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How to Write the University of Richmond Essays 2020-2021

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts university located in Virginia. It has over 60 undergraduate majors and averages 16 students per class. All students who submit a complete application by December 1st are automatically considered the Richmond Scholars Program, a full-ride scholarship granted to 25 incoming freshmen.

Richmond also has a guarantee that states that every undergraduate student is eligible to receive a fellowship of up to $4,000 for a summer internship or faculty-mentored research project. In addition to research, Richmond is also a proponent of continuing higher education, with 20% of students enrolled in graduate school within a year of graduating. 

Richmond ranks number 23 in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of best liberal arts colleges. This past application cycle, it had an acceptance rate of 30%.

Hoping to become a Richmond spider? Writing a standout supplemental essay can certainly give you a boost. Read on for our best advice. Want to know your chances at the University of Richmond? Calculate your chances for free right now.

How to Write the University of Richmond Essays

The University of Richmond has one required supplemental essay that should be 650 words or fewer in length. You can choose one of these three prompts:

Option 1: What is an urgent global challenge, social justice topic, or racial injustice issue  about which you are passionate? What solutions or outcomes do you hope to see?

Option 2: By the time you graduate from college, there will be jobs that don’t exist today. Describe one of them and how Richmond might prepare you for it.

Option 3: You are required to spend the next year in either the past or the future. To what year would you travel and why?

What is an urgent global challenge, social justice topic, or racial injustice issue about which you are passionate? What solutions or outcomes do you hope to see? (650 words)

While many challenges might spring to mind, such as world hunger, global literacy, or discrimination, keep in mind that many other applicants might be thinking along the same line. Speaking about these issues broadly or vaguely will read cliché and disingenuous. Make sure you choose a topic that genuinely speaks to you. Once you settle on a topic, you can take several approaches to this prompt to make it uniquely your own.

One approach entails thinking of a personal connection to the prompt and building off of your own experience to convey a passion for a global change. You can write about a social justice issue that has specifically affected you or someone you care about, and what you have done or will do to overcome that situation. Start with a personal anecdote, and then bridge out to how this topic is a global issue. Then, using your own experience as a jumping-off point, expand your solution to how you would like it to be implemented on a global scale. Your solution doesn’t have to be planned out step-by-step already, but you should keep it relatively practical and implementable. For instance, don’t say you want to solve world hunger by starting a massive food drive. A more realistic plan might be to first decrease food waste in grocery stores and restaurants, and divert the extra resources to food pantries or homeless populations. 

Let’s look at another example. If your topic was colorism, a bad idea would be delving into the history of colorism and speaking about the topic generically, without giving specific examples. Students tend to give platitudes like “Since the beginning of time, colorism has affected copious individuals, allowing for unfair systems and practices to develop that continue to this day.” or “The definition of colorism ‘is prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.’” Students use these time and time again, but they lack the pathos and authenticity of a response that stems from personal experience and passion.

A good example will encapsulate your personal experience with the topic while also bringing in logistics. You could start by mentioning a personal encounter with colorism, such as when someone treated you differently because of the color of your skin. You can delve into how you felt and how you dealt with instances like that. You could then explain what systemic changes you want to see to ensure that little children can grow up without having to face the same discrimination as you. Talk about actionable items such as increasing representation in the media, or how you want colorism to be addressed in nationwide elementary school curricula. 

Another approach you can take is building off of a community service project or similar projects you have already undertaken. For example, you could mention your Girl Scout Gold Award, in which you held workshops teaching young girls STEM concepts via creative means so that they could feel more confident in their skills. You could link this to the larger global issue of lack of women in STEM and talk about your personal connection to the issue, as well as how you would plan an actionable method of remedying this if you had unlimited resources. Talking about an existing initiative brings your voice into your response and can give it another dimension of credibility.

Another tactic is to bring in the University of Richmond and mention how, through your time there, you will solve the global challenge or social justice issue in question. The prompt doesn’t explicitly ask you to do this, so you might not want to center your response around it. However, since you have a 650 word limit, this portion can take up a couple of paragraphs, reaffirming both your authenticity in solving the challenge and your interest in Richmond. 

For example, you can mention a specific program or extracurricular that will help catapult this vision of yours to a global scale. A good example will connect your personal past experience or interests with Richmond’s existing programs, and then discuss specific actions you wish to take. This will show, rather than telling your interest, in the college. Here is an example of a good response:

“I have experienced firsthand the gender and racial disparity in STEM within the United States. Despite my ideas being discounted and my work receiving less credit than my male counterparts, my passion for STEM has not gone out. Rather, it continues to grow and has even ignited a second, equally strong passion within me – the desire to make STEM spaces more accessible to women and ethnic groups that are typically actively discouraged from participating in STEM. Through Richmond’s Integrated Inclusive Science Program, I can embark on a research project focused on the global gender and racial dynamics of STEM. As I research the cause and repercussions of the gender gap in several countries around the globe, I will have a more informed perspective that will allow me to effect change both in my hometown and on the global level. I plan to publish my findings and bring awareness to them via social media. I plan to help draft legislation combating discrimination, the wage gap, and sexism in STEM for as many countries as I possibly can. My goal is to create a world in which any child, anywhere, can pursue their interests without fear of judgement or discrimination.”

No matter what approach you take for this prompt, it is important to make a personal connection and provide examples of specific outcomes you hope to see and implement. Outline initiatives, community service projects, or future laws – actionable items with tangible repercussions. This will tinge your words with more authenticity and show admissions officers you are genuinely passionate about the cause you choose to discuss.

