University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

There are so many fun activities to do at UVa, it's mind-blowing! Clubs and teams are a big part of the student life at UVa. Football games are a great way to spend time with friends and, even if you don't like sports, it's always fun to take in the sights and, my personal favorite, watch the UVa marching band. Clubs are also very popular at UVa. Two of the most prominent groups are the Washington Society and the Jefferson Society. They are both literary and debating societies and are very popular on Grounds. I am going to school to be a journalist so, of course, I found a club that caters to that interest of mine. It's called wuvaonline. It's a student run website and we cover events that are happening around Grounds, as well as prominent national stories. There are a lot of speakers that come to UVa, and they speak on every subject you could think of. The Greek life is a big part of the social life at UVa, and the students do have a tendency to party quite a bit, but that's not nearly all that there is to UVa. I've only been to a few parties since I've been at UVa, but I've still had a blast without doing the party scene every weekend. A lot of times I will just get together with a bunch of friends and we'll hang out, one of us will fix dinner, or we'll order take-out, and we'll watch a movie. My best friend and I also love to go to Fashion Square, the mall, where we can spend hours. There is also a listserve you can join to get e-mails from and organization called "Hoos-Sober" and they'll send out an e-mail every week about non-alcoholic events going on, and there are about a half dozen events and activities going on every day. Adjusting to life at UVa can be hard, so make sure you leave your door open. People will come in from the hall for a few minutes just to say hi and see how you're doing, and it's a great way to meet and get to know the people that you live with.

Fraternities and Sororities were really big so I kinda ignored everything else. The club sports teams, the acapella groups, and the theater groups also got some attention

Most popular organizations or clubs are clubs at the McIntire School of Commerce, and each Year’s councils. Also UPC (University Programs Council) this is the council which puts events together like the past concerts of B.O.B, Lady Gaga, David Matthews, and many many others. The most popular sports teams are swimming, lacrosse, football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and track. A group I am involved with now is SIFE (Student In Free Enterprise) and recently I helped a project where we went to the local homeless shelter and helped the poor and less privilege with editing and creating their resumes for future jobs so that they can get back on their feet. Students in all the dorms leave their doors open to talk to others and just to have that college feel, but in some doors some of the doors aren’t open hall style. Athletic events are very popular, but also there really isn’t much pressure to attend either, but most go. Also guest speakers are always on ground, as for theater it’s not as popular but many do go to theater related events. The dating scene is alright, more people are trying to experience the best time of their life rather than dating. If you’re awake at 2am on a Tuesday you are studying, doing homework, watching TV shows, or relaxing. I met my closest friend by living in a residential dorm, and we usually had breakfast, lunch and dinner together and went out together. Well there is this event called lighting of the lawn which is probably the biggest and most beautiful event ever. The Rotunda gets decorated with Christmas lights and there is apple cider hot chocolate and many pastries and acapella groups signing, it’s pretty cool. People either party once or twice a week on average. Fraternity and sorority rushing periods are pretty big around here, but is about half of the student body not all. Last weekend I stayed in and study/watched movies with friends. To have fun without drinking you can always go to a party and dance and not drink. Drinking here is never pressured on people, which is surprising but tells you a little bit about our character. You can also relax in the biggest hot tub on the east coast, I do that sometimes. Off campus you can go eat at restaurants, go to bars if your over 21,or hang out with friends at their apartments off grounds.

I'm not sure what the most popular student groups are because there are just so many of them. I have been a part of many different clubs including a ballroom dance club. Some students leave their doors open, while others do not, but there is a tendency to move off grounds after your first year. Athletic events tend to be very popular. Guest speakers come to the school and are popular within their category (i.e. Richard Dawkins attracted science students and athiests). There are always events going on with different groups trying to get you to attend their event, whether it be signing or improv comedy. I met my closest friends by either living with them or through clubs I've been a part of. If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I am generally hanging out in my apartment. People tend to party on many weekends, though most people do not party every weekend. Frats and sororities are important only to those who are a part of them and though there are a lot of them it is possible to avoid them completely. Last weekend I attended various house parties with my friends. On a Saturday night there are plenty of people to hang out with in non drinking environments. Off campus there are bars and movie theaters to go to.

