UVA is an amazing school, and the wide array of classes and activities will allow anyone to find a niche. Additionally, there is both a strong emphasis on academics as well as a surprisingly vibrant party scene (if that's your thing). However, due to the competitive nature of applications, academics can feel a little competitive at times; however, nobody is actively working against you.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
- Take as many AP classes as you can reasonably do well in and participate in extracurriculars you enjoy. It's better to have a few clubs and be deeply involved or hold leadership roles in those than it is to be in twenty clubs and only be a peripheral member.
- If you have access to a wide array of AP or IB classes (more than you can reasonably take in 4 years), be smart about which ones you pick - most AP credit only converts to transfer credit and will not let you place out of specific classes. Those that do award class credit can be found [here](http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/content.php?catoid=43&navoid=3014#adva_exam), but if you are planning on the pre-health track, I highly recommend taking AP Chem and AP Bio, but if you can only do one, I recommend taking Chem. Please note that even with AP credit for chemistry, you are still required to take the chemistry lab (this does not apply for biology, however.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Academics at UVA are quite challenging, and very few prereq classes are free As. I was a top student in high school, and I had to work really hard just to pull a 3.56 my first semester. It isn't that the professors are bad (though that may have played a role in some classes, that isn't usually the rule) - the classes are just that much work. Additionally, STEM classes at UVA (prereqs and introductory classes especially) tend to be quite difficult, particularly chemistry and physics, though the other classes are not easy by any stretch either. However, most professors have a wide array of office hours, as do TAs, so there's no reason not to go if you need the help. Professors are almost always helpful during office hours whereas TAs tend to be a bit more hit-or-miss, though outside of chemistry they tend to be pretty good.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
First-year dorms are kind of a toss-up. Unless you get into one of the Residential Colleges (either Hereford, Brown, or the IRC, all of which house students from across all 4 years) after applying to them, you'll be put in one of these five areas:
- New Dorms: these are the newest (and nicest) dorms on Grounds in terms of amenities (all of them have AC and their own laundry rooms) and location (close to Observatory Hall Dining Hall and relatively close to McCormick Road class buildings).
- Old Dorms: these hall-style buildings are older, though the university has begun the process of renovating them. These are closer to classes than New Dorms due to their location on McCormick Road and are fairly close to O-Hill, but only two of the eight buildings have their own laundry facilities, and none have AC.
- CDF: short for Courtenay, Dunglison (that's my dorm), and Fitzhugh, these motel-looking suite-style buildings on Alderman Road are a bit further from classes than New Dorms. However, none of them have AC or their own laundry rooms, so we have to do it in either Gibbons (the newest and closest of New Dorms) or Gooch. Additionally, they are roughly equidistant between O-Hill and Runk Dining Halls.
- Gooch-Dillard: these suite-style buildings, located further down Alderman Road, were recently renovated and have their own AC and laundry rooms. They are fairly close to Runk Dining Hall (which many consider the best on Grounds) but are relatively far from McCormick Road.
- Malone and Weedon: these hall-style buildings, which were formerly part of Hereford Residential College, are air-conditioned and close to Runk Dining Hall. However, they do not have their own laundry rooms (those are also in Runk, so it isn't far). These are the furthest from classes of any of the first-year dorms.
In addition to the above, there are also the residential colleges - Hereford (2 buildings over by Malone and Weedon), Brown (12 buildings way up McCormick Road, near the center o...
Describe the food and dining at your college.
First-years are all required to be on unlimited meal plans, which makes eating at dining halls relatively easy. The dining halls are all run through Aramark, and the food is usually decent but not spectacular, which is all you can reasonably expect. However, the convenience of the meal plan is hard to top, as the dining halls are well-spaced, and meal swipes and Plus Dollars make it easy to get a taste of something different. The basement of Newcomb Hall (the student union) has Chick-Fil-A, Five Guys, and Subway (all of which accept meal swipes for certain items but Plus Dollars for the whole menu), and the Amphitheater has a good selection of local food trucks that will take Plus Dollars; these food trucks include meat pies, gyros, BBQ, poke (fish bowls), and dumplings (my personal favorite).
