Virginia Commonwealth University Top Questions

At the end of the day, I love my school. It's in a good location. I feel pretty safe (although I have lived in Richmond for over 7 years), and I feel like it's worth my tuition.

Overall it a good school for minority students, but the administration is not as diverse as you'd expect it to be.

Virginia Commonwealth University is possibly the best decision I have ever made. Walking through the streets of Richmond is so interesting because of the amount of diversity I experience. It is not only diverse with race but also with gender, age, cultures and even how people carry their selves. Nothing appears to be strange or out of the ordinary because there are so many types of people that judging them would be pointless. It is such a friendly and welcoming environment to where anyone can fit in and should not have to feel stressed about being different. Don't even think I forgot about the party life style. Frats aren't always welcoming to other guys who aren't affiliated but once you actually get in, it is the wildest thing you can imagine. I feel like I am at a rave 24/7 because of the props and hype music they play. Don't get me started about their food system. You begin as a freshman with the certain amount of swipes and dining dollars that you chosen from, and can swipe 6 times an hour. They have an all you can eat dining hall named Shafer and a Shafer-to-go downstairs if you can't stay. Right next door is Einstein Bagels. In the commons, they have subway, an express pizza hut, a chinese place called nao and zen, taco bell, chick fila, and a place called the POD that is equivalent to a 7/11. We also have a place called bleaker that has the DANKEST sandwiches and just opened a new Panda Express on Shafer street. VCU is overall a quality school and definitely needs more credit. Although, I like the fact that people underestimate the qualities of VCU because if they were to ever visit then their minds would be blown.

the diversity is the best thing about my school. It has a large student body and yes, there is a lot of school pride.

the diversity is the best thing about my school. It has a large student body and yes, there is a lot of school pride.

I absolutely love my university. When I first got there, I didn't know what to expect, but once I actually got here, I saw that it was a phenomenal institution for education and the life in Richmond is lively and good to be around. One of the best things about the school is the diversity, which VCU strives to uphold in it's university-wide programming and student organizations. There is an organization for just about anyone who wants to do almost anything at school and if there isn't one, then students often times take the initiative to begin their own! One thing I'd change is the level of advising for students. Some students run into issues when they are ready to graduate because of issues with advising not always telling them which classes to take. While I have personally never experienced these issues, I know a few students who have. It is up to the student to be proactive and try to figure out what steps to take before seeing advising to benefit themselves. VCU is one of the largest institutions in the commonwealth of Virginia and that leaves a lot of room for students and it creates a solid community at the center of Richmond. I guess you can call VCU and the areas immediately adjacent to VCU a part of "college town" Richmond. VCU students always show a lot of pride, whether in wearing a school t-shirt or going to the home and away sporting events clothed in school colors and showing immense school spirit. When the men's basketball team made it to the final four last year, VCU was thriving with pride and students flooded the streets to celebrate. That kind of school pride was moving to me and the day that they won was one of the most amazing for me. But while VCU is great, it isn't always rainbows and sunshine. As I have said before, students have concerns about advising at VCU and they also run into some issues and frustration with housing on campus. There is very limited housing on campus- especially after the freshman year- and a lot of students have to look for off campus housing, even if they want to live on campus and that can sometimes be a pain with our lottery system, but most of the time, students are able to make do.

I love VCU!

My favorite thing about VCU is the amount of help available to the student body. If you ask, there is probably someone to answer. The only thing I'd consider changing is the financial aid office, the lines are always long. Even though VCU is the largest public University in Virginia, it still feels like a small-town school. It's weird. When I tell people I go to VCU they usually look at me strange, but I don't care! I love it here. It's completely built into the city of Richmond. I bleed Black and Gold. Aww yeah.

My overall opinion of VCU is that it's underrated. After attending another large, well-respected university in Virginia, I have found that VCU is often forgotten or looked as being not that great of a school. The diverse group of students and professors at this university is one of the things I like most about the school, as well as it's location in such an exciting city such as Richmond. There is always something to do and places to hang out with friends, and it's hard to ever really be bored here.

Richmond is not cool. It is dirty. Although there are many historic and important things in downtown Richmond, the Monroe Park Campus of VCU is absolutely disgusting. The people, the buildings, and most importantly the God awful employees (not the professors, they are fantastic). The best thing about this school is that it is extremely easy to work hard and earn your degree. If I had to change something, I would change the fact that Richmond owns Monroe Park and not VCU, so we could get rid of the horrible and frankly frightening homeless population from, oh, I don't know...our campus. The administration and professors are one of the best parts of this school. They work so hard and diligent to make sure we students get a good education. 10/10 for them. As far as "college life," stay in a group past midnight, don't go on West Marshall St. ever, and never...I repeat never look at a ghetto person on the street in the eye because of course...that is just insulting. The most frequent student complaints comprise of everything I wrote above. Seriously.