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Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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OP you should give more info. What part or city in the midwest are you from? Are you looking for a city bigger or smaller than what you're used to? Considering that Albany St is one of your choices, are you an AA looking for an "HBCU experience?" As zapata1818 said, have you looked into which school actually has the better program for your specific degree? From what I remember, you could see VCU right off of I-95 driving through Richmond. Do you think you'd like living in/close to downtown in a city that's the hub of a metro of over 1 million people on a diverse campus or would you like living in a smaller, slower pace city on an HBCU campus with a tighter knit community and much smaller enrollment away from it's downtown, but still on a street with wal-mart, fast food options, etc. etc.
OP you should give more info. What part or city in the midwest are you from? Are you looking for a city bigger or smaller than what you're used to? Considering that Albany St is one of your choices, are you an AA looking for an "HBCU experience?" As zapata1818 said, have you looked into which school actually has the better program for your specific degree? From what I remember, you could see VCU right off of I-95 driving through Richmond. Do you think you'd like living in/close to downtown in a city that's the hub of a metro of over 1 million people on a diverse campus or would you like living in a smaller, slower pace city on an HBCU campus with a tighter knit community and much smaller enrollment away from it's downtown, but still on a street with wal-mart, fast food options, etc. etc.
i'm from a smaller city in ohio. yes i'm african american and i thhink it would be awesome to experience getting my education at an hbcu. i do think that albany would be better and vcu would be a big change for me being that's it's bigger and fast paced. and i see it's way cheaper to live albany than richmond.
as far as the program, the one at my school has it, but i don't want to finish my education here; just not happy with my college experience after being here for 4 yrs and havent really alot of ppl really;i'm shy, i just don't like the ppl here, its racist which is crazy, and i just dont like the environment at all. and since albany and vcu's forensic science program is accredited, i thought that was even greater. i think the diffvrence between vcu and albany fs program is at albany, you take a regents exam/and gpa requirement before being in the program whereas vcu requires a gpa requirement only.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
2,014 posts, read 5,103,187 times
Reputation: 2089
Quote:
Originally Posted by cheetahprints
i'm from a smaller city in ohio. yes i'm african american and i thhink it would be awesome to experience getting my education at an hbcu. i do think that albany would be better and vcu would be a big change for me being that's it's bigger and fast paced. and i see it's way cheaper to live albany than richmond.
as far as the program, the one at my school has it, but i don't want to finish my education here; just not happy with my college experience after being here for 4 yrs and havent really alot of ppl really;i'm shy, i just don't like the ppl here, its racist which is crazy, and i just dont like the environment at all. and since albany and vcu's forensic science program is accredited, i thought that was even greater. i think the diffvrence between vcu and albany fs program is at albany, you take a regents exam/and gpa requirement before being in the program whereas vcu requires a gpa requirement only.
You should definitely leave if it's that miserable for you. But yeah, if you'd like an HBCU experience, of course Albany St. would be better. Unlike several other HBCUs, I think it's a plus that the immediate area around Albany State's campus is pretty decent and not in the ghetto. Considering you said that you're shy, I'm going to assume you dont exactly crave the "big city, bright lights" and you don't feel you have to make a "scene" everywhere you go, no? So, the fact that Richmond is a lot bigger with more to do might not mean much to you anyway. If you're more of a reserved person and dont really care about which "exclusive" store is coming to this or that shopping plaza Albany def. has enough options mall, target, etc
I went to Albany State for a couple years and I was born in VA. Honestly, I did enjoy my time at ASU and I had fun, but, I'd do VCU and not even think about it. Even though ASU was a cool little school, Albany was by far THE WORST town I've ever lived in. Yeah it has everything you need, but thats about it and nothing else. I'll go on with ASU, it is a good school, very nice campus, nice dorms, awesome professors for the most part and I made some pretty good friends there. They built the student center and some new dorms back in 2011 it offers a pretty good HBCU experience. Homecoming at the school is also something that is also a lot of fun as well. The school isn't perfect but overall, the school itself wasn't bad. Now on to Albany, GA..I personally couldn't stand that place AT ALL. The heat was unlike anything I've experienced, the gnats were ridiculous, crime was about as bad as what you'd see in a larger city without any of the amenities of a larger city, and it was about as backwards as a place could get, from both whites AND blacks. I will say, I met some nice people from the area while I was there through work and school, but as a whole, many people there were MUCH ruder there in customer service and just in general than here in ATL, and even places like NYC, DC, and LA. Even though ASU was a cool little school, I couldn't imagine paying out of state tuition to go there. VCU is a lot more diverse, its right in the heart of Richmond in a cool, trendy neighborhood, and the reputation there is a little more stellar. Plus if you want to hang out at an HBCU, Virginia State is only a 20 to 30 min ride away. Theres A LOT more to do in Richmond as its a much bigger city. Not to mention, its on the East Coast so you could take the megabus up to DC and hang for a weekend, VA Beach is only about a hour and a half to 2 hour drive depending on traffic, and NYC isn't that far either. You'd also have the opportunity to make a lot more connections in your field up in Richmond as well too.
