Alum here. U of R is what you make of it. If you want to party every weekend, there’s plenty of chances to do that. If you are more interested in clubs, intramural sports, philanthropy, you can do that too. There’s a club for pretty much anything you can think of, and it’s really easy to get involved - there is typically an activities fair during orientation where you’ll have an opportunity to check it all out.
It’s true that U of R is a “nerdy school” and not everyone goes out and parties, but there is still a pretty good social scene for parties, if that’s your thing. Being a former athlete and member of a fraternity, I’d say I was more of a “weekend warrior” when I was in school. I think that’s kind of the general culture throughout U of R Greek life and sports teams. Most people at U of R take school pretty seriously, but when there’s a chance to blow off some steam, you can expect to see a lot of people out - mainly Greek life & athletes, but others go out too. There’s typically mixers/parties at (on campus) Fraternities on Saturdays, some on Fridays. People used to go out to UR only “bar parties” downtown on Thursdays - I’m assuming that’s still a thing. Early in the year before everyone gets real busy, this is all pretty accessible, but becomes a little more exclusive to Greek life and sports teams throughout the year. In summary, I always found that there was plenty to do in the party scene, as long as you aren’t trying to go out every night. So if that’s for you, I’d recommend looking into Greek life - freshman are eligible to rush in the spring. This might go without saying, but Greek life at U of R isn’t like a typical southern school. It’s more laid back and not nearly as douchey. You’ll still get a few here and there, but most are genuine, intelligent, people who just want to have a social outlet outside of classes.
Food: A lot has changed over the last few years, so I’m not sure how much I can speak to it. But when I was there, it was “not the best, not the worst”. It’s college campus food; there’s a handful of options, so I’d recommend keeping a rotation so that it doesn’t get too old. Also, there’s a fair selection of food off campus.
Area: The immediate area on the campus side of the river is pretty nice. There’s a handful of restaurants and a couple of bars worth going to. The Brooks Ave area on the other side of the River is so-so, and I would avoid heading into the 19th Ward/Plymouth (pretty easy to do).
Rochester is a small city but actually has a lot going on. But honestly, as an undergrad, you probably won’t venture off campus a whole lot during the school year. There’s just too much going on, and most of what you need is conveniently on campus, or very close to campus - including the social scene. Also, note that almost everyone lives on campus. It is definitely more expensive, but the convenience and experience makes it worth it for many people.
Many people stay in Rochester for summer internships/research or to take classes and I think most people would recommend doing this at least once. Rochester is beautiful in the summer and there are lots of festivals. You’ll get a chance to explore places you don’t get the chance to during the school year.
Hopefully this helps!