Graduated a couple of years ago in Mech E
- There is a presence on campus and the community is very accepting. U of R has a very diverse student body and in general is very accepting of people of all backgrounds.
- Yes. More importantly and specifically, there are research opportunities available to undergrads, including freshman/sophomores. It’s up to you to go looking for the opportunities, but you’ll find them more available at U of R than most other universities.
- I think that depends on the institution you are transferring to. I don’t think that U of R credits would be any less accepted than credits from pier schools.
- I always walked - you can walk from one end of campus to the other in 10 minutes, although most classes are probably all within ~5 minutes. It’s easy to bike on campus an a lot of people do it. Also, there are buses that you can hop on at one end of campus and get off at the other end (Park Lot to Rush Rhees Libary)
- Inside campus: never felt unsafe. It’s pretty much just filled with students and University employees. There are “blue light” phones all over campus and public safety is present. Outside campus: Anywhere south/east of the river (Strong Hospital, Mt Hope, College Town) is very safe. Directly across the river is “less safe”, but still really not that bad (there are some upperclassmen dorms over there). Keep going north/west into the 19th ward or Plymouth/Exchange and it gets worse, although this is easy to avoid.
- Social life is what you make of it. Greek life and athletics teams have a presence on campus, but there isn’t pressure to join if that’s not your thing. Typically there are parties on weekends at Fraternities, and people go to downtown bars on Thursdays, unless that’s changed. There is a club for just about everything - with an activities fair early in the year that makes it easy to get involved. The music scene is obviously big because of Eastman.
- Classes are tough, but it really depends on your major. Generally speaking, if you were smart enough/worked hard enough to get in, then it shouldn’t be a problem. But get ready to work hard. The student body is more collaborative than competitive. Most classes are curved as necessary. It’s generally fairly easy to get a B, but much more difficult to get an A - but still not impossible (just requires more work). So depending on how you look at it, that could lead to some grade deflation.
- Both the student body and faculty are diverse. Here’s some data:
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg01_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=117
I had a great experience at U of R and would do it all over again if I could. The open curriculum and research opportunities are huge selling points, but what did it for me were the people. I can’t think of a place where I’ve met more genuine people from all walks of life. It’s a great place to find your niche or get involved in whatever it is you enjoy doing. I hope this info helps and good luck with your decision!