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By the time you graduate from college, there will be jobs that don’t exist today. Describe one of them and how Richmond might prepare you for it. (650 words)

This prompt is a bit more creative and will require a response that is not cookie-cutter. There are two parts to this prompt – one being the job itself, and the second being how Richmond might prepare you for it. Since it is a very open-ended question, you should brainstorm a list of potential jobs and write out what you could say about each before honing in on one. Choose the one that comes most naturally to you, as this will sound the most genuine.

One way to start preparing for this prompt is to research futuristic careers and see which ones align with your interests. If a career comes to mind that piques your interest, try connecting it to existing aspects of your life that relate to it. For example, if you took AP Computer Science and worked in your dad’s auto shop in high school, you might be interested in a career in the self-driving car industry. You can show rather than tell admissions officers about yourself. Talk about that code you wrote for an AI project, or how you were able to fix many friends’ car troubles. Recounting specific instances like this will show, rather than tell, that you are creative and hardworking. 

Another example of a career you can choose is a mental wellness coach. With the uptick in mental health awareness, self-care is swiftly moving from social media threads to becoming an established industry with professionals. If you are an empathetic person good at relating to others, you might like a career as a mental health or total wellness coach. Are you the person your friends go when they need a shoulder to cry on or talk out a conflict? Did you teach yourself to meditate before a big test? You can discuss your own self care methods and relationship to mental wellness, as well as how you plan to pursue it as a career. This will allow admission officers insight into your character, especially how you deal with obstacles as a person.

This method tells admissions officers about your current passions while effectively answering the prompt. Tying your background into your future career plans gives your essay a foundation and adds authenticity. With this type of prompt, it can be easy to allow hypothetical language to dominate your essay, so be conscious of this and try to ground your topic to the present as well as focusing on the future. 

The second part of the essay, how Richmond might prepare you for the job, roughly translates to “Why Richmond?”. To research for this prompt, you should peruse Richmond’s website and look into programs and extracurriculars that align with your hypothetical job. You can also look into program-specific offerings, classes, professors, and research opportunities. This will reaffirm your interest in the school while showing an authentic passion for the career you have chosen to write about.

A bad response could entail lauding Richmond’s Computer Science department and making a generic statement such as the following: “I look forward to participating in cutting-edge course projects that will change the world.” Chances are many students will be expressing the same sentiments. Instead, make your response specific to UR and yourself, with a statement such as “I plan to take advantage of Richmond’s Cybersecurity Boot Camp, where I can obtain relevant skills for future projects, such as how to make self-driving cars safe from hackers.” 

By connecting the “Why Richmond?” aspect to your future’s job description, your essay will flow more smoothly and make more sense. Make sure your response is detail-oriented and does not contain vague language. The specific details you include will help your response sound authentic and unique. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your response – if your job seems extremely futuristic or even outlandish, that’s fine! This essay should set you apart from other prospective students; the prompt is meant for you to show creativity and there is no wrong answer – just be sure to follow the tips listed above to avoid a response that is too vague.

You are required to spend the next year in either the past or the future. To what year would you travel and why? (650 words)

This is a prompt that requires you to exercise your creativity and think critically about a topic you may have not considered before. There are many approaches you can take to effectively answer this prompt. After reading this post, you should brainstorm several options and then work with the one that comes most easily to you.

For the past, one approach you can take is historical; if there is an era or a historical event that speaks to you, you can reflect on what you would do if you spent the year in that time. Try to connect your current experiences with how they have been influenced by the past. 

For example, you can talk about how as a feminist, you participate in activism at your high school and in your community, and as such, you would want to go back in time to the women’s suffrage movement or the Seneca Falls Convention. You could talk about wanting to meet and engage with key figures such as Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Think critically about how you would connect your own activism to that of the past and how you feel it is both similar and different from the present. 

You can also nurture your creative side and make your response one that will make admissions officers smile or even laugh. You could talk about wanting to hang out with dinosaurs, studying them and stoking your passion for biology or evolution. Or, you could make your response more personal – maybe you want to go back in time to meet your great-grandparents, who perfected the empanada recipe that is now a tradition at every gathering. You could talk about going back in time to make empanadas with them, and how the recipe reflects the importance you and your family place on tradition. 

Discussing the past offers limitless possibilities, but so does the future. An alternate approach to take is allowing your imagination to run wild, trying to decipher, using the present, events that have not yet happened. 

If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, try thinking about your long-term goals, aspirations, or potential future careers. For example, you could discuss space travel, and write about being the first person to set foot on a planet in another galaxy. You can discuss your love of space and your fascination with extraterrestrial life. Or, you could mention how, as an aspiring aerospace engineer, you want to invent a plane that is faster and more efficient than current models, to make seeing your cousins in Australia more accessible. If you’re environmentally conscious, you could talk about how you would travel to 2150 and observe/research sustainable inventions of the future, and try to implement them in the present. 

Another approach you can take is discussing events during your lifetime as well. One example is going back a couple years to handle a conflict differently to show your maturity and conflict resolution skills. You could also go forward to the birth of a sibling, or future cousin, if you’re excited to be a mentor. You can use your specific passions and life experience to discuss all the lessons you want to share with them. 

One thing we do not recommend is to travel forward in the future to you as a student at Richmond. Since this prompt is so creative and open-ended, this might feel like a cop-out to the admissions committee.

With all of these prompts, it is important to show, rather than tell admissions officers what are writing about. One way to keep readers engaged is by implementing a lot of sensory imagery and specificity. You should also focus on active over passive voice, centering yourself and using strong verbs. Below are bad and good examples of sentences based on the hypothetical scenarios given above. 

