University of Richmond Top Questions

Social life is Richmond's largest downfall. Greek life is huge but everyone can find a place through club sports teams or one of the many other clubs on campus. The party scene is being heavily regulated by the adminstration and it puts a huge damper on the weekends. Students still find a way to party plenty. The enviroment is very play very hard work very hard.

I know in my hall, at least, when people are in them the doors are always open. It's been like that since the first week which is nice because Richmond does a great job of pairing up halls with people who have similar interests. All of my best friends live on my hall. At 2am on Tuesday, if I'm up which is unlikely, I'm probably doing work. Tuesday night is not a party night. Traditions: Pig Roast... The party schedule is on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday basis for the most part. Thursday's are a lot of socials (like dances) and then Friday and Saturday is when the frats open up their lodges. Fraternities host most of the big parties (like the lodges) but if you're not in a frat you can still get in and have fun. I'm not in a frat but I've got pretty much a friend in each one so it's fine.

Greek life is an important aspect of campus life. But our greek system here is very different than at most other schools. You do not need to be in a fraternity or sorority to enjoy many of the things that Greek societies offer. You also can be an independent and still have many, many friends. Greek life is just another opportunity to get involved and is an outlet for students who are interested in it. There are 3 reasons why I think our Greek system is great: 1. We have second semester rush, which means that when you come in as a freshman, you have an entire semester to figure out if Greek life is for you. You can also rush as a sophomore. 2. We have no Greek housing on campus, which really allows all students to be integrated all over campus. It is not as though the people in fraternities are segregated from everyone else. 3. We do have what are known as the Fraternity lodges. Each fraternity has its own lodge, which serves as a meeting room for the brothers and can also be a party room on the weekends. Lodge parties are where many of the weekend social activity takes place. At these parties, everyone at Richmond can attend if they would like to. It is not as though only certain people are invited to go to them; anyone can get in with their spidercard. Social life revolves around being on campus, which reflects the fact that 92{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students live on campus all four years.

The greek organizations at Richmond are great--prominent, but not over-whelming. I am in a sorority, but my three best friends are not. It's is totally 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} your choice. Most of the parties that exist on campus are held by fraternities, but you definitely don't need to be a member of a greek organization to go...it's a small school, so everyone's invited! Sororities are great. Very active and involved and just an awesome thing to be a part of. The majority of people that I know would not be scared to leave their doors unlocked. Everyone feels pretty safe at the University of Richmond. Huge party days are: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Yes, Thursday. However, pretty much any night of the week, you can find something going on. As a southern school, we have a lot of traditions. The girls have an event called "Proclamation Night" where we all dress in white, light candles, sign the honor code, and write letters to ourselves as seniors. The guys have "Investiture" which I guess is like the male version of Proclamation Night. They get all dressed up and sign the honor code. I love the southern traditions here.

social life is amazing, obviously... greek life is huge but not necessary to join

There are a good amount of different clubs and organizations on campus and its really fun to be apart of differnent ones to interact with different people. I suggest: international club, international business student's association, greek life, etc. Expect to do a lot of work during the week. If you are a procrastinator, expect a lot of all-nighters. If you want to be partying every night, join a sorority/fraternity. Richmond is a very safe campus, students are trusting and trustworthy. During nice days, downtown at the river is the place to be. They have concerts downtown and live music with drinks and just a lot of fun social events. Carrytown, shockhoe bottom, the fan, all fun places.

Fraternities and sororities run this school. Being an athlete I am unable to join a Frat but you are able to make friends with people within the Frats and Sororities and go to all their events. The athletic events aren't very popular because our basketball team isn't very good.

Lots of stuff to do, good sports teams generally, football is really good. Lots of parties, lots of activites provided by the administrations. Dorms and apartments are where most college life goes on, but all the facilities are great, especially new gym. Fraternities really carry the load of social life on campus as noone else throws parties, and they also get tons of crap from the administration, making their job harder and harder, but we find a way.

football games are well attended and kind of a big deal. attendance for every other sport is a joke. if you're not big into boozing you'd probably want to stay away. not uncommon for people to drink more than three nights a week.

