Ten Questions To Ask B4 Accepting A College Offer

Colleges & Universities University of Rochester
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<p>10 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a College Offer
Melissa Bearns, Chris Diehl</p>

<li>Is the office of residential life accessible to students? Can students switch if they get a terrible roommate, and how long does that process take?</li>
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<p>You?re going to eat, hang out and study in your room. It needs to be a place where you feel comfortable. If you face tension or arguments in your room, it may cause your grades and social life to suffer.</p>

<li>Does the school provide student escorts to accompany students walking home late at night?</li>
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<p>You may occasionally have evening classes or study sessions. Make sure the college or university offers some way for students to get home safely after a long night at the library. If not, the school might not have other security measures that ensure students? safety and welfare.</p>

<li>What is the average increase in tuition, and when are tuition increases next expected?</li>
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<p>By asking this, you can plan your finances appropriately and not be hit by unexpected tuition hikes.</p>

<li>What are the hours at the student health clinic? What about 24-hour emergency care? What does the college?s health insurance cover, and are pre-existing conditions included in the coverage?</li>
</ol>

<p>Get these answers before your parents take you off their insurance.</p>

<li>How does the college handle leaves of absence?</li>
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<p>If you should need personal time off for a week, month or semester, will you be penalized academically for the time missed? Will you be able to obtain a tuition refund if you?re gone for longer than a term?</p>

<li>Can you pick your academic advisor? How do current students feel about the advising system?</li>
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<p>Students often change majors several times. A good advisor can help a student plan their classes, make career-planning decisions and graduate on time.</p>

<li>Does the school offer storage facilities? How much does it cost?</li>
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<p>If you accumulate a lot of furniture, books and personal items, it’s a big hassle to transport it all home, only to haul it back in the fall. Ask your college if they have secure storage facilities for use during the summer or winter months.</p>

<li>What is the crime rate on campus?</li>
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<p>The Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act of 1990 requires all colleges and universities to produce an annual report of their safety and security procedures, as well as statistics relating to criminal offenses reported to the police. Request a copy and read it.</p>

<li>What is a school?s policy on dorm room wear and tear? Are you responsible for compensating the school?</li>
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<p>A lot of things in a dorm room can break - chairs, desks, dressers, etc. And don?t forget about the walls and floor - holes from hanging pictures, coffee stains and scuff marks. If damage occurs - and it will - what expenses are you responsible for?</p>

<li>What kind of food does the cafeteria offer? What are the options when the cafeteria is closed?</li>
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<p>At home, available food might be something you take for granted. However, it can become an issue when you?re living at college. Will the cafeteria fit your dietary needs? How late does it stay open? Get the answers so you can budget for food outside your meal plan.</p>

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<p>Some of your notes below your questions make no sense, but I will attempt to answer all them.

  1. It is very accessible. Very friendly and professional staff. You are able to switch if you get a roommate, I wouldn’t say that it is simple, but it can be done if necessary.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If you need an escort, you can just call security and they will escort you with no problem.</p></li>
<li><p>Average increase is about 5-6% which is consequently on par with other colleges of this caliber.</p></li>
<li><p>The hours are usually from 9AM-9PM and there is an on call physician. Also, don’t forget that there is a hospital right next door. I think in all cases it is cheaper for your parents to leave you on their insurance. Remember you are still a dependent.</p></li>
<li><p>If you need a leave of absence, just take one. Only problem is that you will graduate later. If you are gone for a week, there is a lot of work that will need to be made up. If you are gone for a month, then you will be missing a ton. However this is the same for any college.</p></li>
<li><p>You don’t pick your academic advisor for your freshman year (those are assigned by hall). However when you declare your major, you can usually pick yours (depending on the dep’t). However if you are an engineer, you have your advisor all 4 years. I think the system is pretty decent. Most of the advisors are very knowledgeable.</p></li>
<li><p>The school itself does not offer any, but there are many many facilities open to students. There are the normal Public Storage facilities and then the kind that deliver big boxes to your dorm. The costs are $40+ a month</p></li>
<li><p>Crime rate is relatively low. <a href=“http://security.rochester.edu/stats06.html[/url]”>http://security.rochester.edu/stats06.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<li><p>If you damage something, you are responsible for paying for it. Also, if there is community damage, the whole dorm pays for it (works out to be like 50cents per student at times). However you have a $5 “account” where the school will not charge you until your money runs out. As for the sub-explanation- these pieces of furniture are built to last and will only break if you abuse them. Again, this is the same for any college.</p></li>
<li><p>Cafeteria offers all kinds of food. There are multiple on campus. There are “coffee shops” when the main cafeterias close including a new one by the University Information Technology Center, one in Goergen, one by the Pit in Wilson Commons, one in Susan B. Anthony.</p></li>
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<p>Q #10:
And a new coffee/quick break stop that is opening sometime in August in our new Robert B. Goergen Biomedical Engineering and Optics Building =) I’m psyched xD This means science majors will finally have a place to get food without walking an extra 5 minutes to the nearest dining center LOL. What can I say, we’re lazy.</p>

<p>All students are require to sign up for meal plans, starting at the largest plans. As you rise in class, you will be allowed smaller meal plans. Commuting and Off-campus students are not required to have a meal plan but are required to purchase a very small amount of meals - I guess so you won’t starve in case anything happens. </p>

<p>Places for food:</p>

<p>Danforth at Susan B Anthony Hall - All you can eat
Hillside Cafe at Susan B Anthony Hall - Pizza/omelettes, ice cream, coffee, drinks.
Wilson Commons (the pit) - grill, pizza, blimpie, sushi, pasta, soups, breakfast
Douglass Dining Center - Pasta, Kosher Deli, Salad Bar, Tex/Mex stuff, soups, hot meals from The Hive</p>

<p>Med Center has it’s own dining center - accepts meal plans from river campus
Eastman Campus (School of Music) - also has an all you can eat dining center</p>

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<p>But the place in Goergen is Fair Trade and Organic… YUCK!
Yay let’s let poor people die because we eat fair trade and organic foods!</p>