The best thing about VCU is probably that it is located in the middle of a city, so there is always something to do.
If I could change anything, it would be that VCU is WAY too focused on being "diverse". It seems like the school and much of its students don't even understand the meaning of the word. As a white student, I find that nearly everything from scholarship and academic opportunities, to many of the events around the school are designed with minorities (mainly African American) in mind. Most of the people that work at the dining centers are African American, and many many times they were quite rude to me. I also have a younger sister who is a freshman at the school, and she went to the school step show (which is kind of like a pep rally), however, she and her roommate were the only white people there. She later called me up crying, because a group of black girls had tripped her and called her a "stupid white girl" behind her back. I just wish the school would realize that racism goes both ways and try to serve all of its students and not just the minorities.
Since VCU is the largest school in VA with around 30,000 students, I would say it is definitely too large. The housing problem is terrible. I had to move into an apartment after my freshman year, because I couldn't get a dorm.
When I tell people that I go to VCU, the most common reaction is "Good for you. I could never live in the city." I can't say I really enjoy Richmond myself. Going to VCU isn't really any sort of major achievement. It depends on how well I know the person I guess, but since the acceptance rate is known for being so high, I've never gotten "Wow. You go to VCU!"
I spend most of my time on campus in the student commons, which is kind of a student hangout that has a Subway and a Chick fillet in it. It also has a small game room with pool tables and a one lane bowling alley. There are also a few classes in the commons. It's located just about in the center of campus, so when I'm waiting for classes, I'll often go there to hang out.
There is a joke that goes around VCU, where people say that VCU is going to own all of Richmond someday. I wouldn't call it a college town, but I wouldn't say "what college town?" either. VCU has a large presence in Richmond, but Richmond is also the capital of Virginia. I've visited other schools located in college towns and VCU certainly does not have the same feel. I'd say it's a very different experience then what college is generally pictured as.
I think VCU's administration is awful. Twice the school lost my high school transcripts and put a hold on my registration. I've also had problems with withdrawing from classes. Because the school is so large, it seems that each department operates on it's own, but when you have a question no one really knows what is going on.
I think the last big controversy at VCU was when Taylor Biel went missing two years ago. It made a lot of younger people afraid to come to VCU, and it also made people think Richmond was a dangerous city.
No. I do not feel that there is a lot of school pride. People tend to do their own thing. There are a few who attend basketball games, but I never realized how little pride there was until I visited friends at Virginia Tech.
VCU does not have a football team. The dean says he does not want our school to put more focus on athletics, but I think if we had a football team our school would have more pride.
I hate to be so negative, but I don't really think there is anything that special about VCU that will make me always remember it.
I think the most frequent student complaints are about how rude the people that work for dining halls are.