaper) meal plan of the two.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I have never met anyone who successfully finished the large freshman meal plan.</p></li>
<li><p>If you happen to finish the small freshman meal plan (which would be nothing short of a miracle), you can always add extra money to your account at the end of the semester to pull through while still saving money!!!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Also, when you sign up for your meal plan, you also sign up for you freshman housing preference… I chose Sue B. (the largest freshman dorm) and absolutely loved it.</p>

6

<p>Freshman dorm locations are one of those things that students have strong opinions about. The are advantages and disadvantage to each of the basic choices: Sue B or quad. </p>

<p>D was in a quad dorm (Gilbert). She liked it because although the quad dorms are older, the rooms are bigger and she was closer to the library and classrooms. </p>

<p>She’s in a quad dorm (Tiernan) this year too–by choice because she likes the location.</p>

<p>And ditto on the advice to take the smallest meal plan option allowed. D used up her second semester freshman meal plan by buying food for the entire recitation section she taught. (25 kids!)</p>

7

<p>Hi, I have been admitted to Northwestern as well as University of Rochester and I was wondering how is the student life at Rochester. From what i have read this university seems very academic oriented and not very social. I was wondering what are the different activities for the freshman class to get to know each other and how are the dorms? Im interested in knowing the social life and the activities held for the students. Also, hows the city of rochester?</p>

8

<p>Yes, Rochester students are serious about academics, but that doesn’t mean that all they do is study. There are many social activities going on campus.</p>

<p>Freshman orientation is 5 days of freshman “getting to know you” kinds of activities that involved students at both the campus-wide, dorm and floor levels. There is a campus wide picnic with games the second night of orientation. The first night’s dinner invites all the parents of freshmen as well as all the freshmen. Various deans also attend both nights. Subsequent nights usually revolve around hall level activities. </p>

<p>Activities for freshmen continue throughout the year–these are organized by the RAs, D’Lions and Freshman Fellows. (D’Lions and Freshman Fellows are specially selected upperclassmen who live on each freshman hall and act as mentors to the freshman residents.) Freshman halls have an activity at least once a month and usually as often as once a week. These activities might be hall dinners (take out food delivered to the hall), mixers with other halls, movie night, silly sports competitions, community service projects, etc.</p>

<p>Fraternities and sororities, and various special interest groups sponsor parties, activities, programs throughout the year.</p>

<p>There is a MidWinter Carnival (in January, IIRC). Campus wide weekend filled with special activities, including movies, rides, snow sculpture competitions. Meliora weekend in October for Homecoming. (Great speakers and in the past 3 years brand name comedy acts comedy acts like Stephen Colbert.) Yellowjacket and Dandelion weekends at the end of the fall and spring semesters respectively celebrate with carnival rides, games, and concerts.</p>

<p>There are free movies every weekend.</p>

<p>Freshman dorms are basically divided into “uphill” and “downhill” dorms. Uphill are the quad dorms–which are older, but have larger rooms. Mostly doubles, but some singles and triples. Next to the gym and closer to the library and classrooms. Downhill are the Susan B. Anthony dorms–newer, but smaller rooms with their own dining hall onsite. (But everyone can use any dining hall they want. But it’s convenient to have the dining hall right there where you don’t have to leave the building complex.) Again mostly doubles, with some singles and triples. Advantages and disadvantages to both locations–a matter of personal preference.</p>

<p>There’s stuff to do in Rochester, but it’s not a huge urban area. Don’t expect it to be like New York or DC or LA. It’s a mid-sized city with its pluses and minuses. There are some interesting trendy areas and some urban decay areas. Eastman School of Music hosts many music events that appeal to a variety of tastes. There are several clubs downtown that students seem to like and frequent. (And I’m confused about exactly how it works, but there seems to be UR shuttle buses that go to the clubs on weekends and certain other nights.)</p>

9

<p>Thanks a lot for the response, it was very useful. Academics and social life are the most important factors for me. I was wondering, however, if the different halls have competitions or games against each other, as in many other schools? Also, are the students diverse, as in students pursuing different majors?</p>

10

<p>Halls competing against each other? Yes, but in a totally friendly, non seriously competitive way. (Intramurals mostly)</p>

<p>Student diversity:</p>

<p>[Statistics</a> : Diversity : University of Rochester](<a href=“http://www.rochester.edu/diversity/statistics/index.html]Statistics”>http://www.rochester.edu/diversity/statistics/index.html)</p>

<p>Diversity by major:</p>

<p>[College</a> Navigator - University of Rochester](<a href=“College Navigator - Search Results”>College Navigator - University of Rochester)</p>

<h1>of bachelor degrees granted by area in 2009:</h1>

<p>social sciences (econ, IR, poly sci/gov, anthro, other) : 234
psychology: 145
visual and performing arts: 133
nursing: 133
biological sciences: 117
engineering: 101
physical sciences: 76
English: 57
math: 51
foreign languages and linguistics: 43
history: 38
philosophy & religion :26
computer science: 16
education: 13 (most ed majors are in a 5 year master’s granting program)
environmental sciences/studies: 8
general liberal arts: 5
ethnic, cultural or gender studies: 5
other/interdisciplinary: 5</p>

<p>So, they aren’t ALL pre-meds, if that’s what you’re asking…</p>

11

<p>You’d work at Northwestern too. I actually know more about Northwester than Rochester - because my daughter hasn’t started at UR yet. Evanston is not Chicago. You can certainly take the train in - and it’s not far - but odds are you won’t. My only issue with Northwestern has been the division between the frat / sorority side and the more artsy side. From what I can gather, the frat scene at UR is lower key and not socially dominating. </p>

<p>It’s hard to compare though easy to contrast. Both are very good schools. Northwestern plays big time sports, with all that means good and bad, and is 2x UR’s size. I’ve never liked the quarter system but some people do.</p>

12

<p>My d is in a sorority, but has many close friends who are in other sororities or are not affiliated at all. There’s no division between Greek life and the rest of the campus life.</p>