Bad: “I want to go back in time to see the dinosaurs because I think it would be an interesting and fulfilling experience.”

Good: “I can see myself trekking through a humid jungle, my hand tracing imprints left in the moist dirt by the majestic creatures that have fascinated me since I was five.”

Bad: “I would go back in time to meet my great-grandparents and make our family’s classic empanadas with them.”

Good: “The smell of spiced beef wafts through the air as my great-grandmother presses the perfect amount of her empanada filling into the homemade dough. I carefully press the ends together and pinch like my great-grandparents taught me. Once I am satisfied with the shape, I hand them to my grandfather, who brushes them gently with egg wash.”

Bad: “I look forward to joining lots of extracurriculars in college and being able to pursue my passion for coding.”

Good: “As a freshman at UR, I plan to pursue my passion for software engineering by engaging in research opportunities. I look forward to working with professors such as Dr. Krehbiel to explore cutting-edge topics such as differential privacy.”

Specific details and imagery are the key to making your essay sound personal and genuine, no matter the topic. With these tips in mind, you are ready to apply to one of Virginia’s top-tier universities. 

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How to Respond to the 2023/2024 University of Richmond Supplemental Essay Prompts

Cait Williams is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cait recently graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Journalism and Strategic Communications. During her time at OU, was active in the outdoor recreation community.

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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.

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The University of Richmond supplemental essay options are anything but mainstream. They offer you several prompts and a diverse array of topics to choose to respond to. Check out our article below to learn how to choose the prompt that is right for you!

A quick look at Richmond

It’s always good to know a bit about the school you’re applying to before you answer their supplemental essay prompts . So, let’s take a quick look at the University of Richmond before we move on! 

A lot of schools put an emphasis on community, but few deliver like Richmond does! Let’s take a quick look at a few fast facts about Richmond!

 At Richmond , they are the…

• #1 ranked most beautiful campus in the United States
• #3 ranked best run college  
• #3 ranked for the best classroom experience

During your years at Richmond, the University is committed to helping you grow academically and as an individual. It’s no wonder that the University of Richmond is ranked #10 in the nation for having the happiest students !

Richmond knows that because every student is different, their path to a degree will be different too. At Richmond, you can expect to find a community ready to support you in every area you wish to explore! Now, let’s get started with the University of Richmond supplement essay!

Note: Although we have listed three prompts below, remember that students should only choose one from the list; you do not need to respond to all three!

You have a platform to create change. What is an action or policy you might propose to address an issue of social injustice in your school or local community, or on a national or global scale? (350-650 words)

Okay, how many college applications have asked you this question? Probably not many. Richmond wants to get to know you through something unique and personal. Colleges hear all kinds of responses about why students choose their major and their school, but that’s not the only way for them to get a sense of who you are. 

Through your answer to this prompt you can talk about an issue that you feel strongly about. You can give an admissions counselor a window into your world. What social issues in your community, family, or school make you want to take action?

When it comes to this prompt, don’t overthink it. College admissions counselors don’t expect you to propose a foolproof plan to solve the issue you choose to talk about. What they want to see is that you can think critically about these things and that you pay attention to the world around you, as both of those qualities will be necessary in your college journey.

Tell us about a time you learned something unexpected. What did you learn, and what happened next? (350-650 words)

This prompt also offers you an opportunity to talk about something unique and personal to you, essentially this is one of the best prompts you could ask for in terms of showing the admissions committee something more personal about yourself! 

This prompt is not only asking about things you learned academically, but rather anything you’ve learned. Maybe you want to talk about the time you learned more about your family tree and it led you to explore your family history, which led to a larger passion for studying history. Or perhaps you learned about the overflow of pets that your county has at its shelter and you decided to take action by volunteering to educate people about spaying and neutering their pets. You may have even learned a crazy fact, such as that wombats poop square poop, and that led you to want to study zoology!

Whatever it is you learned, make sure it conveys something about you that’s going to affect your college journey. After all, that’s what Richmond is looking for! Take some time to think about a few things you could talk about for this prompt. It never hurts to write about a few things to see where they go!

Check out: What are extracurricular activities and why do they matter?

Richmond welcomes students from various backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. What is at least one way you will contribute to our community that is not already mentioned in your application? (350-650 words)

The best way to choose how you’d like to answer is to think about what you want Richmond to know most about you, and what they may not already know through your application. Consider the questions below to help you start!

Questions to consider

• What is your background?
• What communities have been most impactful to you (school, where you live, communities related to your family heritage, etc.)
• Do you hold any unique perspectives related to social issues, religious beliefs, or your community?

Now that you’ve thought about your past and where you come from, it’s time to connect those things to how you will contribute to the Richmond community. So, let’s look at some more questions!

• What are ways that you contributed to your community at home?
• Are there specific clubs or organizations that you’d like to be a part of or found once you get to Richmond?
• What ways have you been poured into through your community that you would like to now give back?

This question may take a bit more work than the other two prompts, but if it can convey important information to the admissions committee, it may be well worth your time. You need to think about your past, but also something you hope to do in the future. Be honest with yourself and the admissions counselors. You may not have really thought about how you’d contribute to campus yet, but that’s okay. Take some time now to think about it. Do your research on Richmond’s website and social media accounts to see what their community is like and where you’d best fit in to be an engaged member of the community!

Key Takeaways

• The University of Richmond offers three prompts for you to choose from, of which you only need to respond to one
• Do your research about Richmond before you submit your application to demonstrate that you are serious about attending their school 
• If you have the time, you should attempt answering more than one prompt to figure out which of your essays best represents you
• Once you’re done with your college application , you can still work hard toward your college goals by applying to scholarships

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, u richmond supplemental essays.

