<p>I'm thrilled to be a finalist. Can anyone who got one of these scholarships tell me what to expect from the campus visit? Any advice for me? Do you remember any of the interview questions? Richmond is my first choice - but I will probably only go if I get the full scholarship. I am so excited, but I know it's still tough to get one from the finalists that they invite to campus. Thanks for your help!!</p>
<p>Okay, so I’m a little late on this since you wrote this back in February and it’s March now, but Richmond Scholars visit isn’t until the middle of the month so maybe this will help. </p>
<p>I’m going to answer your questions in order. Here we go! :D</p>
<p>1.Can anyone who got one of these scholarships tell me what to expect from the campus visit? </p>
<p>I am Oldham Scholar, though I actually interviewed for both Boatwright and Oldham. Sadly, I can only give you MY experience on the visit, which you should probably take with a grain of salt. First off, let me say that Richmond was by no means my first choice, and I was extremely sick when I went to interview as a finalist so this could have clouded my judgement. But, and maybe this speaks a lot to the beauty of the campus, even though I was sick, I was extremely excited to be back at UR after having spent a summer here in 2007. I was excited because I love their library and I love the lake. But because I was sick, I also took a couple of naps so who knows what I missed in between my little sleeping breaks. Anyway, you’ll meet a lot of faculty. If you get a really good host, then they might take you to some of their classes (though if you’re not interested in any of their classes, they can probably find a friend to take you to one of theirs, or you can always call faculty directly and ask to sit in for a class). You’ll get to enjoy food from the dining hall (which is really good in comparison to other places), and you’ll meet a lot of other prospective students and prospective scholarship recipients, some of who will be very up front about the fact that Richmond is not their first choice and they’re only there for the scholarship, and others who will be very enthusiastic about being there because they want both the school and the money. Regardless, you’ll meet some really interesting people. And many of them have a story to tell. Talk to the current scholars, too. Some have really awesome stories. Some gave up some AMAZING schools for the scholarship. They’re just a great group of people. </p>
<p>Oh, you might get housed in an apartment, or you might sleep in a dorm. Your host might only have you to host or they might have another person as well (I know my roomie and I are both scholars so we’re hosting only one person together due to lack of space in our room). You will, unless they have an empty bed, sleep on the floor, which can be a lot of fun, and a nice host will show you late-night food places or talk to you about delivery for food (mine was kind enough to bring me a snack because I was sick)… </p>
<p>Hmm. I would recommend bringing a little bit of money and ordering some food from the Cellar. Just for fun, of course. And, you’ll find you probably have a lot of free time, so go out there and meet people and explore the campus. It’s really very pretty. First semester here, my friends and I would have nightly excursions to explore the campus. It’s not that big, but it can be fun to walk around the lake at night…</p>
<p>I do know some hosts tried to take their scholars to parties, but technically they’re not allowed to do so. If they offer, do it at your own risk. I don’t know what your experience will be like, but likely chances are that your host will be very excited to have you, and though they might be busy, they’ll try their best to accomodate you and make sure you are comfortable. </p>
<p>Oooh, before I forget. If you’re interviewing for Oldham, there will be a dinner you will attend. It’s quite a lovely dinner and there’s speeches and you meet some of the Oldhams and have dinner with the students and you can ask them questions. The food is delicious, too. </p>
<p>Anything else you wanted to know and that I didn’t mention just ask.</p>
<p>2.Any advice for me? </p>
<p>Enjoy it. Really. Get to know other scholars. I think most of the people I hang out with now are scholars because we seem to be like-minded people. They’re all very interesting people. Also, be yourself and relax. Look at all that you have achieved to get to this point! Obviously there’s something awesome about you or else they would not have asked you to interview so just walk into those interviews with an open-mind, a relaxed stance, and you will come out of it just fine. </p>
<p>Uh, also, not to be a downer, but I saw five people transfer last semester (all left very unhappy with Richmond and now won’t even set foot in it again)… I am assuming you’ve visited campus before? If you have, take into consideration when you visited. If you visited in the fall or during the semester when you were able to see the student body, etc, and you loved it, then that’s a lot more indicative of you liking it than if you just saw it once during the summer. This place is very pretty, but a pretty campus can be deceiving, and remember that Richmond Scholars Finalist Days is not what Richmond will be like for you everyday. Be critical and truly consider what you like about the place and if you could see yourself there for four years. There is such a thing as having a honeymoon with a school… eventually that dies down so be sure that there’s more than just superficial qualities about this place that make you love it. Ask your host to be HONEST about Richmond, and what the social scene is like, etc. This place is not for everyone, but for those that love it, Richmond is the perfect place. So, yeah, that’s my tip. Really make sure you like it. </p>
<p>The feeling of wanting to transfer, but not wanting to leave behind a great scholarship is really terrible. </p>
<p>Likely chances are you’ll ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT since you seem to have made it your number 1 already. :D</p>
<p>3.Do you remember any of the interview questions? </p>
<p>The cool thing about these interviews is that they have a general framework, but the questions are tailored to fit you and your application. I remember I wrote about philosophy for my admissions essay and I had a chemistry prof. in my Oldham interview. The first question he asked me : How do you think predestination and time travel fit together? Obviously no one else had that question. It was made to fit me as an individual based on my interests, which worked to my advantage because we were able to have a lovely discussion. These people want you to get the scholarship. They want it for everyone equally so do not doubt that while there are some hard questions like, “tell me about a time when you failed…” they are going to be patient with you and write down the best aspects of what makes you shine. Trust me. And even if you walk out of the room thinking, “crap, I blew it…” you are probably being too hard on yourself. I was sick, I thought I wasn’t going to get anything, and then I got Oldham. If it is meant to be, it will be.</p>
<p>4.Richmond is my first choice - but I will probably only go if I get the full scholarship. </p>
<p>Financial aid here is really great. They meet 100% of demonstrated need, so if it’s about money, even if you don’t get the full scholarship, there’s always the Presidential Scholarship, which you are likely to get, and there’s also financial aid. I don’t know your financial situation, but if Richmond is your first choice, I’d suggest working for it. Take it from someone who didn’t go to their first choice : if you want it, work for it. Scholarships are out there. Don’t give up easily. Happiness doesn’t have a price. BUT be smart about this… don’t get yourself into 40k per year debt, okay?</p>
<p>And good luck. I hope this was helpful.</p>
<p>Talk to students and faculty and staff when you get here! I can guarantee that almost everyone (if not every single person) will really want to talk to you. I love talking to prospectives…</p>
<p>And make an effort to sit in on classes that you’re interested in. It’s important to see the classroom dynamic, I think, and you’ll get a feel for how small our classes really are, and how much interaction we get with our professors.</p>
<p>Thanks for some great advice from both of you. I am excited to be coming and I definitely plan to attend some classes. The small size of classes is one of the things that I’m most excited about with Richmond!</p>