One of the reasons Rochester was on top of my college list was due to the beautiful landmarks on campus. From libraries to department buildings, the architecture at Rochester was the very first thing that drew my attention. I remember walking around campus during Welcome Week and being obsessed with the Eastman Quad in front of the Rush Rhees library. I spent many hours sitting on the grass and talking to friends I’d met that week. I would consider the Eastman Quad my favorite place on campus because of how peaceful it is and the memories I have made there.
For this blog post, I asked students about their favorite place on campus and these are the responses I have gathered.
The Periodical Reading Room
Studying for midterms? Need a quiet and aesthetic place to get some work done? The PRR inside Rush Rhees is the perfect place for your study sessions. I love coming here when I need to get some work done and some alone time.
Towers Field
I was so surprised when I asked four of my friends about their favorite place on campus and all four of them said the towers field where they play soccer. They explained it was
because that’s where they have the most fun and met most of their close friends. From their response, I have realized a lot of people associate their favorite place with their favorite memory. For them, the field was special because they were able to build a community in that space through soccer.
iZone & Gleason
As I have mentioned previously, libraries are very well designed at the University which allows for the options of quiet study spaces as well as collaborative study spaces. iZone and Gleason, both located inside Rush Rhees, are the most popular collaborative study spaces among students. When I asked the students why these places were their favorite, they once again connected the place to a community. “iZone and Gleason helped me make friends and meet people who were also taking the same class as me.” – Kanishk S’ 2026
Starbucks
This was unsurprisingly a popular response among a lot of students. Every day I think about how amazing it is that we have a Starbucks on campus! Being able to use your declining money to get drinks and snacks is something that I consider to be very convenient. Many students said it was also a place where they felt productive to get work done as well.
I think the main takeaway from this would be the idea that a place on its own does not hold a lot of meaning. It is rather the memories you create in that place that makes it special!