Hi Folks,
Let's not turn the interview thread into a Richmond-bashing thread
my feelings are getting hurt. I grew up in Richmond and went to VCU. I live in Manhattan, now. I will say that if you want dirt & filth, you can focus on it in any city. Im proud of Richmond and my education at VCU - it's a large institution thats combined with Medical College of Virginia.
Now, I think Richmond is one of the most beautiful cities, full of history. It has pretty parks, decent museums, and a lot of culture. Its small enough to navigate, but large enough to offer diversity. Its affordable and there are plenty of choices in the city and surrounding counties to find a place to live that suits your needs. "The Fan," which is where VCU is located, is an awesome neighborhood with cool restaurants and lots of character I lived there AND never had my apartment broken into (hint: dont leave your windows open, doors unlocked, etc. little joke about city safety). MCV is located downtown, which is like any metropolitan area. You just have to be smart and not put yourself in strange situations at odd times. When addressing the crime rate, you have to look at the crimes per capita and weigh the population numbers. You would not have cause to go to the neighborhoods where the crimes are concentrated unless you choose to do so.
If I were offered admissions to VCU's doctoral program, I would most likely accept from what I know of the program during my undergraduate exposure to faculty, etc. However, for other reasons unrelated, I did not apply there. I would not turn VCU down because of its location. But, that's me...and may look at things differently from others. 😎
Good luck when weighing your alternatives because I think it is worth consideration.