Hi everyone,
I have been recently accepted to the University of Rochester and Stony Brook University and I need to make a final decision. Everyone I have asked has suggested me to go to Stony as its more academically reputable. Many people have not heard of URochester. Some say its decent. Others think its a SUNY. Others confuse it for RIT. My question is
What is the academic reputation of Rochester in NYC and globally? Does it compare to selective schools and in terms of selectivity with like NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Brandeis, Hamilton, UMich, and Stony Brook?
How do employers view a Rochester degree, and why are people unfamiliar w/ it?
Seriously? People have been suggesting that somehow the ~60th school in the country by selectivity (UR) doesn’t compare academically to the ~135th school (SB)? Candidly, I think it would be best that with this evident absence of information, these people stop making stuff up.
University of Rochester is an Excellent school. It is a top ranked university and It is absolutely in the same league as Brandeis, NYU, and the others. If you care about rankings, it is ranked quite a bit above Stony Brook. But they are both fine schools. One is a very large public and one is a mid sized private. If finances are not an issue, go where you feel most comfortable. There is no issue with the quality, or prestige of Rochester.
Thanks for the link, but apparently St Johns college is in the last. Not to mean that ST Johns university is not a good school, but its ranked pretty high. The list makes me wary, but thanks again for the quick reply
Don’t worry about the reputation of URoch vs. Stony Brook…whoever you asked who said Stony Brook was more “academically reputable” is…well…probably not academically reputable, themselves.
If anything, URoch is higher ranked and more recognized on a national and international basis.
Peer institutions with URoch would be Case Western, Brandeis, NYU, Northeastern. It’s in the same athletic conference (University Athletic Association) as UChicago, WUSTL, Carnegie Mellon, Case, Brandeis, Emory and NYU. Known affectionately as the “Egghead Eight.” (So, if “Ivy League” is a meaningful category to you, that might give you an idea of where URoch fits in terms of general reputation for academics.)
Instead of worrying about the relative academic reputations of the two schools, pay attention to their curricula, programs, relative cost, and your own preferences re. campus and culture. And make up your own mind instead of listening to people who probably don’t really know what they’re talking about.
As to why people are unfamiliar with Rochester…probably because those you asked don’t pay much attention to the relative merits of mid-sized private schools and are more familiar to Stony Brook because of its size and proximity to NYC. I don’t think Rochester excels at marketing. Neither do a lot of schools that are very well regarded to people in the know.
The analysis (reply #1) is a simple one, based on the standardized scoring profiles of attending students. St. John’s University places 457th in the ranking, and its inclusion should not pertain to your current choices.
This. You probably need a new crowd to ask - or do some simple google searching yourself. It’s common for “the man on the street” to only “know” about colleges nearby or with highly ranked sports teams. Most don’t have a clue about academic excellence.
In my area (southern PA) most will have never heard of Stony Brook. That means nothing about its academic level. It only means most folks know very little about NY state schools as few apply there and they don’t make a name for themselves in sports.
I had to use google myself to get their current USNews ranking. It’s 80. U Roc is 33.
80 certainly isn't bad. It will depend upon what you are looking for in a school and if finances matter. #33 shows most who know about academics think more highly of URoc (overall - individual majors may vary).
They are both good schools. If you work hard, you can be successful with a degree for either. Wait to see URochester’s FA package to see if it’s affordable for you. They both have pros and cons, neither should have cons that are deal breakers.
I just wanted to clarify my first post. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, but it turns out that after doing some research and listening to y’all who are accurate, URochester seems to be a very selective school, and definitely can be compared to Stony Brook. It’s just that some people who have never heard of it, just feel the need to spread misleading info. Again I apologize for not doing enough research.
Thanks!