<p>I am aware that Richmond is a very solid school with great academics. However, when it comes to diversity, I come across to think twice about attending UR. </p>
<p>3 of my friends have already visited Richmond and have given me great reviews about the school. However, they all said the same thing: Homogeneous student body, lack of diversity, etc.</p>
<p>I am a minority and I am wondering how much of an impact would this make in my college experience, that is, if I were to choose UR for Fall 2008 (already accepted). </p>
<p>If there are any Richmond students out there, I would appreciate if you could share some insight about diversity on campus.</p>
<p>Good question, kevster.... another question on diversity. Ratio of the very wealthy, elite, to middle class families, to lower income people; if that makes sense.</p>
<p>Kevster: Richmond seems to be known as a very homogeneous (re: white) campus. And the majority of the population here is white. There are African American students, there are Latino students, Asian students--all sorts of minorities. There's also international students and exchange students. I am part of the majority, so I can't comment on being a minority on campus. What I wish people would also consider is that diversity isn't just about the color of your skin or your ethnic or religious background. Sure, those are all parts of it, but there's also intellectual diversity, and the diversity that comes with growing up in different parts of the country and the world and experiencing different things. All in all, Richmond might look very homogeneous, but I guarantee you, if you start asking questions and getting to know the homogeneous student body, you'll realize that under the surface, we're all very different people with a lot of different experiences and opinions to bring to the table.</p>
<p>Momray: I myself am upper middle class. I know of a lot of middle to upper middle class families. I also know quite a few people from lower class families, and I know some who are really wealthy. This is a sampling from my closer friends whose backgrounds I am familiar with. If you're looking for solid numbers, I can't give them to you, but maybe UR Admissions could...?</p>
<p>The definition of diversity is a slippery one. As URichmond2010 points out, the term diversity encompasses many differing elements far beyond skin color. I hope that those students looking at the University of Richmond are open-minded enough to understand the complexity of the term “diversity” and to be open to interacting with various individuals that represent all facets of our diverse culture. While your friends, kvester, might have noticed a homogenous campus during their visit, I am positive that if they had interacted with Richmond students during their time on campus they would quickly see the opposite is true. Our students represent countless different ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Fourteen percent of our student body self-reports an ethnicity other than white (please keep in mind that this data reflects only those students who choose to report ethnicity); and, our international student body reflects seven percent of our total student enrollment. Unlike many colleges, Richmond chooses not to combine our international student numbers with our US students of color. Forty-six out of the fifty states are represented as well as over 70 countries. Every major world religion is celebrated within our community; and, two-thirds of our students receive financial aid (average package for 07-08 was over $32,000). So, as you can see, our students are far from cookie-cutter.</p>
<p>Throughout the academic year, you will be invited to participate in events across campus that seek to broaden your understanding of cultural and ethnic differences. We strive to educate our student population about our global world and to increase tolerance. For example, the Center for Civic Engagement hosts monthly round-table discussions covering topics from poverty to gender discrimination in the workplace. Many students participate in these events and others like them.</p>
<p>Certainly, the University of Richmond recognizes that we have room to improve. We are working tirelessly in the Admission Office and across campus to make our community one that is welcoming to all people.</p>
<p>I will just add that socio-economic information is really difficult to gather to get at the question that momray has asked. We don't know anything about the family incomes for those families who do not apply for aid. We've made great progress over the last handful of years in increasing the number of students from lower income families. So much in fact that we've been recognized for having the greatest percentage increase in Pell grant recipients in our student body within the national liberal arts category from the period of 2000 - 2007. (Source: Postsecondary Opportunity newsletter, December 2007; <a href="http://www.postsecondary.org)%5B/url%5D">www.postsecondary.org)</a>. </p>
