Campus Housing

For first-year students, there seems to be a big split between new dorms and old dorms. New dorms have several rooms off of a common area and a shared bathroom, while old dorms have a hall-style arrangement. New dorms tend to be more diverse, old dorms tend to be more social. I lived in new dorms, but if I had to do it again, I might choose old dorms, just because I think there is greater potential for meeting people with the hall-style living.

Campus Strictness

Inside the dorms, people committing illegal activities such as underage drinking need to be discrete, but it happens every week and people rarely get caught. In the actual city of Charlottesville, the police force is very lenient about alcohol. They are stricter about drugs, but underage drinking goes on everywhere in C-ville. Some bars on any given weekend night have 75 percent or more underage people using fake IDs.

Computers

We have unlimited access to computers. We have computer labs in every area, from the dormitories to the libraries. You can also check out laptops at the library, if need be. I would bring a laptop over a huge computer, but that’s my personal opinion. You can also purchase a computer through school. I purchased mine through Virginia, and all I had to do was basically turn it on because all the necessary software and hardware were already installed on the computer. They also will put your computer in your dorm room, and it will be waiting for you when you arrive on grounds.

Diversity

It is diverse for sure, but I sense some self-segregation. The mixing does occur, but athletes do athlete things. Sororities and frats do Greek things, and even among them, different frats and sororities do different things. Organizations like Sustained Dialogue, Alternative Spring Break, etc., tend to bring together very different people from different backgrounds. It is awesome. There is definitely a niche for everyone, even if you like to branch out.

Drug Scene

I think it isn’t as prevalent as it is at the schools my friends go to, but it is there. Fraternities oftentimes have a good amount of drug use, but it isn’t anything that makes me uncomfortable. I’d say it is average, maybe less. I don’t do any, so I wouldn’t know.

Facilities

UVa is ranked the No. 1 public school every year for a reason. Everything's nice and new here, and they continue to build every year. There are three dining halls and many on-grounds eateries, and we have four gyms that are free and open until midnight usually. There are three main libraries, which are usually open until 2 a.m. (one is 24 hours), plus several smaller libraries dedicated to particular subjects. There's also the Student Activities Building (SAB) which can be rented out for special events or parties.

Greek Life

Greek life is a big part of Virginia social life; however, I’m not Greek, and one doesn’t have to become Greek in order to have a good time. Make sure that if you want to go Greek that it is for you, because Greek life isn’t for everybody.

Guys & Girls

That first day of spring when all the girls jump into skimpy summer clothing for the first time and start sunbathing on the Lawn and the Quad is a great day. There are a bunch of attractive people at UVA.

Local Atmosphere

There are no other universities really, although some commute to Piedmont. The town is really nice in areas that are generally populated with University students, such as the Corner, Barracks Road, and Downtown Mall. However, there are some sections of town that you definitely want to stay away from. So if you are wandering around, and all of a sudden it looks like you are in Compton, turn around and go back the way you came.

Nightlife

There are quite a few bars on the Corner, but you will need a fake ID (unless you know the bartender) to get into them. There is the Biltmore, Jabberwocky, and a few more. With all the frats here, though, clubs and bars are unnecessary.

Off-Campus Dining

Charlottesville has great dining; the area just by grounds called the Corner has a lot of really good (and fairly cheap) lunch spots, and the downtown area just a trolley ride away has more upscale places. Downtown is a lot better when it's nice out, though, since the main street is a pedestrian-only walkway, and all the restaurants serve customers on seating on the huge sidewalk. The biggest UVa staples are Little John's, a deli; Christian's Pizza, or, alternatively, Mellow Muchroom; and everyone's favorite, Bodo's, the cheapest and most delicious bagels outside of New York. And the coffee ain't bad either!

Off-Campus Housing

I think it’s definitely worth it. Obviously, the closer it is to grounds, the more you’re going to pay. That’s also the case if you choose to live by yourself. Always be on top of your rental agency, make sure you know what you’re signing up for.

Overall Experience

UVA is the perfect mix of academic and social elements. I have friends who will wax about Kierkegaard and Emerson, and then five hours later they’ll bong beers and slow dance. Basically, there is no better place to experience it all. If you want to immerse yourself in a difficult and complex academic world, then it is possible—the professors are brilliant and prominent. If you want to go to frat parties, football games, bars, and formals, then you can do that, as well. Plus, the campus is probably the most beautiful one around.

Parking

It is not easy to park on campus. You can park in the parking garage or get a pass for U-Hall, but then you will need to take the bus to campus. The parking patrol is pretty diligent here, so most of the time you are not going to be able to get away with parking your car in a reserve lot for an hour or so. If you decide to live off campus and you have a car, make sure your apartment has off-street parking. Some of the rental agencies (without off-street parking) will tell you that parking is not a problem, but it usually is unless you have a spot or lot of your own.

Safety & Security

There is definitely way more than one rape per year! Sexual assault is a huge problem at UVa that no one seems to want to acknowledge or deal with aside from Take Back the Night. What is worse is that the administration doesn't do anything to protect or help victims of sexual assault. Also, rape can happen to anyone, even if you do use your common sense. In fact, the people to watch out for are most often your UVa classmates.

Transportation

Great! The University Transportation System (UTS) comes around every 10 minutes and runs until about 3 a.m. on the weekends. At essentially any time that the buses are not running (12 a.m.-6 a.m.), Safe Ride (run by the Charlottesville/UVa police departments) does run. It will drive you for free anywhere on grounds or up to a mile off grounds. To get around the city, Charlottesville has its own bus system that has several stops on grounds. Also, UVa has worked a deal with Yellow Cab to prevent drunk driving/night crimes, so you can just call them for a ride even if you don't have cash on you.

Weather

The weather is psychotic. We could have a 70-degree day in January, and then it won’t be 70 again until, like, May. It’s always changing, but it’s neat. It keeps things interesting.

Academics

During my time at UVA, I had a handful of the best, as well as some of the most disinterested teachers I’ve ever had. In my experience as a biology and psychology double major, I found that the greatest challenge was the way the courses were structured, and more specifically, the class size of most of the courses. For courses within my majors, it was not until my fourth and final year that I had a class where the professor was close enough to me that I did not need my glasses to make out his/her face. I suppose that, in short, I found most of my college experience rather impersonal. In order to overcome the large class sizes and truly get to know a professor, one has to expend a good deal of energy going to extra office hours, and staying after class. As a result of this dynamic, some of my more influential teacher-student relationships at UVA were with TAs.

Athletics

IM sports are always available, and I guess they’re pretty big. Varsity basketball is a pretty big deal. We beat Duke two years in a row, so I guess that was a big deal. We’re not that great, but I’d say we’re better than average. Our football team is also a big deal, but it’s not really all that great. Everyone gets dressed up for football games, and we sing a song every time we have a touchdown. The school is full of tradition.

Campus Dining

On grounds, dining halls are pretty standard, but the food quality is mostly good, and there’s a large variety. There’s also the Corner meal plan that allows you to eat at certain restaurants using this card that’s like a credit card exclusively for Virginia students, I highly recommend it. Oh, and the PAV is a place on Grounds that you pay for with Plus Dollars (included in a standard meal plan) or regular money, or Cavalier Advantage, which is like the Corner meal plan except it’s for on-grounds stuff. It all makes more sense once you get here.