This is one gorgeous campus. With the Genesee River Park on one side and the nation’s second oldest cemetery on the other (Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas are buried there), the campus is mostly flat and the buildings mostly brick. The library reading rooms (“where everyone studies”) are numerous and varied in design and function. The fraternities and sororities are located on a traditional Fraternity Row. The Eastman School of Music is located in downtown Rochester.
While there are general education requirements at UR, they are arranged as clusters, allowing students more freedom in course selection. Five and seven year BA/Masters programs are offered in business, education, engineering and medicine. There is a unique and very selective medical school program that guarantees freshmen admission to the medical school. My tour guide, an economics major from Wisconsin, will attend the University of Texas law school in the fall. Students who wish to stay for a fifth year after receiving their BA and take courses in a discipline other than their major can do so without paying tuition.
My guide constantly greeted and was greeted by other students during the tour, affirming for me his description of UR students as begin extremely friendly. While I did not get a sense of the city of Rochester, the area around the campus was lovely. Shuttles take students around the main campus, downtown to the Eastman School and to shopping areas. Freshmen can’t have cars but bike rentals are free and there is a car share service on campus. 86% live on campus.
