Virginia Commonwealth University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Michael

Class: Freshman
Major: Other
Gender: M

High School: Grafton High School
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

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.

Academic Life

I usually take the time to get to know my professors. That helps out in the long run because you can then go to them for help with a study question, or to get assistance in understanding some new concept you are covering. My favorite classes are the ones that relate to my major. I love Political Science. My least favorite class would be the english class they require us to take. They recently overhauled the curriculum and completely changed the freshman english classes, and I don't particularly like it. That varies based on the person, just like it does at every single college. But the majority of students study for a couple of hours a day. And participating in class is a varied thing too. Some classes don't call for much pariticipation, but there are usually plenty of people interested enough to participate. I will talk to professors outside of class usually and visit them during their office hours.

Student Body

Being that VCU is so diverse, no one would really feel out of place. There are so many different races, religions, other groups that everyone will find someplace to fit in. The only person that might feel out of place is someone who fits into the "extremely preppy" category. Most students wear whatever they feel comfortable in. From sweatpants and hoodie, to slacks and shirt with a tie, I see it all every day. I see four tables in the dining hall. They are never the same. People almost always come with different people to eat and hang out. Students come from all over the place. All reaches of Virginia and there are always several from NC. Then there is a smattering of students from other states like Maryland. Financial backgrounds are as diverse as the students that go there. There are students who are totally dependent on financial aid, and there are students whose parents give them $1000 per month allowances. A large portion of the students are at least politically aware, though I wouldn't describe them as active. And while there are some right-wing conservatives, the majority of VCU are left leaning or strongly left minded.