<p>Does anyone know how UR is as a university for Science majors/research? I'm especially interested in studying Physics. Can anyone comment on their physics program or professors?</p>
<p>Also, if anyone know anything more about the school in general, for example how is it as a school to get a good overall education?</p>
<p>Physics dept. (esp Optics, thanks to Kodak and Bausch & Lomb) is very strong with excellent research funding and an excellent reputation among those in the profession. Lots of opportunities for undergrads to get into research. Physics is probably stronger than even the Bio Dept.</p>
<p>D2 is a rising junior (math and bio double major) at UR and has been very happy with her overall education. Campus is small and very pretty. Students are bright and engaged. Atmosphere is cooperative rather than cut-throat. Great place to go to school.</p>
<p>I was waiting for WOWM to answer. </p>
<p>As to the general question, I suggest you do some research and decide if UR fits you. The basic profile is a smallish university - 5k students - with a significant graduate presence and a heck of a lot of external research funding. There aren’t many of these. Only you can decide if you prefer a liberal arts college, which will not have the graduate studies or the external funding, or an even bigger university.</p>
<p>From the perspective of an Admissions Counselor… The physics department is phenomenal. University of Rochester graduate and former professor in the physics department, Steven Chu, was hand picked from Rochester to be the Secretary of Energy in President Obama’s administration. The physics department also boasts the largest ultraviolet laser in the world (located on our south campus) as part of its research facilities.</p>
<p>Rochester, in general, is a research university, and the third smallest of them all. With an undergraduate population of 5k, the University still maintains an annual budget of approximately $350-400 million, reserved specifically for research. 75% of the undergraduates here conduct research before they graduate, and Rochester is one of three schools in the country that falls into the top 10, as far as research production is concerned, in all three of the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.</p>
<p>I usually try not to focus on statistics, but these are pretty useful in portraying the value of a Rochester education, especially for a student interested in research.</p>
<p>cyerivolk: My D is a physics major, double majoring or minoring in optics as well. She is very happy with the physics and optics program at UR. In fact she is on an summer REU at an ivy league school and says UR has better and up-to-date lasers than there! She is with mostly upperclassmen and says they are impressed with how much she knows as a college freshman. The opportunities at UR seem endless. D will be a TA in freshman Physics Lab this coming year and may also be working in Optics lab as well (if she has time). In fact she would have worked in the Optics lab over the summer if she hadn’t gotten the REU internship. I really don’t feel D would have had any of these opportunities if she had gone to any other university where she had applied.</p>
<p>It’s also very easy for undergraduates to get involved in research. All I had to do was email the professor whose research I was interested in. I never in a million years thought that she would agree to let me be a part of the lab because I’m only a sophomore, but it looks like I’ll be doing research when I get back. I have a feeling that this is common for a lot of undergrads in research at UR.</p>