As it is almost time for the class of 2024 to start filling out applications and writing college admissions essays, deciding which colleges to apply to has become a top priority. With so many different options and programs, narrowing down what’s right for us is almost impossible. Thankfully, with help from Mrs. Ballance–RMA’s college counselor who arranged for us to tour two colleges last week–the process of choosing schools to apply to is a little less stressful.

This past Tuesday, the junior class took a day trip to Richmond, Virginia, to explore two very different college environments. After a two-hour bus ride, we first stopped at Virginia Commonwealth University, a public university located in downtown Richmond. VCU has an acceptance rate of 93%, enrolling around 4,000 students in the freshman class every year. We walked around the campus for about an hour, and the thing that most stood out to me was that the college buildings and city buildings were mixed together. With an old gothic cathedral on one side and a VCU modern art building on the other, it was definitely an interesting campus. 

Once we were done exploring downtown Richmond, we took a lunch break, eating at Chick-Fil-A or Five Guys before walking around in our own groups for a little while so as to get a feel for the city. My friends and I explored different stores and sat in a nice park together since it was a beautiful day. 

After lunch, we took a short bus ride to the University of Richmond. This college was the complete opposite of VCU, with an acceptance rate of only 24% and enrolling a mere 800 freshmen every year. U of R has a really small, secluded campus set around a huge lake. The campus itself is absolutely gorgeous, and the buildings are also very modern from the inside. Our group split in half, and two students took us around the campus and shared their experiences. As a liberal arts college, the University of Richmond has a wide variety of studies and programs that students can involve themselves with in addition to their majors. 

This trip definitely put into perspective what kind of school is right for me and many of my classmates. Personally, I loved the feel of the University of Richmond and think a smaller, more personal college is right for me, but some of my friends realized that they would prefer to go somewhere bigger where there are many people. While the college application process is stressful, we are all excited to start a new journey, and we’re thankful for these opportunities to explore what our future might hold.