’18
Joe
Park Ridge, IL
Business

Interests

Movies, Classic novels, Basketball, Soccer, Video Games

Homepage
About Me
1 of 91
Next
Entries Feed

Post-Graduate Life

May 5, 2018

Now finished with my last final exam and set to graduate in a little over a week, I’m thinking more and more about post-college life. While I’ll have to say goodbye to UR, I luckily won’t have to say goodbye to Richmond. I secured a job to work in Richmond and will get the chance to explore all the things the city has to offer—much of which I hadn’t taken advantage of while I was in college. Richmond, as I’ve come to learn, is such a cool city. And with each successive year in college, I’ve encouraged younger students to venture off campus with increasing frequency and fervor. So, fittingly, I thought I’d give a quick look at the things I’m looking forward to most about life in Richmond.

A Booming Food Scene

Talk to most students at UR and you’ll likely find that they have multiple local restaurants top of mind that they want to try—if not an exhaustive list on their phones that’ll take months to check off everything. In Richmond, there are tons of small, highly reviewed eateries. But the best part about the restaurant scene is the diversity of that great food. No matter what kind of food you love, you can almost certainly find a soon to be favorite spot. That being said, because I’m originally from the Chicago area, I’m still on a mission to locate a favorite pizza place.

Summers at the James River

I know I’ve written before that the James River is one of the key elements of Richmond that makes the city what it is. And one of the best parts about the James is the multitude of spots along the river where you can lounge on the rocks that protrude from the water. There are busy areas and those a little off the beaten path. Gathering a group of friends on a Saturday afternoon to hangout out at your favorite spot is never a bad use of the weekend.

Art around Every Corner

One of the really cool things about Richmond are all the murals scattered throughout the city. Although I’m not much of an artist myself, I always appreciate the unique paintings housed on the side of buildings. This plethora of murals gives the city its own unique style and I can’t wait to see these works of art on my semi-weekly walks to an awesome restaurant near my apartment.

What’s Yet to Come

In talking to anyone who’s been living in Richmond for the past five or more years, I’ve learned that the city has really exploded in recent time. The great food, a huge set of microbreweries, and ever-expanding options for entertainment have all largely popped up in the past decade. Some areas in Richmond, such as Scott’s Addition, are developing rapidly. Now recognizing how the city has come along in recent years, I’m really excited to see what’s next for Richmond.

My name is Joe. I am currently a freshman at the University of Richmond. I plan to major in Business (concentration undecided) and to minor in Creative Writing. I consider myself a man of diverse interests. I find just as much enjoyment in playing basketball as I do staying home to read a book. In terms of music, I'll listen to most anything, whether it's Frank Sinatra, today's top 100 hits, old school rap, or anything in between. Same goes for movies. New movies, old movies, black-and-white movies, action movies, romantic comedies, serious dramas. It doesn't matter; I'll watch them all (and often choose to). Aside from that, I'm simply excited to be at UR and to be able to share my experiences with prospective students, fellow classmates, and anyone else who may care to follow along.

Why UR?

A simple answer to the question "Why UR?" would be to say that it just felt right. Though, whereas that isn't inaccurate, I know how vague and frustrating an answer like that can be for readers. So, I will try to explain myself. The University of Richmond, as I researched it more and more, became continually more appealing. Every new thing I learned became another reason to attend. (That certainly was not the case with other schools.) I didn't have to wrestle with thoughts like, "I guess I can live with that" or "Maybe it won't seem like that when I'm actually there." In fact, even viewing the university with a critical eye, it was difficult to find something bad to say about it. That may sound like I'm simply affirming my final decision, but it's not easy to answer that question without directly showing someone what I'm trying to articulate. UR is a place that, although ripe for descriptive writing, must be experienced firsthand to truly understand. That, I believe, says more than any list of reasons ever could.