Hey folks, I'm in the process of applying to the University of Richmond and could use some advice on their supplemental essays. What are the key factors to consider when writing these essays to make my application stand out?

Hello! When approaching the University of Richmond's supplemental essays, it's crucial to focus on what makes you unique and how you align with the university's values. Here are some key factors to consider when writing your essays:

1. Research the university: Before you begin writing, get to know the University of Richmond's core values, mission, academic programs, and campus culture. This will help you understand the kind of student they're seeking and ensure your essays reflect your genuine interest in the school.

2. Be specific and personal: To stand out, focus on your individual experiences, beliefs, and aspirations. Avoid generic statements or trying to fit a standard mold. Instead, use anecdotes or relevant details to paint a vivid picture of who you are and what you have to offer.

3. Emphasize your "fit" with the university: Show how your values, interests, and goals align with what the University of Richmond has to offer. Whether it's a specific academic program, campus organization, or commitment to service, demonstrate how you will engage with and contribute to the campus community.

4. Craft a cohesive narrative: Your supplemental essays should tell a story that complements your Common App essay and adds depth to your application. Make sure each essay offers new insights into your life while fitting into your overall personal narrative.

5. Focus on quality over quantity: It's better to write one or two well-developed points that clearly showcase your unique qualities and connection to the university than to list multiple, superficial reasons for applying.

6. Edit and revise for clarity and conciseness: Take the time to polish your essays, ensuring they are concise, well-structured, and free from grammar or syntax errors. A well-edited essay makes a stronger impression than a hastily written one.

7. Seek feedback: Ask for feedback from teachers, counselors, or trusted peers to ensure your essays accurately portray you and effectively respond to the prompts. Constructive feedback can help refine your essays and give you an outsider's perspective on your application.

For more tips with your URichmond essays, take a look at CollegeVine's [blog post] ( https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-university-of-richmond-essays) that they update each cycle with tips and tricks to brainstorm and write your essays.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

University of Richmond 2017-18 Supplemental Essay Guide

Regular Decision: 

University of Richmond 2017-18 Application Essay Question Explanations

Get ready, nerds! The University of Richmond supplement was made for the intellectually curious. Both prompts ask you to think on your feet and get creative in different ways. So be prepared to get a little messy, brainstorm, and give admissions a deeper look into the way your brain works.

The Requirements: 1 essay of 650 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Personal Statement

Please select one of the following prompts to address (650 words or less):

Sometimes asking the right question makes all the difference. if you were a college admission counselor, what essay question would you ask please craft and answer your own essay prompt – in your response, reflect on what your chosen question reveals about you..

If this blank slate of a prompt has you drawing a blank, not to worry! You can skip this prompt and check out the option behind door number two. However, if you’re intrigued, or getting a weird feeling of déjà vu, think back to the Common App prompts. Yes, you’ve seen something like this before! The Common App’s prompt #7 , the coveted “Topic of Your Choice” offers a similar option. If you’ve been kicking yourself for not taking the road less traveled on your personal statement, here’s your second chance. On the other hand, if you’ve already taken a whack at a “topic of your choice” it might behoove you to show admissions that you can color within the lines from time to time as needed.

Either way, your goal in writing this essay (really, any supplemental essay) is to reveal something new to admissions. Since you can write absolutely anything for your prompt, we’d recommend zeroing in on a topic first. Ask yourself what you would want a Richmond admissions officer to know that they wouldn’t be able to glean from the rest of your application: an important childhood experience; a crucial morning ritual ; a growing collection of pogs and other 90s memorabilia. Once you have a topic, you’ll find that writing a prompt will help you hone your angle. A few favorite examples include:

• Were you born with a congenital eye defect that literally (and metaphorically) affects how you see the world? (Q:How is your perspective on the world unique?)
• Do you spend 40 minutes each Friday night tutoring a class of elementary school students in Cambodia? How has that impacted the way you mete out your time and assess your commitments? (Q: What is the value of 40 minutes?)

How will you use your Richmond Guarantee?

There’s probably one question that immediately springs to mind when reading this prompt: what on earth is a Richmond Guarantee?! Please, allow us to google it for you . (You’re welcome.) It’s a $4,000 grant to support summer research or internships, which every Richmond student is entitled to! Trust us, this is a sweet deal, and definitely a unique part of the Richmond experience.

Of course, this prompt isn’t really about how you’d spend $4k, it’s about your intellectual curiosity and motivation. What is the one thing you’d love to do if only you had the money? Apply for your dream internship across the world? Research a possible link between avocado consumption and superhuman strength? Brainstorm a few basic ideas and then do your research: What have students done in the past? What sorts of programs are available in your area of interest? How far will $4,000 really go? An attention to detail in both your vision and structure will show admissions that you are genuine not only about your academic pursuits, but also about Richmond as an institution.

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Home — Application Essay — University — University of Richmond

University of Richmond Admission Essays

The golden circle: college admission essay sample.

