I was lucky enough to be accepted RD to the University of Richmond with a very generous financial aid package! It seems great, but now I’m beginning to doubt that Richmond would be a good fit for me socially.
I have no interest in Greek life. No shade, just a personal preference. I definetely admire the philanthropic tendencies of these organizations and their messages of sisterhood, but I’m rather introverted and not a big partier/drinker so I’d like to avoid the showboating, schmoozing parts of it and pursue volunteering independently.
I’m also not quite as…affluent as the majority of the student body at UofR. Will that affect me at all socially? I’m not the type that can really afford to spend a lot on a night out, even with the very generous financial aid package I received. I’m not really all that preppy either, jeans and tee shirt are pretty much my daily wear.
Are there specific dorms or living-learning communities that you would recommend for someone not interested as much in Greek culture or late night ragers? Is the majority of Richmond’s population preppy? How much does the Greek system dominate the social scene at Richmond?
Congratulations on your acceptance and great offer! I really wouldn’t worry about either of those concerns at all. From what I hear, frats/sororities are not as big a deal at Richmond as some other schools. They don’t even have houses where they live apart from everyone else…so they are more like clubs, it sounds like. As for not being affluent, remember that Richmond gives a lot of really fantastic aid to top students like yourself, so there are going to be people from all socio-economic backgrounds there. My son and I are certainly not rich, and he received a great financial package from Richmond as well, and will likely be attending there in the fall. I hear that the dress style is somewhat preppy there, but that there are people with all different styles and that is totally fine. When I look at the different Richmond websites, Facebook pages, etc. I see “normal” looking kids, who look very nice! They really don’t look like super-preppy rich kids, lol! Is there any way you can visit? Richmond has one of the highest “happiness” ratings of any school, so I do think it’s probably a wonderful place, and you got a great offer! It’s definitely worth giving it a chance and learning more if you can! Best of luck!
@chris17mom: Yes, I will be visiting during one of the admitted student’s days this April! Very exciting because this is actually the first time I’ve visited, haha. I kind of applied to Richmond a little bit last minute so my research on it wasn’t as thorough as it could have been, unfortunately. The campus looks beautiful so I can’t wait to experience it for myself. Thank you for the insight!
I have 2 daughters who attend UR, one is a junior, the other is a freshman. Neither has any interest in joining a sorority and they have plenty of friends on campus, some who are in a frat/sorority and some who aren’t. The greek houses are not residential and are primarily used to host social events and parties, most of which are open to all students. My daughters do occasionally attend the parties, but more often than not, they hang with friends/watch movies, dine out in the Carey Town area, or attend other social events on campus, many of which are substance free.
There seems to be a broad range of students on campus, some are preppy, some not and everything in between. My girls are both Richmond Scholars and UR would be out of range financially for our family if they were not. They both work part time on campus to earn spending money, and although they do report that there some students who flaunt their wealth and fancy cars, there are plenty of other students of more modest means and they do not feel out of place at UR.
They both love UR and are getting a fantastic education. They love the small classes and their professors have all been excellent. There are many opportunities for research and internships, too. My older daughter is spending this semester at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and is having a wonderful time. UR will give you fantastic opportunities too, I hope you choose to attend!
Congrats! My D is a freshman and is neither Greek nor affluent.
No question the Greek system is prevalent. I mean, more than half the kids are involved. However, my own D, hasn’t had any issue (and she’s pretty anti-Greek so it would grate on her if it was shoved in her face.) D had already made great friends by the time Rush came 2nd semester and those relationships didn’t end because some decided to rush. I know D has attended a couple frat parties (hated them) and apartment parties (which she enjoyed because they were themed and attracted more independents.) Some of her activities are heavily Greek but others not at all. She is amused at times by the Greek system but it doesn’t effect her.
Money? Yes, there is a lot of that too. D is there because scholarship and financial aid allows it. She has a work-study job and she pays for her own books and everything. Getting off campus takes real effort so it’s usually just her circle of friends watching streamed movies and eating snacks they got with dining dollars at the campus market. There are kitchens you can “check-out” and it’s fun for freshmen to get together and cook a big meal. Campus activities are usually free or very low cost. D’s gotten a free day trip to DC as well as to Virginia Beach through her activities.There is a fair amount of name brand clothing but it’s only going to bother you if that is something that historically bothers you. D doesn’t care. She’s more on the prep side but she likes to be unique and that means NOT buying the 200 dollar flip flops that half the girls own. She gets lots of compliments even though she shops at JC Penny and consignment shops. Her roommate lives in jeans and sweatshirts… only brought 3 pairs of shoes. No one gives her a hard time about it.
