VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

Richmond, Virginia

• Capital of Virginia State • Population of Greater Richmond

city: 200,000; metro: 1,200,000 • Founded in 1609 by English settlers

from Jamestown • Capital of the Confederate States of

America during the Civil War(1861-1865)

• 150km south of Washington, DC • 460km south of New York • 150km from the Atlantic ocean

beach • 135km from Shenandoah National

Park

Virginia Commonwealth University Est. 1968 • 2 main campuses -Monroe Park

Campus and MCV Campus. • Additional campus in Doha,

Qatar • Mascot is the Ram and colours

are black and gold • Baseball, basketball, cross

country, field hockey, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball teams

• Wide range of courses: science, social sciences, arts, business, engineering, medicine and nursing

• Over 30,000 students 21,000 UG

• 1600 international students

Academic Culture

• Strong emphasis on attendance & punctuality

• Different syllabus • Lectures, labs, structure of

classes/courses (modules) • Credit/hours structure • Honor System • US education = 4 year

undergraduate degree (major classes interspersed with general education classes, electives, minor classes, etc.)

• Expectations outside of the classroom

Honors College As a Partnership exchange student, you will belong to the Honors College. The Honors College provides: • Advising and registration • Facilities • Benefits • Honors Courses/Modules • Special opportunities, seminars, student organizations, etc.

http://www.honors.vcu.edu/

Global Education Office • Reserves housing • Provides airport pickup and orientation for exchange students

• Coordinates buddy program

• Orientation • Immigration Services (issues DS2019’s – needed for your J1 visas)

Orientation • Driving tour of Richmond • Walking tour of campus • Shopping trip to Wal-Mart • Briefings on safety issues,

immigration, academic issues, health services, library tour, meal plans

Amber Bennett Hill Director, International Student and Scholar

Programmes

Sarah Young Exchange

programmes coordinator

Accommodation West Grace North Residence Hall

•Approx. $6000/year •On campus •2 persons per room •En suite •Laundry and cooking facilities provided

You will need to purchase: utensils, dishes, pots, pans, lamps, linen, and bathroom and cleaning supplies.

Further info: http://www.housing.vcu.edu/

Food • Students may buy meal

plans at the dining hall or prepare meals in their residence

• VCU recommend purchasing a 100 block plan (100 meals per semester) with $75 ‘dining dollars’. Current cost - $801 per semester

• Vegetarian and Vegan available

Dining locations: • Shafer Dining Hall (main) • Student Commons • On campus: Starbucks, Chili’s, Quiznos, etc. • Off-campus locations with RamBuck

Student Life • International Student Activities

• RecSports, Outing Rental Service, and Athletics

• Alternative Spring Breaks

• Student Performing Groups: Music, Theatre, Dance

• VCU TelegRam

Student Life • Student Organizations and Religious Groups

• Student Publications and Media: Amendment, Blackbird, Commonwealth Times, Ink, Poictesme, VCU InSight, VCU TV/HD, WVCW

• Lecture series, workshops, seminars, research conferences, etc.

Richmond

Shopping

Museums Colonial Richmond

Fan District

Culture

Virginia Highlights

Shenandoah National Park Charlottesville Colonial Williamsburg Virginia Beach

Costs • Exchange students pay reduced fees to UWE

• UWE Study Abroad Bursary of £1000 for full-year students

• Students will need to pay for: • Accommodation • Visa • Flights • Living costs

Approximate costs as provided by VCU: Housing: $6,000 Meals: $3,000-$4,000 Airfare (round trip): $1,200 Miscellaneous (books, immigration, insurance, transport etc). $2,500

Total $13,700

Costs • Students are still eligible for SFE Grants and Loans

• In addition, subject to eligibility, students may apply for a means-tested SFE Travel Grant to cover costs of travel to and from host institution (flights), less the first £303, paid retrospectively

Further info: http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/media/456058/travel_grant_fact_sheet_1314_d_b.pdf

Support from external organisations

• UWE is a member of BUTEX and as such students can apply for BUTEX scholarships of up to £500 to help fund their time abroad http://www.butex.ac.uk/scholarships/how-to-apply/

• The US-UK Fulbright Commission offers advice and expertise on preparing to study in the USA – including tips on travel, visas, cultural differences and more http://www.fulbright.org.uk/

Application procedure • Interested students should register their interest using sign in sheets or

by emailing studyabroad@uwe.ac.uk.

• Application deadline date and procedure will be communicated to interested after Christmas

• Only top students considered – those who have:

• good attendance • submitted coursework on time • pass modules at first attempt • an average of 2:1or higher

• Academic references and an interview may be required before you are

nominated to VCU • Once nominated, you will need to complete VCU’s application procedure

and send this off with proof of finances

VCU Application procedure • To be completed by Mid-March

• You must provide: • Photocopy of passport • Transcript • Motivation letter • Recommendation letter • Proof of finances • Application form • Immigration fee $30

• Once submitted, VCU will provide you with a DS-2019 which you will need to apply for your J1 Student Visa.

• You will need to meet visa requirements and pass an interview at the US embassy in London to obtain your visa

Rikky Sweet – BA (Hons) Politics The people I met were among the most intelligent, caring and interesting people that I have had the pleasure of spending time with.

What Students say…

By the time I came home I could see that the world was much bigger than the UK and I realised that there were so many more possibilities than I imagined. Studying under a different education system allowed me to experiment with a different style of learning. Work was faster paced and required me to adjust both my time keeping and the way I approached essays and revision. This not only proved that I could adjust to different situations but also taught me new methods to employ in my education back home. Access to professors with different research focuses compared to those here at UWE allowed me to supplement my education and broaden my interests by pursuing fields of study not offered at UWE. My experience abroad taught me to be more appreciative of aspects of life here in the UK which were absent abroad – the countryside and a slower, more relaxed pace of life. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in the U.S.A and experience American culture without the hurdles of emigrating or paying out for an expensive holiday. Studying abroad is the perfect way of seeing the world in a way that fits in easily with study and is made incredibly straight forward by the excellent work between UWE and VCU’s study abroad teams. The hardest part is coming home!

Questions?