<p>I am a rising high school senior and in the process of compiling a shortlist of universities where I will apply to. I came across the University of Rochester and looked through this forum - it isn't very well known? From the posts that have mentioned it, it seems to be held in high esteem but these posts are very rare.</p>
<p>Will this affect the value of an undergraduate education at this school? It looks excellent for economics but is there anything I should know about this school? Why it is not well known? not "well-respected" on this forum?</p>
<p>My middle son just finished his freshman year at URoc and loves it there. He’s spending the summer there working two lab jobs (and turned down a third).</p>
<p>The only “bad” things I’ve ever seen mentioned with URoc are the weather (it is winter in NY and a snow belt, after all) and Rochester (the city). That will be a fit issue for anyone considering it. He thought he would dislike winter, but in the end, it didn’t bug him at all. He has ice skates and there were snowball fights… but mainly, they just did other things - movies, games - there are parties for those who want them (my guy is not a partier). Rochester? He likes the city. In seaon he heads to the market and there is an area kids tend to go to for a few off campus offerings. Granted, that’s not large compared to other schools, but URoc is undertaking a new construction project making a greater college town. Eastman is also there (bus) with music offerings. There are also bus trips to the mall nearby. He’s never felt bored with “nothing to do.”</p>
<p>Otherwise, I’ve only seen respect with regards to URoc. It’s a small research U with vast amounts of national/international research offerings for students who want them. They have a more open curriculum that allows students to choose what they want to study. It’s not a school for the uber college sports lover, but superb for the intellectually curious. Campus is quite nice (looks). There are plentiful club offerings. Seniors he knows who just graduated had jobs or were heading to grad/professional school.</p>
<p>In general… I think most schools that are well-known by the general population are those with big sports teams or Ivy + equivalent name-wise. There are oodles of other great academic schools out there that those in academics know about. URoc is one of those. ;)</p>
<p>We visited U of R this past March. It was the first school that we visited so my daughter had nothing to compare it to ( she is a sophomore). I liked the school very much. I thought it was pretty and the academics met my daughter’s needs. We will definitely go back and we will also set up an interview some time during junior year.!</p>
<p>@Creekland That’s wonderful! Sounds like your son is having an amazing time. I will definitely apply. However, as you have pointed out, it lacks big-time athletics. But surely, for an academic purpose, it is well worth it? Or will the lack of reputation (not widely known, not a household hame) severely affect the degree’s value? </p>
<p>@twogirls The campus seems very pretty. An obvious plus! </p>
<p>@Chedva thank you for the link! I found some of the posts helpful (GPA/SAT range, academic caliber) although I would love any outside opinion of the school. Specifically - if the school’s reputation (or lack, thereof) is a wholly negative quality. Thank you!</p>
<p>The school has an excellent reputation among those who are important, and those who do hiring. It may not be a “household” name, but your household isn’t hiring you.</p>
<p>My d, as a humanities/social sciences kid, has done quite well upon graduation from U of R.</p>
<p>We have never mentioned the name anywhere with knowledgeable people and had them go, “where?” We have had people (total strangers) come up to us when S was a senior in high school wearing UR logo “stuff” asking him if he went there and telling him it was a great school… he was lucky to be able to go there. (We do not live in NY.)</p>
<p>Rochester is vastly underrated. It is one of the best universities in the country, particularly in the Sciences, Econ and Political Science. While the masses may not know how excellent it is, you can be sure that where it matters (graduate school adcoms and corporate recruiters), it will be held in high esteem.</p>
<p>Not to beat a dead horse, but UR grads definitely receive a great education and succeed in the workforce. </p>
<p>It might not get much traffic in this forum because it isn’t seen as the “sexiest” choice; It is a great school but not particularly flashy. Almost everyone that attends UR loves it, but few people (at least from what I can tell) saw it as a top choice when they were first applying to schools. For many, it simply grew on them with time. For others, they were rejected to their top choice school (Chicago, Cornell, Northwestern, Duke, JHU, MIT, etc) and came to UR as a second choice. Others received merit aid they simply couldn’t refuse. Nevertheless, its a great school and the “wow” factor when telling complete strangers where you attend shouldn’t be a significant factor in your decision.</p>
<p>I agree, it is a bit of a hidden gem. I had heard of it, but knew nothing about it until we started looking at engineering schools. We were impressed at what we learned before and at our campus visit. Probably gets overlooked because it doesn’t have any well-known sports teams like Syracuse has? Maybe they don’t spend as much money on marketing as other schools do? Plus Rochester doesn’t have the *image *of a great college town.</p>
<p>OP, I think your question is a good one and deserves attention for others who also may find their way to considering Rochester. Even in a place like New England it is not a school that immediately comes to mind. It is a little off the radar and a poster was correct that it is not the sexiest name out there. Ironically, I came across UR originally from a college counseling professional from the South who holds UR in very high esteem. I got onto UR a bit too late for it to be a serious contender in my first kid’s search, and then the next year I pushed a couple of very high-end students to consider it. And now this year my other kid has chosen UR, including over some sexier names, and will be starting in the Fall. As others have said, people who matter know that UR is a superb school. UR also keeps very good company. It belongs to the UAA for athletics, recently deemed the top Div 3 NCAA conference in the nation, and fellow schools include Chicago, WUSTL, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Emory, etc. My advice is for higher-end kids to take advantage of UR’s relative lack of sex appeal while you can. The word is getting out, and UR just had the most selective year in its history. IMHO UR is a great size, with a great mix of kids and strong diversity, large international presence, very strong academics with open curriculum and wide range of offerings, nice and easy-to-manage campus, and in an area (and city) very underrated because of impulse reactions to weather and distorted views of the city.</p>
<p>@finalchild My brother turned down Northwestern for Rochester - he’s starting this Fall too! That is how I came across Rochester, when he chose to attend. And I agree with @dudedad, Rochester does in fact sound very “sexy.” I read this book on the financial crisis (The Myth of the Rational Market) and there were quite a few mentions of Rochester - affiliated persons - in it. It is quite reputable, actually.</p>
<p>If what you said is true, and Rochester is on the way up, then could it match schools like Emory (etc.)? Because if so, it would be a very good investment to enroll now, as it is getting much better.</p>
<p>Yeah, I overstated the non-sexy angle, because when there is some initial hesitation, reserve, or question about a school (as you noted in starting the thread) I think it is important to not get defensive and attempt to address what that first reaction is all about. And I think now is the time to jump on UR while you can…meaning while a kid with strong credentials may still have a relatively decent chance of getting in. Folks often object to the notion of a school being “on the rise,” but this does seem true about UR. Selectivity is up. Yield is up. Next year’s class is again overbooked. And I also believe UR is a school that grows on you. I kept waiting for something to emerge in the negative column but that just never happened. We just kept liking the school more and more. I am a big UR fan and very excited about my kid starting there in a few months.</p>
We have had people (total strangers) come up to us when S was a senior in high school wearing UR logo “stuff” asking him if he went there and telling him it was a great school… he was lucky to be able to go there. (We do not live in NY.)</p>