University of Richmond — Attraction in Richmond

I went to Richmond, and I had a horrible time. A lot of people who go here really do not like it, but transferring out is difficult due to the unusual "unit" system that is used for classes, so they tend to keep quiet and let the school maintain its reputation. I will talk about my own experiences, plus some things that I think impact everybody who goes here.

Also, if you get a bad roommate, all I can do is wish you luck! Your roommate can apparently do almost anything bad that they want to you and you may very well be stuck with them. Again, you can tell whoever you like, but they wont actually do anything. Housing is not helpful at all.

Frankly, if you are not a B School person, the academics are just not very good. Liberal Arts at the school are nothing better than a much cheaper mid-level state school, except at a public school you would have a lot more opportunities and options to become engaged with extracurriculars. There are a lot of people who go there who do well in classes, but I am not sure they are actually that good at analyzing and understanding the world around them. I feel like they are the type of people who can get good grades, but really are just good at doing school work. There is a sense of narcissism to the place. People seem to care for very little aside from themselves. Almost nobody does anything involving music (especially band or instrumental), there is no marching band, most sporting events are desolate if you are in the student section, and I swear you can see more people wearing Virginia Tech shirts at Richmond than the number of people wearing Richmond shirts. Good luck if you want to be involved in politics or activism! There are maybe 15 politically engaged people on the whole campus. That is not hyperbole, nor is it one organization. The whole campus is like this. The school might look nice, but it is empty on the inside and will do nothing to help you improve who you are as a person (aside from maybe in the B school...maybe). If you want to be involved in anything aside from your classes and your own world, do not go to Richmond.

Given this lack of extracurricular activities, there is a limit on how much you can grow as a person on this campus. You can't really branch out when there are no organizations, and trust me, I tried to start some. You just can not get past the apathy here, and people have been trying to for years. It just won't happen, and it pains me to say that because I am not the sort of person to give up normally. I feel like our alumni are successful only because they were doing well before they came here. I don't feel like UR actually added anything to make us better than we were when we entered as freshmen.

Food selection is also very limited due to the fact that there are only a few options on campus aside from the dining hall. The options are not bad, but they get old after a few years, and I can't imagine how tired I would have been of them after another two years.

The quality of housing (roommates aside) is also only okay. There are a few really nice dorms and a few bad ones. Then there is Marsh...oh god I feel bad for people who got stuck there.

I am not huge into the party scene, but I know it is nothing special here. If you want a school with cool parties, this is not it.

The city is surprisingly hard to reach with campus transportation given that it is only a few miles away.

Honestly I regret attending UR. I would rather have gone to the community college for two years and then taken their guaranteed admission plan to either UVA or William and Mary. Fortunately, I have been accepted to William and Mary as a transfer, so this chapter of my life can finally end.

William and Mary and UVA are both much better choices...

It's a unique place. I really can't find any other word to describe it except just incredibly unique. I've never been to a place even remotely like this. It's like entering another world, in a way, because it is so different from the city and area around it. It's so different from it that it's like an island, but make no mistake, it will chew you up and spit you out without hesitation if you're not ready and not entering it with confidence and a strong mind. This place can really destroy you if you let it and you're not the right person for it. As an explanation, one of our alums is the current premier of Bermuda (so random, right? Fit that into your head), but honestly it doesn't surprise me. I'd like to think that going to UR was the perfect preparation for a role like that, and that UR was a perfect school for someone with those aspirations. Think of that what you will.

It may seem like it's a school that has everything (huge non-merit scholarships, a large variety of topics to study, good reputation, excellent academics, decent athletics, and the list goes on and on), but really it doesn't get any more niche than this school. I think many people go here who have very high expectations and who are very high achievers in a variety of areas. Yet, I made the mistake of looking at this school and choosing it for everything that it was on paper, and ignoring the little signs that pointed to something much different in reality. Make no mistake: if you go here, you will be incredibly challenged both academically and socially, and your college experience will be incredibly unique. You may become incredibly successful (our Chemistry program is so good many graduates end up at Stanford or Harvard), or you may become incredibly jaded and disillusioned. You will not have a "typical" college experience. You may end up finding it hard to relate to those who attended big colleges and had a "typical" college experience. Make of that what you will, because you can turn that into either a great advantage or a great disadvantage.

My biggest advice to anyone who is attending or will attend UR: You've got to find your niche and stick to it. If you can do that and really stick to it, you'll be fine, and you'll leave with an enjoyable experience. If you can't, you should explore other options. It isn't a place for people who are wishy washy and looking for a great place for freedom of self-discovery. It eats people like that for breakfast.

Know thyself all ye...

I have loved my time at this university, but I have also spoken with people who didn't. However, from these conversations I have gathered that whether or not you like this school is much more up to you than the school itself or the other students here. Yes, there can be a Richmond bubble if you make no effort at all to get off campus. But if you do make your way into the city, which is never more then a 30 minute trip with free university transportation or even shorter with uber, you will find that the City of Richmond is absolutely incredible! Yes, there are students on this campus who are frustratingly apathetic and apolitical, but it's not hard to find others who can talk about nothing else and who have incredible passion for whatever it is that they're fighting for. All the facilities and food are great at this school after extensive dorm renovations and new facility construction, and the campus is of course beautiful. More importantly though is the fact that, if you live with the right attitude and engage with activities and people you love, you will certainly have a...