Welcome back to The Rival Rundown! If you’ve always wanted to give props to your school on CC, now’s your chance! Shoot us an email explaining what’s awesome and unique about your school (or what stinks about Rival U) at rivalrundown@collegecandy.com!

This week we’ve got a double-whammy featuring cross-town rivals who are also on opposite sides of the liberal arts/tech school coin. It seems like the only thing that the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of  Technology (RIT) have in common is an area code, but can one take top honors?

Quick Facts

Rochester: A private liberal arts and research university in Rochester, NY with 5,000 undergraduates.  Founded 1850.
RIT: A private technical institute in Rochester, NY with 14,000 undergraduates. Founded 1829.

1. In the News

Rochester: If Julliard or Cornell seem like your type of school but you’d rather live in a mid-size city, Rochester may be for you. In the last three years, Kaplan has named U of R as both the Hottest Music School (Eastman School of Music) and one of 25 “New Ivies.” Take that, establishment!
RIT: Remember that time that Apple released its iPhone only to AT&T customers? Yeah, those of us at networks with (ahem) better coverage are still jealous. But three years ago, a seventeen year old kid famously hacked the iPhone software to make it compatible on other networks. Now he goes to RIT.

Three credits to: RIT. Hacker dude,  rock on wherever you are! Read More »

If you’re a fashion fanatic like myself, then you’re always on the look out for the latest trends and the hottest new designers. Perhaps, like me, you’ve dreamed of being able to design your own clothes, but (also like me), don’t possess the craftiness to do so. Well, thanks to Andrea Marron, now you can.

Andrea Marron, a recent graduate of the University of Rochester, is already on the road to success in the fashion world. She got a headstart, having started Studio 28 Couture while she was still in school. Andrea is different from most up and coming designers, not only because her website is a unique concept in the world of fashion, but because she graduated from school with a degree in optical engineering, not exactly the norm for fashion designers out there.

Andrea took the scientific approach she learned in her studies and mixed it with her passion for fashion and her entrepreneurial attitude in order to create Studio 28 Couture, a company that lets you design your own one-of-a-kind dress and have it custom made for you. The dresses are vintage-inspired, handmade by local seamstresses and delivered to you within three weeks. Read More »