D didn’t do the freshman living and learning but she’s doing a sophomore one and very excited about it. The academic environment alone is enough to make the school worth it to D. She loves the small classes, focus on discussion and the professors who really pay attention to who you are and what they can offer you. It’s been pretty amazing the opportunities D’s had in her first year. She’s already in a panic that she won’t have enough time to take every class that she wants.
Only you will know if it’s a good place for you but my non-wealthy, non-greek girl has really loved it.
@turtletime, @mamag2855: Thank you so much for the details, they definitely make me feel better about the social sphere at UofR. The academic opportunities are so great that I really hope I have a good time at the admitted students day, an admission offer seems too good to pass up. I mean, a 8:1 student teacher ratio? That’s insane! I think the only 8:1 ratio present at the huge mega-gigantic public flagship I was considering was how many students were shoved into a square foot of space, haha!
Anyway, thanks again for clearing up some of my misconceptions. Maybe next year I’ll be back posting on this board as a UR freshman!
@turtletime Only 30-40% of students are involved in greek life. That is not more than half.
Are you female? If you are, freshman girls have the option of being in a substance-free community. You just need to select the option on your housing application. I think they may also be doing this for guys next year too, but I’m not sure. They just created an upperclassmen one for next year too.
Greek life is really not a big deal here. If you choose not to rush, but your friend does, it won’t get in the way of your friendship. There is no pressure to join either. Its completely optional.As mentioned above, frats and sororities do not live in houses, but interspersed with everyone else. They have lodges and cottages where they host parties. Because these are on the edge of campus, you have to go looking in order to be affected by these parties.
In addition, there are many events on campus for those who don’t participate in greek life. One group in particular, CA alternatives, hosts lots of events, which are all substance-free. This past year, we’ve had a carnival night, game board night, international night, and several open mic nights (just to name a few).
Economic background doesn’t really affect you socially either. I have no clue how much money most of my friends have. People are accepting of each other, no matter where they come from. I too would not be able to attend with being a Richmond Scholar like I am and I definitely do not feel out of place.
@guineagirl96: I never heard about the substance-free housing option! I would’ve thought that would be something a bit more advertised on the housing page, because I did look for something similar. Thank you for mentioning it, I would have never know otherwise and I think I will definitely look into it.
From the posts here, it seems like Greek system isn’t really as “omnipresent” as I thought it might be, that’s great to hear. I like the idea of students in fraternities and sororities staying in traditional housing rather than Greek-affliliated rooms.
It also gives me peace of mind to know that different economic circumstances don’t affect life at UofR. I personally didn’t think they would, but I just wanted to be sure. I’ve had friends who went to other colleges where they were not as quote “economically fortunate” as the majority of the student body. While the weren’t ostracized or anything, they did feel a little out of place when the rest of their roommates could run up a couple hundred dollars on the tab without batting an eye and could do this on the regular. They gave me a bit of a warning about that, but I’m glad that’s not the case with Richmond!
@nuhsgrad: My daughter is in the exact same situation as you. Actually, if it wasn’t for your user name, I would have thought it was her posting. She doesn’t drink, is not into Greek life, and is concerned about not fitting in with the student style (type of dress, level of wealth). She wears some name brands, but only bought on sale, and she really loves her jeans, tees and sweats. She received very generous financial aid which could make Richmond feasible.
She (we) began to fall in love (or at least strong like) with Richmond via the internet. Even though we expect she may go to another school closer to home, we’re thinking Richmond could be the dark horse in this college admission rat race, so we’ll be visiting on the 18th. (We’ll be driving 500 miles because the flights are too expensive.)
Socially, I expect my daughter will be willing to sometimes go to parties where there is drinking, but not where getting drunk is the primary focus/point. It’s exciting to see evidence that there are other students who are in the same boat - who don’t fit into the typical college student mold/stereotype but certainly still want to have friends and good times in college.
She’s attracted to Richmond’s beautiful campus, strong business program within a LAC, awesome dining and attractive housing, etc. The only downside is that sports don’t seem to be a big deal. She would have liked to play club softball somewhere.
@3rdXsTheCharm: That’s too crazy! I will also be there on the 18th, so maybe I’ll recognize a few kindred spirits! Fortunately my drive is not quite as long (500 miles is a lot!), but still about three hours so quite lengthy at 6 o’clock in the morning. I’m hoping it will be worth it - but from the look of the campus, it will be a nice excursion aesthetically speaking even if I don’t choose to attend. It really is a beautiful campus.
