University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

The worst thing that I've experienced in my first year is the process involved in applying for second year housing. Housing applications for on-campus housing for the 2010-2011 school year were due November 30th of 2009. And many landlords who offer off-campus housing require that their contracts be signed by October of 2009; some even wanted a commitment by September. As a freshman just adjusting to college life, the last thing I wanted to worry about in October was where I will be living next fall.

The worst thing is probably the prevalence of alcholol.

UVa selects 2/3 in-state and 1/3 out of state for its entering class and this makes it difficult for out of staters to adjust. I am from Massachusetts and the first few weeks of school out of 20 people I met I would only meet three out of staters. Most not from Virginia do not bother applying to UVa since it is so selective, I think UVa should make itself more accessible to those all over the nation. For me it was an experience to learn from as for others it is sometimes very difficult.

The worst thing about the University of Virginia, besides its famously terrible food, is the students' ability to successfully fulfill the preppy reputation that the school has. There are students from all over the world that attend the University, but it the amount of brand-name clothing, expensive backpacks and accesories give the University fame for being snobby. Upon meeting the students and faculty, one realizes that behind the expensive clothing and accesories hide perfectly nice people. The brand names, however, create an uncomfortable barrier for those of us who do not come from high- income families.

The school is very competitive, making it difficult to show ones interest in certain fields. It is sometimes hard to find volunteer opportunities or take certain classes because so many students are interested in studying to same things.

Currently, class sizes have grown about 10-20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} while the number of TAs for each class has been reduced by a significant amount. While this is obviously unfortunately due to the economy, it puts extra pressure on the professors and remaining TAs, which ultimately negatively affects students.

It is very pretentious and elitist. While it is an amazing place, it does sometimes bother me how some people think they are truly better than others simply because they attend this school.

Primarilly the worse thing about the school is the fact that academically, it seems to accept mainly high socio-economic students with the same methods of thinking. Those students that hold a power over the university by integrating into fraternities and having a hold over the University because they have alumni connections that are high donors to the university. Those students generally tend to be carbon-copied and lack variability and account for a majority of the student population despite the University touting its diversity. The word diversity means nothing regardless of race/ethnicity if the socio-economic status differs.

alot of work because you are spending alot of time in the library

Although this is more of a selfish answer, I believe that the 'worst' thing about UVA is that the Media Studies program (my intended major) is still in its infant stages. At just under ten years old, the program offers a broader study of media than I would prefer. I would also like to see the offerings of the department to expand to offer more than a film studies minor.