You should definitely leave if it's that miserable for you. But yeah, if you'd like an HBCU experience, of course Albany St. would be better. Unlike several other HBCUs, I think it's a plus that the immediate area around Albany State's campus is pretty decent and not in the ghetto. Considering you said that you're shy, I'm going to assume you dont exactly crave the "big city, bright lights" and you don't feel you have to make a "scene" everywhere you go, no? So, the fact that Richmond is a lot bigger with more to do might not mean much to you anyway. If you're more of a reserved person and dont really care about which "exclusive" store is coming to this or that shopping plaza Albany def. has enough options mall, target, etc
youre not wrong at all lol. i'm actually reserved and don't party anyway; and i'm not a loud person. but i do want to finally somewhat open up and get to know others. albany does seem more up my alley since i'm from a smaller city with not much to do, but i dont think its as bad as albany as far as crime goes even though we do have a lot of crime and not as "country" lol.
if i was to move to richmond, idc about the 'big city, bright lights' thing, so youre right. i do like that it has a better rep, better opportunities , more diverse though. it seems to be more expensive to live at though.
I went to Albany State for a couple years and I was born in VA. Honestly, I did enjoy my time at ASU and I had fun, but, I'd do VCU and not even think about it. Even though ASU was a cool little school, Albany was by far THE WORST town I've ever lived in. Yeah it has everything you need, but thats about it and nothing else. I'll go on with ASU, it is a good school, very nice campus, nice dorms, awesome professors for the most part and I made some pretty good friends there. They built the student center and some new dorms back in 2011 it offers a pretty good HBCU experience. Homecoming at the school is also something that is also a lot of fun as well. The school isn't perfect but overall, the school itself wasn't bad. Now on to Albany, GA..I personally couldn't stand that place AT ALL. The heat was unlike anything I've experienced, the gnats were ridiculous, crime was about as bad as what you'd see in a larger city without any of the amenities of a larger city, and it was about as backwards as a place could get, from both whites AND blacks. I will say, I met some nice people from the area while I was there through work and school, but as a whole, many people there were MUCH ruder there in customer service and just in general than here in ATL, and even places like NYC, DC, and LA. Even though ASU was a cool little school, I couldn't imagine paying out of state tuition to go there. VCU is a lot more diverse, its right in the heart of Richmond in a cool, trendy neighborhood, and the reputation there is a little more stellar. Plus if you want to hang out at an HBCU, Virginia State is only a 20 to 30 min ride away. Theres A LOT more to do in Richmond as its a much bigger city. Not to mention, its on the East Coast so you could take the megabus up to DC and hang for a weekend, VA Beach is only about a hour and a half to 2 hour drive depending on traffic, and NYC isn't that far either. You'd also have the opportunity to make a lot more connections in your field up in Richmond as well too.
what's the weather like in richmond? would you say it was more expensive to live in richmond than albany? i like what i see about ASU, but what i don't like is that it can be "ratchet" lol. i AM concerned about paying out of state for vcu and asu. i think youre a resident after 1 year, so i wouldnt mind paying out of state for my first year if my financial aid will cover it and if i'll have enough to get books and whatever else that i need.
what's the weather like in richmond? would you say it was more expensive to live in richmond than albany? i like what i see about ASU, but what i don't like is that it can be "ratchet" lol. i AM concerned about paying out of state for vcu and asu. i think youre a resident after 1 year, so i wouldnt mind paying out of state for my first year if my financial aid will cover it and if i'll have enough to get books and whatever else that i need.
The weather in Richmond, expect pretty hot and humid summers, like mid 80s to low 90s all summer nice spring and fall and winters are pretty chilly IMO, not as bad as Ohio but still pretty cold and expect snow but not an overwhelming amount. Yes, Richmond is going to be a lot more expensive than Albany in term of housing. In Albany, you can get a decent 2 br apartment for $400 to $500..in Richmond, I don't even think that'll get you a place in the hood. I'd probably say a decent apt there would maybe run about $800 to $900 I think. Richmond and Albany IMO both can be verryyyy ratchet, but I'd rather be in a place that has more shopping/dining options and an abundance of things to do, than just be in a town thats just, well ratchet and nothing else to offset it. You are right though, I do believe you can establish residency after a year.
The weather in Richmond, expect pretty hot and humid summers, like mid 80s to low 90s all summer nice spring and fall and winters are pretty chilly IMO, not as bad as Ohio but still pretty cold and expect snow but not an overwhelming amount. Yes, Richmond is going to be a lot more expensive than Albany in term of housing. In Albany, you can get a decent 2 br apartment for $400 to $500..in Richmond, I don't even think that'll get you a place in the hood. I'd probably say a decent apt there would maybe run about $800 to $900 I think. Richmond and Albany IMO both can be verryyyy ratchet, but I'd rather be in a place that has more shopping/dining options and an abundance of things to do, than just be in a town thats just, well ratchet and nothing else to offset it. You are right though, I do believe you can establish residency after a year.
thank you for this info.
i'm not expecting you to know everything about albany and richmond, but are the cheaper apartments in albany only located in the hood and are there any that's safer and sort of walking distance to asu? i would love to go to vcu and will still apply there, but i do have to think about cost of living and if i'll be able to afford it in the beginning. i also think that asu's in state tuition is awesome; it's like 5000 whereas vcu's in state is about 9000.
albany doesnt sound attractive as far as shopping/ things to do. but i didnt plan on staying in albany or richmond for long, just for schooling and then i'm leaving to another state after graduation.
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lol. 
