Question for someone who has attended/knows VCU

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This might sound a little silly to some, but I live in VA, and will be applying to PT school at VCU this summer. However, living in Richmond makes me a little nervous. I have always heard that Richmond is notorious for being “sketchy” and “unsafe”. Sorry to sound a little informal, but that’s just what I’ve always heard. I was wondering if I could get someone’s opinion of the area/campus who has actually gone to VCU? What's it like finding housing there? Does the living expense of living in Richmond off-set the cheaper in-state tuition rates? Thanks.

A lot of cities are going to have the words sketchy ect. associated with them just because it is a city. There are good parts and worse parts in every city. I have a few friends that went to VCU during their undergrad. They all lived on campus and all said that they felt safe living on campus. None of them lived off campus so I am not sure what that is like. I have never attended the school, but I have been to the school several times to visit friends or to go places around the campus, and I did not feel unsafe, granted the times I have been there were during the day. The areas I went to right next to campus were pretty trendy with a lot of eating places, shops, and a lot of people walking around outside, mostly young adults. I thought the area right around the school is nice. I am not quite sure what off campus housing costs in Richmond, but the on campus housing costs are reasonable, and their tuition is not bad either for a dpt program. I have heard great things about the program at VCU.

My son in law went to medical school at VCU and he tells me that it was not unsafe around campus as long as you use your common sense: don't go out alone after dark, don't wander into neighborhoods that you don't belong in, etc. You could say that about almost any large city though.

I just started the DPT program at VCU and had the same concerns when I was looking at the school. There are definitely some areas that I wouldn't want to walk in by myself at night, but I've never felt unsafe on/near campus during the day. If you don't mind driving to the MCV campus I'd suggest looking in Museum District/West End.

Originally Posted by member0000

This might sound a little silly to some, but I live in VA, and will be applying to PT school at VCU this summer. However, living in Richmond makes me a little nervous. I have always heard that Richmond is notorious for being “sketchy” and “unsafe”. Sorry to sound a little informal, but that’s just what I’ve always heard. I was wondering if I could get someone’s opinion of the area/campus who has actually gone to VCU? What's it like finding housing there? Does the living expense of living in Richmond off-set the cheaper in-state tuition rates? Thanks.

I was a little scared too when I was first coming here, but honestly you get used to it after a while. Just don't walk at night by your self. I've been here for four years and I'm fine. I actually like it because there are so many things to visit down here. Anyways, finding an apartment won't be hard either. You might not get luxury apartment, but the apartment are tolerable. Right now I am in studio in a basement, which seems a little sketchy at first, but I ended up liking it a lot. It's 630 a month , but does not include electricity.