Greek life is about 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body, but we do not have houses on campus. There is a lot of Greek pride, both for individual fraternities and sororities, but also collectively. We have six sororities and six fraternities now, as well as two historically black sororities. There are a lot of semi-formal socials, socials with themes that are invite only. But on a general Friday night, the fraternities have lodges on campus - which essentially is like a large club house. They are open to everyone. There are usually parties off campus at fraternity houses, as well. We do not leave our doors open in dorms. Our athletic events are very poorly attended. Our football games are tailgated - we dress up in sun dresses and nice khakis and collared shirts for the men, but when the game starts only half of those people go in and the other half that do go in rarely stay past half time. The dating scene is very slim! The boys really don't "date" until junior/senior year, if they choose to date at all. Most of my friends went all four years without a boyfriend on campus. Most of my closest friends and I met through living situations (being on the same hall in dorms) or through fraternity/sorority events. If I am awake at 2AM on Tuesday it is because I decided to go out to a bar or a party on campus. I would only be up that late due to academics if it's during Midterms or Finals, otherwise it is definitely a social reason. Every year we have Pig Roast (or Festivus -- it's new name). It occurs in late March. The fraternities open up at 11AM so we are usually up drinking by 9AM. The girls wear sundresses and the boys are in cute preppy clothes. We have it catered by a local BBQ place. All of the lodges open up with live music, good food, and lots of beer. We used to meet the apartments on campus and everyone would be in the parking lots hanging out but the police and administration got rid of that aspect this year for liability reasons. The lodges close around 4PM, people pass out for a nap and meet up downtown, again if they can rally. People party 3 times a week on average. It is usually Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night - but depending on class schedules and the semesters it can vary. There are the occasional Tuesday night Pong tournaments or whatever but they are definitely smaller parties contained to 30 people or less. Fraternities and sororities do not have to be important at all. Only half of our campus is involved. I am involved in a sorority, though, so I don't really know what the other half does. Last weekend went like this: Thursday night I went out to a bar with some friends. Friday afternoon we had a picnic at The River (a river with big rocks on it that you can tan on) and drank. That night we went out to dinner and drank a little more but went to bed around midnight. Saturday I studied a little, Saturday afternoon my friends threw me a surprise birthday party around 3:30. We drank, grilled food, hung out until late and went to a bar. Sunday we had brunch and watched Friends in bed all afternoon.

Social life- go to the bars the apartments off campus parties fraternity lodges - you dont have to be in a fraternity or sorority to have fun- but it sure does make it a lot more fun if you are.

A lot of students are involved in Greek Life, but you don't feel left out if you are not a part of a fraternity or sorority. I am an independent, and my friends are from a variety of sororities and fraternities. It's nice that we rush second semester of our freshman year because you already have a lot of friends, and you do not make your friends based on their Greek label. During the weekends we usually hang out in the dorms before going to an on-campus apartment or a lodge. Seniors can choose to live in on-campus apartments with a kitchen and living room, and they often register parties, which allows them to host students in their home with alcohol. Each fraternity has its own lodge. Lodges are a one-room house with a bar. The lodge parties are like high school dances with beer served to students aged 21 or older. During the week, we do a lot of school work. If we happen to have a light night or finish all of our work early, we rent a movie from the library or take a friend's car to Sheetz or Wawa.

I'm told we're pretty tame when it comes to parties and drinking, but I've got no way to prove it. Lots of people (4/5 of 'em) drink, but the number of actual drunks doesn't seem too high. Extracurricular stuff is pretty good and you can always start your own group if you're willing to go through endless red tape to get it after a year or so.