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Most of the dorms are relatively close to a gym (this includes all first-year dorms), so there's really no excuse to skip a workout. Additionally, there are many musical ensembles for students to join, some of which are more casual in nature. There are also a huge selection of clubs, and Madison House, the student volunteer program, is an excellent way to spend time. If you're a partier, there is a large Greek life scene on Grounds centered around Rugby Road, though many clubs have their own houses and throw parties. Finally, intramural sports are free to join and offer all kinds of different sports.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
If you live in the state of Virginia, there is quite simply no better bang for your buck - it's a fantastic university for a relatively affordable tuition. For out-of-state students, it can be more difficult to afford, as out-of-state tuition is quite high, but the education will make up for it provided you major in something practical and get a good GPA.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
- Streaking the Lawn: basically what it sounds like. You take off your clothes at the top of the Rotunda, run to the other end of the Lawn, kiss the statue of Homer, and run back and get your clothes back on.
- Thursday Night Parties: a lot of people here party on Thursday nights. This doesn't necessarily have to be at a frat; one of my suitemates once showed up around midnight fairly drunk after he got sent home from a snowboarding club party when the cops showed up. However, you will in no way miss out socially if you decide to stay home and study Thursday nights.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
UVA is best suited for serious students. Parties are very common here but academics hold a much higher priority; otherwise, it would be impossible to get a good GPA.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There is a huge array of clubs and activities to choose from. You can do intramural sports, volunteer in the Charlottesville area through Madison House in any of a dozen ways, or join the No-Tones, an acapella group for people who can't sing, to name just a few. It isn't an exaggeration to say that there's something for everyone here.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Greek life is fairly active at UVA, with a large variety of social and academic frats and sororities to choose from. Many people are involved in Greek life, but it is by no means ubiquitous or necessary to join a frat - many people do not and are very socially active.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
It is impossible to get into a dorm without a valid student ID unless someone lets you in, and even with an ID you can't get into dorms that aren't your own unless you have swipe access to the laundry areas. There is also a blue-light system on Grounds, and you can have University Police get anywhere on Grounds within 90 seconds. Finally, SafeRide will take any sober person home at night until early in the morning.
University Police did a fantastic job adapting after the events of August 11th and 12th, and it is exceedingly unlikely something like the march through the Lawn with torches could ever happen again due to new rules regarding what can be taken onto the Lawn (no firearms or open flame). However, there have been a couple of abduction attempts not far from Grounds as well as a recent sexual assault (also off-Grounds); as a result, the university now has ambassadors out near dorms as well as in areas immediately off-Grounds at night. However, Grounds itself is fairly safe, particularly relative to other college campuses. However, Charlottesville, despite being fairly nice, is still a city, which means any and all excursions off-Grounds require you to keep your wits about you, especially after dark.
UVA is an amazing school, and the wide array of classes and activities will allow anyone to find a niche. Additionally, there is both a strong emphasis on academics as well as a surprisingly vibrant party scene (if that's your thing). However, due to the competitive nature of applications, academics can feel a little competitive at times; however, nobody is actively working against you.
- Take as many AP classes as you can reasonably do well in and participate in extracurriculars you enjoy. It's better to have a few clubs and be deeply involved or hold leadership roles in those than it is to be in twenty clubs and only be a peripheral member. - If you have access to a wide array of AP or IB classes (more than you can reasonably take in 4 years), be smart about which ones you pick - most AP credit only converts to transfer credit and will not let you place out of specific classes. Those that do award class credit can be found [here](http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/content.php?catoid=43&navoid=3014#adva_exam), but if you are planning on the pre-health track, I highly recommend taking AP Chem and AP Bio, but if you can only do one, I recommend taking Chem. Please note that even with AP credit for chemistry, you are still required to take the chemistry lab (this does not apply for biology, however.
Academics at UVA are quite challenging, and very few prereq classes are free As. I was a top student in high school, and I had to work really hard just to pull a 3.56 my first semester. It isn't that the professors are bad (though that may have played a role in some classes, that isn't usually the rule) - the classes are just that much work. Additionally, STEM classes at UVA (prereqs and introductory classes especially) tend to be quite difficult, particularly chemistry and physics, though the other classes are not easy by any stretch either. However, most professors have a wide array of office hours, as do TAs, so there's no reason not to go if you need the help. Professors are almost always helpful during office hours whereas TAs tend to be a bit more hit-or-miss, though outside of chemistry they tend to be pretty good.
