As the may 15th deadline approaches, people with multiple acceptances have to make a decision. This is for all those people who are on the fence between VCU and another school:
Richmond is ranked now as the 5th most dangerous city in the US. This is not just an aberation. Richmond had the country's fourth highest murder rate in 2003 and was ranked the nation's ninth most dangerous city overall in 2004. When people think dangerous they think Compton or Oakland. Richmond out ranks Compton by 10 spots and Oakland by 16. Even worse,VCU medical school is situated in one of the most dangerous parts of Richmond. A few months ago, there were 6 armed robberies in one day on or in the close proximity (4 blocks) of VCU campus. In the beginning of the school year, a murder victim was found dumped next to the undergraduate student parking deck... Awesome
There is no on-campus parking, as I figure most of you were told during your interviews. You have to walk around 10-15 blocks depending on where you park, just to get to your car. While that does not seem that bad, the parking places are in relatively secluded areas as that was the only land available in the already developed city of Richmond. That is a comforting notion in a bad part of a dangerous city. Imagine having to walk from the library to your car at 10 o'clock after a long night of studying.
On a less violent note: The main hospital of VCU is 100 feet from the white house of the confederacy. The 'white house' sits between the hospital, the dental school and the hospital's visitor parking deck. While that may seem cool to all you racists, uhhh... i mean civil war buffs, in actuality its not so cool. Nothing is more welcoming to an African American student than having the white house of the confederacy as part of your campus.
While, I have nothing bad to say about the school itself, I personally would rather not be shot during my medical school experience.
