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The University of Richmond

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I transferred to UR after my sophmore yearQuite BrightEconomics
I transferred to UR after my sophmore year at a large state university and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I want to address the other negative reviews here, many of which almost persuaded me into not coming when I read them last year, because they are very misleading.

Like at any college you will go to, I'd say 90% of what will determine whether or not you have fun is the core group of friends you make there. If you fail at meeting and becoming friends with new people freshmen year, you are going to have a MISERABLE time at college regardless of where you are. That said, UR has a reputation (backed by the negative reviews on here) as being an elitist rich-kid school full of arrogant, stuck up people. That is not true at all. While yes, you will find some your share of pricks here, that is true of anywhere. As someone who has been to a 25,000 person public university and now a 3000 person, small private one, trust me on that. You will meet people from all walks of life at UR- many people here are on large financial aid packages and are just simply your average middle class. There are many people who have a lot of money as well, but they are not the majority by any means.

The ranting about the social life being controlled by frats and sororities is also complete garbage. Many people don't even go to frat parties with any regularity after freshman year because they are 80% freshmen (so unless you are just trying to find an easy freshmen hookup, there isn't much else to do at them unless you are in the frat and know a bunch of people there). About half the people here are involved in Greek life, and the other half aren't. I have many friends who are in Greek organizations and many who aren't, and both enjoy it here. I am not in Greek life and I still party and have a good time as much anyone else. Whoever was making comparisons to high school is also way offbase. This is college like anywhere else; the only similarity to high school is that the school is small enough that by the time you are a junior you will probably at least know who a large number of people in your class are.

I'd say that most people here fall into 2 categories, and you can have a good time here doing either:

1. Greeks
2. Non-Greeks who have a close group of friends that they hang out with and drink with most of the time

The bottom line is that you will see what you want to see when you come here. If you go out looking for preppy-dressed guys in khaki's and pink polos or girls in sundresses and heels going to class, you will find them. If you come here looking for Lexuses, Audi's, BMWs, etc. in the parking lots, you will find them. But if you also look for "normally" dressed people and not-luxury brand cars, you will see that there are many of them here, too.

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However, my main complaint about this place is the lack of community and school spirit. Despite their recent success, most still don't REALLY care about the football and basketball teams like people would elsewhere. The overall feeling of this place is that of a large group of people who just happen to be taking classes and living together; there is no larger sense of unity like you would find at bigger schools who live and die with their sports teams. If the college sports experience is REALLY important to you, don't come here.

Also, while the food is pretty decent, there are only 2-3 dining options on campus which have pretty limiting hours (especially on weekends), and they get VERY repetitive after a while. I eat off campus food a few times a week to get around that because you WILL get tired of the main dining hall.

One more thing that is annoying is the "Campus bubble." Since almost everyone lives on campus, there is no pressing need to leave other than to eat out. Richmond is a great city with all kinds of things to do (especially once you are 21 and can hit up the bars/clubs downtown), but a lot of people here rarely ever venture off campus. Make sure you get out some, otherwise you will be missing out on many great things this city has to offer. Housing quality varies from dorm to dorm. The apartments offered to upperclassmen are starting to show their age and are honestly too small (a small room in the front, a small kitchen, and a small living room downstairs with 2 2-person bedrooms upstairs). Also, note that you will never have a bedroom to yourself here unless you manage to get a single room, of which there are not many.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2011
Individual Value: A+, Useful Schoolwork: B-
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I am freshman in my second semester atBrightBusiness - Management and Administration
I am freshman in my second semester at UR. First semester I had some major issues with the school but am starting to like things better. A few things you should know if you are thinking about attending the university:

- The city of Richmond is hard to access and is not very college friendly. Social life is nearly exclusively on campus

- The social life is very limited and repetitive. Apartment parties, frat lodges, dorm pre-games and get together, movies in the commons, staying in your room. That is essentially all you have to chose from.

- Not everyone is super rich. About 70% percent of students are on financial aid, although sometimes people on financial aid act as though they are super loaded anyways.

-The school is very homogenous. Most students are white, upper-middle class to extremely wealthy, fairly preppy, smart and/or hardworking but not intellectual, from New York (Long Island or city suburbs), New Jersey (North), Pennsylvania (outside Philly), Connecticut (Fairfield county), Massachusetts (Boston suburbs), and Virginia (all over), like to drink and party, politically conservative, and good looking (everyone goes to the gym). There are also a lot of prep school kids, but most went to public high school

- Almost everyone is a pre-med or business major and is serious about studies and making money, but won't talk about school outside of class

- Schoolwork is hard but the workload is not excessive. Some teachers grade deflate (the school is obsessed with boosting it's reputation)

- The campus is really a bubble, unless you have a car, don't plan on leaving campus hardly at all
- There are only really two places to eat on campus: the dining hall and tyler's grill (greasy food). There's a coffee shop and a convienience store with snacks, and the Cellar (a nice restaurant), but really, food options are limited.

- All classes are small and professors will help you if you go to office hours
- Most students are closed minded and live for the weekend frat parties
- The campus is very Greek, but there are no houses, making it easier for independents. A lot more girls join sororities than boys do frats.

- The school is very strong. It feels like you know everyone in your grade within a couple months. This also can make the social scene a little weird (that random kid you hooked up with on friday could very well be in your econ class)

- All the alternative kids are friends with each other, and the vast majority of kids aren't alternative.Most peoples' complaints about the school is the social life, so if you want a city school where it's easy to go off campus, don't come here. If small parties and lots of drinking is your idea of a good time, every weekend, then most likely you will like it here.

1st Year Female -- Class 2013
Education Quality: A+, Surrounding City: C-
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University of Richmond is my dream come true!!BrightBiology
University of Richmond is my dream come true!! Everything about this place is magical. The classes are small and intimate, and the professors are there to help you, not hurt you. Even in the highly competitive biology program, students work together. They don't want to see their classmates fall through the cracks. Office hours are incredibly helpful if you don't understand a concept, or just need a quick review. My organic chemistry professor sat with me patiently for over a half hour explaining a concept to me until I understood it 100%.

The weather is beautiful, and we easily have the most gorgeous campus in the entire US (ok, so I'm a little biased, but it's still fantastic). The campus is always clean and well-maintained, and I'm proud to call this campus my home. The food is way above average. It's very tasty, and the only complaint I've ever heard is about a lack in variety.

But essentially, it's the people that make this college so amazing. I'm from the Northeast, and my best friends are from Virginia, Peru, and Honk Kong. Every single person that I've met on this campus (and I've met A LOT of people) has been nothing but warm and welcoming. The sense of community that UR fosters is unbelievable. Every time break comes around, I can't wait for it to end so I can go back home to UR. Going to University of Richmond was the best decision I've ever made! I'm graduating next year, and I will head to medical school to become a specialized surgeon, and I am 100% prepared. Academically, socially, and emotionally UR has been a wonderful experience. The only problem is the price tag. It's very expensive, but I cannot stress this enough - THE EXPERIENCE IS WORTH THE HIGH PRICE TAG!!!! PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS!! Don't let some stupid price tag keep you from having an amazing experience. Even though I will graduate over $40,000 in debt, I know that this school has given me a solid foundation to build my life upon, and I would not change anything about it!

3rd Year Female -- Class 2010
Faculty Accessibility: A+, Innovation: B+
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