One of my favorite business mantras is from Simon Sinek: “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This idea is based on what Sinek calls the “golden circle” of business. The outside of the circle is the “what,” the middle…

Learning How to Forgive: College Admission Essay Sample

Until now, it has never occurred to me that a spider taught me how to forgive. In all honesty, I never knew how to feel about my father. I loved him because I was supposed to. But I feared him even more. I feared him…

Arachnophobia: My Fear of Spiders

Did you know that arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, is one of the most common fears in the world? It affects approximately 10% of men and 50% of women worldwide, myself included. This past July, a man residing in West Seattle attempted to kill a…

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First-gen Essays from Campus

Major: Journalism

I came to Richmond to play for the football team and live the dream of being a Division-1 football player. I quickly realized that this lifestyle was not for me, and I left the team after one season. Once I was removed from the support system of the team, I began to understand what it meant to be a first-generation student and the problems that come with it. My car broke down and I had trouble finding friends because I was intimidated by the apparent comfort that everyone else seemed to have. I felt as if I was the only student who wasn’t in a fraternity, and I felt that I dressed differently than everyone else. I did not feel as if I belonged at Richmond. Soon enough, though, I got connected with some professors in the journalism department who guided me toward opportunities that changed my life. I got involved with the student newspaper and met people who had similar interests as I did. The biggest thing I learned was that I do belong at Richmond, and that although it may seem that everyone else has it figured out, they don’t.

Assistant Director of Media and Public Relations, University Communications

I was the first in my family (of seven older siblings) to receive a college degree. Though my parents were supportive when I expressed interest in going to college, I basically had to navigate the process solo. I sought out counselors, set up campus visits, and talked with friends’ older siblings who were in college. I had to make my own way among family members who didn’t really understand higher education — let alone applying for financial aid, housing, etc. It was a tough but rewarding process, and walking across the stage after graduating from a small liberal arts college is among the proudest moments of my life.

Kevin Butterfield

University Librarian, Boatwright Library

I was the first in my family to attend college. Leaving a small town for a Big Ten university with 30,000 students gave me a big case of culture shock. The vital and supportive relationships I built during that first year carried me through my four years there.

Myles Estey, ’17

Major: Business Administration, Management Concentration

Minor: Healthcare Studies

My experience as a first-generation student has allowed for personal development people my age don’t typically experience. My "unfortunate" experience is something I cherish because it has shaped me into the person I am today. I know what it’s like to be raised in a single-parent household while receiving government assistance, but I also know that my socioeconomic status doesn’t limit my goals and aspirations. I’m motivated to be more than just a statistic, and by attending the University of Richmond, I think I have already accomplished that goal.

Andrew Gurka

Director, Office of New Student and Transition Programs

I grew up humbly, raised by a single mom who worked hard, always emphasized education, and was my biggest cheerleader. For me, college was a means to an end — my sights were always on the end (a diploma) and not on the journey of college. My days consisted of class, work at the library shelving books, class, grabbing some lunch and studying, class, going to work giving a campus tour, dinner, hanging out with some friends, and going back to my residence hall to study.

My support structures on campus were the staff whose offices I worked in during my four years at college – all of the “second mothers” that I had — like Maxine, the administrative assistant in the admission office, and others around campus who watched out for me, encouraged me, and helped me navigate the university structures and processes.

Senior Administrative Officer, Equity and Community

When I attended the hall social my first week at Davidson College I met women who had attended elite private schools and others who had spent the summer at camps where they sailed, hiked, and more. These were foreign experiences to me. I began to worry that I was already behind and lacking what I needed to succeed in college. I decided at the moment to work even harder, to dedicate myself to learning and exploring, and to keep an open mind. This mindset contributed to what turned out to be an amazing, transformative four years.

Chris Klein

Associate Director of Study Abroad, Office of International Education

I grew up in a very small town and graduated with 95 other students. My family was supportive of my plans to go to college and I did my studies at a large state university. I went to the advising center when I had questions about choosing classes and to the career office as graduation approached. I generally got good advice but I now see that much of it assumed that I knew what I was doing, and that was not always true. What I needed most was a basic explanation on how to make choices so that my college years would be as helpful as possible in getting me to the life I wanted. And I specifically needed to hear this from someone who understood the “culture” of college-educated people, yet could explain it effectively to someone like me who was not yet a member of that group. I never really found that kind of “cultural informant.” I changed my major several times and missed opportunities for internships and study abroad because I was still trying to figure out the basics of college for myself. My advice to other first-generation college students is to never be afraid to ask questions, big or small, of the faculty or staff. Many people in jobs like mine, and especially those of us who have shared our stories, are more than willing to talk with you about the world of college and what comes after.

Mari Lee Mifsud

Associate Professor of Rhetoric

Director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Department of Rhetoric and Communication Studies

I was the first person in my immediate family to go to college. The story of why is a long and hard one, so I’ll stay focused on the experience. School and learning was for me a life raft and going to college a survival dream come true. When I arrived, I was in awe — of the freedom, the beauty and dignity of the space, the abundance of the library, the opportunities to study and learn and become human. That’s how much power I gave to college. I saw it as the way to become more human. I studied all the time, and I had a great social life. Which meant I never slept and hardly ate. Exercise was not even on my radar. Who has time for such things, I thought! Until my body gave out. I had to change and heal. So I did. I scheduled my classes in a smarter way to allow for more "down" time. I ended my over-extension in extra-curriculars. I kept a disciplined sleep, exercise, and eating schedule, as disciplined as my studies. And I learned to take care of myself, to avoid being a supernova — burning hot and fast and brilliantly, then quickly burning out! I am still living this lesson though, as I love school so much. Being a professor is a life raft, and a survival dream come true. I am in awe of our work as a University community, and I find I want to do everything all the time. But I have to remember to reserve time to take care.

