Thoughts on U Richmond

[Anonymous]

When surveyed about their school by the Princeton Review, Richmond students rated it highly for "classroom experience":

Best Colleges for Classroom Experience | The Princeton Review https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/?rankings=best-classroom-experience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:U of R is a wonderful school! We know many there. They are bright active down to earth students. Campus is beautiful and outcomes are comparable to WM, Wake, BC.

I asked this in another thread: how come I never met any graduate from U of R even though I lived in NoVA all my life? Is it that small of a population? I feel like it's a different circle than mine. Where do students come from? where do they go? what's the circle that brags that their DC is going to U of R?

It's a hard school to get into and I'm definitely missing something. The WASP people I know but still don't get but I meet them and talk to them just don't get them. You can tell - I'm a State school guy. Just trying to understand.

Alums are probably in NYC. It's skews white, preppy, and NJ UMC/UC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little surprised they don’t give better merit. They have a fairly substantial endowment.

+1

Yes this is a big strike on them. By comparison, Grinnell is a similarly rated LAC (#19 vs. #22), also has a substantial endowment, is more selective (13% acceptance rate vs. 23%), yet gives great merit awards, including automatic $20K/year merit awards for those accepted Early Decision.

[Anonymous]

Race relations at UR are pretty terrible. Princeton Review always rated it right at the top for least interracial interaction. Not a good look for a college located right smack dab in the capital of the confederacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little surprised they don’t give better merit. They have a fairly substantial endowment.

+1

Yes this is a big strike on them. By comparison, Grinnell is a similarly rated LAC (#19 vs. #22), also has a substantial endowment, is more selective (13% acceptance rate vs. 23%), yet gives great merit awards, including automatic $20K/year merit awards for those accepted Early Decision.

Agree that UR seems like a really bad deal, unless you are getting aid. Grinnell, Denison, Kenyon and Macalester are all far better schools and you are likely to get $80-120k in merit. At Richmond you won’t get anything close to that and Richmond isn’t in the same league academically as the others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Race relations at UR are pretty terrible. Princeton Review always rated it right at the top for least interracial interaction. Not a good look for a college located right smack dab in the capital of the confederacy.

It's white and preppy. Those types don't like minorities.

[Anonymous]

Richmond is in the same league as a Lafayette, Lehigh, Wake or a Bucknell. Lots of full pay kids. Fine but nothing special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Race relations at UR are pretty terrible. Princeton Review always rated it right at the top for least interracial interaction. Not a good look for a college located right smack dab in the capital of the confederacy.

It’s like 62% white and about 7% Black, so that isn’t too shocking. Disappointing, but not shocking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little surprised they don’t give better merit. They have a fairly substantial endowment.

+1

Yes this is a big strike on them. By comparison, Grinnell is a similarly rated LAC (#19 vs. #22), also has a substantial endowment, is more selective (13% acceptance rate vs. 23%), yet gives great merit awards, including automatic $20K/year merit awards for those accepted Early Decision.

Agree that UR seems like a really bad deal, unless you are getting aid. Grinnell, Denison, Kenyon and Macalester are all far better schools and you are likely to get $80-120k in merit. At Richmond you won’t get anything close to that and Richmond isn’t in the same league academically as the others.

That’s because Richmond is for rich kids who can’t get into a better school. Their parents aren’t looking for the extra $80-120k.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in NoVA and had a few friends go there. I never visited, but I did meet some of the U of R friends at weddings or school vacations and stuff. Very nice people, but yes, white and wealthy (sometimes not realizing how privileged or unique their backgrounds really were). I think it would be hard to go there if you did not have deep pockets to go in school spring breaks with your friends or otherwise be able to relate to their lifestyles.

[Anonymous]

I know two daughters of (separate) high school friends of mine who go there now. Ironically, both are LGBT, but I do not know if that is a weird coincidence or what. Otherwise, both also meet the profile of white and wealthy.

[Anonymous]

The person I know who attends got generous aid; not sure if merit or need-based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This entire thread is like a choreographed WWE wrestling match complete with heels and faces. I don’t think the NoVa people can have a rational conversation about this school.

Nailed it, and as a fellow wrassling fan, it's great to see the terms heel and face making it onto the DCUM college and university discussion board.

[Anonymous]

Richmond’s problem is location surrounded by better cheaper state schools. Doesn’t command the prestige of a Colgate, Holy Cross, or Davidson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little surprised they don’t give better merit. They have a fairly substantial endowment.

+1

Yes this is a big strike on them. By comparison, Grinnell is a similarly rated LAC (#19 vs. #22), also has a substantial endowment, is more selective (13% acceptance rate vs. 23%), yet gives great merit awards, including automatic $20K/year merit awards for those accepted Early Decision.

Agree that UR seems like a really bad deal, unless you are getting aid. Grinnell, Denison, Kenyon and Macalester are all far better schools and you are likely to get $80-120k in merit. At Richmond you won’t get anything close to that and Richmond isn’t in the same league academically as the others.

UR outranks three of these schools and is only a few spots behind the fourth.