University of Richmond Top Questions

I play Ultimate Frisbee. Its a lot of fun and most of my best friends play too. We are fun and free spirited. We leave our door open somtimes, but most people don't. Athletic events are becoming more popular, it isn't really my thing though, I'm school spirited in other ways. Dating is wierd here. Its either you are practicaly living together or people just hook up randomly. I don't like it. I think its probably similar on other campuses though. 2am Tues- I must be doing homework.

Sororities and fraternities are very prominent on campus. I honestly don't know much about them but there are a lot of socials held and several people walking around with lovely Greek letters on their shirts. And I'm sure there's a hierarchy of groups and I know there are different difficulty levels and types of people who are chosen for each one. I just don't know which one is which. I am involved in Christian Student Fellowship (CSF). We get together once a week and have a home cooked meal, prayer and a message by a guest speaker or a student. It is a great time to come together and relax, talk about the week and get some encouragement. I am also involved in The Collegian as an Assistant News Editor and Reporter. I have only recently become involved but so far it seems like a close community. And, of course, if you want to be a Journalist it looks great on resumes and internship applications. There are a lot of parties, mostly in the University Apartments, I think, but we do not have what I would call a big party scene. Unfortunately we have had a rash of students having to be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning which disturbs me. Hopefully the administration gets to work on this and does what it can to prevent future incidents. *Hint hint* Again, why did I pay for that URAware class? Dating seems to be taboo on campus. Many people have significant others back home but I have yet to see a couple holding hands or kissing, etc. That's pretty unusual since I've been on campus almost everyday for the past six months, minus weekends and holidays. Maybe they all hook up on the weekends, I don't know. There is the walk of shame from Grey Court (Freshmen guys dorm) to the girls dorms that I advise all girls, especially Freshmen girls, to avoid at all costs. Just don't do it. Having a social life and being a good student is difficult and stressful but seems to be possible. It takes a good amount of planning and messing up before you figure it out but they tell me it helps in life after college.

I am on he Equestrian team and I love it. A lot of students don't even know our club exists- which just goes to show you how many clubs there are on campus! The team has about 35 girls on it (and guys are welcome but they just don't seem to join!) and we take weekly lessons with anywhere from 2-4 other people at a barn about 40 minutes away. Several weekends a semester there are horseshows you can go to if you want and there are occasional dinners and events throughout the semester. It's a lot of fun and a great way to get off campus and interact with other people and animals. Athletic events are not that popular. As a matter of fact, the University had to start providing incentives for students to attend basketball games this year and students still don't really go! Football games are pretty well attended but a lot of students go just for the tailgating and the first half and then leave before the game is done. However, basketball and football are probably the two biggest sports on campus. I met my closet friends through the Summer Send-off programs Richmond provides where students in an area get together for a small party to meet each other before they all get on campus. I also met many of my good friends through Orientation and from my sorority and classes. People party every weekend and there are always people partying throughout he week too. The weekend always starts on Thursday when people go the clubs downtown and then on both Fridays and Saturdays there are parties at either the Fraternity lodges or the upperclassmen apartments. Partying seems to be a way of life for a lot of people here and a way to go wild after a stressful and exhausting week of work. Fraternities are very important because they provide the majority of the parties on the weekends. If the lodges aren't open not as many people will go out. Sororities don't have houses so they generally don't throw parties unless it's unofficial at the apartments or a social off campus. However, both frats and sororities play a large part on campus with the frats providing more of a party scene and the sororities providing more of a community service oriented scene. When I go off campus I generally go to Short Pump Mall or to Broad Street because pretty much anything you want or need can be found there. Sometimes I go to Carytown with my friends which is a little less commercial and has more cute boutiques. Also, we go to the movie theater at the mall and to Target on Broad Street. Target is great for cheap clothes for socials, going out, or just lounging around! If you don't want to drink on a Saturday night you can go into the city, go see a movie, go to the mall, watch a movie in the dorms, or just hang out with friends. Although a lot of the weekend social scene does revolve around partying and drinking, there are still a good amount of people who don't go out and who you can hang out with. There is also a movie in the commons every weekend and a lot of times there are other school sponsored dances or parties that are fun and alcohol free. Sports events are also fun and you can also go to a restaurant off campus or even the Cellar, our school's pub, which has bands come every weekend. If you're awake at 2am on a Tuesday you're probably studying for a test, writing a paper, or doing some form of homework. Sometimes people are just hanging out, watching TV, or procrastinating (usually on facebook), but generally you're not awake on a Tuesday unless you have to be because of work.

