<p>This is my commentary of my overnight, which I typed up in response to someone’s question about my overnight experience at Rochester. I loved the school so much after visiting that I decided to apply ED and was accepted. This is basically how I chose between Rochester and Wake Forest and Franklin & Marshall for my ED choice.</p>
<p>I wrote this in response to someone asking about his daughter and wondering whether the drive from Rochester to Chicago was worth it and asking me to describe my experience in further detail since an overnight isn’t a possibility for everyone.</p>
<p>Here it is:</p>
<hr>
<p>I definitely liked my overnight when I visited in mid-October. My host was pre-med and was not only able to answer all of my questions about pre-med w/ study abroad, but was able to show me that Rochester is a very comfortable place to be. We started out by going to an ethics class, and I found it to be incredibly boring. She agreed, but said that she wanted to do debating w/ ethics and medicine, and that this was a required class for that. Frankly, I almost fell asleep, and could tell that the rest of the class shared my sentiments. She said it was an easy class though, and that it is just regurgitation. She said that there are other easy classes to be found, though with a pre-med major you have a bit more of a structured curriculum that Rochester will have you believe simply b/c you have to take all the required courses for medical school.</p>
<p>Afterwards, we got some quesadillas from an on campus dining hall, which she said were really good. I didn’t have any since I had already eaten before I arrived, but I’ll take her word for it. We then went to rent a movie from the on campus facility, and she chose Patch Adams. She said it was her favorite movie, but since I hadn’t seen it, I just agreed. We then went back to her dorm to watch it, and it turned out to be a great movie, and one I definitely would have chosen for myself. Two of her friends then came over-- a guy and a girl-- and we played Mario kart and talked for a bit. Overall, it was very laid-back.</p>
<p>In the beginning, when my mom dropped me off, my mom asked her what there was to do on weekends. She responded that there were lots of on campus things and that Eastman also had amazing concerts. To get the real story, I asked her about it again before the ethics class. She sheepishly said that there was drinking, but that she didn’t really want to say that in front of my mom. Later that night she and her two friends actually had a bit of tequila in a milkshake in her room, but it was not to get drunk, and she was definitely cool with my decision not to drink at all. She kept offering me ice cream, but I told her I didn’t like chocolate. She kept saying how she felt badly she didn’t have anything for me, and seemed very caring.</p>
<p>Afterwards, her friends left-- one to go study neurology-- and we made chocolate chip cookies. It was really fun, and we used out hands to mix the batter since we couldn’t find a whisk. I basically saw my being able to stir the raw batter with my hands as being relaxed in my surroundings, which I must say, is not something that I do extremely often. I’m kind of reserved in general, though I felt incredibly comfortable in my skin when I was at Rochester, which will definitely help my growth as a person. It also appeared that hanging out with friends-- watching a movie, going to dinner or just plain hanging out-- was fairly common as a social outlet. Also, people at Rochester take pleasure out of learning and studying, so this is considered not fun, but interesting and often enjoyable.</p>
<p>We went to bed around 12 that night (I visited Thursday night to Friday morning). She said this is generally when she goes to sleep, though she knows some people who stay up into the wee hours of the night. Classes are no earlier than 8 or 8:30-- don’t remember which, but that’s typical of most colleges. She showered before we went-- she had a suit (2 people in one room sharing a bathroom with 2 people in a room that connects through the bathroom). Then we went to her intro organic chem class, which was pretty awesome. The lecture hall was large-- like 150 or so? and that definitely threw me off a bit. I had been expecting small classes, since Rochester itself isn’t incredibly large, but she said classes only get to like 30 by the time you’re in your senior year if you’re going pre-med. I initially thought that I would not choose Rochester for this reason, even after immediately leaving the campus, but I later reconsidered when I thought back to how comfortable I had felt at Rochester.</p>
<p>Other things–
- She said like half the pre-med kids are Jewish, which is awesome b/c then I’ll be able to observe the holidays if I can’t get home for some reason</p>
<li><p>I found out that anyone can get involved in research right away, though you have to clean flasks and stuff for a semester first. Amazing opportunity though.</p></li>
<li><p>She showed me one of her favorite spots on campus. This actually turned out to be another level of the library above the old stacks which is accessible by means of this rickety elevator that looked like it was from the 20s. She loved this spot, though I prefer collaboration, so I doubt I would be up there much. Still cool that she considered this to be one of her favorite spots-- shows how Rochester students are slightly nerdy :)</p></li>
<li><p>I heard this one “ghetto” guy (not to be derogatory at all-- just that he appeared to have matriculated from a city somewhere) speaking on his cell phone about how “this was his only interesting class” referring to the organic chem class. This is one other thing that struck me about Rochester-- so much diversity, and yet so much similarity :)</p></li>
<li><p>When I was trying to find the admissions office this one “ghetto” girl (again, not derogatory, just a stereotype, which can be helpful in placing her physical appearance, nothing more) took my mom and me halfway across campus trying to help us find the right spot. She literally went 15 minutes out of her way to do so since we got a bit lost coming from a different direction :)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Overall, amazing school, and I am definitely willing to endure the 6 hour drive home (I am very close to my family to the extent that I was almost willing to choose a school where I would not fit in nearly as well as Rochester to be closer to my family). Also, there are flights flying in and out of Rochester, which could easily connect you with Chicago (I’m assuming they have a direct to O’Hare or something). There’s always bus or driving though…</p>
<p>Is your D’s twin brother going to the University of Chicago? B/c if so, Rochester and UChicago are supposedly somewhat similar, though Chicago students are more into the “life of the mind” than Rochester students. I personally don’t think I’d be able to handle that on a continual basis. I love to learn-- I’m going to try to juggle a minor in art and Spanish and a major in chem and math, though I doubt this is all possible within 4 years; I like to understand how everything is connected, especially the sciences and maths; and I love a good debate-- especially on affirmative action. However, Chicago is too intense for me.</p>
<p>Your daughter should visit the schools and factor that into the equation. Without the overnight I’m pretty positive I would have come to a different conclusion.</p>
<p>Since this is like the Rochester Manifesto, I’ll post this on a board or something… :)</p>
<p>Wishing you and your daughter good luck on the college quest,
~Stephanie</p>