<p>im visiting richmond this coming saturday and am really eager to hear more about the school. but as of now, i have a few reservations that i hope someone [maybe a current student or alumni] can address. honesty is appreciated!</p>
<p>first off, it costs quite a hefty sum to attend if i get accepted so i was wondering if richmond really try to make it affordable for middle income families. im planning on going to medical school so saving on my undergrad education would mean a lot to me.</p>
<p>im slightly concerned about the size of the school for two reasons. is there a difference in research opportunities at a small LAC as opposed to a larger university? also, im up for meeting new people every day and im worried that with the relatively small enrollment, id run into the same people over my four years.</p>
<p>are teachers accessible and willing to help? have you ever encountered a professor who seems too busy or makes you feel rushed?</p>
<p>how is the premed advising? or career advising in general if no one is premed.</p>
<p>i guess i can ask some of these questions next saturday, but more opinions cant hurt! =]</p>
<p>Matthew, welcome to UR, hopefully the weather next weekend will make for a nice trip. I was on campus last Saturday taking engagement photos and it was about as perfect as it could have been (anyone who was there for accepted student day would probably agree). </p>
<p>UR has placed a cap on the loans at $4,000, so that's one way they've tried to make it affordable. Additionally, UR gives ~50 full rides every class, but if you read through some old posts, you'll find that it's a very competitive process and some very talented students walk away without one of those. </p>
<p>Second, the school is a very nice size. I went to a high school with 1,600, so UR being almost double was ideal for me. I felt like I knew most everyone in my year by the time graduation rolled around, but I was amazed sitting there listening to the names being called out and not recognizing about 1/3 of the people that I graduated with. While I felt at times like I had met everyone, I realized there were a ton that I never got around to meeting. It's also nice walking around campus and seeing faces you know, or having a good chance to see that girl you met at the party last weekend in the dining hall. I think it makes more a more friendly environment. As for research, I had several friends who were in the sciences who did student research with professors. Here's a link that can give you more information (University</a> of Richmond School of Arts & Sciences: Research%5DUniversity">http://as.richmond.edu/research/index.html)). Also, Gottwald, UR's science building, just received an extensive renovation/expansion. It's definitely a nice place to spend most of your time on campus.</p>
<p>Professors are very accessible and more than happy to help out. Many professors have lunch with students or have groups of students over to their homes (many live within a couple miles of the school or even on school grounds). As an example of how professors try to help out, a former professor of mine also teaches MBA courses. A student in one of her classes had an idea for a business plan which was very similar to one that I brainstormed with her four years ago. She looked up my contact information to put that student in touch with me to share ideas. I've also gone to lunch with her three years after graduating. I can't say that I ever had a professor who seemed "too busy to help," but I did have some professors that I didn't care for (personality conflicts). </p>
<p>I can't speak too much on premed advising since I don't have a clue about it, but in terms of acceptance to med school, 95% of UR students who graduate with a 3.5 and score a 30 on the MCAT (national avg.) gained admittance to med school. The overall acceptance rate is 84% for first time and 90% overall compared to 51% nationally. And I actually found some advising information for you. It looks like the person you should try to contact when you're down on your visit is Dr. Vaughan, he's the pre-health adviser (University</a> of Richmond's pre-health studies program gives students an edge%5DUniversity">http://oncampus.richmond.edu/news/may07/pre-health.html)).</p>
<p>UR just received a $1.4 million grant for sciences from the Howard Huges Institute. Using the grant, they're creating a new "supercourse" that combines several of the intro courses for outstanding science students so that they can begin the upper level courses their sophomore year. Additionally, more research opportunities will be created. Here's the press release: Howard</a> Hughes Medical Institute's $1.4 million grant to University of Richmond will make science 'add up' in new introductory course</p>
<p>first off, im not a guy and my name's not matthew. its a book from the bible, but its alright. =]</p>
<p>thank you so much for your long, thoughtful responses for providing such informative links! anyways, i visited richmond this saturday and absolutely loved it! the environment is so striking and peaceful and i could imagine myself on the challenging pre med track, but also being able to release some stress and relax [somewhat!] at the same time. the facilities are so modern yet the campus is so classic. however, i do have a couple of questions that i forgot to ask. in regards to housing, does the survey include a question on drinking? i do not plan to attend parties where i know students will just get wasted and i do not really prefer a roommate who does. also, will i be respected or rejected for choosing not to drink? i would not appreciate a student body that doesnt respect my choice. im not saying that richmond is a school of drunkards and lack tolerance. in fact, when i got lost trying to find the library and dining hall after the tour, the students were really friendly and seemed fun and easy going. i just know that drinking is a problem at all schools, now matter how prestigious.</p>
