Rochester, NY: A small school of under 5,000 students in upstate New York, the University of Rochester is a light at the end of a long seven-hour drive from Boston. The campus is beautifully built and well-maintained. The dorms are very nice with many in the process of being renovated.

The University of Rochester is a very competitive school where 50 percent of the students are from the top 10 percent of their high school class. About half the students are from New York state.

The sports facility is fully equipped with just about anything you could want. The student union is large and many interesting activities take place there.

Since they don't offer every undergraduate degree, they offer some 3-2 programs which allow a student to get his/her graduate degree after only three years of undergraduate education. They also offer a "Take Five" program which allows students to take undergraduate courses after four years of undergraduate study without paying tuition, as long as none of the courses has to do with the student's intended major.

Every Wednesday is University Day. There are no classes after 12: 30, so the students can have a break from academics. This is when most clubs hold their meetings. The University does not publish freshman grades on students' transcripts. Rather, they receive a Pass/Fail grade. The students may obtain their grades to send to graduate schools if necessary.

The University of Rochester is a great school if you are looking for a small, competitive school with a good mixture of the academic and social activities. n


Reviewed in 1992