Bianca Ortiz

Area Coordinator for Westhampton College

I am extremely proud to be a first-generation student, as my experience has challenged me to find courage, independence, and mentors. I always saw myself as a lover of academics and education. Applying to college was exciting but tough for me to imagine as no one in my family had any experience or financial means. I relied on really great educators, such as my college career counselor to help me pay for my ACTs and college applications. He taught me my first lesson, the importance of mentors. I have had so many throughout my educational journey who never let me feel like I did not belong in college. Transitioning to college challenged me socially as I felt it hard to meet others like me, but thinking beyond what I didn’t have, I focused on what kind of experiences I wanted in college. Finding my niche in working for Residence Life created a bridge to feeling socially acclimated to the new college environment. Being a first-generation student did present some financial challenges as I did not fully comprehend the financial side of paying for college. At the end of all the challenges that came from being a first-generation student, making it to graduation was one of my proudest moments. Being able to attend university and to graduate was not only a transformative experience, for me but also for my family.

Zach Perry, ’17

Major: Philosophy with a Concentration in Ethics

Minor: German Studies

Being surrounded by legacy students here at the University of Richmond definitely makes fitting in difficult. In addition to being a first-generation student, I come from a divorced family of now two handicapped parents and, as a junior, still struggle to fit in to the dynamic of the "Richmond stereotype.” While the stereotype itself is mostly a construct, having the extra baggage of finances, family burdens, and the societal pressure of "setting the first-gen precedent" creates a new kind of struggle that shouldn’t have to be fought alone. I found solace in being involved with the variety of cultural groups on campus and taking full advantage of the liberal arts curriculum here at Richmond. Music and theatre has also allowed me to express myself without feeling the need to prove I belong here and to embrace the idea of being a part of the "Spider Family."

Ann Pongsakul, ’16

Major: Health Care and Society

Not going to college was never an option. My parents always told me not to be stupid like them. It’s harsh but I always felt the need to do them justice and reach as far as I could. I had to navigate the college application process solo. Google was my best friend. I didn’t get in anywhere I wanted to because I didn’t apply to the right schools. I picked myself up and eventually landed at UR, where a wealth of opportunities opened up. But with that came challenges. I never knew transferring could be so emotionally and academically difficult. But I sought the help that I needed and still tried to put myself out there. The best present UR gave me was letting me study abroad in Switzerland for a year. Up until today, I’ve felt lost and helpless plenty of times. But I’m proud to say that I’m independent and strong, and my future is bright because I’m in control of it. Who knows, maybe I’ll live in Europe again one day.

Brittney Quinones, ’13

I didn’t know where to start. I was the only Latina in all honors classes. I thought I was on the right path. I was involved, getting good grades, working; simply self-motivated. Everything I heard about college was hearsay from my friends and their families from extensive college visits. Finally, the summer after my junior year, my mom and I took one trip and Richmond just happened to be on the list. How’d I find Richmond? The College Board matchmaker. In a big public school, you have to fend for yourself. Let’s just say, there’s much more to finding the right college than what you see on the websites. Somehow, after about 1,000 phone calls, we figured it out. It all seemed perfect until the beginning of my second semester at school. I felt alone, like I was the only one who felt unprepared for Richmond’s academic rigor. I didn’t fit in with the people who looked like my friends from home and I didn’t have money to eat outside of the dining hall basically ever, etc. It didn’t make sense to me. Why was everything so different here? I called home and my mom continued to remind me how good that Richmond degree would be. So, I kept pushing myself. I made an effort to build relationships wherever I went. I looked for opportunities and kept inserting myself everywhere until I finally found the right people — friends, club advisers, and even professors who helped everything make a little more sense.

Laura Runyen-Janecky

Professor of Biology

One of the strongest memories of college orientation is my parents being overwhelmed, not because they were anxious about leaving their first-born child at college (though I suspect that was part of it), but because they were in awe of all the prospects that laid before their daughter. Although both of my parents attended community college, obtaining a bachelor’s degree was not an option for them. Thus, I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from a four-year college. As such, there were certainly many challenges – much of them financial, some logical, and others social. But there was an unexpected benefit of being the first in my family to attend a four-year college, which I began to recognize on orientation day as I watched my parents marvel in all that this small college in Texas had to offer their daughter. That benefit was a deep appreciation that college held opportunities that others (like my parents) did not have, and this is what I used as motivation when times were tough. It never occurred to me to skip class (well, almost never), grumble about the food, or complain about all my homework on top work-study jobs. How could I, when my parents would have relished the chance to have this college experience! As a college professor, I’ve worked with many first generation college students who have found their own, personal “unexpected benefit” of a first-generation college experience, and used that to accomplish great things. Here’s to you finding yours….

Rosanna Thai, ’17

Majors: Biology and Psychology

Being a first-generation student means that I have had to grow up faster than anyone else. I had to translate for my parents and file FAFSA by myself. My parents were absent for many of my events, such as family weekend. At the beginning of my time at college, I had many problems. I often felt isolated by my peers because our socioeconomic statuses and our experiences were different from one another. I also felt unloved because my parents never called or visited; however, I soon learned that their love is different from others’. They work almost every day in order for me to have enough money to accomplish my dreams here at UR. As the oldest, I try to be the American parent to my siblings so they do not have to go through what I went through. I appreciate all the things my parents have done for me, and I have grown an independent spirit because of my experiences.

Richmond Writing

the University of Richmond Writing Center's blog, a resource for all things related to writing.

Month: April 2024

Word of the week nostrum.

Results varied but one commonality emerged: software tends to dispense generally positive-sounding but generic advice such as “be sure you integrate all the sources well” or “check the first sentence of each paragraph to be certain it connects to the final idea in the paragraph before.”

Well, duh. Teaching students to prompt-engineer their questions to an AI helps, but meanwhile, thanks for the nostrums, ChatGPT.  I gave one student that word, one I knew but have rarely have used. I suspect that soon I’ll be using this word too much.