Greek life is huge. Rush happens in the Spring so you get some time to decide if it's right for you. As a girl who is an "independent" but whose friends are in sororities, it is easy to feel left out or different but fortunately any girl in a sorority probably has plenty of friends in different sororities or who are independent. Social life is concentrated on campus. Most parties on campus happen either in the on campus apartments or fraternity lodges (no Greek organizations are residential). If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, I have a big test the next day. If I don't want to drink on a Saturday night, it's totally normal to go out to the movies, go find a cool new restaurant with a friend (Richmond is loaded with them), or stay in and hang out with friends who also don't feel like going out and drinking. Athletic events aren't very popular, so if you're looking for a school with lots of spirit, look elsewhere. Richmond brings a lot of amazing performance artists (musical, theater, dance, etc.) and guest speakers that I wish more students would take advantage of. Performances are another good alternative Saturday night. It seems like most people make their friends early Freshman year, whether in orientation or in your dorm. Since housing isn't co-ed, students complain about segregation of the sexes. Dating isn't all that prevalent and I think a lot of people fall into the random hook-up trap (which I'm sure is the same at every school). The city of Richmond is great. There is a fun downtown scene (fraternities often host parties downtown and take shuttles of students), tons of great restaurants, excellent shopping, and beautiful sight-seeing.

Most popular groups- frats and sororities. Although athletes are cool, too, but they are their own group. Me and my friends alwaysss leave our doors open. Dating scene has a couple options. Either you date someone and get in a REALLY long term relationship, or you just hook up with random people. It really depends what kind of person you are. If you're not in a relationship don't expect to be taken out to dinner and a movies. If you're lucky you'll consider a date pregaming before the lodges. Socials are a lot of fun though. The frats and sororities each have about 3 socials each semester where you have to bring dates so those can be cute. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm probably doing work. Or drinking. depending on the week. Every year there's pig roast. that's a LOT of fun. girls wear sundresses boys wear pastels and ties and the lodges are open and people drink all day. usually people party thursday friday saturday each week. more or less depending on who you are but thats the average. There aren't frat and sorority houses so it isnt IMPERATIVE to be in one but its a lot of fun! I'd say its more important for guys to be in frats than girls in sororities because they are the ones that actually have lodges and throw parties. Frats are definitely more exclusive with just hanging out with eachother. Last weekend.. friday night was my formal and saturday night we pregamed in my dorm then went to the lodges. off campus- tiki bobs, element. thursday night we usually go to one of the clubs.

Greek life is the social scene on campus. Students leave doors open when they are there. Athletic event popularity depends on how good the team is and who they are playing, but not too popular overall No experience with Speakers/Theater Not too strong of a dating scene. Lots of movement from person to person Closest friends -- Greek 2AM -- studying or partying Traditions -- Pig Roast (Spring) Party -- whenever they don't have work and all Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays Greek is the major social scene on campus. Last weekend -- party Friday, Saturday afternoon and Saturday night Non-drinking -- Movie on Campus or go off campus Bowling, Food, Movies, Golf

I am involved in an Acappella group, and I love it. I feel like they are my family. Like I said before, this school is definitely a "work hard, play hard" type of school. There are always fraternity lodges and apartment parties on Thursday nights and weekends. The campus is so safe. We never lock our door, and I have walked back to my dorm room by myself at 3 in the morning without a problem. I have never heard of any incident otherwise. Greek life is big, but sororities cannot throw parties except for socials which usually happen 3 times a semester. Fraternities have lodges where they throw parties on the weekends and people dance and drink. If you don't drink, there are always movies and shows happening on campus. You can also use the city to find something to do, but drinking is big.

