VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
UNIVERSITY
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
