Rochester, NY: In myhunt for colleges, I had the opportunity to visit the University of Rochester.From the minute I stepped on campus I felt I could definitely be comfortablethere.

The buildings are traditional red brick with white columns andthere is a big beautiful central quadrangle. The small campus is on the GeneseeRiver. The academic buildings are close together and connected by a tunnel systemto help with the very cold, snowy winters. The two main areas of dorms each havea nice-size quad and are definitely separate from the academic buildings. Thedorm rooms are mostly doubles, and each student gets a bed, desk, armoire andcloset. There is plenty of space in the rooms, more than any other school I havevisited. The bathrooms are communal, but the number of people using each isrelatively small.

Freshman writing is the only required course. Studentschoose their own courses and departments, and don't have to declare a major untiljunior year.

The social life on campus is very good. The student unionoffers a nice selection of food and plenty of room to hang out; signs for clubsand activities are always posted. When I visited, there was a concert for newstudents. There are also fraternities and sororities, and even though Greek lifeisn't essential to a social life on campus, it does have a major impact.

Another aspect of life at the University of Rochester is the religiousactivities. It is important to me to be near a strong Jewish community, and theUniversity of Rochester's Hillel and Kesher organizations provide the Jewish lifeI want, with student-run religious services, Shabbat dinners, Passover seders andprograms and events to help build Jewish identity.

The University ofRochester combines a good education, social life and religious life to pleasemost students. If I am accepted, I will most likely attend the university. I hopemany others will visit and consider the University of Rochester.


Reviewed in 2000