It’s the largest first-year class in the College’s history, with more than 1,500 new undergraduates.
Lindsey Simonson ’25 met new roommate Ani Goorha ’25 on a University of Rochester Facebook page this summer—and the two quickly bonded. They each have a twin sister, and both will be majoring in a science field—Simonson in biology, Goorha in biomedical engineering.
“We became friends right away,” Simonson says.
Simonson is from Naperville, Illinois, and Goorha is from Dover, Massachusetts. The two met in Boston a few weeks ago, reunited in Rochester on Thursday, and then rode together in the backseat (with Simonson’s dad at the wheel) as they moved into their room in Genesee Hall.
They’re part of the largest incoming class in College history—more than 1,500 students from 54 countries, 41 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. International students make up about one quarter of the new class, while about 100 are from the Rochester area.
Robert Alexander, dean of undergraduate admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management for Arts, Sciences & Engineering, went car-to-car in the Zone 3 parking lot on the River Campus early Thursday morning to greet students and families. Meanwhile, University president Sarah Mangelsdorf and husband Karl Rosengren, a professor in the departments of brain and cognitive sciences and psychology, continued their tradition of helping move first-year students into their residence halls.
When a light drizzle began, Alexander told one family, “This is like when it rains on your wedding day. It means good luck.”
Alexander says he’s “astounded” by the resilience that first-year students have shown in wading through the uncharted waters of a global pandemic to land at the University.
“I hope our entire Rochester community will be impressed by the strength of their character, the depth of their intelligence, and their burning desire to make the world ever better,” he says.
It was also move-in day at the Eastman School of Music for 130 first-year students from 26 states and seven countries. Matthew Ardizzone, Eastman’s dean of admissions and enrollment management, says the incoming class has shown “incredible resilience and commitment” despite the numerous obstacles posed by COVID-19.
Classes at both campuses begin Wednesday, August 25. The University requires that all students who plan to be on campus for the 2021–22 academic year be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Alp Narin ’25 plans to major in molecular genetics at the College. The San Francisco resident says the flexibility of Rochester’s open curriculum was a huge draw. “I can’t wait to get started,” he says. His mom, Sibel, says sending a second child away to college was no easier than the first. “It’s hard to say goodbye, especially since he’s so far from home, but it’s all good,” she says.
Jessica Sherpa ’25 made the trip with her parents from Vail, Colorado. She plans to study neuroscience and says, “I love knowing you can get into your major on the first day here.” Her dad, Phurba, spoke for hundreds of parents at the University who were sending their children off to college on this special day: “I’m very proud, very happy, and very sad—all at the same time.”
Move-in day, in photos
