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Admission Blog

2 Big Things Virginians Should Know About UR
If you’re from Virginia, you know that we have dozens of attractive colleges and universities. As a native of Williamsburg, Virginia, I was overwhelmed with the options when it came time to pick a college. With so many to choose from, distinguishing between different schools’ admission processes, financial aid, and overall benefits was tricky. The array of high-profile public universities can make it especially difficult to understand how private universities like UR fit into the mix.
An Ode to Richmond's Professor-Student Relationship
“Alexis is a chemist.” During a speech earlier this year, Dean of Richmond’s School of Arts and Sciences Patrice Rankine was speaking about a chemistry student named Alexis. He referred to her as a chemist rather than a chemistry student, and we’ve since used this example often to describe the academic experience at UR. You can find some pretty intriguing stats about academic life at Richmond on our website, but they won’t tell you the full story of what it’s like to learn here. Instead, it’s important to understand how our professors work with our students, empowering and partnering with them inside and outside the classroom.
Make the Most of Your Campus Visit
The end of summer is (almost) here. The time has come. You can now begin the final countdown to the start of the academic year – I know we have. We are excited to have students back on our campus with the palpable energy that they bring.As you begin to trade your beach towel for a backpack, fall marks one of the best times to visit those campuses on your college list. Students are back, classes are in session, college cafes are serving up pumpkin-spiced everything, and campus will feel, well, exactly how it will feel when you are a student. And while we know how busy the fall can be for you, finding some time to sneak away to see schools will absolutely pay off.So, when you are able to make it for a college visit (and we selfishly hope Richmond makes that list), here are three tips from a washed-up campus tour supervisor to maximize your time spent on campus.
A Summer Guide to Nailing Your College Apps
Rising seniors, while we hope (and expect!) you’ll enjoy some downtime this summer, there are a number of items that you can easily check off your summer to-do list.Unsure where to start? We’ve got you. Here are a few recommendations on where to begin as you start your college application prep. Just breathe deep and take it one step at a time.
Richmond Cares About Your Well-Being
Let’s get one thing straight: Richmond students are ambitious. For some, that means more than one major, or taking classes across schools to pursue multiple areas of academic interest. For others, it means leading student clubs or organizations, volunteering in the City of Richmond, and joining a club sports team. Regardless of what Spiders choose to pursue (which in many cases is all of the above), we know their health – physically, mentally, and emotionally – comes first. That’s one of the main reasons we’re building a new Well-Being Center on campus, which is scheduled to open in fall 2020. Attached to the Weinstein Center for Recreation, the new center will be the perfect spot for our students to tend to their health and overall happiness.
Regular Decision Admission and Merit Scholarships
On March 14, to commemorate #NationalSpiderDay (yes, we have the only mascot bold enough to compete with a day dedicated to pi(e)!), Regular Decision letters left the Office of Admission on their way to thousands of applicants waiting to hear from us in our final round of admission for the year.
For Those on the Fence
The start of January brings my colleagues and me to a critical crossroad in the admission cycle; the past months of intense travel and preparation for the Class of 2023 are more or less behind us, and the formerly far-flung reality of weeks and weeks of application review (we call this “reading season”) is suddenly, fully, and unequivocally upon us. The professional challenge for Admission Officers at the start of a new year isn’t just digging deep to review all application files by April 1. It’s the knowledge that, with an application deadline of January 15th, there are still students we’ve gotten to know and appreciate who have not yet applied to Richmond. And that, to me, is not so much a crossroad, as it is a colossal impasse. For those of you rounding out your college lists, still making decisions on where to apply, I know there’s not much I can do or say at this point to get Richmond definitively added to your list. But with a few days left until January 15th, a new year deserves a new attempt to show you why Richmond just might be the very place you belong.
A Parent's Perspective on the Admission Process
As a 7-year veteran in the world of higher education, I’ve watched many families tackle the college admission process. Parents help their students in very different ways but the one thing they all have in common –the hope that their child will be happy, healthy, and successful. So, what is the best way for parents to help their students during this momentous time? I am not a parent and do not pretend to understand the complexity of parenting a high school senior on the precipice of one of the biggest investments of time and money in their lifetime. Luckily, I have two uniquely qualified colleagues to dole out advice: Gil Villanueva, Associate Vice President and Dean of Admission; and Marilyn Hesser, Executive Director of Admission. Together, they have a combined 62 years of admission experience. Gil is parent to one college sophomore and one high school student. Marilyn is the parent of three young adults.
Answers to Your Toughest Questions About Richmond
I’m fairly new to our Office of Admission, but as a Richmond grad, I thought it would be pretty easy to answer students’ questions. And sometimes it was – questions about student life, the City of Richmond, or UR sports teams were some of my favorite. Other questions weren’t so easy. They got at the heart of what it’s like to be a student at Richmond, but required a lot of thought for me to answer. Here are three of the toughest questions I heard this fall, and my honest responses.
Take a Wrong Turn (And Other Lessons Learned from the Road of Recruitment)
Today marks week three of seven on the road of recruitment travel. My life is perpetually packed into a 14 x 22” carry-on, my waistline is suffering from a diet of Oats and Honey granola bars and vanilla mint Tic Tacs, and my distaste for airport travel is only counteracted by the fleeting moments of joy found following TSA on Instagram (an unexpectedly amazing account). After seven seasons of admission travel, you might wonder why I stick with this job. The reality is that the travel isn’t glamorous, nor is the paycheck large. But each and every year, I am motivated by the possibility of meeting future Spiders who will challenge my way of thinking, reveal new opportunities for empathy, and inspire the ambition I see so prevalent on our campus. And along the way, I’ve developed a few pieces of advice. Call them words of wisdom or mere musings of an admission counselor. But for what it’s worth, here’s my personal philosophy on how to approach the college search.

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