StudentsReview :: Virginia Commonwealth University - Extra Detail about the Comment
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Virginia Commonwealth University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityF Faculty AccessibilityD
Useful SchoolworkD Excess CompetitionF
Academic SuccessF Creativity/ InnovationF
Individual ValueF University Resource UseF
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyD- FriendlinessD-
Campus MaintenanceB Social LifeD
Surrounding CityD- Extra CurricularsC
SafetyD
Describes the student body as:
Afraid, Closeminded

Describes the faculty as:
Condescending, Unhelpful, Self Absorbed

Male
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
Educational Quality
F
Highest Rating
Campus Maintenance
B
He cares more about Educational Quality than the average student.
Date: May 26 2013
Major: Accounting (This Major's Salary over time)
Well, I am an older, life-long student who was looking to finish up an Accounting degree. Previously, I had attended eight or so other schools without any problems…only good experiences for the most part. I had received my BA from the College of William & Mary, my MA from James Madison University, and had taken classes at schools from Florida International University to West Virginia State University. So…I was already well experienced with the university lifestyle prior to attending VCU. My first impressions of VCU were that it was like a city college, a place where older people could go and change their careers. No frills, just a generic, practical degree. I knew beforehand that the school had about the lowest reputation of any 4-year school in the state of Virginia (excepting Radford University, which I know nothing about…except that it is a rural school). I attended VCU for only one academic year. The first thing I noticed at the school was that it let anyone in, was filled with lackluster students who admitted that all they wanted were C's, an administration that was only concerned with making money, and a faculty that did nothing but read from textbook publisher Powerpoint slides. Every other day you get emails about on-campus crime. Parts of Richmond are beautiful, but it really is a mostly dead town (especially around the Monroe Park campus) full of homeless/unemployed ghetto folks who routinely commit petty thefts and strong-armed robberies. My real problems started with a Professor named Jon Hill. All this spring semester he would call me derogatory names, joking with his in-class assistants, etc, and just be a general immature arsehole. I thought ignoring this might work, but I was wrong. As usual, I was making an 'A' in the class…and then, on the night of the mid-term (evening class 7-9:40), I turned in my answer sheet and accidentally took the question sheet home. I immediately informed the professor via email what had happened, but (without any benefit of the doubt) he filed an honor code violation against me for "cheating." Later, in emails to the Department Chair, he admitted that his accusation was a mere test to see how I would respond. However, after he filed his fraudulent complaint, Mr. Hill and the administration proceeded in every way possible to ruin my name. I filed complaint after complaint against Hill for harassment. The end result? I get kicked out of the school for "harassment." Even though the administrators knew what he did, they allowed his harassment to continue, ignored my complaints, and then got rid of me rather than deal with their own problem faculty member (probably because his wife is a financial officer at Altria and helps the school get funding from that company). A major issue with this school is that it gives people degrees so that they can then work at the school…there have even been scandals in the past where the school has been found to be selling degrees. As with any large organization, it only cares about money, will do anything to avoid responsibility for its actions, and will try to destroy you rather than admit fault. Save your money and go to JMU, W&M, or just about any other school in Virginia. As they say, outside of Richmond, no one cares about VCU. Even in Richmond, they prefer UofR students to VCU slackers. If you need specifics…email me…I would like to help you avoid a costly mistake.
     
Responses
questionDo you have any idea how VCU is for pre-medical students? Would the education quality still be as bad?
responseWell, I speak mainly from my personal experiences and those were just on the Monroe Park campus, which is separate from MCV. That is the first point, VCU and MCV are basically two separate schools (even though they market themselves as one). That being said, I do know these things about the medical school. It tends to have an inflated ranking in Virginia because it is only one of two medical schools in the state and is located in the capital city (so is in the center of govt and has a lot of traffic). The school is still in the same general area as the VCU Monroe Park campus, so the safety issues are the same. As far as the educational quality of the med. school…personally I haven't experienced med school classes there, but I have heard some general complaints from others…basically it is a school of last resort (because of the dearth of med. schools and tough competition) and/or a school for those who just want to practice in Virginia. I know you said pre-med…so perhaps you would be on the Monroe Park campus instead. The issues you will have at VCU will be these: it is a huge school where you are a number, so if you have any problems to resolve…it will be a time consuming nightmare; you will encounter many professors who don't care, are sometimes rude for no apparent reason, and are just there for the paycheck; most of your classes will entail monotonous, verbatim readings from textbook publisher powerpoint slides and testbank tests; your classes will be filled with people who either can't or don't care to perform well academically; and the VCU degree isn't worth much outside of Richmond. Hope this helps some, but I wasn't in pre-med.
responseWrong. There are four medical schools in Virginia. VCU/MCV, Eastern Virginia, UVA, and VT-Carrillon. I have to question the bona fides of the above post.
responseWell, good to know about there being four medical schools in Virginia. Of course, that fact (if true) doesn't make MCV any better. I think size and location, more than anything else, determines its dubious ranking. Talk to some MCV students and you'll find it was a school of last resort for them. However, you probably work for the school.

As an aside, I almost died because of poor medical care at MCV…from a minor infection.

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