Your freshman year of college is a whirlwind of firsts: your first time picking your own classes, your first time choosing your own diet and most likely your first time without adult supervision. For many, freshman year is also the first time experiencing the once-foreign city that their college calls home, if they ever decide to venture off campus.
First-year VCU students are in a unique position, however. At VCU, the campus seemingly is the city. There are lecture halls sandwiched between apartment buildings and convenience stores, there are dorms scattered around the perimeter of Monroe Park and even the gym is situated amongst a row of quirky shops and restaurants. Whether VCU’s urban surroundings initially excited or frightened you, odds are that they took some getting used to.
But what if I told you that there was even more of Richmond to see beyond the boundaries of VCU’s campus? What if I told you that there were 20 plus districts (many within walking distance from VCU), each with its own history, ambiance and set of attractions? Well, good news: there are!
Although getting to know the VCU-dominated areas of Richmond is obviously important, it’s also vital to become familiar with the remainder of the town in which you’ll hopefully be spending the next four years in. Exploring off-campus will help you discover new places to eat, expose you to nature, keep you up-to-date on who’s hiring and make you aware of your town’s strengths and weaknesses. In a city as big as Richmond, this may seem like a daunting task – in fact, it kind of is. But Richmond’s enormous expanse simply means that there is something out there for anyone willing to wander.
One of Richmond’s most renowned attributes is its vast restaurant selection. From Carytown’s cafes to Shockoe Bottom’s bars, the city will provide you with whatever kind of food you’re craving that day. Additionally, urban environments tend to cater toward those with dietary restrictions, so vegans and vegetarians can enjoy a meal almost anywhere in the city.
Just as its nickname – “The River City” – suggests, Richmond offers some pretty picturesque views of the James River. If you haven’t been to Belle Isle yet, why are you still reading this? Go, immediately. Bring a friend. Take cute pictures. Don’t litter. If you’d rather be closer to land, there are also many parks in Richmond that provide some beautiful scenery.
Another benefit of exploring Richmond is that you will inevitably become familiar with certain businesses that commonly employ college students. Maybe that gelato place that you eat at every week has begun to advertise that they’re hiring, and your familiar face will give you an advantage against other applicants. Or maybe the cashier who always rings you up at your favorite record store knows a guy who produces music and can hook you up with something even bigger than retail. The job opportunities in Richmond really are endless, so make the most of them.
Finally, venturing off of VCU’s campus allows you to see Richmond as the diverse, complex city that it truly is. There’s poverty, there’s wealth and there’s a lot of in-between. Perhaps your exploration will lead you to find a cause that you particularly empathize with and want to donate time or money to. Luckily, there are a myriad of local, non-profit organizations in which you can do so. Trust me, Richmond will thank you for it.
VCU is only a tiny sliver of what Richmond has to offer. So get your car, your bike or your sneakers and go see the rest of it!
Photo credits: Cover photo and 1 by Audrey Ampomah, 2 by Eleanor Ritzman