University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

As a peer health educator, I am "safe-spaced" trained to be inviting to the LGBT community here. I feel like I have become hyperaware of these issues now and I try to speak up when someone says, "that's so gay man" or "he's such a fag." The fact that the "NOT GAY" chant has resurged has been really perplexing to me when I think we are making so many progressive strides with other student body issues.

I think UVa has a very diverse student body and it keeps getting more diverse as each class comes in.

Everyone is accepted here in the mutual love and joy of all being WAHOOS!

Very diverse, with student populations from many different cultures and countries. Most come from slightly higher class families, but really all different kinds of people can be found. Yes, many of our students are also highly involved in politics at some level.

Its awesome! Very diverse! Come from all over, variety of states and country with a lot of ethnic backgrounds. Very very active in every problem around the world, and most are involved in politics.

Like everywhere, there are ignorant and prejudiced people here. However, racism is less prevalent than elsewhere, and homosexuals don't get ostracized as much either. There is a wide variation from people dressed well to people who put no time into their appearance throughout the campus, so either type has a friend here.

With the amount of organizations around grounds at UVa, there is something for EVERYONE of every interest. It is so hard to describe UVa in terms of race/religion/sexuality/economics, etc. because of the mass participation in all of these organizations. I love this about UVa and I think it makes us very accepting and unique to all types of people.

We like to dress up, and apparently there's nothing wrong with that. One of UVA's facebook groups is title 'guys in ties, girls in pearls'. Come fall, you'll see the pastel sun dresses being replaced by black or grey northface jackets and it will seem like EVERYONE has one. But don't worry, it's hard to feel out of place even if you lack a northface. Politically, the school is an accurate microcosm of the US. We're not a hippie school where the break-down is 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} liberal, 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} conservative. Our ratio is much more balanced, but UVA is still a left-leaning institution. Recycling is BIG, as is biking, but you won't often see hunger-strikers or other public activism. Black, Asian, queer and other minority groups are prominent, although it often seems like the groups don't have lot of support from their own communities... campus politics aren't too heated and there aren't many hot button issues to militate the community.

unfortunately, although there is great diversity at UVa which is awesome, i feel like the different ethic groups keep separate, kinda like oil and water- i would like that to change. I go to UVa's campus crusade although we call it Agape. there are sooooo many student groups here tho, i just havent checked many out. I dont think that there is a type of student that would feel out of place at UVa because our school is so diverse. most students wear jeans to class but we definitely do not have a shortage of girls that look like theyve stepped off a runway to go to class. most students are from virginia but there are a some international students as well as out of state ppl.

At the IRC where I live, I interact with people from all over the world. I don't think any student would feel out of place at the IRC. I can't say as much for first year dorms; there I think mostly accepted are the pre-Greek crowd. Students usually wear jeans, basically casual clothes. Definitely different types of students interact. On any given day I will talk to a preppy white boy from New Jersey, a skateboarder from Virginia Beach, a girl from India, an gay American from Spain, two Koreans (one studious and one artistic), and a townie with Danish background who grew up in Hong Kong. Most UVA students are from Virginia I believe. However I wouldn't know it from the people I hang out with and where they say they are from. I don't ask people about their financial statuses. Students are definitely politically aware, and many are active. There is a mix of political orientations. No one talks about how much money they plan to make. Most people have different goals.