Virginia Commonwealth University Top Questions

To be honest I really have not heard much about the stereotype of VCU students and if there is a common stereotype amongst students, no one really told me what it was! So I really cant say if its accurate I know but I do know that on this campus your free to be you, people may not always agree with who you are or what things you're into but everyone has to live their life and whether it's right or wrong that's on you..the consequences always follow..

everyone thinks this school is full of indie-culture art students, but that is definitely not the case. VCU does not have any stereotypes. We have 33,000 students.

I guess in a way, they are- but no one stereotype prevails here. There definitely are a lot of idiots here, but there are also a lot of very brilliant and talented people as well. There are "rejects" from other universities, but there are other people who made VCU their first choice- like me. There are pretty fair amounts of liberal and conservative people here and though there are definitely a lot of "art freaks", there are many preppy and "normal" kids, as well.

i would say no. My classes are hard and if you werent smart you wouldn't pass them but also i chose to go here because i liked the campus and the diversity, the mix between city and a college campus but not too much of a big city is awesome, unlike uva and va tech which are college town and not much to do there. With the whole violence thing, ive seen it and heard about it but if you make good choices and don't put yourself in bad situations than you have nothing to worry about. THere are also a lot of safety services that vcu offers and you should use them when you are in need.

No, VCU students have an array of academic majors. VCU students specialize in fields of medicine, art, business, engineering, education, advertising, and social work; just to name a few. VCU is best known for these majors and many others. The undergrad and graduate programs for these majors are among the best in the nation.

for the most part, yes... it's a VERY diverse campus which is GREAT

yes

not sure have not started school yet

Not really, VCU is located in the city of Richmond and any city isn't completely safe. Luckily VCU is located in the Fan area and that's the safest part of Richmond. The other surrounding neighborhoods are alright, and at night time, it's better to walk in a group. That's common sense though, in any city it's best to not be alone at night. The party stereotype isn't true either. There are of course parties, but they are not very wild and every night. There is so much to do in Richmond other than party.

not with everyone, this school is very diverse and filled with different people and a plethora of backgrounds

To a point, but there are also a lot of business majors, as well as journalism and pretty much any other major you could want.

It is somewhat dangerous but it's just like any other campus. It's not more because it's in the middle of the city. If you stay smart & take percautions, you will stay safe.

No

There are all realllyy exagerated and are all so untrue...College life is what you make of it. If you hang out with a certain crowd that leads you to negative things, that's on you...the area of downtown richmond close to VCU buildings does have a history of shootings, but that was at least 10 yrs ago or more (which i read in an article) but everyone knows that you're not supposed to wonder alone at night in any city.

NO WAY. VCU has one of the best medicine programs in the nation...

No, professors always have time to talk to students during office hours.

Yes! Everyone I have met is welcoming and very encouraging to new students and whatever stereotypical choices they make. I love that I don't feel the need to fit in; I can always be myself.

Not at all. VCU has been and continues to clean up the community and we have some very good programs. 3rd ranked Art school in the Nation (#1 public)

The party school thing is true,the girls are not loose, andthe schoolwork is not that hard you just have to really apply yourself

Its diverse but not as bohemian as many would think.

Richmond isn't dangerous unless you go out in the middle of the night alone into stupid places where the cops aren't monitoring. There are so many cops there is hardly anything to be afraid of. It has its ghetto areas but overall the campus is amazzzing! Being in the city is so enjoyable. Most everyone that applies gets in but the dumb/lazy people usually drop out after the first year. Unlike other schools in Virginia, VCU accepts people with GPAs that aren't perfect but as a result everyone gets a second chance to succeed academically. I had a 3.4 in high school and I didn't get accepted to a lot of schools I applied. I didn't work as hard as I could have but after getting college I tried and it was awesome to have a chance to do that.

No stereotypes are correct. I don't believe in them.

fairly

Yes, both have their positive and negative aspects.

The VCU student stereotype is typically accurate only to those students from the Richmond area. Not all VCU students are hipsters. The student body is actually extremely diverse, and you rarely see a group of students who all have the same style. The VCU student body is what you could call very mix-and-match. The university is very arts-oriented, but our MCV campus proves that we are not limited to the arts alone.

Not 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}, but the art students do add a certain flair to the school, and the rich white kids...well, they need to learn how to cross the street.

Yes.

unknown

I think a lot of people think that VCU is an easy school, but in reality it's not. I'll admit that its not difficult to get into, but just because they're willing to give people a chance it doesn't mean they have lowered the bar.

pretty much, but definitely not always.

Somewhat, but not totally. I feel like these over-shadow the other students.

Yes and no. They aren't bad stereotypes in my mind.

it is a very competative school, especially in certain majors like prehealth and art. there is a wide range of people here.