What is a nostrum? Where did it come from?  And why is it related to our photo of “polite soothing syrups”?

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary quotes a famous writer for a usage example, “Whether there was real efficacy in these nostrums, and whether their author himself had faith in them, is more than can safely be said,” wrote 19th-century American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, “but, at all events, the public believed in them.”

A nostrum in our modern sense can still mean a dubious medical cure; several nostrums were hyped at the highest levels of government as preventatives for COVID-`19, with a few fatal and un-prosecuted outcomes. Typically, we instead call these sorts of pharmaceutical scams “snake oil” or just “quackery.” Yet a soothing word or phrase that means little of substance can still go by “nostrum,” especially if otherwise they do not harm a patient.

In terms of origins, our obviously Latin word has an interesting backstory. From my favorite online etymology source , I leaned that current usage dates to about 1600, so again we have a Renaissance term from that era’s renewal of interest in Classical texts for secular learning. You’ll also find many good synonyms for our word at this site, so I highly recommend it. I think I found the origin of the Spanish cura , meaning priest or a cure, there. We have a link to the historically medical (as well as their typically spiritual) cures that clergy brought to folks in earlier times.

I’d heard of the Roman name for the Mediterranean, Mare Nostrum , our sea. And so it was for centuries. That fact must have been soothing to Romans who could live near the coast without fear of dark enemy sails appearing on the horizon!

Image Source: public domain image from Picryl

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The Right Approach to Writing Your College Essays

Recently, I’ve given several presentations to rising high school seniors on writing your college essays. Each time I do this, I always ask students what makes them most anxious about essays, and two answers invariably come up more than any others: (1) "I know essays are really important," and (2) "I don’t really know what colleges are looking for."

Let’s take those concerns one at a time. First, are your college essays really important? Short answer: absolutely. While not all universities require you to write an essay, virtually all selective colleges do (as do all colleges that utilize the Common Application). And I can tell you, from experience, that colleges requiring an essay see it as a critical piece of your application, one that can help distinguish your application from other strong applications in a competitive pool.

Your essay is unique because it’s the only place in your application where you have full control over what you tell us – and, thus, it’s the best place to share your unique voice and story with us. Everything else in your application comes to us through some sort of lens (grades assigned by teachers, test scores assessed by testing agencies, recommendations written by others, even extracurricular involvement constrained to traditional resume format). The essay, on the other hand, is all you: it’s a blank page that you can fill however you want, which also makes it the single best opportunity to tell us who you are. 

And this is, perhaps, why so many students are intimidated by the essay – which brings us to the second concern, namely not knowing what college admission officials are looking for. This concern is a bit broader, and there are several ways of addressing it, which I’ll try to do briefly.

First, and most straightforward, is a secret that’s hidden in plain sight: colleges usually tell you exactly what they’re looking for, right in the essay prompt. Take a look at the seven Common App prompts , for example, and you’ll notice immediately that they’re really open-ended – that is, you could write about virtually any topic – but they all push you toward introspection, self-analysis, and reflection. This suggests that Common App colleges don’t necessarily care what you write about, so long as you communicate something meaningful or thoughtful about yourself in doing so (and reflecting is more important than narrating). For colleges that have their own essay prompt or a supplemental Common App essay, it’s usually pretty clear what they’re seeking as well. If they ask a really out-of-the-box question, they’re probably looking for creative, out-of-the-box thinking. If they ask a straightforward question about your fit for their college, they probably want to get a sense of how you see yourself fitting in and contributing to their community. This isn’t rocket science or psychological trickery!

"But," you protest, "that’s obvious. Of course I need to answer the essay prompt. What are you really looking for in an essay? What style of writing is best? What stands out to you? What do you find unique?"

Those are all perfectly natural questions – and they are also the perfect recipe for a generic college essay, when you allow them to guide your writing. If you try to write what you think we want to read, I guarantee you it will come out sounding inauthentic and bland. If you approach your essays with the goal of writing the most memorable essay ever written, one of two things will happen – either your head will explode from the pressure, or you’ll come out with something that feels like it’s trying way too hard and isn’t actually that compelling. 

This is, I think, the biggest pitfall of college essay-writing. Don’t worry about what you think we might or might not want to read, and don’t worry about what your fellow applicants might or might not be writing. Instead, focus on finding your own unique, authentic voice. This isn’t as simple or trite as just “be yourself” – one of my least favorite pieces of essay-writing advice, because it implies that you can just do this naturally, automatically, without having to think about it. That’s not true; finding your voice takes work, and time, and focus, and lots of brainstorming, and introspection, and many, many drafts. Think about the perspectives you have, the things that matter to you and why they’re important; reflect on the experiences that have shaped you, and why they did so; consider what you’re hoping to gain in the next four years of your life, what you’re looking for in college; try freewriting or stream-of-consciousness typing to get your thoughts flowing; and do all of this before you start trying to answer a specific essay prompt. (Pro tip: this is a lot to try to do during the fall of your senior year, so invest some quality time this summer in figuring out and exploring your authentic voice.)

Again, don’t write what you think we want to read, and don’t try to be something you’re not or write in a way that isn’t natural to you, because that inauthenticity will be obvious to us. (Do you see the irony there? If you try to do what you think we want, you’re actually doing the opposite of what we want.) If you don’t comfortably use big words in your everyday language, don’t overuse them in your essay (and please, please don’t consult a thesaurus for every adjective and noun). If you’re not naturally funny, don’t try to be funny. If poetry isn’t your thing, don’t try to write a poem. In figuring out what to write and how to write about it, start with you and what makes sense to you, what works for you.