Joining Greek life is very common. Going to football games. Joining clubs that benefit your heritage in some way shape or form. For example, many Hispanic people join clubs that do charity work with Hispanic communities. People love to go out here on weekends but there are many kinds of activities that do not necessarily involve going to bars or parties. There are concerts, dinners, charity events etc.

One of the most honorable student involvement is becoming part of the Honor System. An organization that deals with students who have broken the honor system. You will get to decide and investigate the cases as if you where a lawyer. If you like more social clubs... there are plenty, some of the most famous are the salsa club, pancakes for parkingson, any of the accapella groups or even the opera clubs... from sewing to dancing.. you will find your niche.

There are very many clubs/activities at UVA. I think the number is somewhere around 300. The most popular groups are probably the political groups although I'm not sure. I'm involved with Psychological Society. It basically comes up with events for Psych majors and socials. Students in dorms usually leave their doors open but there are always people that don't. Athletic events are very popular, especially football games. Guest speakers come all the time. For example, in the Psych department there are probably around 2-3 guest speakers per week. The dating scene is a little tough because all the guys are bro-y but it's okay because there are still good guys out there. I met the love of my life here. My closest friends I met just because I lived next door to them. But if you get involved in clubs, you can make friends there too! If I am awake at 2AM on a Tuesday, I am studying or hanging out with my boyfriend. People party a lot here, starting as early as Wednesday or Thursday. Frats and Sororities are big here. There are actually many events here though that you can attend that are non-alcoholic or for people who don't like parties. I am one of these and I find theatre shows and other activities to do!

Every one of my friends is involved in multiple organizations - IM and club sports are very popular, the several a capella groups are highly regarded around grounds, the debate/literary societies have a healthy rivalry, and almost every student I know is involved in some sort of service activity, be it Habitat for Humanity or tutoring local schoolchildren or any number of other service organizations. Tradition is a huge part of student life here; notably, most students go to the football games and several other athletic events throughout the year. I'm involved in a theater group that provides a sort of family for the first years involved; I'm also in a sorority and play a club sport, both of which have allowed me to make friends with students with diverse interests. The weekends are pretty big party scene, from Thursday through Saturday, but there are also a lot of other things to do around grounds and Charlottesville for those who do not like to go out or drink. The Downtown Mall is quaint and fun, and there are some really great hikes in the area for the outdoorsy types. Greek life only comprises 1/3 of the students; it is a very involved minority, but those not involved can still have a great social life, as they are the majority, both in terms of going out and day-to-day activities.

Beta Bridge is a bridge on Rugby Road that students frequently enjoy painting over in the middle of the night to voice something, such as an opinion, support for a team, or an event.

Peyton, a third-year, discusses her job at the AFC and her favorite aspects of the facility.

From my own experience here, student at UVA are really involved and there is a strong sense of community. I'm currently involved in numerous of activities that I could talk about for hours just because I love them! There is ALWAYS something to do here, which in some instances is very frustrating because there are never enough hours in the day to do them. And if you can find anything to do at the University, there is always Downtown Charlottesville, with tons of places to eat, shop and even watch a movie. If you are ever in the town, I highly recommend going to "The Flat", an excellent crepe place. I know coming to college, I was worried about the party scene and how was prevalent it was. If you do not like drinking, there are other activities to do. The university programs council puts together comedy and talent shows and even will show already released movies at the theater. This weekend, they are showing Dark Knight here. No one here will pressure you to go out. I know when I've told my friends that I had to spend my Friday night writing my paper, they have understood and not pushed me to go out. There is something for everyone here.

Statistics say that the Greek system accounts for about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population. In my opinion, and definitely for first years, it dominates the social scene. There are definitely people who want nothing to do with it for various reasons and they of course find their own niche because there are plenty in that category. The UVA social scene is what you want to make it. There is enough diversity. However, I would strongly recommend going Greek because it opens up a lot of opportunities for you.

There is a lot of greek life, which can separate potential friends but brings together many more than it pulls apart. It is also perfectly acceptable to not go greek, in which case you meet friends in class, in dorms, at the gym, at work, in the library, in clubs, on coucils, playing sports, ... . There are great performances by a cappella groups, comedy clubs, other music and theatre, guest speakers, and presentations that you can find on any day of the week and most are very popular so your friends will want to go too.

