What’s the social life/vibe at URochester?
Is greek life big?
Are there a lot of outdoor activities/clubs to join?
What do people normally do on the weekends?
I’d read through that thread but a tl;dr: Social vibe is work hard/play hard for those who want to. Greek life is significant but not overpowering on campus. There is a club for just about literally anything you can think of and it’s easy to join. The average social person probably goes to the library for several hours on a Saturday, then to a party at night.
There is an outdoor club that is (or at least was at the time D2 was a student) fairly active and typically schedules 1-2 outdoor trips each semester. (Like canoeing in Ontario over fall break. Or a long weekend X-country ski trip in the Adirondacks.) There are also a ski club and road cycling club. The cycling club offers short term bike rentals to students.
Greek is there, but isn’t an overwhelming presence. You can join a frat/sorority–or not. Rush is in the spring so you have time to think about whether Greek life is for you. It’s also fairly common for sophomores to rush (at least on the sorority side of things).
Work hard/play hard is pretty common, but it depends on what the individual wants. There are lots of alternatives to the party scene.
Cool nerds who really work hard and play hard. Greek life isn’t a big part of campus life unless you are looking for weekend parties. Outing club is an organization where they organize many trips in the upstate New York area. If you are an incoming freshman, you are likely to be offered the opportunity to apply to UR FOOT! It is a program that takes around 100 freshmen or more to different excursions to bond with your future classmates.
I mean, it depends on the person! The University of Rochester is one of those schools that is overflowing with weekend activities. I don’t think there is a day where nothing is happening on campus.
My son was very involved in Rock climbing. They have a bouldering Gym at RIT so he spent time there and had an opportunity to meet RIT students. I think depending on your interest, you will find others who want to do the same.