Fraternities and sororities are huge here. I think around half the girls are in some Greek organization and little less than half of the guys. The problem with the Greek organizations here is that they don't really know how to throw a good party. The parties are pretty weak comparative to other schools I've experienced. Add on top of that the fact that the fraternities are overflowing with a bunch of groupthink douchebags who think adhering to a frat gives them special powers is quite annoying and not conducive to your health if you cross them. I'm not the type to dislike Greek guys for being greek because I have experience with other schools. Its just the people aren't very nice here. On the whole, the social life is weak at best here. The parties are downright bad. Stick to a big school if you plan on being a big party person, trust me on that one.

People party on the weekends, and some thursdays. Its not a party school. Yes, we have a lot of fun / go out hardcore, but schoolwork is the priority. If you have a huge paper, you just don't go out that weekend. its that simple. Fraternaties and Sororities dominate college life. If you aren't into greek life, well, that just sucks for you. Lodge parties are the main weekend events. Apartment parties happen too, but again, they are usually thrown by someone who is greek-affiliated. Frat/sorority socials are also big things here. Sometimes there are downtown "richmond" events, but they are also sponsered by frats. you dont need to be involved in greek life to partake by any means, but its a huge thing. It's hard to go off-campus. It requires a lot of planning, money, or both. The bars/downtown are about 20 minutes away, so you have to get a cab (or convince a friend to DD). It's more of a hassle than anything, so basiclaly you're stuck in the bubble. If you're awake on 2 am tuesday, you're doing homework. Things non-alcohol related to do? There are lots of campus sponsered events - movies, speakers, lectures, music, outside festivals, etc. Some are better than others. There are 3 malls within 10 minutes of school, and a little town, so shopping is a big thing. So is going out to dinner - people LOVE to go out to dinner here. there's a river nearby where people go to swim/tan in fall and spring. Other than that, people really don't go off-campus all that much.

Sororities and fraternities are [unfortunately] the most popular groups on campus. They dominate the social scene/social ties. I think that people have to devote so much time to them that they don't get involved in other activities/multi-cultural groups, and thus there's this kind of divide between those in Greek life and those not. There are exceptions, of course, but I usually don't meet a Greek student unless he/she lives next to me or is in a class of mine. I'm involved in VOX (Voices for Planned Parenthood), SALSA (Spanish and Latino Student Alliance), and Ambassador's Club (where American students get matched up with international exchange/4-year students). The multi-cultural scene on campus is definitely improving, and I really enjoy participating in and attending different cultural performances to learn about other countries/ideas. I think it really depends on the dorm/hall as to whether or not students leave their doors open. Athletic events are so-so popular, but the administration is really trying to get students more interested in attending. There are toonnnnnsssss of guest speakers, educational, non-educational- they're great :) The dating scene... well, I've been in a steady long-term relationship, and there are definitely others on campus who are in the boat, but I still here more often than not about weekend hookups, etc. Because it's a closed campus, it's kind of hard to go on the traditional date, so the dating scene is definitely different than if you were living at home. I met my closest friends through organizations I joined. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, then I'm DEFINITELY doing hw/procrastinating on doing hw. People party Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Last weekend was our president's inauguration, so I went to all the events for that on Friday plus played some tennis, slept all day Saturday (it was a lonnngggg week), and mostly did hw on Sunday. Not too eventful, but then again it was my first free weekend in a long time and I wanted to just chill. This weekend, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to even get to hw with all the events going on!

social life is based around the friendships. THere are paties every week but they tend to get boring after awhile

If you are under 21, or do not have a car, there are usually three main social options for you over the weekends; the fraternity lodges, the on-campus student apartments, or the dorms. There are also usually other events going on during the weekends sponsored by the school or one of the many student organizations. Aside from tailgating for the football games, Richmond's school spirit is limited at many sporting events. The students have a lot of pride in their school, but would rather party than spend time at a sporting event.

No one goes to anything. If you want to actually be with people, get used to drinking cheap beer or going to overcrowded frat houses.