I met my best friends because of too much candy. One night, as I was trying to get rid of an over-bountiful care package from home, there were some people I didn't know in the study lounge watching a movie on somebody's laptop. It turned out to be one of my favorite movies, so I asked if they wanted any candy and if I could join them -- a really bold and out-of-character move for me, but to my surprise they invited me right in and we had a great time. Now we're all really good friends, and I'm actually living with one of the girls next year! Just shows that sometimes being friendly is all you need to do to find friends!

I suppose this is where I should write about the Greek System. Yes it's important here, but only a third of the college is Greek. It doesn't have to run your life. However the reason it's important here is not neccessarily because you're not cool if you're not in one, but because the parties are so open to everybody, so that's what people do on the weekends. I talked to a friend from a different school, and he talked about how you wouldn't get into a fraternitities party if you weren't in the fraternity, and I was a little shocked. Someimtes it's hard to get in, but for the most part anyone can get into a party.

Students ALWAYS leave their doors open( the social ones anyway), so it is very easy to meet new people. There is always something to do at UVA. You can find campus events, private events, or events that you and your friends plan. There's always downtown, the corner, and barracks to visit and enjoy. Also, UVA doesn't have a huge party scene. Of course you can find parties thursday, friday, and saturday nights on rugby road but it's nothing compared to the parties in D.C.

I'll be honest, UVA is a drinking campus. With such a strong Greek scene, many undergrads' weekends revolve around frats. If you can resist the lure of free beer and nonstop CCR, there's still plenty to do. People throw non-frat parties every weekend which are generally more fun and abounding with more interesting people. My weekends consisted largely of attending said parties with my friends, staying out late (or was it early by then?), and grabbing sandwiches from Little John's on the Corner before heading back in. There are nearby musical venues- the greatest of which, Satellite Ballroom, is facing closure, which is truly tragic, but others do exist. Plenty of restaurants cater to the poor college student, be they meat-and-potatoes diners or vegans. Of course, if you're still bored, you can indulge in some UVA traditions: streaking, steam tunneling, refrigerator tunneling (ask your upperclassmen), and climbing on top of structures you should not.

Greek life is a big part of some students' lives, but I never felt pressured to join a sorority or be involved with a fraternity. I think there is definitely an emphasis on study-- many students like to talk about how much time they spend in Clemons, the 24 hour library. Athletic events are very popular-- especially football and basketball, and I will say that as someone who doesn't really enjoy going to sporting events, the atmosphere at a UVA football game is something anyone sporty or not can appreciate. UVA is a typical university, there are parties and drinking, but there is plenty to do without drinking and clubs and organizations that work to provide plenty of opportunities minus the drinks. Charlottesville is nice because there is a lot of cultural events and organizations that provide concerts and festivals and things. Plus, only 2 hours drive from DC!

A Capella groups are hot. They're really good here. Join a student group and you'll make friends. I joined the Men's Crew team and instantly had about 25 friends, freshmen through seniors. GO TO FOOTBALL GAMES. Everybody does -- don't be that kid who doesn't. Some people party every night. However, Friday nights or Saturday nights are very common. Some kids go for the triple crown and go Thursday, Friday, Saturday just for fun.

Popular groups on grounds are, of course, the fraternities and sororities, musical organizations and dance teams. I'm involved with Black Voices, which is a gospel choir. They are like another family to me! 35 years strong and counting! I personally never leave my door unlocked when I'm gone, but a lot of people do. Theater and athletic events are incredibly popular events to go to, as well as guest speakers. In fact, Obama came to Charlottesville my first year. I didn't get to go, but I heard he was extraordinary. Obama '08!! I was blessed enough to have met all four of my closest friends on my hall. That does NOT happen often! If I was awake on Tuesday at 2am, I'd probably be doing school work or clowning around with my friends. People party EVERY weekend. Even when there's not a party, someone finds one, haha. Frats and sororities are pretty important. They all give back to our community, so it's important to support them from time to time. A fun Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking can involve going to an awesome party sober, or just hanging out on the corner or somewhere else on grounds. Off campus I volunteer and go out to eat.