University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

The best thing about UVA is the people. Most people are kind and willing to help. It's also a great location (if you like the small town setting and beautiful views). There are plenty of trees and hills/mountains that you can enjoy looking at. However, the one thing I'd change is the honor system. The honor system is a great tradition to the school but they need to loosen up with the rules; especially the rules about the no second chance. Once you've been caught cheating or breaking the honor code, you get expelled.

My life has improved profoundly since coming to UVA. I owe this to the challenging, thought provoking courses led by stellar professors, each of which has displayed a strong personality, willingness to help, and a deep, seemingly intuitive grasp of and love for the material. I also owe my increased quality of life to the sheer beauty of the campus and of Charlottesville as a whole; it has been the perfect college town. Charlottesville has a lot going for it: a rich history, natural beauty, a lively art and music scene, and a safe community (safe compared to my hometown, at least). Though you may beat yourself up studying, you never feel secluded by your studies; there's always somewhere to go unwind and plenty of people willing to join you.

UVA is full of opportunities. I actually transferred to UVA from a smaller Virginia school because UVA offered the only Jewish Studies program in the state. Such a large school (but large in the best way-- you still feel a part of the community and the faculty has a great relationship with the students and big means there's plenty to do) is able to sustain and build on smaller programs such as Jewish Studies, so we had some of the best scholars in the country in the program. Even for a small program we were able to host conferences and have huge events that the whole student body was able to appreciate. There is a never ending list of things to do and see and learn from at UVA. Plus, Charlottesville is an awesome town that really appreciates the students, and I really felt at home there. Everyone is proud of UVA, even if it is not just rooting at football games, but in other ways such as how they talk about UVA and what they do there.

It's gorgeous here. It feels right to be here. We really don't have as much a rivalry with Virginia Tech as they have with us -- shows they're trying to constantly prove they're better, when we KNOW we are. If you come here, do an extra-curricular, or you'll be bored. When people find out you go to UVa, they'll think higher of you.

The best thing about UVA is the freedom. We don't have a curfew or any extremely strict rules about visitors of either gender. One thing that I would change is the limit of stuff you're allowed to have on your walls. The school is pretty big, and being a first year without a car can be challenging. The buses USUALLY run on time, but there are those other difficult days. I spend most of my time in class and my dorm or the library during the week days, and on the weekends I'm usually visiting other people or just out with my friends. There is plenty of school pride, especially at the sports events. An experience I'll always remember is when my friend, Halima, and me got on the wrong bus at the beginning of the year trying to get back to our dorm, and we had to ride it for an hour and a half before we could get off at the right stop. I found the most student complaints to be about the noise (in old style dorms) because the walls are anything but sound proof. People should really buy earplugs before the get to the university if noise is a big issue for them.

I love the beautiful campus!! It's hard to pick a favorite spot around Grounds, and every season there is different and gorgeous in its own way. Coming from Northern Virginia, Charlottesville is a little bit small for me, but it's a cute college town nonetheless. I spend most of my time in the libraries, at Starbucks on the Corner, or at my sorority house. One thing I love about the students at UVA is that they will go all out partying on the weekends, but come Sunday mornings the libraries are packed. I definitely feel that a great majority of students are able to play hard yet still work hard.

A lot of school pride. A few problems with racism and how the honor system is handled. Frats & sororities are kind of big, which I hated. Charlottesville is an awesome town...So much to do. It's a small town with a big city feel. The 'corner' was my favorite...A street with shops, restaurants, and bars. The bar scene at UVA is better than a lot of other schools (like JMU). One of my favorite things to do was hit up the corner and go to bars (they're getting A LOT stricter with underage kids though... don't risk it. You can wait a few years to stumble out of bars).

School size: Just right. Best thing about UVA is the quality of life and overall "college experience" you get from education to greek life to sports (ACC!) to any kind of club or volunteer activity and lastly TRADITION! People always react with respect when I say I go to UVA. Most of my time spent on GROUNDS (not campus) is Rugby Road/The Corner. Charlottesville (or C'Ville) is a great college town in which life centers around the University. Tons of school pride (although we carry ourselves with class). The most frequent complaints from students is poor food and the stuck-up attitudes some people have.

This is an institution where you get bang for your buck (if you're in-state). The faculty are generally very impressive in the liberal arts, less so in the sciences. The courses are certainly more demanding than many other Virginia colleges and universities. I am proud to be a recent graduate of UVA. The best thing about UVA is the campus. It is beautiful and inspiring, especially outdoors. Brick buildings and sidewalks; lots of greenery, flowers, and trees; neoclassical architecture; tradition. Inside buildings, spaces are mostly about functionality, except in the libraries, where each library has a different atmosphere, so students can study in spaces that suit them best. The campus is walking distance to many good, inexpensive places to eat.

Great social life Fun and easy classes Nice people Administration not the most reliable Housing not the greatest