Colleges University of Rochester

University of Rochester www.rochester.edu

University of Rochester is a private institution that was founded in 1850. It’s located on a suburban 707-acre campus two miles south of downtown Rochester, NY, in the bend of the Genesee River. The University describes itself as one of the smallest and most collegiate schools among the nation’s top research universities. The Rochester Curriculum commitment means there are zero required subjects; instead, students’ interests drive their education. The school also offers more than 250 student organizations, and one quarter of students are affiliated with Greek life on campus. Rochester’s a cappella ensembles are among the country’s best. Freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus, and most juniors and seniors choose to remain on campus. The school’s unique “Take Five Scholars” program provides students an additional tuition-free semester studying topics of interest outside of their major.

Academics

University of Rochester offers 160 undergraduate and 30 graduate programs across seven schools spread throughout five campuses. The College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is the largest school, and it includes the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The Eastman School of Music, named after George Eastman, is located in Downtown Rochester. The University is also home to Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a national laboratory supported by the US Department of Energy. The University is classified among R1 Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activities, and is a member of the Association of American Universities, which emphasizes academic research. The student-faculty ratio at University of Rochester is 9:1, and the school has 66% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. Popular majors include Nursing, Management Sciences & Information Systems, and Biology.

Special Highlights

Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Learning from and working alongside award-winning faculty, Hajim School’s students use state-of-the-art technology and facilities to support their unique, self-driven education. From alternative energy to transformational materials, we continually expand our program offerings to reflect current and future opportunities for research, development, and application. Our strong ties and proximity to the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics create boundless opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Our students conduct undergraduate research, study abroad, pursue multidisciplinary majors, and streamline their paths to graduate schools and careers. The Hajim School is part of the Grand Challenges Scholars program, which enables students to “take ownership” of their academic path by organizing their research, global, internship, and entrepreneurial experiences around a single challenge.

Center for Community Engagement. The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) fosters collaborative leadership among students, faculty, staff, and community partners to discover transformative solutions and create equitable social change in the Rochester community and beyond. We believe communities are strongest when their members are active and engaged in community service, civic leadership, and democratic processes. When you better yourself, you also better your community; and when you better your community, you also better yourself. Our programs are informed by the social change model of leadership, developed by the National Clearinghouse on Leadership Programs. Entrepreneurship is a focal point at Rochester, and students are encouraged to create and innovate, both in the classroom and in the community.

School Mission & Unique Qualities

One of the world’s leading research universities, Rochester has a long tradition of breaking boundaries—pushing and questioning, learning and unlearning. We transform ideas into enterprises that create value and make the world better. About one year after the University was founded, Rochester adopted its beloved motto, Meliora—Latin for “ever better”. A few years later, the first campus was built on eight acres of dandelion-covered pasture. Today, its motto and its dandelion are ever present as tributes to its past and emblems of Rochester’s maverick spirit. The Students’ Association is the primary student governing body and includes most of the student groups at the university. Wilson Commons Students Activities is a student-led group in charge of planning and organizing events for undergraduate students. Annual events include the Celebrate Diversity concert and Yellowjacket Weekend during orientation week, Winterfest Weekend in February, Spirit Week, Springfest Weekend, and Senior Day.

Student Reviews…

“The course work is challenging but rewarding. The professors really are here for you and will support you. The campus is beautiful and the food is good. I live off campus so can’t say a lot about the dorms. Academically, it may be more suitable for STEM students instead of social science. The location is not the best, and there isn’t much to do outside the school.”