FRISBEE IS AMAZING! Ultimate frisbee is one of the most down-to-earth groups on campus and is a great way to exercise and meet great people! Nobody goes to sports games. Dating at Richmond is a lot like middle or high school - a bit juvenile. Males are generally immature and looking for a hook up and/or to get drunk. Not a lot to do that doesn't involve drinking.

The only social activities involve drinking and partying and richmond is even slowly taking those away. Doesn't look too good...

The Richmond social life is heavily greek oriented. Parties revolve around fraternities, sororities having no clear purpose for existing on campus. These parties are not exclusive but amazingly repetetive. Each one resembles another you had been to the night before. The students will forego and and all off-campus activities and the majority of on-campus ones in favor of these parties. Free concerts or movies that appear are shockingly underattended. Getting off-campus without a car is also extraordinarily difficult. The University likes to taut their "Spider Shuttle" available for students wishing to travel around town. However this shuttle is often cancelled, limited in its scope, and runs only at a few, rather inconvenient times on the weekend (not Sunday). The best advice I can give is to enjoy campus life for the first year and a half or two years while still taking advantage of what limited off-campus events or activities you can, then attempt to branch out into the community, moving off-campus by your Senior year. I would go so far as to recommend moving to the Fan, which will put you not too far from campus and allow easy access of city buses.

Its a pretty sporty place. most kids are fairly friendly. dating scene really doesn't exist first year, most girls are kinda superficial and dumbed down or if they aren't they are just into academics and don't do much else. if you're awake at 2 am on a tuesday and you're me, you're probably wandering around the dorm wondering what you are going to do and why you are here. People seem to party quite a bit, but not too much. On a saturday night, you can not drink and just hang around other people I guess.

Greek life is definitely big on campus. The fraternities are particularly important in the party scene, since there is no Greek housing, but the frats have lodges. People party there or at the senior apartments. If you don't want to drink, your options can be limited. You'll have to find a group of friends who don't want to drink either and do stuff on your own. Off campus there are a lot of things to do, but students don't take advantage of them. Intervarsity is also a large organization for those who are religious. Club sports teams also are a large group, as is WILL for women. No one really leaves their doors open after freshman year. If you're awake at 2 am on a Tuesday, you're probably doing a paper. Traditions at Richmond are one really cool aspect-for freshmen, there's Proclamation Night for women, where you write a letter to yourself that you open senior year, and Investiture for men; and the ever-popular Ring Dance, where junior women receive their class rings at a dance at the fanciest hotel in Richmond.

Fraternities and sororities play a large role in the social life on campus and I am involved with a sorority. It is definitely my main social network, but at the same time, I don't live with anyone in my sorority. Athletic events arent that popular but I attend them occassionally. I always go to the theater events and try to see as many guest speakers as possible. We always have really famous people come to campus so it is awesome to see them for free. I met my closest friends through my sorority and I never would have thought that would happen. I didn't even think I wanted to join a sorority when I came here, but the system is so differnt than what I'd heard. It's not catty and it's really simple, so I joined and found my best friends. The best tradition we have at our school is Pig Roast, or Festivus, as the administration calls it. It is a day in the spring when all the fraternity lodges are open all day with barbeque and bands and everyone on campus is invited to go hang out and party together all day. The party starts around 9 a.m. and doesn't end until Sunday.

A lot of Richmond students are involved in Greek Life. However, those not involved don't tend to support the Greeks on campus. We go to each other's events and help raise money, but it's hard to get campus support. Traditions: Besides Proclamation Night and Investiture - PIG ROAST! People go out routinely every Friday and Saturday. Thursday is becoming more popular to go downtown, and some people have friends over on Tuesday's to play pong. Last weekend: Sorority social at a club downtown on Friday, apartment party on Saturday. A capella practice on Sunday afternoon, AXO chapter Sunday night. Homework and hanging out sat. afternoon.

