<p>Drizzly yucky stuff but son still liked it despite the weather. It is located just west of downtown in a wealthy area - heavily wooded,hilly terrain and you feel set apart from the city. One has no sense of being in the city. The grounds are well kept and clean. About 15 minutes to walk from end to end. Students on foot. No need for bike or bus. Gothic architecture..sort of like Duke. Visually appealing.</p>
<p>Today was a "preview" day. Slick presentation for better or worse. Faculty available and friendly and helpful. Student guides well informed. Students we bumped into pleasant and in good spirits. Relaxed. Mostly Yankees...not many from the deep south.</p>
<p>Son is possible pre-med. The pre-med advisor was on the ball and engaging. High acceptance rate and they let all apply who wish to..the committee does not appear to turn away applicants or refuse to back them. However as usual most kids weed themselves out. Of note 50% of premeds travel abroad, either spring of 2nd yr or fall of 3rd yr. They encourage this. They also offer MCAT review there no charge, led by faculty.</p>
<p>By the #'s students academically of the caliber of Wake or Vandy. Seems to attract those seeking small/mid size school with small classes and good weather. Popular programs include business and biology.</p>
<p>I have always liked Richmond. We looked at it for D for pre med. It was among the top choices before we culled the list. Did not think it was expensive compared to the Northern private schools. Gettysburg, for instance is a good $5-6K more easily. I believe it is less than Wake and Vandy. Take a look at Elon if you like the south. I am hearing good things about it.</p>
<p>They were reasonably priced, but announced about a 30% increase for next years incoming class, placing it around 40K for tuition, room & board. I saw their reps at a college fair last fall just after the announcement and "chided" them on it. They figured they no longer can call themselves a "good buy". Rumor my S. heard at another private college was Richmond wants to be considered up there with the Ivies, so figured one way to do that is to cost as much. I'd love to see a study someday of any affects this has on their applications, acceptances, finan aide, etc.</p>
<p>apparantly richmond has recently gotten really hard to get into! like up there with vanderbilt and wake forest, according to my guidance counselor. i hear that the dorms are all girls or all boys-- i wonder how this affects social life? also i dont know how i felt about there being a lake where the main quad should be (there wasnt really a real quad anywhere...i dont know something about the idea of a quad just makes me happy...)
i visited there briefly but it was a sunday so i didnt get a tour or anything (we just happened to be there so we checked it out-- very pretty!)</p>
<p>From what I gather the dorm situation is not a significant hindrance to socializing but the students are requesting a change-or at least some are pushing for coed housing. They are doing some landscaping to come up with a quad-like area.....people tend to hang out at the library or commons.</p>
<p>Admission is competitive...as noted has a similar applicant pool to Vandy or Wake though from northern states.</p>
<p>Hi
I am a Virginian. Three physicians I know well are UR grads and we know a senior female who was already accepted to three med schools. The small classroom will prepare you. Intimacy with teachers is a strength. Lovely campus. Very good law school. It is true they just vastly increase tuition. Should however mention that they also are a deeply Endowed institution and they give generous merit aid. For some reason they also have a high number of foreign students. The campus is very well maintained. I met kids from Atlanta and Pennsylvania there. Large Middle Atlantic state group, so it is Northern friendly. Also the religious atmosphere is very diverse. Although I hate to see them lose the bargain status, they really do a great job, and deserve to be considered peers of Wake.</p>
<p>I'm glad to hear that you liked U of Richmond. We went there last summer with DD...she didn't even want to get out of the car (she did...but reluctantly). After the tour and info session (actually the info session was far and away the worst we have seen), DD hated the place even more. DH and I actually thought it was very nice. But WE are not going to college. DD thought it was too far from Richmond to be able to go there without a car also.</p>
<p>One of my sons friends attends Richmond. She is a real nice girl, smart but a bit quirky. She does not like the social atmosphere ther at all and is transferring at the end of the year. She refers to it as super-preppy. She is very attractive, quite social and was not a tea tottler even in HS, so I am not sure what the problem is. I do know that she does not come from a family with loads of money and chooses "vintage" cloths over A&F, that is where her quirkiness comes out. She is also interested and vocal about social justice issues. She was instrumental in forming the Gay Straight Alliance in our HS because one of her closest friends is a lesbian and was getting hastled.</p>
<p>She is transferring to a college closer to home so maybe that has something to do with it too. But she is not happy with the social aspecats of UR.</p>
<p>When I read about the huge tuition increase I wondered how they could do that without provoking an armed student revolt. Answer was the huge increase is reserved for new students, while existing students will face a much more modest (5%??) tuition hike. I still wonder if this will create a lot of internal friction on campus, as you will have 2 seperate "classes" of students - some attending a "bargain" school while others paying an ivy-style tuition. </p>
