Academic experience
The courses that I studied were: Bargaining and Negotiations, Professional Selling, Macroeconomic Theory and Accounting Information Systems. The main difference in terms of their academic system has to do with the size of the student population. With only around 3000 students, the typical lecture/tutorial will only be composed of around 20 students. I found this much more beneficial for my learning experience as you are able to really get to know your professors and they are more concerned with your grades and education. The main challenge was the increased class participation. Typically at UQ, students aren't required to participate in class discussions however for many classes in Richmond a sizable proportion of your final grade will be based on how much you contribute. Enrollment in courses is similar to UQ, however given that you are on exchange you may not be as alert to the deadlines and the school does not typically send out reminders. Because of this, I would suggest staying vigilant on any updates for registrations.
Personal experience
The University of Richmond has a very strong presence of foreign exchange students who are typically quite a cohesive group. On exchange, you spend pretty much everyday with the friends you make and for me there are definitely friendships that will last a lifetime. Building on that, it is common that the exchange students will travel together during the semester and I was lucky enough to visit places like Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Wisconsin. One of the main positives of Richmond is the location and extensive transport options for travelling throughout the states. Moving to Richmond and living on campus was a big change from living in Australia and I definitely feel as though I have been able to improve my social skills, networking ability and my overall independence.
Accommodation
During my time in Richmond I stayed on-campus. Before applying for exchange I was advised to find a University where I was guaranteed to live on-campus and I was not disappointed. When you live on-campus you are much closer to all the other students and much more integrated into the student life than those that live off-campus. If you are thinking about going on exchange to the University of Richmond or to any US college for that sake, I would definitely recommend applying for On-campus accommodation and a full meal plan. The University was always very helpful with housing, however there were minimal problems.
Costs
While living on campus, I was able to spend a very limited amount of money, simply due to the immense resources the University provides. The main expenses came from travelling outside the city as finding accommodation, transport and food can be quite expensive in America. In terms of budgeting, it all depends on how much you plan on travelling and what activities you want to do outside the University.
Challenge
The biggest challenge honestly was saying goodbye. The University made it very easy to make a lot of friends from all over the world. Unfortunately it will be very difficult to see the majority of them again, so the end of the semester was almost like a final goodbye.
Professional Development
I was able to meet and network with a lot of people at the University who I will hopefully be able to contact for potential opportunities in the future. Further, the subjects I took were incredibly interesting and different from any of those offered at UQ and have helped me build key skills in areas I hadn't had the opportunity to work on before.
Highlight
The highlight of the exchange was the friendships that I was able to make and the travelling I did while I was there. The opportunity to do so would've never been possible without coming over to the University of Richmond and I have no regrets over the exchange.
Top tips
For people considering going to the University of Richmond, I would definitely recommend it. I would also suggest joining a few clubs/societies that interest you and just in general be as open as possible to meeting new people. If you are skeptical about the size of the University as I was, I really would suggest not worrying about it, it actually turned out to be a real positive. By the end of the semester, it is common that as you walk around campus you will know and be able to talk to the majority of the people you pass which was really incredible.
