University of Richmond

Maverick Helmer recently interviewed Brittney Quinones, the Regional Assistant Director of Admission for University of Richmond.

Pixel Journal: What is unique about the University of Richmond? 

University of Richmond: Small private liberal arts school – small but mighty. The University of Richmond has a $2.3 billion endowment for only 3,000 students. We provide hands on opportunities inside the classroom and outside the classroom – 15 student classes. Knowing the professors academically and personally – the face to face experience is important. The University of Richmond sticks to its liberal arts feeling and stays true to its foundation, especially in the first year. Over 50% of the University of Richmond students double major. All students are super involved in the community.

PJ: What resources are available to your students on campus? (writing center, counseling, etc.)

UoR: To all undergrads, there are resources like the writing center and speech center – a center to better interviews or presentation – are free. The tutoring center is peer driven where a junior and senior tutors a first or second year student. It is the first-year connection with the professors. The professors are super open to help all students and use office hours to help students; there open door policy is a huge resource that you see students use the most. Staff members are also very helpful! The support staff are there to help personal development as well; this builds a strong network of support. Career services is a major player in resumes, mock interviews, and hosting trips. For example, they will take a group of marketing majors to Washington D.C. where they will take two days to tour five companies where there are University of Richmond alumni. The University of Richmond has strong connections with NYC, Washington D.C., and Richmond. The alumni network is super strong because of the instant connection between Spiders. Fellow Spiders are always willing to help others.

PJ: What are the research opportunities that are available to undergrads at your school?

UoR: 50/50 split with resource opportunities. University of Richmond is 15 minutes from Downtown Richmond. There are many options for students in Richmond. For example, pre-med students can intern or have outside research opportunities at three major nearby hospitals near the University of Richmond. The business majors have many opportunities as well. Throughout academic year, students work alongside their professors with research. The Richmond Guarantee is for every undergraduate student. Undergraduate students receive a fellowship of up to $4,000 for a summer internship or faculty-mentored research project or studying abroad too. For example, an alumnus of the University of Richmond used her Richmond Guarantee in San Diego where she interned. She was hired by that company and currently lives in San Diego now. Really a split as to where or not they chose to do their internship on or off campus.

PJ: What program is your school most proud of?

UoR: The Jepsen Leadership School is an entire school and is the first in the country. Faculty members come from all different disciplines and use their knowledge to create an entire curriculum for leadership. Leadership is the combination between history, political science, sociology, psychology, the social sciences, and humanities. The core courses are social sciences, humanities, Justice in Society, and community service component too – 5 hours in the city of Richmond where you apply what is taught in the classroom. Theories and Models of Leadership – a class that teaches about the values within an organization and what attitudes help connect people within an organization community. Ethics – applies to many industries. For example, science scholarship is taking leadership to help students to connect leadership to their major or career. Another example, a leadership on stage program that looks at film and theater and how leadership works within that industry. For Brittney, the Jepsen School of Leadership is a unique school and she could do anything with a Leadership degree. As an alum, the program is strong in critical thinking and reading and writing – writing 25 page papers, group projects, presentations.

PJ: How is OHS evaluated in the admissions process?

OHS will be evaluated like a typical high school. Diving deeper into the transcript to understand the rigor that is offered at the OHS and the curriculum. Also, how has the student challenged himself/herself throughout their years at OHS. The most competitive students have taken advantage of the rigor at the OHS. We are requiring all the pieces of the typical application – uses the Common App. The other thing that the University of Richmond will do is to separate the OHS to a pile that classifies as an “alternative option for high school.” Sometimes an interview (skype) do not require it but it is a unique opportunity for some students. With OHS, why have you opted to pursue the OHS? Talk about it in the application – “Additional information” section. If you feel like your application has not portrayed what you wish it to be, use the “Additional information” section as an opportunity to “tell [the University of Richmond]” what the OHS experience has meant for you [the student].

PJ: So, do you take into account the rigor of our classes relative to those of other schools?

Transcripts are important but the school report is also very important. When looking at OHS, there is more of a focus on the school profile because it gauges what the typical Stanford OHS student is. The school profile is very important and highlighting the ranking and the details of the school report. We [the University of Richmond] will compare the OHS to other online institutions but not going to compare you to Laurel Springs. What has the student done at the OHS? Has he/she taken advantage of the opportunities at Stanford OHS? Another thing to understand for online applicants – why have you chosen the OHS? What have you done outside of the OHS?

PJ: What’s one piece of advice on the admissions process at the University of Richmond for prospective students?

UoR: Tell your story. Online or not, your application will stand alone. Think about how your application as a whole tells your story. Make a connection to the University of Richmond in any Richmond Essay. Have you been involved outside of your academics? Show yourself so the admission officer can determine whether or not you would be suitable in the University of Richmond community. A student with numbers also must fulfill the holistic part of the application. The University of Richmond wants a full application with unique features.