<p>On the other hand, what is a better bargain? A $25k tuition + $5k merit aid or a $35k tuition +$15k merit aid?</p>
<p>We live about an hour away from U of R, and D and I attended their preview during her junior year. It was really quite funny because we were the only black people at the event. The adcom personnel in charge were quite obviously surprised when we walked in and registered (I guess they'de made assumptions based on our german last name---LOL!). We signed up for this particular weekend because a scheduling conflict precluded us from attending the one "specially set aside" for minority applicants. I didn't think it would really make a difference which weekend we toured the school, but apparently, they take pains to differentiate between their "regular" applicants and their "minority" ones... </p>
<p>In any case, D ultimately declined to apply to Richmond. It's a great school with an excellent academic reputation, but I think D was underwhelmed. The campus is lovely---lots of brick, a wonderful lake with a bridge over it, but not nearly as collegiate gothic as D's current school. She felt that the dorms were somewhat cramped and "hall-like". The food was bland in the single dining hall which serves the whole campus. Greek societies play a major role in the social life of the school, which is great for some, but slightly off-putting for D.</p>
<p>Richmond is somewhat more conservative than most northeastern schools, but not overly so, in my opinion. For some, it's the perfect choice, but certainly not for everyone.</p>
<p>We visited Richmond, too, as a possible merit aid safety for our daughter. Also a sentimental favorite for us, as we lived ion Richmond for a few years.
It is quite secluded, down a winding drive from one of the wealthiest areas of Richmond (THE address to have when we lived there, ahh, not our address).This gives the campus a very private, self-contained feel. The flipside is that you have to have a car to go anywhere, but you are quite close to lots of neat restaurants, shops and what passes for nightlife, also fairly close to a main drag with Outback type chains, Kmart, etc.
Up until recently, girls lived on one side of the lake, boys on the other, they have begun intermixing dorms as they are completing removations and air conditioning all the dorms. I got the feeling that they were headed toward coed dorms. BUT, one of the traditions I really like was that the student gov't was organized into 2 colleges, so the women have an SGA and the men have a separate SGA, there were other leadership opportunities that had a male structure and a parallel female structure. I liked this because it automatically doubled leadership opportunities for women at a traditional campus where women might be left behind.
UR is big on traditions - there are a couple of "bonding" traditions unique to the male and female sides. I thought they were wonderful, some people might go Duh? Think Bryn Mawr type traditions - including a ball with ring ceremony for the women where they are presented class rings by their fathers - it sounded neat.
My daughter ended up not applying, mainly because the merit scholarship apps required multiple forms, essays and recs - if someone is serious about attending and trying for merit aid, I would recommend getting an application going early. I also think she was worried about us endlessly reminiscing about our years in Richmond (she was born there).
Finally, I know one UR graduate well, she had one of those "as soon as I got out of the car, I knew it was the place for me experiences" - she is a very sharp young lady, spent a treasured year abroad studying at the University of Edinburgh.
As for the cost - Wow! - this would be a good fit for my son, but he probably won't be in merit aid range, I think we will have to ask serious questions about whether UR is worth the bucks. They are known amongst guidance counselors here as being less generous with merit aid than some of their competitors, but I think they maty be trying to up the competitive level a bit.</p>
<p>We visited University of Richmond a couple years ago when my younger son had a soccer tournament there. At the time we were looking for my oldest son, who is now a college freshman. One of the main reasons we were interested is that he would likely have been a very strong candidate for a merit scholarship. Even though the total cost is high, there are full- or half-tuition scholarships available, and the room and board is very cheap. I thought my son would love the campus, but he didn't. I thought it was idyllic. He thought it was boring. He wanted to apply to an urban college like NYU, USC, Case Western, etc., and ultimately went to USC (fortunately with a Trustee's Scholarship). </p>
<p>I know several Richmond grads who majored in business, and others who majored in biology and chemistry (and went to grad school and med school). All of them seem to have enjoyed themselves at Richmond and did well professionally afterwards. My daughter is effectively a junior this year (we homeschool) and is considering applying to Richmond for the fall of 2006. She really liked the campus a lot. There is certainly somewhat of a preppy feel to the campus and students, but some kids (including my daughter) do not mind that. She liked it better than Furman University (which also offers some significant merit scholarships), but she was fairly positive about Furman as well.</p>
