<p>lol! i’m a bit embarassed to post my short answer after that, one of the reasons being that it’s overflowing with grammatical errors. … and after awakien’s post, … but here it goes anyway</p>
<p>Initially, I got interested in Rochester the way I got interested in every other college - by looking at various lists of prestigious universities and picking the ones that appeared often, without really condisering what my interests and wants were. This produced a list of roughly 40 schools. As this list got toned down, many a prestigious place got cut. But Rochester stayed. As I refined my views of what I want from a university, I came to realize that all my wishes were embodied in the University of Rochester.
For example, I realized that the way the university treats undergraduate research would help me in my career plans. As chemistry class piled on chemistry class, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be a researcher in chemistry. A research aspect in my undergraduate experience would be absolutely essential if I planned to pursue this career path. Rochester’s emphasis on research was, therefore, a big plus.
Another plus is Rochester’s original curriculum. I come from a rather small school, which, regardless of all noble efforts, can not offer many classes. My class selection is further hampered by the IB program, which takes up 6 of the 7 classes I have room for, which leaves little wiggle room. This is most unfortunate, as there are many classes that I would like to take but simply have not had the ability to, political science, for example. Rochester’s open curriculum allows me pursue these non math and science related interests.
All this I gathered from my visit to Rochester, a visit that also gave me a feeling of the campus and its beauty, another plus. By the time I left I Rochester had jumped from somewhere near the middle of my list to my main choice. This decision was further cemented after Margaret VanDoren, an alumni, interviewed me. She was much like me - focused on one subject area (biology instead of chemistry), but willing to expand her horizons. She spoke highly of her experience at Rochester, much as my tour guides and others at the university had. But coming from someone that had strikingly similar interests (and not, say, an English and World Religions double major, as many tour guides were) these words had a special resonance with me. I left the interview knowing without a doubt that Rochester is a perfect fit for me.</p>