Virginia Commonwealth University Top Questions

Strong research focused academics with top public colleges (art, education, etc.) in the nation

They are very challenging no matter what major you choose, but as long as you make time and take the effort to study for those classes it shouldn't be a problem for you to be successful in any of your courses, plus the university has two libraries on both campuses with plenty of space for you to be able to study.

The classes range from very difficult to very easy. The professors are great and I feel like I'm getting the quality education I was promised when I started going to VCU.

Challenging yet incredible

The strong bod between you and your professor is awesome.My best class so far is Statistics!

As an English as well as a Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies major with a Psychology minor at VCU, I believe I have a well rounded view into what the academics are like at VCU. First, I have to say how amazing the departments of my majors are. They are absolutely phenomenal in advising, the variety of professors and the standards they uphold. I have never had a bad experience in either of those departments and they have overall helped me grow as personally, professionally, and as a student. The professors have really changed my life for the better and I am so proud to say that I have been a part of their influence in my years. I am a very engaging student and have found that you receive out of courses what you put into them. If you are excited about the course material, and even if you aren't, and participate, ask questions and do the course readings, you will do well. Some classes can be very difficult but there are resources outside of the classroom to always help offset that balance, like the student center, the writing center and SI sessions that many students take advantage of. Depending on which classes you attend, you may find a class where all of the students verbally participate or you may find classes where nearly no one participates or it is a lecture class where it is the teacher's responsibility to give out information. Either way, the learning and teaching styles are different and change from classroom to classroom. I am a student whose name gets tossed around with my professors because I do participate and I prepare for class, sometimes helping instruction. I succeed by being engaging in my classes. But one of the greatest things about the academic component of VCU is the fact that the classes do keep students thinking. Students carry the conversations from their classes into their lives and challenge the views of others, based on their new enlightened opinions. I think that is one of the most important parts of being in a university of this size, all of the learning cannot take place in the classroom and because of that it is up to the student to take class learning and apply it into their lives and some professors really help to do this outside of classes. They are readily available during office hours and if requested, some are willing to meet to go over things in different settings and I love that fluidity with classes. As a graduating senior, I feel like the academic requirements fit well for students at VCU. The general requirements make sure that all students have the skills needed to move forward at the school and take those skills outside of the university and once you get into your major the classes are geared toward helping you grow in your chosen area. So I like the academic requirements. Plus the minimum GPA really isn't that difficult to achieve if as a student you do what you need to for your classes and actually attend them. Now looking into where the education is geared, it really depends on the student and their own interests. VCU offers such a variety of classes that it is up to the student to choose ones that will profit them educationally and professionally for the future. It is their own responsibility.

The academics are challenging, but rewarding

Even though VCU is the largest university in Virginia, the class sizes, with the exception of most introductory classes, are quite small. All of my in-major classes have been made up of 25 students or fewer and the professors have all gotten to know us on an individual level. Class discussions are usually encouraged and help make up your grades and all of the professors I have had in my time here (I am now a senior) have been very approachable. As a student in the School of Social Work, I am required to hold an internship that counts as a class credit but that you go to off campus. This has allowed me to apply what I have learned in my many classes to actual social work situations which will definitely set me apart from other students when I am applying to jobs as well as graduate programs.

10/10. Amazing and worth the horrible city/local people. My professors know me very well and care about what I do with my life. I am majoring in Applied Mathematics and minoring in Homeland Security, because I want a job out of college. If you're set on being an art major, so be it...VCU is your school, but be prepared to get scrutinized for choosing to major in art. And for the record, I am a 3.8 student, with numerous extracurriculars. The only students that are capable of having intellectual conversations are in the School of Government and the Engineering/Science/Med. students. Don't ask an art, education, fashion, music, or mass communications (absolutely) student because you'll just get frustrated.

10/10. Amazing and worth the horrible city/local people. My professors know me very well and care about what I do with my life. I am majoring in Applied Mathematics and minoring in Homeland Security, because I want a job out of college. If you're set on being an art major, so be it...VCU is your school, but be prepared to get scrutinized for choosing to major in art. The only students that are capable of having intellectual conversations are in the School of Government and the Engineering/Science/Med. students. Don't ask an art, education, fashion, music, or mass communications (absolutely) student because you'll just get frustrated.

The academics are great. There are a lot of lecture classes and also small classes. It is easier to get to know your classmates and professors in a small class. I am in the Liberal Studies for Early and Elementary Education program, so most of my classes are specific to the LSEE major. They are smaller classes and we get to really know each other.

VCU enters you into the school easy and gradually expects more of you with the assistance of teachers. Really good resources to help your transition and keep you doing well.