<p>I attended University of Virginia as a college freshman and loved it, and I think the test scores and student body (including preppiness) at Richmond are very comparable to UVa. I think I would have personally enjoyed attending Richmond very much. Because of finances, I had to transfer back to University of Florida for the remainder of my undergrad days, and I think I also received an excellent education there. The only reason I bring that up is that we are also considering the possibility of my daughter attending the local state university which, although it is not highly-ranked, at least offers graduate study in chemistry, biology, etc. We have some concerns that at a small LAC like Richmond she may not have access to graduate level research, etc., if she decides to pursue that. She intends to go to medical school. Anyway, if she decides to attend a small LAC, Richmond would probably be the first choice.</p>
<p>dadoftrojan - I also went to UVA and have a son there so I'm biased. As a whole I believe the UVA student body is a little stronger re: academics....certainly more diverse.</p>
<p>I'm a physician and I spent some time with the premed advisor and I also spoke with faculty in bio and chemistry. Appears research opportunities are available and neither dept is very large so the kids ought to get an intimate experience.</p>
<p>OK Dadoftrojan and oldman, I will throw in that although I am a Virginian and have lived in 8 states, I have a bachelors from Furman. Long story. I also took a son to take a long look at UR and he did not end up applying, but he did like the small classrooms at UR and full professor aspects. If you would like to ask many questions about Furman, feel free to PM me. As I stated earlier, we are friends with several doctors and lawyers who got strong starts at UR. I love UVa, but there are a few articles that are quite convincing that show that strong LACs can produce higher numbers of PhDs later, so I don't think choosing an undergrad school based on graduate school options is the way to go. Smaller labs with no teaching assistants can get better outcomes and build more confidence although some kids can make it just fine in large science lab studies with teaching assistants on hand. Although UR does have a sheltered feeling and some creaky traditions that are Old South, I am also sure that a Middle Atlantic student would not be very alone there, and that the Baptist heritage aspect has faded out more than you will find at Furman or even at Wake Forest for that matter, although they have all ended formal relations with the Southern Baptists for over 20 years.<br>
On the other hand, Poetsheart was more than fair in her observations...UR does feel not all that diverse racially or economically, and Greek life is kind of too focal. Kids who are real different or want to challenge the mainstream might be lonely. Probably the Dining Hall which has a lovely view of the lake is where my heart sank a bit because although it is nice it might get old for four years. UR just got a new campus chaplain who made quite a splash in a very respectfully multidenominational service, and I think all denominations are comfortable there. There is an odd element of lots of foreign students at UR that seems to be related to its closeness to DC. They add some interest to a mainly affluent student body. And although they are charging more tuition, they are heavily endowed compared to sister institutions and really can help students.
Furman. I think about my classes at Furman every day because the faculty was top-drawer and less conservative than a segment of the student body. I will even say they extended themselves as friends and mentors in a rare way. I loved many of them, and Furman is the kind of place where they know you always and welcome you back. Furman would like to diversify and may catch the wave and start to compete for more top students soon..it is a stronger student body now than it was when I was there and they have kept the buildings renovated and cutting edge. I have to admit I was uncomfortable with the religiosity with a vocal segment of Young Lifers who were not yet very educated, and the lack of beyond Southern geographic diversity was tiring/lonely to me at times but also meant faculty members were happy to have me there. Many of my Yankee friends who came there to Golf or whatever did not come back after a year. There are a few politically conservative faculty members who are quite interesting in a substantive way but the faculty is a bit left of the kids. The classroom stacks up to the best LACs in the South. Academic freedom is strongly valued. Chemistry is a strong department with excellent graduate school placement. Music is great. Poli Sci is great. Foreign study is great. Psychology dept is great. Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops was behind me a year. My friends from Furman are authors, lawyers, doctors and college professors and I email them almost daily, so that says a lot. I never met a TA and there is a warmth at Furman that is also reflected in the gorgeous grounds and great weather and slightly upland southern Appalachian gentleness. Greenville is an exciting town now, very gentrified and bustling downtown like a young Charlotte. Not the traumatized mill town of my college years. On the road to Atlanta. And my classmates were all from Atlanta, Atlanta, and Atlanta. This meant that they were also brash New South people, with many from Charlotte and also Florida big cities. If you go to Furman as a student who is ready to learn and is going to give it a lot, the teachers will give you double what you put in.</p>
<p>Faline2, Thanks so much for your insight and detailed post. We are driving back to Birmingham in the AM and will check Furman out-they are on Easter break but my son is willing and at least we'll get a taste of it.
I have a friend who teaches there and he claims it is not as conservative as its rep.</p>