<p>mer – best of luck with your decision.</p>
<p>I personally did not apply for aid when I was looking at going to UR, and now that I’m grad school, I only deal with federal loans (and my how those…nevermind). </p>
<p>UR traditionally has been generous with aid to those that really merit it (academically). UR used to cap the loans that would be given as part of the financial aid package at $4,000 a year (so the max school debt would be $16,000). I’m not 100% if they still do this or not given the Great Recession. Odds are you won’t qualify for this, but worth throwing out there – if you’re a VA native and your family makes less than $40,000 a year, UR is free for you. </p>
<p>I didn’t get out and explore Richmond as much as I should have when I went here, but you’re 100% right about the arts scene. VCU certainly is the more “artsy” school, but I wouldn’t say that the city’s scene is due to that “other school.” The VMFA recently had a great Picasso exhibit and the music scene is pretty good for a city the size of Richmond (especially considering it doesn’t have any large arenas for the biggest acts). You’re also not too far from C-ville, DC or your neck of the woods for big acts. The last couple of years, I’ve seen Jay-Z, Timberlake, Kanye, Lupe Fiasco, OAR, Snoop, Stone Temple Pilots all within a couple of hours of RIC.</p>