So I have been fortunate enough to be accepted to both of these incredible schools and am very very excited for the coming years. Here is the dilemma however. Richmond has given me $51,000 in total grants and aid to attend their school which would amount to roughly $11,000 a year to attend when books and personal expenses are factored in. UVA on the other hand has not given me anything so far and the cost to attend would probably be somewhere around $23,000. As you can see cost is a big deal for me and as of now Richmond is actually cheaper to go to. I absolutely love Richmond. Its a beautiful, small campus and has way less people than UVA but I am fully aware as a VA resident that UVA is highly prestigious and has an unmatched alumni network and is the place to go if you want to go into business. I am planning on going into economics. This is a very tough decision for me and I would really appreciate any opinions that could sway me in either direction. By the way I have around 4 days to decide since the letters came in rather late.
That’s a hard decision since you really like both schools. My son and I visited Richmond and loved it, and he has decided to go there…but his options were very different from yours. Still, I don’t think you can really go wrong with Richmond. It’s just a great school on a beautiful campus with really involved faculty, as clearly you know! Remember too that Richmond has a very highly ranked business program. True, you would be giving up the perks you mention with UVA, mainly the network and connections…however Richmond is really no slouch either. It has an excellent reputation and you will still be able to market yourself, so to speak, out in the real world. If the financial aspect of the equation is critical, then Richmond is the obvious winner, and I’d be thrilled to have that option. However if both schools are truly affordable for you, then you should be weighing other factors like fit. Good luck, whatever you decide!
UR has a top notch business school (ranked #16) and a huge alumni network. You will not miss out on opportunities by going to UR. UR also has lots of opportunities for internships, which help greatly in furthering your career.
Went to Richmond again today and decided that is where I want to be. Putting the deposit in this monday!
I would have said Richmond too. That was a tough choice though. UVA and Richmond are both outstanding schools. Congratulations on your future home and journey! Spiders rock! 
@RCKemSCKemRabbi Congratulations! I think you will be very happy at Richmond!
Thanks for the additional input from everyone involved. I cannot freakin’ wait for August to be here! 
Just curious…wasn’t May 1st the deadline at UR and UVA for accepting admissions offers?
I actually called UR about this since my letter said May 4th for the deadline. The admissions department told me that I had received the acceptance letter later than usual and that they had pushed the deadline to May 4th for me. As for UVA, I received the letter on May 2nd and I believe the deadline for deposit for them is the 5th. They really don’t give you much time.
Were you accepted from the wait list?
Nope
Transfer decisions were released on May 1 and the deadline to reply to an offer is May 15th.
Best wishes at Richmond, OP!
Thank you sir!