<p>also, i noticed that during the admissions presentation, the business school and jepson were heavily highlighted while the sciences seemed less so. i know richmond is among the top 35 schools for undergrad. research and i plan to major in biology and conduct research, so i kinda wished that one of the tour guides was majoring in the sciences. the admissions session and the 6 tour guides [all majoring in business and one in leadership] made me think that the sciences were <em>sort of</em> shunted aside. is this the case? are the sciences given as much attention as the business and leadership school? i was really impressed though that richmond had such a gorgeous facility dedicated to the sciences. sorry if i seem to be searching for the cons of the school, i just want to make sure that this is where i want to spend my 4 years. thanks so much for your input!</p>
<p>Housing includes options that are substance free in which I think you'll find like-minded students, so I doubt that would be a problem. As for finding parties where people don't drink, I'm sure they exist, but also be aware of the fact that not everyone that drinks in college is trying to get blacked out either. While I did drink in college, if there was a night I didn't feel like drinking, I was never pressured to. In fact, I had a good buddy my freshman year who didn't drink at all, but went out to all the parties with us and always seemed like he had a good time, but I do know that being around drunks when you're sober can be miserable sometimes too. </p>
<p>The B-school and Jepson are emphasized at UR because they are nationally renowned. Jepson for being the first leadership school in the nation and the b-school for its national rankings. Our sciences have been an emphasis over the last few years, and I think that with the new Gottwald, they're making great strides. We've had a number of Goldwater Scholars over the last few years and undergrad research and collaboration with professors has dramatically increased. Honestly, if I were a science person, UR wouldn't haev been on my short list 10 years ago, but with the new emphasis on improving the sciences, you can't go wrong with it at UR. Being able to do research with the same professors that teach you is a nice bonus. And you'll NEVER have a TA at UR and will have the opportunity to conduct research starting your freshman year. Here's a link to a couple of students that just recently were given post grad scholarships (University</a> of Richmond senior and 2007 graduate awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships%5DUniversity">http://oncampus.richmond.edu/news/april08/fellowships.html)). Here's a recent example of a faculty member receiving a grant which will allow for two more students to do research during the summer (University</a> of Richmond professor awarded National Institutes of Health grant to research rare, inherited brain diseases%5DUniversity">http://oncampus.richmond.edu/news/april08/Warrick.html)). </p>
<p>Best of luck with your decision!</p>
<p>thanks again! =] its interesting that though i dont want to drink, i dont think id choose the substance free housing either since im completely ok with people having a drink....responsibly. i guess i was worried that id be matched with a roommate who was a crazy partier.</p>
<p>i was worried about being a science major at a liberal arts college, but the reason i looked into UR is because at my school, richmond is marketed by my scientific research teacher as a school with a strong science program. no one really told us it is a LAC. this is mainly because a student got the richmond scholar scholarship and was given a grant to do research. i can feel, however, that richmond is continually seeking change and improvement in their academic offerings, like the combined science intro course that is being implemented.</p>
<p>i have some more random questions that i hope you wouldnt mind answering. can students bunk their beds? i know that at other universities, this isnt allowed because of the fire code there. and do you think it would be difficult to get off campus without a car? is the campus well lit at night? when i visited, i saw the green lamps but was wondering if they would be bright enough at night. wow, i sound like such a paranoid person. what exactly is meant by UR having a $4,000 cap on loans?</p>
<p>Students can bunk their beds. You can also loft them now, but you have to have the school-approved lofting company do it for you, and you have to pay for it. </p>
<p>I have my own car, so I've never had to deal with not having a car to get off campus. But, my roommate has a car, one of my best friends has a car, my ex had a car, and a number of other friends have cars, so it's not an issue to find someone who can take you off campus. UR also runs a little bus on the weekends to off campus locations.</p>
<p>I'm a girl, so I understand the concern about the campus being well lit--it is! And the blue lights are definitely bright enough to see from a distance.</p>
<p>And...the $4000 cap on loans works with financial aid. From how I understand it, if you receive FA, you won't receive more than $4000 in loans.</p>
<p>2010 summarized everything you asked. To follow up on the lighting, I don't think I could picture a safer campus in America. Don't worry about walking around at night.</p>
<p>I would also add the context of the $4000 loan cap that it means that the rest of your aid eligibility amount would be met with grant money that doesn't have to be re-paid. So that is a very good thing. </p>
<p>On Saturday, exams had just started, so the tour guide group represents who was available that morning. It's possible that lots of science students had exams that morning. Sciences are both strong and popular at UR and I would say that science disciplines are very much "liberal arts" disciplines in our way of thinking. </p>
<p>There is a Class of 2012 Facebook group over on Facebook.com where lots of incoming first year students are talking to each other about a lot of different issues and it is clear to me from that conversation that you will find plenty of friends in this entering class who, like you, don't plan to spend four years here getting sloppy drunk. I appreciate your perspective on the issue of alcohol use on college campuses very much. Yours is a mature way of seeing the situation. You won't have a hard time finding sober fun with good friends!</p>