University of Richmond Top Questions

NO! There is so much financial aid and admission is need blind.

yes

A sizeable portion of the students attending do come from very economically comfortable families and areas. And, because it is a smaller school, the majority of the kids do happen to be caucasian. However the stereotope of being snobby or exclusive is completely untrue, and in fact there is a welcoming atmosphere to the more diversity on campus (diversity in every sense, not just cultural). Therefore, the stereotypes are not accurate, as one will soon find when attending the school, as the vast majority of students are very openminded and extremely friendly.

Yes but we work hard for our playtime.

The stereotype that everyone is rich and snobby is definitely inaccurate. Because we are a private school, there is bound to be rich and preppy people who are able to pay the ridiculous high tuition (although URichmond offers a lot of grants and scholarship). Not all "rich" students are not snobby but they may be ignorance or a bit close-minded. Of course, there are many great people at Richmond who are fun and quirky (like me!). Many are also brilliantly smart. Yes, some people dress up for classes and football games (sundresses and collared shirts, not me though).

I think the stereotypes are fairly accurate, however there are always exceptions. While I think a large majority of students are very preppy and wealthy, there are certainly people who do not fit a stereotypical mold.

For the most part.

To be quite honest, it's mostly true. A lot of the students here, like me, are here on a scholarship--but if you aren't able to keep up the pretense that you have a lot of money, expect to be ostracized and miss out on a lot of off-campus social get-togethers. The surrounding area, Carytown, is full of really neat places to shop and eat: but only if you are pulling in some serious cash. There is also a lack of diversity on the Richmond campus--whether that diversity is socio-economic, racial, or religious, there is a lack of it here. Most of the students here are white, very well off, and christian. (The campus tries to give off the impression it's accepting to all cultures and religions, but the pretense is constantly being unshrouded with a huge christmas tree in the dining hall in December, or the fact that a lot you never see the international students mingling with any students native to the US)

Partly

Yes, though the majority of students tend to be quite affable. A lot of them are realistic and down to earth despite their mostly sheltered and priveleged upbringings.

for the most part, they're not. the school is comprised of a lot of well-off people, but more than half the people i know on campus have some kind of financial aid. it is preppy, but there's no pressure to dress like everyone else. my roommate and i are in love with our richmond sweatpants and wear them as much as humanly possible. it's also not as conservative as you'd think either. i've met a few zealots leaning left and right, but most people fall into the middle.

Richmond does have a lot of students nowadays from the Northeast, but for me that's not an issue being from New Jersey. There is an effort underway to increase racial diversity, as many view this as an issue. I would point out that there is a great international program in which students from other countries come and spend a semester or more at Richmond. Also, while you'll find a lot of preppiness and there is plenty of wealth, Richmond is surprisingly affordable when you factor in financial aid. Don't be scared by the sticker price. Few people are paying $50k a year; most students receive one or more types of financial aid, often including grants and scholarships that don't have to be paid back.

YES!!

Sometimes it can be true, but for the most part, most of the people on campus are cool.

Mostly. The student body is very homogeneous, and the cafateria especially is split into subsections of where students usually choose to sit with the same races. For example, most of the white kids sit together, most of the black kids sit together, and most of the international students sit together. Many students in the university do lack the ability to think creatively and analytically and choose to memorize material. This is not very different from any other school though.

They are somewhat true, but not to a fault. Yes, there are a lot of people with a lot of money, but there are also plenty of people who are not, and a good amount of people of regular economic standard. Because it's a small school, it might take a few trials to find your perfect group of friends, but there is no real exclusiveness prevalent, and most people and parties are open to any and all who wish to come.

Sometimes, but not always

Of course some people fit into those categories, but I've met so many different people and personalities at Richmond that the majority stereotypes don't bother me. But let's be honest, its a 50 grand a year school, many of us are well off financially, but many of us, myself included, have worked my ass off to get and stay in this school.

YES VERY TRUE

There are a lot of rich students, but not everyone is. The preppy stereotype isn't really true-of course there are people who are preppy, but a lot of people just dress really well. They are stylish and fashionable.