These two stereotypes couldn't be more wrong. Yes, obviously there are parties at VCU, as there are at any college, we have a rather vibrant Greek life here on campus which contributes some to this but not majorly. However, the vast majority of the students at VCU are not all about partying. This school is far from a party school. Since we are a state funded university, many of the students that attend VCU are first generation college students, who usually are extremely motivated to do their best in their academics. They don't have time to party nor do they even desire to do so. When you're paying for your education, or someone else is gracious enough to pay for it, you certainly need to have your priorities straight about why you are attending college. I feel like most of the students at VCU know this and feel the same way. But, it isn't only first generation college students that work hard. I'd say the vast majority of the students at VCU work hard, even the ones that do party occasionally. I can't say that every student at VCU is so committed to achieving their degree, but the point I am trying to make is that despite our relatively low graduation rate, the students that do graduate have put forth a lot of effort to do so. Effort that only comes from student who don't get distracted by partying every weekend. In a way, our low graduation rate proves that VCU despite maybe being easy to get accepted in to, is not an easy school. Students don't come here and expect to just get spoon fed their degree, and those that do quickly get put in their place. You have to work hard at this university, the students know this and they know their isn't time at VCU to make it a party school. For the other stereotype about VCU students being dumb... I think this comes from our high acceptance rate of students, which does keep our acceptance GPA sorta low. But that has nothing to do with the quality education that VCU provides or the quality students that choose to attend VCU. A lot is going on at VCU and the school has put forth a lot of initiative to improve not only the school's image but the Richmond community's image as well. With all this, VCU is improving everyday! The 2020 plan that VCU has set up will probably make VCU one of the most attractive schools in the country, and definitely in Virginia. There's nothing wrong with a high acceptance rate here at VCU. Being a state school, its objective is to educate Virginia residents and that's what VCU does. So what if it take a lot of Virginia residents? That doesn't make this school any worse than any other state school in the country, so assuming that VCU students are dumb, just because we don't have the highest entrance GPA for incoming freshman is just erroneous. I can almost guarantee that after attending VCU, students will come out with a much more realistic view on life than they will from any other university in the state, simply because of where VCU is, what VCU is and why VCU is.

Only half the time.

Of course not.

I think that more and more schools are being more strict on who they let into their school not just VCU but as an overall. Schools are getting harder to get into because they are raising their standards which is a good thing. I think that VCU is very diverse and that is its major strong point. You can find just about any type or person and personality here.

no, but with only one eye looking at the camnpus one could definitely get this opinion. some students are here on scholarship, but a good portion of VCU students come from upper middle class families. there are artsy students with pink hair, but they also stand out against another student who is blond. there are plenty of student activities; however, they are not always advertised in the best manner. Also, the university hardly likes to back anything student led.

About 60 percent of the time. it's your first choice, or it's your last.

It is generally a good school and not as easy as some say. It is safe if you can be smart in a city.

In my first year here I have been exposed to a LOT of experiences on and around this campus. I joined a fraternity, and I got to meet a lot of older guys and I have found them to be some of the most intelligent people I know. VCU is attached to the Medical College of Virginia for a reason. That reason is because VCU consistently turns out competent, intelligent individuals that do well in medical school. The only reason it is usually "easy" to get into VCU is because the school is so diverse. Once you are IN the school, it takes plenty of hard work to actually go anywhere. As far as the violent aspect of VCU. That is ridiculous. VCU has one of the largest college police forces in the country, and they work in close proximity and train with the Richmond Poice Department. They take good care of the students at VCU and they are never far away. VCU itself has made leaps and bounds. The University is constantly buying up the area around the school so that they can expand and make richmond a better place to live. The residence hall security is incredibly tight, so the students can sleep safely, and there are a number of services available should someone feel unsafe making a walk in the dark around the city.

for some, but generally, not really.

1. Yeah, there are a lot of "different" art students there. VCU is known for a unique sense of fashion amongst the artsy students. Some people like it, others don't. Being an art student myself, I find that I don't really fit into that crowd, but then again, I wouldn't call myself "artsy."

Nah. I could have gone to any school I wanted but chose VCU b/c they gave me a scholarship

Yep. Many are all three.

I would say to a point they are accurate. The "scene kids" hang out all the time in public in front of our dining hall. So it makes it look like there more of them.

There are instances of violence and times when you are asked for change, but just like every other place in the world, these things happen. We're in an urban setting and that's something that occurs in all urban settings.

The school is actually very welcoming and equally divided among foreign students, ethnic students, and Caucasians. To some, it might be a culture shock when you first come here, but it's not much more mixed than other schools. People generally get accepted here as freshman, but if you're not willing to put in a lot of work in your classes, you're going to fail out as many do.

Yes and no: we have every type of person imaginable, so if you're not open-minded, we can come across as "Weird"! It all depends on your point of veiw, and if you're looking to have your world veiw challanged, VCU is the place to start.

The art community is pretty diverse with a wide spectrum of bathing schedules. Kidding aside you literally can't fit all of them in one category. Same for almost every other student at VCU. While its true the acceptance rate is quite high, the dropout rate is only slightly lower. VCU's tougher academically than people would be willing to admit: they'll give you a shot but staying in is easier said than done.