I play Ultimate Frisbee. Its a lot of fun and most of my best friends play too. We are fun and free spirited. We leave our door open somtimes, but most people don't. Athletic events are becoming more popular, it isn't really my thing though, I'm school spirited in other ways. Dating is wierd here. Its either you are practicaly living together or people just hook up randomly. I don't like it. I think its probably similar on other campuses though. 2am Tues- I must be doing homework.

Sororities and fraternities are very prominent on campus. I honestly don't know much about them but there are a lot of socials held and several people walking around with lovely Greek letters on their shirts. And I'm sure there's a hierarchy of groups and I know there are different difficulty levels and types of people who are chosen for each one. I just don't know which one is which. I am involved in Christian Student Fellowship (CSF). We get together once a week and have a home cooked meal, prayer and a message by a guest speaker or a student. It is a great time to come together and relax, talk about the week and get some encouragement. I am also involved in The Collegian as an Assistant News Editor and Reporter. I have only recently become involved but so far it seems like a close community. And, of course, if you want to be a Journalist it looks great on resumes and internship applications. There are a lot of parties, mostly in the University Apartments, I think, but we do not have what I would call a big party scene. Unfortunately we have had a rash of students having to be hospitalized for alcohol poisoning which disturbs me. Hopefully the administration gets to work on this and does what it can to prevent future incidents. *Hint hint* Again, why did I pay for that URAware class? Dating seems to be taboo on campus. Many people have significant others back home but I have yet to see a couple holding hands or kissing, etc. That's pretty unusual since I've been on campus almost everyday for the past six months, minus weekends and holidays. Maybe they all hook up on the weekends, I don't know. There is the walk of shame from Grey Court (Freshmen guys dorm) to the girls dorms that I advise all girls, especially Freshmen girls, to avoid at all costs. Just don't do it. Having a social life and being a good student is difficult and stressful but seems to be possible. It takes a good amount of planning and messing up before you figure it out but they tell me it helps in life after college.

I am on he Equestrian team and I love it. A lot of students don't even know our club exists- which just goes to show you how many clubs there are on campus! The team has about 35 girls on it (and guys are welcome but they just don't seem to join!) and we take weekly lessons with anywhere from 2-4 other people at a barn about 40 minutes away. Several weekends a semester there are horseshows you can go to if you want and there are occasional dinners and events throughout the semester. It's a lot of fun and a great way to get off campus and interact with other people and animals. Athletic events are not that popular. As a matter of fact, the University had to start providing incentives for students to attend basketball games this year and students still don't really go! Football games are pretty well attended but a lot of students go just for the tailgating and the first half and then leave before the game is done. However, basketball and football are probably the two biggest sports on campus. I met my closet friends through the Summer Send-off programs Richmond provides where students in an area get together for a small party to meet each other before they all get on campus. I also met many of my good friends through Orientation and from my sorority and classes. People party every weekend and there are always people partying throughout he week too. The weekend always starts on Thursday when people go the clubs downtown and then on both Fridays and Saturdays there are parties at either the Fraternity lodges or the upperclassmen apartments. Partying seems to be a way of life for a lot of people here and a way to go wild after a stressful and exhausting week of work. Fraternities are very important because they provide the majority of the parties on the weekends. If the lodges aren't open not as many people will go out. Sororities don't have houses so they generally don't throw parties unless it's unofficial at the apartments or a social off campus. However, both frats and sororities play a large part on campus with the frats providing more of a party scene and the sororities providing more of a community service oriented scene. When I go off campus I generally go to Short Pump Mall or to Broad Street because pretty much anything you want or need can be found there. Sometimes I go to Carytown with my friends which is a little less commercial and has more cute boutiques. Also, we go to the movie theater at the mall and to Target on Broad Street. Target is great for cheap clothes for socials, going out, or just lounging around! If you don't want to drink on a Saturday night you can go into the city, go see a movie, go to the mall, watch a movie in the dorms, or just hang out with friends. Although a lot of the weekend social scene does revolve around partying and drinking, there are still a good amount of people who don't go out and who you can hang out with. There is also a movie in the commons every weekend and a lot of times there are other school sponsored dances or parties that are fun and alcohol free. Sports events are also fun and you can also go to a restaurant off campus or even the Cellar, our school's pub, which has bands come every weekend. If you're awake at 2am on a Tuesday you're probably studying for a test, writing a paper, or doing some form of homework. Sometimes people are just hanging out, watching TV, or procrastinating (usually on facebook), but generally you're not awake on a Tuesday unless you have to be because of work.

