<p>All my life I have been traveling around countries, grown up in Central Asia as well as South Korea. (I'm a South Korean). I am also a third-culture-kid, and diversity is a huge factor that plays into my college decisions. How much diversity is represented in Richmond? From the initial research I have done so far, Richmond has 62% white and 5% Asian. The stats itself doesn't bother me a whole lot, but the college reviews do seem to be very negative, especially in terms of the ethnicity distributions. High-class, sophisticated and affluent whites with BMWs is what I've heard most frequently. </p>
<p>There are a lot of kids who’s families have money, however, most of the kids themselves aren’t “rich”. I’ve found it to be pretty diverse. Even within the white majority, there are people from lots of backgrounds. Honestly, I don’t see it as that bad. Most of the kids I know work jobs on campus, take the shuttle if they have to go downtown, and don’t spend a ton of money. I don’t think stats really can quantify the atmosphere. I can just tell you that no one seems out of place.</p>
<p>If diversity is important, visiting prior to commitment would be advisable. My own kid qualifies as 3 different races but looks plain old white… genetics can be a funny thing. She’s a work study kid only able to attend because Richmond has great financial aid. It’s not the most visually diverse school she’s been in for sure but she’s met people from all over the world. She says the Asian population makes an effort to connect with one another which I’ve personally found true on any campus I’ve encountered. Economically, there are certainly some kids from wealthy families but with Richmond’s commitment to meeting 100 percent need, there are plenty of middle to low-income kids there too. The campus itself is a sort of bubble with a lot of equalizers meaning a lot of free or very low cost activities. You don’t pay extra for laundry. You get like 700+ dining dollars with your meal plan each semester which means you can eat anywhere on campus without additional cost plus shop at the little on-campus market. The chaplaincy hosts a lot of fun and free outings no matter who you are or what you believe in. There are additional programs like D gets up to 4 off-campus cultural activities refunded if she were to go to a play, concert, festival or the like. </p>
<p>If you like the school, apply. Visit before you commit. Keep in mind that online reviews should be taken with a grain-of-salt. Often they are old and the last 5 years have been a period of rapid change for this school in terms of diversity or all sorts. You are generally reading the extremes (positive or negative) as they will be the most likely to seek out a venue to review the school. </p>
<p>@turtletime Thank you so much for your information. What changes do you specifically mean? I’m an international student, and it is confirmed by my parents that I would not be bestowed an opportunity to visit the campus in America prior to this summer, after I get admitted to a US college.</p>