I’m frequently asked what sort of essays stand out to me, and what to avoid in them. The truth is, the best essays I read every year are the ones that come across as natural, authentic, and thoughtful – and there’s no one topic or way of writing that encompasses them all, since authenticity depends on the individual. So many of the essays I read are, frankly, trying too hard to impress or to get everything right or to stand out from the pack – and those are the essays that come across as generic and gimmicky and run-of-the-mill.

I recently heard an admission colleague from another university summarize all of this really well, and I’ll do my best to paraphrase what he said. You can approach the writing of your essay (and, indeed, the college process at large) as a series of checkboxes, a list of items to get right and hoops to jump through, in order to get to the end goal (namely, acceptance). Or you can approach the writing of your essay, and the college application process, as an opportunity to think really critically (and deeply) about who you are, what makes you tick, what matters to you, and what you want out of this next phase of your life. Essays written by students with the latter approach are, inevitably, far more compelling and interesting than essays written by students just trying to do the correct thing and check all the boxes. 

It’s my hope that you’ll take the second approach, not just to writing your essays, but to your college search and application process as a whole. You’ll come out the better for it – and it’ll probably make your essays more interesting, too.

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Working With Your Hands Is Good for Your Brain

Activities like writing, gardening and knitting can improve your cognition and mood. Tapping, typing and scrolling? Less so.

By Markham Heid

The human hand is a marvel of nature. No other creature on Earth, not even our closest primate relatives , has hands structured quite like ours, capable of such precise grasping and manipulation.

But we’re doing less intricate hands-on work than we used to. A lot of modern life involves simple movements, such as tapping screens and pushing buttons, and some experts believe our shift away from more complex hand activities could have consequences for how we think and feel.

“When you look at the brain’s real estate — how it’s divided up, and where its resources are invested — a huge portion of it is devoted to movement, and especially to voluntary movement of the hands,” said Kelly Lambert, a professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

Dr. Lambert, who studies effort-based rewards, said that she is interested in “the connection between the effort we put into something and the reward we get from it” and that she believes working with our hands might be uniquely gratifying.

In some of her research on animals , Dr. Lambert and her colleagues found that rats that used their paws to dig up food had healthier stress hormone profiles and were better at problem solving compared with rats that were given food without having to dig.

She sees some similarities in studies on people, which have found that a whole range of hands-on activities — such as knitting , gardening and coloring — are associated with cognitive and emotional benefits, including improvements in memory and attention, as well as reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms.

These studies haven’t determined that hand involvement, specifically, deserves the credit. The researchers who looked at coloring, for example, speculated that it might promote mindfulness, which could be beneficial for mental health. Those who have studied knitting said something similar. “The rhythm and repetition of knitting a familiar or established pattern was calming, like meditation,” said Catherine Backman, a professor emeritus of occupational therapy at the University of British Columbia in Canada who has examined the link between knitting and well-being.

However, Dr. Backman said the idea that working with one’s hands could benefit a person’s mind and wellness seems plausible. Hands-on tasks that fully engage our attention — and even mildly challenge us — can support learning, she added.

Dr. Lambert has another hypothesis. “With depression, people experience something called learned helplessness, where they feel like it doesn’t matter what they do, nothing ever works,” she said. She believes that working with one’s hands is stimulating to the brain, and that it could even help counteract this learned helplessness. “When you put in effort and can see the product of that, like a scarf you knitted, I think that builds up a sense of accomplishment and control over your world,” she said.

Some researchers have zeroed in on the possible repercussions of replacing relatively complicated hand tasks with more basic ones.

In a small study of university students published in January, Norwegian researchers compared the neurological effects of writing by hand with typing on a keyboard. Handwriting was associated with “far more elaborate” brain activity than keyboard writing, the researchers found.

“With handwriting, you have to form these intricate letters by making finely controlled hand and finger movements,” said Audrey van der Meer, one of the authors of that study and a professor of psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Each letter is different, she explained, and requires a different hand action.

Dr. Van der Meer said that the act of forming a letter activates distinctive memories and brain pathways tied to what that letter represents (such as the sound it makes and the words that include it). “But when you type, every letter is produced by the same very simple finger movement, and as a result you use your whole brain much less than when writing by hand,” she added.

Dr. Van der Meer’s study is the latest in a series of research efforts in which she and her colleagues have found that writing and drawing seem to engage and exercise the brain more than typing on a keyboard. “Skills involving fine motor control of the hands are excellent training and superstimulation for the brain,” she said. “The brain is like a muscle, and if we continue to take away these complex movements from our daily lives — especially fine motor movements — I think that muscle will weaken.” While more research is needed, Dr. Van der Meer posits that understimulation of the brain could ultimately lead to deficits in attention, memory formation and problem solving.

But as with knitting and coloring, some experts question the underlying mechanisms at play.

“With some of this research, I think it’s hard to dissociate whether it’s the physical movement of the hands that’s producing a benefit, or whether it’s the concentration or novelty or cognitive challenge involved,” said Rusty Gage, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego.

Dr. Gage studies how certain activities can stimulate the growth of new cells in the brain. “I think if you’re doing complex work that involves making decisions and planning, that may matter more than whether you’re using your hands,” he said.

That said, the benefits of many hands-on activities aren’t in doubt. Along with gardening and handicrafts, research has found that pursuits like making art and playing a musical instrument also seem to do us some good.

“You know, we evolved in a three-dimensional world, and we evolved to interact with that world through our hands,” Dr. Lambert said. “I think there are a lot of reasons why working with our hands may be prosperous for our brains.”