The biggest recreational activity on campus is drinking. And unfortunately, the administration puts more effort into stopping students from chalking in the forum than they put into keeping kids out of the hospital from alcohol poisoning. On the flip side of the coin, there are plenty of other activities on campus to get involved in. I am in APO, the Richmond chapter of the national co-ed service fraternity. That constitutes one of my major extracurricular activities, but there are many others available. Athletic events are relatively popular, but the Greek life is even more so. Campus safety is ... ok. Vandalism is the biggest problem, so I feel relatively safe walking somewhere after dark, but I never leave my door unlocked if I can help it. Transportation off campus is practically non-existent and horrible when it does exist, so if you don't have a car, you're basically stuck here.

The social life is pretty good here. Freshman year you fall in love with the party scene because it is unlike most other schools. The fraternity lodges are on campus and serve pretty much as a free on campus club on the weekends. However, it can get a little monotonous once you get past the initial excitement. Thankfully, Richmond is a pretty big city and there is a lot to do there so if you get tired of the party scene on campus, there are typically things going on off campus. Fraternities and sororities are present but definitely not a way of life. There are no houses on campus so it really doesn't matter which one you belong to, if any. I am independent and my roommate is in a sorority but it doesn't change anything.

Frats have parties on Friday and Saturday nights at the Lodges, but other than that, the campus pretty much shuts down over the weekend. It's difficult to even find a place to eat: The Pier & 8:15 at Boatwright (the coffee shop) are both closed until Sunday night, and D-Hall doesn't open until 10:30 a.m. Frat parties are fun if there is good music to dance to, although it is sometimes annoying getting beer thrown all over you.

The fraternities are pretty popular on the weekends for the general school population because their lodges are open. Athletic events aren't really that well-attended unless they're well-publicized. I don't think the theatre events are frequented, either. I'm not sure about guest speakers seeing as I've never gone...but that probably tells you something, haha. I met my close friends through classes and living in the same hall. And, as embarrassed I am to say this, Facebook (which is the devil...sometimes). Some of my friends I met by just walking into their dorm rooms. I think most of the people keep their doors at least unlocked, if not open, depending on the dorm. LoRo's doors close automatically, so it's a pain in the ass to keep them open. I enjoy my sleep very much, so I'm not usually up at any time during the week at 2 in the morning. People party pretty much all the time, though, so if I WAS up at 2 in the morning on Tuesday, I'm sure I could find somewhere to party. I'm pretty sure there is SOME kind of party SOMEWHERE on every night of the week. Last weekend I was really boring, so we can talk about this weekend instead. I went to a rugby game last night and then to the Cellar with some of my friends. Tonight I went out for pizza and saw a movie. Tomorrow I'm going to the gym and then the basketball game, then maybe out to a friend's birthday party. Sunday is work day, so I'm getting together with some friends to do some homework. You can do anything you want on a Saturday night if you have enough friends. Just get a few of them together and play some games somewhere. Or rent a movie from the MRC and watch it (which you can also do alone). Off campus I spend too much money, so I try not to go there too often. Lot of trips to Wal Mart and Target and late-night Sheetz runs where you meet a good portion of your fellow Richmonders.

People in dorms don't leave their doors open very much. It depends on the hall. There are activities every week, you just have to be willing to find them.

