Why Richmond? 12 Good Reasons (One For Each Month)

1. Don't Lose a Semester

Richmond is a fully-fledged university. Unlike many other "island programs" with a limited range of courses, you can not only take special classes to adapt you to London and Europe (the Study Abroad Core) but others which you can also use for your General Education requirements back home.

We have everything from Internet Marketing to World Theatre. This way you don't have to lose a semester of study at your home institution in order to complete your Study Abroad experience overseas. So take a class about British politics taught by an acting Member of Parliament in the actual British Parliament, and at the same time sign up to take your Finance, Economics, Management or Communications pre-requisites for easy credit transfer to your home school.

Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4

2. Live in the Beating Heart of London

Although Richmond has two campuses, the Kensington campus, where most Study Abroads choose to stay, is right in the center of the city (zone 1).

Just off the High Street in a quiet neighbourhood it offers an eclectic mix of cafés, restaurants, high street shopping, great parks, pubs and palaces.

It is the home of the rich and famous, and you never know who (Robert Pattinson and Dustin Hoffman according to some students) will be sitting next to you at a café.

3. Expand Your Worldview

Although you'll be coming over with other US Study Abroad students, Richmond, unlike many similar programs, has over 1000 full time degree seeking students based on the Richmond and Kensington Campuses.

Richmond students come from all over the world. Over 100 nations are represented, if you take a class on World Religion, for example, where there are Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Atheists and Animists all together in one room. Discussion will be lively and fascinating, offering new perspectives and amazing worldviews.

4. Be Supported and Connected by Experience

Richmond is its own university with over 30 years of Study Abroad experience. Our academic facilities are fully-supported: two libraries, 80,000 volumes, DVDs, videos, 280 periodical titles, a free (for the student) document delivery service from the British Library (which can give you nearly every work ever published in English), 8 student computer labs, an Apple Macintosh lab in The Centre for New Media, and free wireless across the institution. You’ll be well-supported and well-connected wherever you go.

5. Navigate a Unique and Dynamic Environment

Richmond is rapidly developing an international reputation as a dynamic academic teaching environment. It was the first university in the UK whose degrees were recognised by both British (the Open University Validation Services) and US (the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools) accrediting bodies. Beat that Hogwarts!

Our external examiners have said that "the quality of the work produced by our students is not only comparable to their peers in British institutions but also exceeds it". (Professor Chris Williams, External Examiners Report, 2005-6) Another said: “the levels of feedback given to students were excellent.” (Dr. Rosie Campbell, External Examiner’s Report, 2011) Many of our degree students not surprisingly move onto graduate work at internationally recognised destinations such as Cambridge University, Oxford University, Harvard University, London School of Economics and the School for Oriental and African Studies.

6. Learn from a Diversity of Expertise

Richmond faculty are experts in their field. They are not only great teachers but many have national and international reputations. They write on horror films, green politics, paganism, popular music, memory, football, pension funds, and science fiction, to name just a few of their specialisms. You can take a range of fascinating classes, on everything including Middle East Politics, London Fashion, Business in Europe, and new to Richmond, British Fantasy Writing (where you can study /Lord of the Rings/ and /Harry Potter/)."

What's more they are friendly, caring and supportive. As class sizes are small (on average only 17 students!), they will get to know your names. So go to class regularly! Visit the Faculty page for details on individual faculty and their research and teaching expertise.

Egypt, Spring 2009

7. Explore Britain and Europe

The Study Abroad office, in conjunction with Student Affairs, organises an exciting package of short-term travel opportunities, all for reasonable cost and at a subsidised price. This way students can make the most of their time whilst in Europe.

Whether it is a day trip to Stonehenge or Bath, a long weekend of touring in the highlands and islands of Scotland, surfing off the wild West Wales coast, or glamourous and adventurous getaways to Berlin or Rome, a range of visits are available each semester.

If you want to create your own mini group adventure let us know and we’ll see what we can do. For details and bookings of upcoming trips, visit theTrips page in the Student Affairs area.

8. Explore London

In addition to national and European trips, we show you the best of London with a dynamic cultural calendar with a number of local events running each week. West End Theatre productions, visits to the British Museum or Royal Academy, films, pub crawls, Jack the Ripper walking tours, boat trips down the Thames, tours of the BBC, football/soccer matches, night clubs… Everything from low brow to high brow culture is on offer.

Dedicated student Resident Directors and Assistants, as well as staff and faculty, will accompany many of these activities. And again, if there is something not listed let us know and we'll see if we can arrange it for you. Check out the events calendar on the Portal.

9. Explore Further Afield

Fall and Spring Break extended in-depth visits. New to Richmond are our ambitious, and little bit more exotic, Study Tours.

Student Affairs have run trips to Egypt, Iceland, Poland and other less travelled destinations for you! These trips are a super way to learn about different cultures and peoples and really represent an experience of a lifetime. Each trip is taiored differently, but most will include roundtrip transportation, accommodation and some local tours of the area. You will be led by Richmond staff who will ensure you get the most out of your travels. For details and bookings of upcoming trips visit the trips page in the Student Affairs area.

Egypt Trip

City View, Istanbul

10. Get some work experience

Whilst enjoying your Study Abroad experience you may also want to get some work experience by volunteering in your local communty. Although volunteer positions are often difficult to come by for visiting students, we have developed a volunteer project that may interest you. Not only is it good for the local community but you’ll enjoy the experience and it will really enhance your resumé (we call it a CV in the UK).

Who knows, your own institution may even give you credit for the work you do over here! So if you want to help the aged, the homeless, or get some experience working with children in primary schools, visit the our volunteering pag for more information.

Students who want to major in Education, Sociology or Psychology have found these experiences particularly rewarding. It’s also a great way to meet the locals.

Please note that if you intend to work (either through an internship or through unpaid volunteer work) you MUST have a Tier 4 General (Student) visa. You will not be able to participate in any work-related activitiy on a student visitor visa. For more information about this, please contact us.

11. A Weekend in Paris

When coming to Richmond with AIFS you can also enjoy an optional weekend trip to Paris organised by AIFS. Travel on the Eurostar direct from London to Paris, going under the English Channel. Spend two nights in the capital of France, again accompanied by Study Abroad staff and/or faculty.

Travel down the Seine by boat or take a ride up the Eiffel Tower. You’ll be given a sightseeing tour of the city with a professional guide and if you want you can visit the Louvre for free as well. Don’t worry, there will also be plenty of time for you to wander around all on your own and shop.

12. Intern with the Top Companies in the UK

If you don't miss home too much and London's hot weather doesn’t get to you, AIFS and Richmond can also offer you the chance to spend another semester in London at a hugely reduced price. So why not stay another semester and sign up for an internship programme.

Like the volunteering this will look great on your resumé and you'll see a whole other side of British and European life. Some of our recent interns have worked with HSBC, CNN, and the US Embassy, to name a few organisations.

For details on the internships, and the new Richmond Intern Programme in China, see the Internship Programmes.