The biggest recreational activity on campus is drinking. And unfortunately, the administration puts more effort into stopping students from chalking in the forum than they put into keeping kids out of the hospital from alcohol poisoning. On the flip side of the coin, there are plenty of other activities on campus to get involved in. I am in APO, the Richmond chapter of the national co-ed service fraternity. That constitutes one of my major extracurricular activities, but there are many others available. Athletic events are relatively popular, but the Greek life is even more so. Campus safety is ... ok. Vandalism is the biggest problem, so I feel relatively safe walking somewhere after dark, but I never leave my door unlocked if I can help it. Transportation off campus is practically non-existent and horrible when it does exist, so if you don't have a car, you're basically stuck here.

The social life is pretty good here. Freshman year you fall in love with the party scene because it is unlike most other schools. The fraternity lodges are on campus and serve pretty much as a free on campus club on the weekends. However, it can get a little monotonous once you get past the initial excitement. Thankfully, Richmond is a pretty big city and there is a lot to do there so if you get tired of the party scene on campus, there are typically things going on off campus. Fraternities and sororities are present but definitely not a way of life. There are no houses on campus so it really doesn't matter which one you belong to, if any. I am independent and my roommate is in a sorority but it doesn't change anything.

Frats have parties on Friday and Saturday nights at the Lodges, but other than that, the campus pretty much shuts down over the weekend. It's difficult to even find a place to eat: The Pier & 8:15 at Boatwright (the coffee shop) are both closed until Sunday night, and D-Hall doesn't open until 10:30 a.m. Frat parties are fun if there is good music to dance to, although it is sometimes annoying getting beer thrown all over you.

The fraternities are pretty popular on the weekends for the general school population because their lodges are open. Athletic events aren't really that well-attended unless they're well-publicized. I don't think the theatre events are frequented, either. I'm not sure about guest speakers seeing as I've never gone...but that probably tells you something, haha. I met my close friends through classes and living in the same hall. And, as embarrassed I am to say this, Facebook (which is the devil...sometimes). Some of my friends I met by just walking into their dorm rooms. I think most of the people keep their doors at least unlocked, if not open, depending on the dorm. LoRo's doors close automatically, so it's a pain in the ass to keep them open. I enjoy my sleep very much, so I'm not usually up at any time during the week at 2 in the morning. People party pretty much all the time, though, so if I WAS up at 2 in the morning on Tuesday, I'm sure I could find somewhere to party. I'm pretty sure there is SOME kind of party SOMEWHERE on every night of the week. Last weekend I was really boring, so we can talk about this weekend instead. I went to a rugby game last night and then to the Cellar with some of my friends. Tonight I went out for pizza and saw a movie. Tomorrow I'm going to the gym and then the basketball game, then maybe out to a friend's birthday party. Sunday is work day, so I'm getting together with some friends to do some homework. You can do anything you want on a Saturday night if you have enough friends. Just get a few of them together and play some games somewhere. Or rent a movie from the MRC and watch it (which you can also do alone). Off campus I spend too much money, so I try not to go there too often. Lot of trips to Wal Mart and Target and late-night Sheetz runs where you meet a good portion of your fellow Richmonders.

People in dorms don't leave their doors open very much. It depends on the hall. There are activities every week, you just have to be willing to find them.