I’ve posted a bit on the Facebook pages and everyone seems super nice! I don’t know if you guys have looked at any of the admitted students groups, but I would definitely recommend it because it shows that the white, wealthy, prep-school stereotype I was imagining does not apply to many of the admitted students, which is nice.
Hello all of you on this thread! I have an admitted daughter in your same boat. She will want to go to parties sometimes, not to get drunk but to be social, meet people and have fun. An excellent student (and person of character and fortitude) also very much in love with Richmond’s LAC offering along with the Robins School track. She’s a sports, debate and theatre kid, and will likely play a club sport and audition for a production or two. She also loves fine arts and she’s hoping to include some classes in that along the way. 50/50 on the sorority thing. It’s not in our background so that’s to be decided after some time.
I think nuhsgrad that you are correct that there is a nice mix of kids here. My daughter has been on the Facebook page too and gotten a great sense of the kids and is quite happy. There are always exceptions everywhere but UR does not appear to be all wealthy, not all jocks, but ALL are serious about their education and the outcome. Richmond has always been my daughter’s #1 choice and she is so excited and thrilled that Richmond saw her as a great match. (Thank you Richmond!) She is currently deciding between Richmond and one other well-respected business school option (not an LAC) that caught us by surprise.
We are also attending (from New England) the program on the 18th and very much looking forward to meeting other potential classmates who she might see herself with for four years. I think it is very difficult not to fall in love with beautiful UR and I have a feeling this will be the place my daughter chooses in the end. Good luck everyone and maybe we’ll meet next week!
@Actor123 If you’re attending on the 18th and your daughter is interested in the theater productions, you should see if you can attend the musical, Funny Girl. On April 18th, the show is at 7:30 pm. I don’t know if you have already arranged travel, but it really is an amazing show! I have several friends that are in the cast and company and I will be playing in the pit.
The theater department is filled with talent!
Hi guineagirl96. Actually I was planning on attending since I had seen it when looking at the arts pages. What instrument do you play…if you don’t mind saying? Thanks for all your helpful insights along the way.
Did anyone else attend Experience Richmond on Saturday? We were blown away by Richmond and it very well may be where our daughter will attend. She wants to go to Richmond, but feels like she “should” go to BC, so she’s really conflicted.
I am a former grad and wanted to chime in here. She will absolutely love Richmond. The classes are small and intimate so she will really get to know her classmates and professors. The courses are challenging and rigorous yet she will not be overwhelmed. She will have a chance to be part of a close-knit community for four years and will be prepared for her career/grad school. Pre-med and business are particularly strong but all of the majors are taught by top-notch faculty. I had my best four years ever and wouldn’t trade it for the world. The environment is intellectually stimulating and the campus is unbelievable. I felt like I was at a summer camp 24/7.
Any thoughts from PROSPECTIVE students/parents on the Apr. 18 Experience Richmond visit? Yes, we all know the school is beautiful but we’re looking for more than that. Some superior students were presented in panel but I don’t think these were the average main stream students here. The party scene was quite evident to us and perhaps a bit concerning. Where we the clubs and student interest during that part of the agenda? Our take away is uncertain at this point. We went there expecting and wanting to love it since it was her first choice school. This is difficult. Thoughts anyone?
D decided to go where her gut was telling her, to BC. Like, Actor123, we found the campus stunning but felt we needed to look past that. In the end, D really wanted a Catholic university without Greek life.
@Actor123 not sure where you got that vibe from. As a prospective student who is looking forward to the great parties I hear about at UR, I felt like the administrators running Experience Richmond made an effort to NOT talk about partying, Greek Life, etc., and tried to down play it. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed at how un-evident the party scene was when I visited. I’m committed (but waitlisted at my dream school/top LAC) and the social life was definitely a draw for me, so I was listening for it and did not hear much about it.
@cdog17…you make my point exactly. The administration is well aware of it’s party scene and actively plays down the presence of Greek life on campus. We had some very honest students admit more than once how big it is on campus whether you go Greek or not, doesn’t matter. The school is supporting and pushing the “alternative” activities, as you heard at the presentation because many kids, like my D who wants to go to parties sometimes, but don’t want to feel pressured to party several days of the week. Believe me, you will have parties to go to all the time as experienced first hand, so that’s not an issue. Again, UR was my D first choice and it makes her sad that she’s uncertain about the social fit. UR is gorgeous and smart, yes, just maybe not right for her after all. We’ll see how it turns out.
@Actor123 I can tell you, there is no pressure to party here. That is totally up to the individual. I don’t think anyone in my group of friends went to a party all year. There is plenty to do without participating and we don’t feel any less part of the community. Socially, UR is very diverse.