Everything at VCU is exactly what you make of it. You will reap exactly what you sow. If you attend every class, attend office hours, and study hard, you will pass the class with ease and you will be able to go back to that professor in 3 years for a recommendation letter. If you skip classes and do the bare minimum to pass your class, your grades will be mediocre. The most challenging and unique class I am taking right now is Formal Logic. We are learning how to put philosophical arguments into prepositional calculus to test their validity, or to check the inferences. Students are very competitive, but you will see some apathetic slackers every now and then. Education is geared toward learning, however, VCU has a career center that you can visit up to a year after you graduate that will do free resume reviews and mock interviews to help you find a job after graduation.

The reason we all attend college is definitely for a degree and so academics is at the forefront and should be for each student. VCU is a school that offers such a wide variety of degree programs ranging from theater and music to degrees in medicine and foreign languages. The spectrum is so wide. The school of engineering within VCU is not that large and so it's quite easy for professors to know who you are. My favorite classes have definitely been Cell Biology and Survey of West African History. For me cell biology was great because you could feel the enthusiasm from the professor and she was so relatable and so easy to talk to and I believe that she was a great teacher. Survey of West African history was great, again the Professor was awesome and he made the subject so understandable. The information we gained from the class was tremendous but it was the kind of knowledge that you would always retain and never let slip into your distant memory. The library on campus is always packed and so you can tell that students do take their classes seriously and they do study. However, there is a dire need for more library space or possibly a new library on campus. Nevertheless I find that students find so many different places to study whether its in the library, I'm the corner of an academic building or on the grass under a tree on a nice day. I believe that depending on which classes you take there is class participation. VCU's degree requirements are different for each major but for specifically for my major I can agree that the requirements were fitting, I would only add that we should have been required to do an internship. VCU's academic environment is one that is fitting for a student who is focused and wants to get the best education possible while being at a school that provides for your needs and takes your suggestions into serious considerations for constant improvement. Also VCU's career center and career fairs ensure that students have opportunities outside of school and when they graduate so their concern is placed on you while your there and ensuring that you also leave well.

As an art student here, I couldn't be happier. The resources and faculty are outstanding and I have been pushed well beyond my comfort zone as an artist, and have benefitted immensely as a result. My fellow students are definitely open-minded. There are so many creative kids and great ideas here, it's nothing less than inspiring. Not a day goes by that I'm not amazed by something, whether that be artistic or not. Actual academic life here is... well, quite honestly, I wouldn't really know. I've only had to take the *very* basics when it comes to actually academic classes, like general education classes such as Bio 101, etc. I really am not qualified to comment on the academics here, and I don't think it's fair for me to remark on what is essentially just hearsay. I've heard a lot of complaints from people who are not enrolled in art/medical majors, but also some good things as well. Just like in all other universities, there are very good and very bad professors. The further you get into your education, usually the better and more considerate the professors become.

I like my classes for the most part. I enjoyed my large classes, which were 200 to 400 people but as my gen. ed. classes got done with, my classes got a lot smaller, anywhere from 15 to 30 but also some that are 60 or 70 people. I have good relationships with a good amount of my professors that i would feel comfortable emailing about something, asking them for help or support, or going to talk to in person about another class or a recommendation, or even just to say hi, even though i dont have them in class anymore.

With all the fun and games at VCU, there are always students studying and hitting the books. With dozens of academic buildings and several libraries, VCU students spend a vast amount of their time researching material and taking notes for their classes. There are an infinite amount of tools and resources available to students and facility. All buildings are equipment with state of the art computers, science labs, foreign language labs, libraries, and much more. VCU is just the right size, with classes ranging from 25 to 200 students. Teachers are friendly and often take the time to get to know their students individually. No matter what your field of study is, VCU gives you the education to excel to a professional level and meet your longtime goals of academic success.

100 and 200 level classes are lecture halls, with anywhere from 100-500 students. once you get more focused on your major, the classes get smaller, which is good.

It was okay. I took mostly large classes, so there wasnt bonding between students and teachers and so forth. I didn't really enjoy the way the professors taught in some on my classes. I liked the requirements, there werent many, we had more freedom to do and take what we wanted.

I've only been here for 2 semesters and I have only had awesome professors. I had a man named Dr.Wood for my international social justice class and that was an amazing class! He was so fun and told great stories. It really did open my eyes to different issues. Honestly, I have been lucky with professors. They have been great and a few of them do know my name and i have had conversations with them out of class. My GPA after my freshman year was a 3.9 and that's because I studied almost everyday. It really is important to study. I love my major and all the classes i have taken so far. I'm honestly satisfied with the academics at VCU. There is always help available is you are doing poorly in a class. There is free tutoring and a writing center on campus.