<p>Middle income families are harder to quantify, mostly because there is no reliable definition of what makes a family "middle class". I read a NYTimes article not too long ago that said 97% of Americans consider themselves to be middle class. When you frame it that way, I'd say for sure we have lots of middle class families at Richmond and I'm not trying to be dismissive of the concern, because it is fair and it is real. Most of us tend to notice the many people we see who are more well off than ourselves rather than noticing the vast population who are less well off and since there are so many who seem to be in better shape, we must be in the middle, right? I know from the families here that many families make great sacrifices in terms of creature comforts in order to enable their children to attend the University of Richmond. I think that most of them feel their investment is well worth those choices. </p>
<p>While the expense of UR is certainly an issue, and I know that there are some students who do not ultimately enroll here because of the cost, I will still say that our student body comes from across the income continuum. It has been gratifying in the last two weeks to see how many people have celebrated their admission on this site and made mention of the quality of their aid packages. I expect most of those students would say they are "middle class". </p>
<p>This is a tough issue and we don't have it figured out yet. But higher education isn't an entitlement as much as we all wish that it were. The cost of keeping up with technology is giant. The other giant cost of running a university is in personnel and benefits costs here are doing the same thing they are doing in other industries--spiraling. Since a large part of our budget goes for human resources, we're disproportionately hurt but that cost factor. </p>
<p>These are all great questions and there are very few easy decisions. It's all complicated but this is all I've got time for this evening. Need to go home and feed the family!</p>
<p>Hi Kevster,
I am a minority student (half black, half white) and am a fourth-year student at UR. While it may be true that we don't numerically have the levels of diversity that other schools might, I hope that this won't be a barrier to your acceptance of an offer of admission. Students do tend to cluster a bit on campus, and there are really strong bonds within the racial groups on campus, but I wouldn't say that this is to the extent that different racial groups fail to interact with one another. I think that you can make your experience at UR match whatever you'd like it to be. If you want to just socialize with minority students, you can, but I have found it just as easy to have a good mixture of friends across racial lines. Because of the makeup of the school, you are bound to make friends who do not share your ethnic background (largely because the friends that you make will be people in your classes, major, etc). I don't believe that my racial/ethnic make-up has hindered me from achieving top honors at UR and it certainly hasn't held me back in terms of social interactions with people. Just as another note, there are tons (over 200) of student organizations on campus, and some of them center around diversity issues (Multicultural Student Union, Black Student Alliance, Asian Student Union, Spanish And Latino Student Alliance, etc.). These groups also serve as "comfortable" places for students to get together and discuss a variety of issues from a shared angle. So, to sum all of this up (I know it's a long message), I definitely wouldn't let the fact that you're a minority student push you away from UR. I think that you have just as much potential to excel here as anyone else does!</p>
<p>My daughter is accepted to UR but it was not her first choice mainly because of the (lack of) diversity issue. She is a white non-resident US dual citizen who has lived outside of the US her entire life. A friend from our country of residence who attends UR confirms that students are (paraphrased) preppy, snobby, sorority types.</p>
<p>Please tell me this isn't so. If my daughter attends UR, will she have to join a sorority to have a social life?</p>
<p>That isn't so, Lady_Slipper. I'm a sophomore at UR and I am not in a sorority and I definitely have a social life. I was actually walking through campus today and all of the tour groups passing through got me to focus on the students around me in a really...superficial way, I suppose. You know, taking in what we looked like as a whole. And I didn't see a lot of outright preppy. I saw a lot of normal kids my age--guys in jeans or khakis and tee shirts, some in button downs but not a lot. Polos were scattered through. The girls are kind of all over the place. There are some who go to class in pjs, some who go in sweats and work out clothes straight from the gym and practice, some who are very trendy, some who are very preppy, most were just put together and neat. </p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, there are some days where it seems like the entire campus stepped out of a Ralph Lauren or J Crew photo shoot, but that's usually semi-formals, football games, socials, and those first few glorious days when you know spring is here to stay. But that's not all of UR, and I wouldn't even go so far to say that it's a majority. Maybe a third. Maybe.</p>
<p>In my experiences with sororities at UR, I found them to be nothing more than T-shirt clubs for girls that had socials about once a month. Then again, I was a guy who heard this from girls in the sororities. Due to the lack of traditional greek housing, the greeks on campus are not exclusive as they are at many schools. I think it probably hurts greek life on campus, but as a whole, since the campus is small and we do have a pretty high participation rate, I think this is probably a positive for the campus.</p>