First-year dorms are kind of a toss-up. Unless you get into one of the Residential Colleges (either Hereford, Brown, or the IRC, all of which house students from across all 4 years) after applying to them, you'll be put in one of these five areas: - New Dorms: these are the newest (and nicest) dorms on Grounds in terms of amenities (all of them have AC and their own laundry rooms) and location (close to Observatory Hall Dining Hall and relatively close to McCormick Road class buildings). - Old Dorms: these hall-style buildings are older, though the university has begun the process of renovating them. These are closer to classes than New Dorms due to their location on McCormick Road and are fairly close to O-Hill, but only two of the eight buildings have their own laundry facilities, and none have AC. - CDF: short for Courtenay, Dunglison (that's my dorm), and Fitzhugh, these motel-looking suite-style buildings on Alderman Road are a bit further from classes than New Dorms. However, none of them have AC or their own laundry rooms, so we have to do it in either Gibbons (the newest and closest of New Dorms) or Gooch. Additionally, they are roughly equidistant between O-Hill and Runk Dining Halls. - Gooch-Dillard: these suite-style buildings, located further down Alderman Road, were recently renovated and have their own AC and laundry rooms. They are fairly close to Runk Dining Hall (which many consider the best on Grounds) but are relatively far from McCormick Road. - Malone and Weedon: these hall-style buildings, which were formerly part of Hereford Residential College, are air-conditioned and close to Runk Dining Hall. However, they do not have their own laundry rooms (those are also in Runk, so it isn't far). These are the furthest from classes of any of the first-year dorms. In addition to the above, there are also the residential colleges - Hereford (2 buildings over by Malone and Weedon), Brown (12 buildings way up McCormick Road, near the center o...
First-years are all required to be on unlimited meal plans, which makes eating at dining halls relatively easy. The dining halls are all run through Aramark, and the food is usually decent but not spectacular, which is all you can reasonably expect. However, the convenience of the meal plan is hard to top, as the dining halls are well-spaced, and meal swipes and Plus Dollars make it easy to get a taste of something different. The basement of Newcomb Hall (the student union) has Chick-Fil-A, Five Guys, and Subway (all of which accept meal swipes for certain items but Plus Dollars for the whole menu), and the Amphitheater has a good selection of local food trucks that will take Plus Dollars; these food trucks include meat pies, gyros, BBQ, poke (fish bowls), and dumplings (my personal favorite).
Most of the dorms are relatively close to a gym (this includes all first-year dorms), so there's really no excuse to skip a workout. Additionally, there are many musical ensembles for students to join, some of which are more casual in nature. There are also a huge selection of clubs, and Madison House, the student volunteer program, is an excellent way to spend time. If you're a partier, there is a large Greek life scene on Grounds centered around Rugby Road, though many clubs have their own houses and throw parties. Finally, intramural sports are free to join and offer all kinds of different sports.
If you live in the state of Virginia, there is quite simply no better bang for your buck - it's a fantastic university for a relatively affordable tuition. For out-of-state students, it can be more difficult to afford, as out-of-state tuition is quite high, but the education will make up for it provided you major in something practical and get a good GPA.
- Streaking the Lawn: basically what it sounds like. You take off your clothes at the top of the Rotunda, run to the other end of the Lawn, kiss the statue of Homer, and run back and get your clothes back on. - Thursday Night Parties: a lot of people here party on Thursday nights. This doesn't necessarily have to be at a frat; one of my suitemates once showed up around midnight fairly drunk after he got sent home from a snowboarding club party when the cops showed up. However, you will in no way miss out socially if you decide to stay home and study Thursday nights.
UVA is best suited for serious students. Parties are very common here but academics hold a much higher priority; otherwise, it would be impossible to get a good GPA.
There is a huge array of clubs and activities to choose from. You can do intramural sports, volunteer in the Charlottesville area through Madison House in any of a dozen ways, or join the No-Tones, an acapella group for people who can't sing, to name just a few. It isn't an exaggeration to say that there's something for everyone here.
Greek life is fairly active at UVA, with a large variety of social and academic frats and sororities to choose from. Many people are involved in Greek life, but it is by no means ubiquitous or necessary to join a frat - many people do not and are very socially active.
It is impossible to get into a dorm without a valid student ID unless someone lets you in, and even with an ID you can't get into dorms that aren't your own unless you have swipe access to the laundry areas. There is also a blue-light system on Grounds, and you can have University Police get anywhere on Grounds within 90 seconds. Finally, SafeRide will take any sober person home at night until early in the morning. University Police did a fantastic job adapting after the events of August 11th and 12th, and it is exceedingly unlikely something like the march through the Lawn with torches could ever happen again due to new rules regarding what can be taken onto the Lawn (no firearms or open flame). However, there have been a couple of abduction attempts not far from Grounds as well as a recent sexual assault (also off-Grounds); as a result, the university now has ambassadors out near dorms as well as in areas immediately off-Grounds at night. However, Grounds itself is fairly safe, particularly relative to other college campuses. However, Charlottesville, despite being fairly nice, is still a city, which means any and all excursions off-Grounds require you to keep your wits about you, especially after dark.