Complaints about the city of Rochester by UR students are nothing new. Everyone has heard someone comment that the weather is overly harsh or that there is never anything interesting to do. According to the estimates of Career Center director Burt Nadler, only about 10 percent of UR graduates remain in Rochester, a situation commonplace for a school that is not located in a large, metropolitan city.
?Students don?t attend Yale to work in New Haven after graduation, nor do they attend Dartmouth to work in Hanover after graduation, so many of our students seek employment in cities other than Rochester,? Nadler said.
?While some students, particularly those who call Rochester ?home,? do look and find employment in Rochester, most seek opportunities elsewhere. Surveys document that New York, Boston and Washington, D.C are the cities of choice for most graduates,? he said.
So who are some of these students who deviate from the norm?
Senior Jason Bandel is originally from New York City but will stay in Rochester next year.
?I pretty much started looking in New York and Boston, but nothing panned out and the economy was going down, so I decided to look around here,? he said.
For Bandel, who is looking for jobs in marketing and finance, Rochester provides a more accessible location for opportunities because it is a smaller job market.
?It?s a lot easier to gain experience in Rochester than New York because here you will receive more hands-on training and the cost of living is lower.?
Others feel that time in Rochester after graduation is a good transition before moving on to the ?real world.? Senior Julie Zinner is remaining in Rochester for the next year and will most likely work as an aid at an elementary school.
?I just think [living in Rochester] is a good transition for someone who doesn?t want to move back home,? the Boston native said. ?For someone who doesn?t have a complete direction, I think it?s just a good next step. As far as I?m concerned, there?s no rush.?
But even those originally from Rochester do not have the same reasons for staying.
Senior Charu Agarwal is spending next year working at Strong Memorial Hospital in the biochemistry lab. She grew up in Rochester, and like Zinner, she feels that staying in the area will be a good transition for her.
?I originally did want to move away because I?ve been in Rochester most of my life. I thought that [this would be a good idea] because I would be in familiar surroundings but living on my own,? she said.
Senior Jennifer Kane, who will be working for the human resource consulting firm William Mercer, chose to stay in Rochester despite opportunities to work for the company in other locations. Kane grew up in nearby Brighton.
?I think [Rochester] is a great place to get started. I know a lot of people down-talk Rochester, but I think it?s different if you grow up here,? she said. ?If you?re from Rochester, there is something that makes you want to stay here.?
The slowing economy it does not seem to have an effect on where UR graduates decide to pursue their careers.
?While some media sources are decrying this as the ?worst year in a decade? for college grads, the diverse nature of our graduates allows us to confidently and realistically state [that] this year is like all other years,? Nadler said.
