University of Richmond Top Questions

Tough, but professors willing to help.

Due to the small class sizes at Richmond, all of your professors know your name. If you make an effort to get to know them, usually they know what extracurricular interests you have as well. Because of this, many professors ask students to help them with research projects, which they know the student is interested in. Every first-year student at UR takes and introductory writing and reading course called CORE. It's supposed to give each student the same foundation as they enter into the University. CORE is taught by professors from all departments and in a variety of ways. Class participation is pretty common. Since class sizes are small, you have a lot of opportunities to discuss reading and class materials in a close group setting. Even outside of the classroom, UR brings many distinguished speakers and scholars to campus, and students can attend for free. Part of my reason for choosing Richmond related to the academics. The curriculum at UR is challenging, but manageable. Because the University cross-lists many classes, most students have more than one major or minor. Watching seniors graduate, I know that a UR degree is a great foundation for obtaining good jobs.

Professors quickly and easily learn students' names because the class size is very small and intimate. Faculty and staff are very friendly and really make the effort to get to know you. Professors are very available to meet outside of class and frequently invite you over to their houses for parties/dinners, etc. Class participation is a big part of many classes, but it depends. I don't think students are very competitive with other students necessarily, but I do think that many have very high standards for their own work. The education at Richmond is not career-focused, especially my major in Leadership Studies. The focus is on broadening your mind and learning about the world from many different perspectives.

The professors are generally caring about students, of course some more than others. The class sizes are kept small and there are no big lecture halls at all. Students study hard during the week, but the atmosphere is very noncompetitive, and students always look to help each other out. Professors often learn students name, and love talking outside of class. There is definitely no grade inflation, and A's are not easy to get in many classes, but B's are. There is a lot of help from the Career Development Center to get jobs, especially with our top 20 business school. Also the uniqueness of our Jepson School for Leadership Studies is a great and unique opportunity to study something very different.

The professors absolutely know your name. They're so understanding and will grant overrides and give you extensions on papers. I loved my history class with a visiting professor from the UK that had us do a simulation of Model European Union. We have even had classes outside before and I know some professors invite students to their homes. The professors are all so well qualified. Pretty much 87{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} went to an Ivy Leauge or equivalent for their PhDs. They are also respected researchers and writers in their fields. The academic requirements aren't bad at all. I met most of them with AP credit.

Very hard, and take a lot of time if you're thinking about any A's

Since I am an athlete that has done very well here athletically and academically, professor do in fact know who I am. My favorite class is a tie between foundations of Education and Journalism. My least favorite class was our mandatory CORE class. Students study here all the time, it is hard to find a time when the libraries are not packed. Yes class participation here is very common. Many teachers base large portions of grades on participation so that students get the complete fufillment from the class. I do believe students have intellectual conversations outside of class due to this being a private school with high standards. Students are very competitive. The most unique class I have taken is Theatre-Performance Ensemble. My major is Sociology with a concentration in Power, Inequalities, and Diversity. I am also minoring in history and business. I do not spend much time with professors out of class, but I do spend time with a couple professors and some occasions. I feel Richmond's academic requirements are ridiculous to some extent, but being a private school they feel they are necessary. The education at Richmond is definitely for getting a job. Businesses and job opportunities respect a person with a university of Richmond degree due to the prestigiousness of this school.

Since most classes are so small, teachers know your name very quickly. You also learn the names of people in your class very quickly too. This helps with class participation. Class participation is very common in all of the classes I have taken at Richmond and normally make up a significant portion of my final grade. Students do engage in intellectual conversations outside class. Core is the freshman english class which all freshman must take. Each class reads the same books at the same time, so outside of class it is really easy to talk to other freshman about what is happening in Core class. Whether it's complaining about how boring the book was or a surprise ending, freshman normally bring up class discussions outside of class. I have learned a lot of interesting things in my Sociology 101 class. I find myself saying "today in Sociology....." very often at the dinner table. It normally sparks more intellectual conversations amongst my friends.

Richmond is very academically rigorous, although you can of course structure your own schedule to affect how much work you'll be doing. The professors here are excellent. They care a great deal about the education of their students and are all extremely intelligent. Class participation is big. There is a class called CORE that all Freshmen have to take where we study famous authors of fiction and nonfiction from all different regions and time periods. It's a really cool idea, but it can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Considering the school's small size there are many majors and classes to choose from.

The classes are small, meaning that professors know who you are. They push you to do your best but help you out if you need it. All first years are required to take is CORE: The Human Experience. Students read books from a variety of disciplines and discuss. Your experience with Core depends on who you have as a professor: some classes bond and have reunions over their four years at UR; other people get stuck with a computer science professor and get nothing out of it or have an English professor and have to work their butts off. No one really enjoys the course, however; the school keeps it on to make us look more "competitive" against similar schools. With all of my complaints about the college social scene here, my academic experience has been wonderful. I love my classes and have learned so much.