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Admission Blog

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.
"How's Your Biology Program?" (And Other Not So Awesome Questions)
We’re still awaiting cooler fall weather here in Richmond, but our students have returned to campus! That also means that our Admission Officers are gearing up to hit the road and visit your high school, college fair, or your neighborhood coffee shop for a quick Spider Chat. Whether you are a senior polishing your admission essay or a junior starting the college search process, fall is a great time to make connections with your admission officer at the University of Richmond and other colleges you might be applying to this fall.
UR: Small College, Big Sports
If you know anything about the University of Richmond, it’s probably that we’re a highly selective liberal arts school... but our 17 Division I sports teams are the real deal, too.
Mythbusters: Increasing Your Chances of Admission
“How can I improve my chances of admission?” I usually start to hear that question around this time of year. By October, I’m hearing it on an almost daily basis. It’s understandable that this is one of the most common questions we get from high school seniors beginning the application process – guidebooks, web searches, and the media would have you believe that there are a myriad of hidden tricks that can significantly boost your odds of getting in (if you could just figure out what they are).

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UR Admission Twitter

Meet Heather Selby, our newest admission counselor! She's been an intern with us for years and now she's stepping i… https://t.co/8Jsvi4N2J2
RT @OHara_HPS: Thank you @urichmond @URAdmission for an amazing visit to your wonderful University - a true gem! @HPS_HSGuidance @HPS_HSGui…
Coming soon: we'll be highlighting each admission counselor, which regions we cover and a little more about why we… https://t.co/Qb64COTJv2
Just a little over ten days left until Virginia Private College Week begins. Remember you can visit 3 schools and e… https://t.co/36VudKaeUG
We love adding new partnerships! Check out this press release about our new connection with The Cristo Rey Network: https://t.co/yRSZeoU3Ru
Registration for PREVIEW RICHMOND has officially opened. Click this link to learn more and reserve your spot today:… https://t.co/Jc5h9KJcKO
#URSpiderSupplement Question #3: You are required to spend the next year in either the past or the future. To what… https://t.co/XFKBBsGdW9
RT @e_lopezlopez: @URNews2Use Gibran Merchant, Ana Shimeall, Reuben Davis, Jack Drake (‘20), and Elizabeth Lopez-Lopez (‘21) in Peru with R…
We've got lots of really exciting changes going on in our office this summer. Stay tuned this month to see and hear… https://t.co/d9DS4ZDqUm
RT @urichmond: Welcome to the #SpiderFamily, Dean Quiñones! 🕷❤️💙 https://t.co/WSw7KNKxOu
#SpiderSupplement Question #2: By the time you graduate from college, there will be jobs that don’t exist today. De… https://t.co/58jAaRj5bj
Fridays are for FUN! And that's one of our top secret summer app tips: "Have fun! We can’t overstate this enough.… https://t.co/2DKDO0uGtY
#SpiderSupplement Question #1: What is an urgent global challenge or social justice topic about which you are passi… https://t.co/JXrbFZ65yl
A snippet from our recent blog with summer app tips: "Finalize your college list. Visit the website (or better yet… https://t.co/TIM0aVXIyH
Guess what? If you already peeked at our supplement questions, you're in luck because all three Richmond Question e… https://t.co/fZiomaFaHQ
Save the date for the first Preview Richmond open house of 2018-19! #Richmond2023, registration will open closer to… https://t.co/UFP6G1x2h0
We're about a month away from one of our busiest visit days of the year, Virginia Private College Week. Visit 3 sch… https://t.co/6BDkIzh1W2
For all the planners out there, dates for 2019-20 open houses have been posted! #FutureSpiders, registration will o… https://t.co/lbsrE8j3Go
Wednesday's are for WRITING and that's another one of our summer app prep tips: "Write your Common App or Coalition… https://t.co/amZrI1h82n
Here's to healthier, happier students! We just received more renderings of the Well-Being Center and this time ther… https://t.co/2l1fuU997o

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Summer Visit Opportunities

Campus visits are available to all prospective students on most weekdays throughout the summer.

The next Preview Richmond open house will take place on Friday, August 30.

Richmond Videos

Class of 2019 'Spiders Take on the World'

"It's an ending and a beginning, simultaneously." See what the Class of 2019 had to say about their time at Richmond, what's ahead for their futures, and what they'll miss most about the place they call home.

34th Annual Student Symposium, School of Arts & Sciences

University of Richmond's Princeton Rankings

The Princeton Review - College and Beyond has named UR as the No. 3 Best-Run College in the 2019 edition of "The Best 384 Colleges" college guide.

University of Richmond 'Move In Day 2018'

We welcomed the Class of 2022, which is among UR's most academically talented.

Commencement 2018

The University of Richmond’s Class of 2018 is heading to coveted jobs and graduate schools all over the world. But as any alum will tell you, the Spider connection is for life.