Most popular groups: Anything christian Anything with alcohol involved I'm involved with Voices for Planned Parenthood which is self explanatory and Active Minds which helps people who do not feel accepted realize that they aren't alone and that they can find help with CAPS etc. Also to get the word out about mental illness on campus.I'm also in Asian Beat which is a hiphop dance group that uses asian hiphop or rap. Dorm Doors: They are always closed Athletic events... *shakes head* Guest speakers: we get some good ones. I have to say that's pretty good. Theater: Could be better Dating scene: The guys are immature and only here because they heard that all the girls were really hot. That's all I have to say. I go out with VCU guys. Closest Friends: I don't feel I have met my closet friends. My closest friends are in NY and it's going to be like that for the rest of my life. 2 a.m. on a tuesday... STUDYING FOR AN ORGANIC TEST! Traditions: Ring Dance (it's a debutaunt ball for junior girls, you all wear white and get escorted by your father/boyfriend down the staircase of the Jefferson and then the Dean of Westhampton college gives you your class ring.) Proclamation night: the first year girls wear white and write letters to themselves while the seniors wear their black grad robes and open the letters that they had written to themselves their first year here. You also learn about having Westhampton pride... blahblahblah. People party on thursday, friday and saturday night at two different places, the apartments or the lodges (frat houses). Note: no frat housing is allowed, they just have little houses to have parties, kind of like a club house. But none of the sororities are allowed to have houses... I hear it would be considered a brothel then or something by VA law. Greek Life is HUGE! last Weekend: I went to three different amazing concerts being put on by a lot of different groups. There isn't much to do on campus if there isn't drinking involved. Actually, go to the gym and play DDR. Off campus I don't do much other than go out to eat go to Doctors appointments and go shopping. We do have three malls within 20 minutes of campus. (they are the ritz too. It's rather ridiculous.)

Many of the closest friends I have at UR I met in my freshman hall last year or through my sorority. Freshman year residence life is great - at least in my girls' dorm, it seemed like one big slumber party. Everyone in my hall would always leave their doors open, and we would make the rounds before dinner or an event to see who wanted to come. We would also have late night "study parties" in our lounge at late hours of the night, where we would never really get anything done but shared lots of laughs. One of my fondest Richmond memories took place with my hall our first week here; we were supposed to be in class, but a huge hurricane descended on the area and the campus lost power. Our RAs had the bright idea to take us all down to the IM fields to go mud-sliding with garbage bags - it was the silliest and most fun experience ever, and after we all got back into the warm building and showered, we spent the day all piled into one person's room watching chick flicks. Even if your roommate doesn't turn out to be your best friend, I'm sure that you too will make lots of great friendships and memories with the other people in your hall. To anyone considering coming to UR, I would suggest making sure you have a car, unless you're an international or west-coaster like myself. Richmond itself does have a lot of fun things to do (most of them involving eating), and the campus provides limited shuttle services, but nothing incredible. And I would also warn you to be wary of the bus system here - last year, as a naive little freshman, a friend and I decided to try being independent and finding our way around town by bus. Let's just say it wasn't a good - or safe -experience. Off-campus there are a lot of fun things to do. The cute boutique and restaurant district is called Carytown, and it is home to the Historic Byrd Theater, which offers $2 second-run films in a charming venue complete with classic plush seats, a red velvet curtain, and a Phantom of the Opera-esque chandelier overhead. If you go on Saturday night, you will be treated to a pre-show performance by a pipe organist who rises out of the floor of the stage and is accompanied by a light show. Lining the street nearby are fun, unique restaurants and eateries, along with great opportunities to window shop. Downtown in Shockoe Slip/ Shockoe Bottom are some more great restaurants, bars, and the club scene. Richmond also has lots of great museums, from the Edgar Allen Poe museum to a respectable Fine Arts Museum to the Museum of the Confederacy. If you're looking for music, Toad's place is a newer venue in town that's finally been bringing in some good artists - including Guster last fall and Regina Spektor sometime this spring.