Details

• United States of America
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

What I did, was first gathering all the information and tips from my friend's who have already done their exchange semester in the USA specifically. I also attended all of the Info-Sessions organized by the university. When choosing the preferences for the universities, I've spent hours on reading the Exchange Reports from different students from different universities, did some math regarding the finances, looked what would work better for me geographically (e.g. climate), read informations on the universities websites, their social media and so on. When I was applying, the interview process has changed and I was preparing for a completely different thing. I didn't check the WU's website where it said what will be taken into consideration during the interview. It was Motivation, Engagement and Social & intercultural skills that the intrviewer was looking at. It was a group interview, which was a bit more stressful as well, but in the end it all didn't matter, so don't be scared. I would sugesst to show the true you, your best sides with your strenghs, be confident and smiley

2. Accommodation

I did not have a choice of accomodation, it was mandatory to live in an on-campus housing. I also couldn't decide or give preferences on what type of housing I would prefer (dormitory or apartment). What they gave us was just an online form, where they asked you what type of person you are, for example either an early bird or a night owl. You could type in the name of your preffered rommate too but you could also leave it blank. I was assigned into one of the UFAs (University Forest Apartments). It was a small house, which had 2 floors. On the first floor there was a small bathroom with just toilet and sink in it, a kitchen with fridge, hob and oven, sink and a lot of pantries. There was a living room with a small terrace as well. On the second floor there were two double bedrooms, shower, bathroom. My housing was located a bit more far away from all the study spaces, where my classes were at. I needed about 15-20 minutes walk to get to my class. Regarding safety, it was really safe. There is a URPD (Univerity of Richmond Police Department) right next to our housing so weren't scared of anything haha.

3. Academic life at host university

There was everything and more on campus. I didn’t expect that there would be SO many facilities and that they care not only for students’ physical health, but also for their psychological. There is a huge Wellbeing Center where a big gym, 2 basketball courts, an indoor pool, a salt room, a meditation room, Health Center for different doctors appointments are located. You can take part in classes such as yoga/pilates/pump/dance/step etc free of charge. You can visit their open kitchen, cook something with chef and enjoy what you’ve made afterwards. You can come and pet the emotional support dog!! after a long day of studying or a stressful midterm phase.. There is a small on campus shop where you can get the necessary things (even some meds), but if you want to go grocery shopping, the uni’s got you covered!
Because the campus is located a bit more far away (15-20mins by car) from downtown and all the bigger shops, UR provides their shuttles which you can hop on to every hour. It takes you to stores like Publix or Target, to a local shopping/restaurant street called Carry Town and to a small shopping center. On the weekends you can also go to the big mall with a shuttle (~30mins drive). Other than that, there were few cafes and places to grab a quick something, like sandwich, wrap etc. The Cellar! A pub on campus where they watch sports games, serve delicious finger food and wraps and beer (21+). If you were assigned to different housing other than UFA, you would have to get a meal plan in order to eat at the Dining Hall. I didn’t get one because I lived in the UFA and cooked for myself. But I had a few meals in D-Hall as well, 10-15$ per meal. Super delicious food, a loooot to choose from, big dining area, nice and friendly staff. Academics: What I, as an introverted and scared to talk in front of a lot of people type of person, was most of all scared about was the small call sizes (20-24 students max). But what I didn’t expect was how cool and willing to teach and willing for YOU to understand the professors are. They all know you by your name, they can cold call you during class and they are super engaged in teaching. What was really helpful were the office hours. Each of the professors had their own specific hours, for which you could register beforehand or you could’ve also just stopped by for a quick question. These are made for students, who may need a bit more explaining of the concept, which they didn’t get during class, or for students who are stuck with their homework/project, or for students just to do the homework under the professor’s guidance. I’ve always used this opportunity (even if it was just to chit chat) and I recommend that you get most of it as well! What I’ve found different to WU was how the grade is distributed. For example in my Principles of Financial Management class, we had Activity Sheet which were handed over to us during class and which later on we would have to submit, and those weighted around 22% of the grade. Two midterms, one final 22, 22 and 33% each. That made the studying process so much easier because I was always in a roll with what I have to learn, what I have to prepare and what I’ll have to catch up on. Constant collaborative work with professors and students, participation (even if ungraded) in class, it all has helped me during my exchange semester. What I also found pleasant was the duration of the classes: only 1.15h. That was the perfect time for concentration, no breaks needed and it played a roll of you had more classes in one day. Courses: FIN360 Principles of Financial Management (Nancy Tran) -> Finanzwirtschaft MKT326 Marketing Research & Analysis (Dr. Monika Kukar-Kinney) -> Courses Abroad MGMT340 Operations Management (Ed Cook, PhD) -> SBWL Kurs II Transportwirtschaft und Logistik INFO201 Data Analysis Software (Tom Mattson) -> SBWL Kurt IV Data Science IBUS281 International Business Environment (Mannsoo Shin) -> Courses Abroad

5. Every day life in the host country

Local public transport (buses) are free for everybody, but I had a feeling that there is no such thing as a schedule, i.e. incomparable to Vienna. We used to take Ubers to go to target/downtown for 8-15$ or just use campus shuttles. I would say that it’s pretty safe in Richmond, I mean, there are weirdos everywhere, Richmond is not an exception. I just wouldn’t suggest being by yourself in downtown at night, that’s it. When we had free time, we would go to Carry Town, go to thrift stores (there are a lot of nice ones), restaurants/cafes or karaoke. We also once went to the cinema in Richmond, was nice:) Restaurants for Dinner in Richmond ◦ Lucky AF (sushi) ◦ Grissette (French) ◦ Beaucoup (French) ◦ Can-Can (French, good brunch too) ◦ Tobacco Company (American Steakhouse) ◦ East Coast Provisions (seafood, steak) ◦ Conejo (Mexican) ◦ Gersi (Italian) ◦ Uliveto (Italian, Mediterranean) ◦ Tazza (American) ◦ Pizza Bones (Pizza) Brunch/Lunch ◦ Brambly Park (outside, live music) ◦ Continental (huge portions) (mimosa pitchers) ◦ The Grill (mimosa pitches, classic American sports bar) ◦ Taste (sandwiches) ◦ Sugar and Twine (really really cute coffee shop) ◦ Blanchards (SUPER cool coffee shop) Stores ◦ Dear Neighbor ◦ Roan ◦ Nellie George ◦ Short Pump Mall (literally the most American place ever) Going Out ◦ Sines ◦ Tabacco Company ◦ Taphouse (!!!) ◦ River City Roll ◦ Concerts at the National University has organized a trip to a baseball game for us, where Richmond Flying Squirrels were playing. True American experience haha. National anthem, hot dogs, cotton candy, drinks, nachos, everything and more. It was entertaining but I didn’t really get the rules of the game so I was there just for the vibes:)) Sports plays a huge role in any college. UR is popular for their baseball (that’s where their mascot Spider comes from, an interesting story!), American football, basketball (men’s and women’s), and there are also just a lot of athletes who play sports like tennis, lacrosse, rowing etc.

6. Testimonial

My exchange semester at the University of Richmond was one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I grew academically and personally thanks to supportive professors, small classes, and constant encouragement. The strong campus community, amazing facilities, and new friendships made me feel at home from the very beginning. This semester helped me become more confident, independent, and open to new challenges.