Virginia Commonwealth University

Date: Jul 18 2010
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
I transferred here from Germanna Community College with a 3.7 GPA in 2007. Obviously I had other options and got excepted to JMU and Mary Washington but because I knew a good friend who went to VCU, I figured it would be a good start to a social life since my academics were good. Now that I've experienced this school I have to laugh at all the freshman here for orientation who think they are going to have the time of their life. I don't even know where to start with all the wrongs.

First of all let me start by saying that unless you join a fraternity you will probably have a horrible time and have no social life and meet no girls. Basically, all the girls here are airheads and arrogant and operate off of a guys status. You can be the ugliest, fattest, hairiest guy in the world but if you have greek letters on your shirt you all of a sudden have more appeal to girls than Brad Pitt. I went out for Theta Chi for a semester and made it through 3/4 of pledging before I basically gave them my pledge pin and walked out. Why? Because not only are the fraternities jokes but your pledging experience basically involves being their slave for an entire semester and I have more self-respect than to bend over for people who don't respect me.

Now, I'm a very athletic guy and like to workout alot and did modeling in New York. Despite my appearance, I am very humble and modest and I don't try to show off ever. But people here rub me the wrong way and they go out of their way to be rude and make the situation awkward as possible. The classic move here at VCU is to pull out your cell phone and act like your texting someone so that you can avoid eye contact when someone approaches you. I never do that. I would much rather just throw out a "Hey" or "How you doing?" There really is no room for athletes here but there is plenty of room for the spiked hair, the super tight cut off jeans, thick framed glasses, 30 body piercings, 834 tattoos, and dirty stares like you're an outsider. None of the students here make you feel welcome at all and I've maybe met like 3 girls here for the 3 years I've been here and basically the immature girls here get real weird on you and flaky, so it's pointless to even try.

Now onto the professors. I've had some really good professors in my exercise science/health science department and I've also had some that are extremely intolerable and DO NOT CARE about you. Let's just say this one teacher I had is so bad I'm about to be in her class for a third time (and I consider myself intelligent) unless I can find another class to take it's place. I transferred here with an Associates Science Degree and VCU never recorded me as having it and basically screwed me into taking a bunch of general studies classes that I never had to take thus wasting time and money. Don't expect records and registration to actually do their job and keep stuff like this in line, but be prepared to spent tireless time on your part to do their jobs for them. Now because of all the extra credits I've taken because of this instance, VCU sent me a letter saying because I've taken to many credits they are going to start surcharging me and upping the cost of my classes. Once again, VCU only cares about your money. Not you as a student.

This brings me to my next point. The cost of food here. Seriously, this has to be one of the worst schools of all time in this department. My brother goes to Liberty, and they give you free food for an entire semester that comes with you getting a dorm down there. I'm pretty sure VCU charges you every time you flush the toilet. The meal plans are ridiculously expensive and the heat lamp dried food at shafer is hardly worth it. If you try to buy food at the Commons "Convenience" (haha good one) Center, be prepared to "conveniently" spend about $6.00 for a t.v. dinner. If you take summer classes, you go broke trying to eat. The meal plans are useless since all the places you can use your dining dollars at close at like 3 in the afternoon. Since it's summer break, I guess they assume students just take a break from eating. Basically you learn to live off the fast food restaurants located on campus during the summer meaning spending at least 150 dollars a week on Chipotle Burritos. The staff working for the food services at VCU are extremely unfriendly except Beverly who works at Shafer. She's a sweetheart. The rest of them could give a crap less about you. I've basically hard to turn to a life of small-time crime just to survive here and be able to eat.

Parking…what can I say? Be prepared to see a little green love letter tacked on your windshield almost anytime you have to commute and park your car on the street. Every once in a while, in a mirage of frustration,when you think you see a parking space, there is always some reason why you can't park there or it is only 30 minute parking and unfortunately, your class is longer than that.

No parking here on the 3rd Friday in the month of February on a leap year between the hours of 10 and 2 unless there is a full moon tonight and Saturn is aligned with Uranus.

Basically, I've payed a semesters worth of tuition on parking tickets. OR, you can pay around $300 to get a parking deck pass for a semester and than they assign you floors. Even parking in my own garage I've gotten tickets because I've accidentally parked on the wrong floor. Why should I have to park on the 5th floor and walk down 5 flights of stairs and the daily pass drivers can park wherever they want? Isn't 300 enough to let me park conveniently on the first floor? Guess not.

The only good news I can say is hopefully after being screwed out of endless money, I might be lucky enough to graduate this fall of 2010. One more thing to add, if you drive a souped up car or nice car, be prepared to install a new suspension at the end of every year if you drive down here thanks to the roads. I've had to replace my suspension on two of the cars I owned after driving down here. Honestly as sad as it is, I think the homeless people roaming the streets have more money than I do after going here. Be prepared for the homeless people to hit you up for bread every time you are out. They are at every corner. I gave a few money in the past until I saw one of them in 711 at night buying a 40 to go get drunk. Basically, you are just paying for them to get wasted. Even though I don't drink, if anyone is getting wasted off my money, it is gonna be me.

My little brother is a music major and was thinking of going here, until I told him the same things I am telling all of you reading this. Now he has changed his mind and is going to Shenandoah Music Conservatory, and I am happy to say that I have at least saved him like I am trying to save you, your money, and your college experience - please go anywhere else. The End.