Most popular groups: Anything christian Anything with alcohol involved I'm involved with Voices for Planned Parenthood which is self explanatory and Active Minds which helps people who do not feel accepted realize that they aren't alone and that they can find help with CAPS etc. Also to get the word out about mental illness on campus.I'm also in Asian Beat which is a hiphop dance group that uses asian hiphop or rap. Dorm Doors: They are always closed Athletic events... *shakes head* Guest speakers: we get some good ones. I have to say that's pretty good. Theater: Could be better Dating scene: The guys are immature and only here because they heard that all the girls were really hot. That's all I have to say. I go out with VCU guys. Closest Friends: I don't feel I have met my closet friends. My closest friends are in NY and it's going to be like that for the rest of my life. 2 a.m. on a tuesday... STUDYING FOR AN ORGANIC TEST! Traditions: Ring Dance (it's a debutaunt ball for junior girls, you all wear white and get escorted by your father/boyfriend down the staircase of the Jefferson and then the Dean of Westhampton college gives you your class ring.) Proclamation night: the first year girls wear white and write letters to themselves while the seniors wear their black grad robes and open the letters that they had written to themselves their first year here. You also learn about having Westhampton pride... blahblahblah. People party on thursday, friday and saturday night at two different places, the apartments or the lodges (frat houses). Note: no frat housing is allowed, they just have little houses to have parties, kind of like a club house. But none of the sororities are allowed to have houses... I hear it would be considered a brothel then or something by VA law. Greek Life is HUGE! last Weekend: I went to three different amazing concerts being put on by a lot of different groups. There isn't much to do on campus if there isn't drinking involved. Actually, go to the gym and play DDR. Off campus I don't do much other than go out to eat go to Doctors appointments and go shopping. We do have three malls within 20 minutes of campus. (they are the ritz too. It's rather ridiculous.)

Many of the closest friends I have at UR I met in my freshman hall last year or through my sorority. Freshman year residence life is great - at least in my girls' dorm, it seemed like one big slumber party. Everyone in my hall would always leave their doors open, and we would make the rounds before dinner or an event to see who wanted to come. We would also have late night "study parties" in our lounge at late hours of the night, where we would never really get anything done but shared lots of laughs. One of my fondest Richmond memories took place with my hall our first week here; we were supposed to be in class, but a huge hurricane descended on the area and the campus lost power. Our RAs had the bright idea to take us all down to the IM fields to go mud-sliding with garbage bags - it was the silliest and most fun experience ever, and after we all got back into the warm building and showered, we spent the day all piled into one person's room watching chick flicks. Even if your roommate doesn't turn out to be your best friend, I'm sure that you too will make lots of great friendships and memories with the other people in your hall. To anyone considering coming to UR, I would suggest making sure you have a car, unless you're an international or west-coaster like myself. Richmond itself does have a lot of fun things to do (most of them involving eating), and the campus provides limited shuttle services, but nothing incredible. And I would also warn you to be wary of the bus system here - last year, as a naive little freshman, a friend and I decided to try being independent and finding our way around town by bus. Let's just say it wasn't a good - or safe -experience. Off-campus there are a lot of fun things to do. The cute boutique and restaurant district is called Carytown, and it is home to the Historic Byrd Theater, which offers $2 second-run films in a charming venue complete with classic plush seats, a red velvet curtain, and a Phantom of the Opera-esque chandelier overhead. If you go on Saturday night, you will be treated to a pre-show performance by a pipe organist who rises out of the floor of the stage and is accompanied by a light show. Lining the street nearby are fun, unique restaurants and eateries, along with great opportunities to window shop. Downtown in Shockoe Slip/ Shockoe Bottom are some more great restaurants, bars, and the club scene. Richmond also has lots of great museums, from the Edgar Allen Poe museum to a respectable Fine Arts Museum to the Museum of the Confederacy. If you're looking for music, Toad's place is a newer venue in town that's finally been bringing in some good artists - including Guster last fall and Regina Spektor sometime this spring.