UR vs X University

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
1

<p>Since the the "UR vs X" type of posts are getting exceedingly popular, I thought I'd post this.</p>

<p>There are general things you should always keep in mind in picking a school (before running off and asking about UR vs X):</p>

<p>1) If UR will be an exceeding financial burden on you and your family, then you should be seriously considering a school that's more financially manageable (be it more finaid, or a lower tuition to begin with). Being $10K in debt and getting a solid education at a school like Buffalo, Binghamton, etc., is better than being $100K in debt and getting a "special" UR education. </p>

<p>2) If X is religiously affiliated and this turns you off, then consider UR, which is not affiliated with any religion.</p>

<p>3) If X is more conservative, again, consider UR, which is more liberal minded.</p>

<p>4) If you absolutely must have the small university feel, UR is the place.</p>

<p>5) If research is a priority, and X is not research oriented, UR is your choice.</p>

<p>6) If you want to (for the most part) have greater freedom in custom-tailoring your curriculum and X does not allow for this, then UR is a better fit. </p>

<p>7) Etc., etc., etc.</p>

<p>This is a UR forum, with details specific for UR. You can read/ask things about UR - what kind of school it is, what the finaid is like, what education is like, what social life is like, etc. - and make the decision for yourself. </p>

<p>If you have questions about X, I am sure X's forums cover it in a great amount of detail.</p>

<p>If you have questions about UR, ask about those directly. People who go to UR are most "qualified" to respond to questions about UR, not X.</p>

<p>What I am trying to say is that there are general factors (big picture stuff) that must be considered before applying here, e.g., is UR education worth 3x the $ vs X's education? that no one can answer for you - you must answer that for yourself. On the smaller stuff, people who go here/parents of people who go here are more "qualified" to talk about UR, not X. </p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

2

<p>The U of R is a great school and the education there is equal to most of the elite top rated USNWR top 20 schools. I went to the U of R and I now have a child at the University of Chicago and I would say that that the education at the U of R is almost as good as at Chicago. In fact, one of the top officials at the U of Chicago had two of his children go to the U of R. The big downside of the U of R is the weather. It is cold, grey and snowy, but that encourages you to stay in and study or get involved in the myriad of extracurricular activities. The city of Rochester is nice, but not great. There are lots of small classes and personal attention and the musical opportunities are phenomenal.</p>

3

<p>I received an excellent financial aid package from UR, but am unsure if it will stay as affordable after freshman year as it is now. Assuming my financial situation stays the same and I do well academically, will my package vary much after my first year? Or is it totally impossible to know?</p>

4

<p>Under normal circumstances (i.e., university doesn’t lose more of its endowment funds, US economy doesn’t tank any further than it has already done so, etc), your package will remain the same provided your economic situation does not change (i.e., parents are still making the same $, etc). </p>

<p>Tuition increases about 3-4%/year and financial aid usually keeps up with that. </p>

<p>[Campus</a> Times - Board approves tuition increases for UR](<a href=“http://www.campustimes.org/board-approves-tuition-increases-for-ur-1.1630023]Campus”>http://www.campustimes.org/board-approves-tuition-increases-for-ur-1.1630023) might be of some limited use.</p>

5

<p>Thank you!</p>

6

<p>D’s freshman and sophomore fin aid packages were essentially the same.</p>

<p>We hope junior year will continue the trend.</p>

7

<p>is all of aid provided on the letter they sent you guaranteed? or might it change once you accept admission?</p>

8

<p>Mine didn’t change after I accepted.</p>

9

<p>As long as the information on your tax returns (submitted after you send your deposit) matches what was reported on your FAFSA and CSS, I can’t see why your fin. aid package would change.</p>

<p>Tax returns confirm what you reported earlier and I assume keep you honest!</p>