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The best thing about VCU is the diverse population and how interesting everyone on campus is. You have so many faculty members and counselors who are there for you every step of the way and who are looking out for you. This school is just right. When I tell people that I go to VCU they say things like, "Didn't you guys beat Duke in Basketball?" (yes) and "Don't you guys have great programs and a high percentage of graduates?" (yes) This isn't your ordinary college town because there is always something going on and somewhere to be. Richmond is amazing and fun and colorful. There are so many historic buildings, parks, shopping, entertainment, and extracurricular activities to do here. It is also centrally located in the city, not to mention only a few hours away from Washington, D.C., Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg. So much to do and so little time to do it in. VCU's administration is great. They are always there to help you and set you on the right track. I would recommend anyone who is on our staff. They are there for you 24/7 via phone, email, facebook or AIM. There is a lot of school pride and it is getting stronger and stronger every year. Since I have been at VCU our Greek Campus Life and Student Organizations have increased each year and have brought something unique and special to the table. Their school pride shows every time they bring an event, concert, exhibit or presentation to campus. One experience that I will always remember about VCU is being one of the main founders of my sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi. One of my best friends and I had an idea to start a new sorority on campus, and VCU being what it is and making anything possible, helped make this possible. I will always remember the struggles of getting started, the assistance from CPC and the encouragement from the VCU faculty that helped bring this dream into a reality. It is something that has changed my life forever and I will always remember the lessons that this experience has taught me.
Robyn Senior
Tiffany Sophomore
Jeffrey Freshman
The best thing about VCU is the diversity. I have met so many different people, and made a ton of friends. If I could change one thing, I would give VCU a football team. But as much as I want one, a football team is a huge undertaking and I understand why it will still be a few years until the school actually starts working on that. VCU is huge. It's the largest school in the state, so often times you will see a lot of people you won't know. I like that because it pushes me to make new friends and meet new people. I get mixed reactions from people when I tell them about VCU. Some of them who don't know much or anything about the school will adopt a slightly patronizing tone and look at me differently. Other people will get excited since they know VCU is on the rise, and we have a fantastic basketball team. So the responses are always different. I find myself hanging out in the Student Commons a lot. There is tons of stuff to do there. You can go to a quiet room and do homework, or grab a bite to eat, or there is even a pool hall downstairs if you want to go shoot some pool for an hour or two. VCU is in Richmond. It's Virginia's state capital and one of the largest cities around. However, there are lots of fun things to do on and off campus. On campus there is the Siegel Center which has a gym and a basketball court with lots of fun stuff to do. There are art shows and exhibits to go to if you're into that stuff. Off campus there are clubs and all kinds of shops to hang out at. And just down a ways is Carytown. There are tons of little shops and restaurants and neat places to hang out. There is a $2 movie theatre that shows 1 or 2 movies a week and a lot of students like to go down there. The administration does its best to help out the students. I have a lot of respect for them. The biggest controversy on campus was around our newest campus addition. They recently built VCU brand new business building east of Belvidere Street. The rest of the Monroe Park Campus is on the West side of Belividere. A lot of people were hesitant about the idea of crossing that busy street, but the building is really nice, and the walk really isn't unreasonable, so that dispute sort of resolved itself. VCU students love their basketball. The student sections of seating almost always fill up for every game. A lot of people even get defensive about VCU because so many people see it as a slacker school. So the fans are that much more devoted so they can help crush that idea. The most unusual thing about VCU is the setup. The university is built in the middle of the city almost, and so there are businesses and churches and houses all around and throughout the campus. It's sort of cobbled together in a way, but it works well, and the students like it. I will always remember learning which streets are One Way. You see a lot of interesting traffic situations as people are learning this one way street system, so I made sure I learned it fairly well.
Michael Freshman
hmm, The best thing about VCU, probably the diversity. THere are so many different kinds of people. VCU is not the stereotypical college. I don't think I'd change anything, except for the 7-940 classes (too long) and the academc advising...its AWFUL. We also should invest in more student housing. We don't have enough so we are putting students up in close-by hotels. When I say I go to VCU, no one really has a reaction, I'm sure they think I didn't get into another sschool, but VCU's accomplishments aren't publicized very much. I send a lot of time, in the Student Commons. Richmond, va is NOT a college town, but VCU takes up most of the city. It's also the largest employer in Richmond. VCU's administration is decent. Trani, never cancels school for weather because he grew up in the North East and believes the snow we get is a joke. The administration thinks greek life is a joke, so really doesn't do anything for/with them. Well, I'm nott sure what the biggest controversy is, probaly the disappearnace of Taylor Behl in 2005. We also get a lot of pro-lifers on a very liberal/ liberatrain pro-choice campus, thats always fun. We have school pride when it comes to basketball games. Everyone dresses in gold and goes to the game. Unsuall about VCU, we are an open campus, we know tthe names of the bums that hang out around here..haha. We have every different type of restaurant from every corner of the earth around campus, we have Nigerian, mediterranian, African, italian, chinese, japanese, anything you can think of. An experiance i'll always remember if move in day. Our freshman dorms are high rises, meaning there are 18 dorm floors. It was AWFUL. I'm not sure what the most frequent student complaint is....probably just student advising.
Maddie Junior
I think that the best thing about VCU is that it's in the middle of a city, and that you can easily escape campus and go wherever you want quickly. There's so much to do in Richmond, and students are rarely bored here. One thing I would change is to have more on campus housing for upperclassmen who don't want to live in an apartment or be an RA. The school is sized pretty well. VCU is the biggest school in VA now, but the school is actually large enough to accommodate that many students, so there aren't really any overcrowding issues. People usually assume that I'm an art major when I tell them I go to VCU, I'm actually an English major. The school has really good art programs, but I need something more grounded as a major that I can really depend on for a long time. I spend most of my time on campus in the dining hall, or in the commons socializing with the many new friends that I have made here at school. VCU has a "quasi" college town, in that the immediate areas around the school are mostly owned by VCU, or are apartments for students going to VCU. The school has less influence downtown or up by Carytown though. I haven't had much direct contact from the school's administration except for periodic emails sent to all students about upcoming events and such, but they do a good job of keeping the school in line, and safe. There was a recent controversy about a hazing incident with one of the fraternities on campus. They have since been placed on suspension. There is a TON of school pride for the basketball teams, and VCU homecoming is a one-of-a-kind event. Most student complaints are about freshman housing or the security guards on the first floor of the freshman dorms.
Drew Freshman
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