<p>Is Echol something you apply for or picked automatically from the general applicant pool? I got in but don't know much about it. How many scholars are there for the freshman class?</p>
<p>FROM THE UVA WEBSITE:</p>
<p>"The Echols Scholars Program is predicated upon the Jeffersonian ideal of freedom of inquiry and the development of critical thought. It offers special opportunities to those undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences who are its most avid learners. These opportunities include freedom from the usual area requirements in the College, priority registration times in selecting courses, access to the Echols Interdisciplinary Major, a shared first year living experience, a select cadre of faculty advisers, and participation in the Echols news and information electronic network. Through these opportunities and freedoms Echols Scholars can, from their first to last semesters, develop to the full their personal talents and intellectual interests.</p>
<p>The students we seek in the Echols Program are avid and aggressive learners who have demonstrated pronounced intellectual maturity, initiative, and independence. Our goal is to make the full resources of the University of Virginia open to them from their first day on Grounds through their graduation. We want them to have access to the courses they want and need, expert faculty advice, and opportunities for research and scholarship commensurate with their talents and background. We also want students who recognize that learning is not confined to the classroomstudents who will benefit for living for a year with fellow Scholars and who will contribute to the intellectual life of the University community. Such students in recent years have made up approximately 8.5% of the students in the College, for a total of 852 Scholars in 2004-2005.</p>
<h2>The Echols Program is not intended to prepare students for any specific fields, professions, or occupations. Rather, it offers both a fast start and a strong finish for students in all the traditional areas of undergraduate study or for students wishing to define their own field of study under faculty guidance. It allows students to exploit without limitations the richness and diversity of our University and to pursue their academic interests to the fullest extent of their abilities."</h2>
<p>My understanding that the biggest advantages are housing and early registration. Go to the Echols thread--more info there.</p>
<p>Are any of you guys going on Echols Day? Cus i cant make it on that day, but i will go on another day..probably 14th.</p>
<p>I can't make it for the Echols day either.
I'm probably going the 14th too</p>
<p>From your screen name it seems like you might be considering Cornell. I'm between Cornell and UVA as well. If you are considering Cornell, which are you leaning towards? I can't decide : (</p>
<p>sv3a, you said that during Echols orientation days, Echols students register for courses in the morning as opposed to the afternoon. Would it be to my disadvantage then to attend one of the later orientation sessions during the summer since both Echols and non Echols students will have registered during previous sessions? Or does the session I attend not make a difference? Thanks!</p>
<p>-FreakedOut</p>
<p>rosebud, i got a guaranteed transfer option from Cornell for next year so i am not considering it now for this year. UVA is my top choice now. I am trying to arrange a visit for the 14th, but i need to know how much money they r giving me first! Its so annoying this time constraint!!!!</p>
<p>FreakedOut,</p>
<p>They SAY they keep an equal number of seats open for each orientation session, though how they manage to do that, or if they really do, I don't know. Since 3/4ths of the university has already registered, this difference isn't that huge. Don't worry too much about which date you go- it should primarily be what's most convenient to you. If you can't get into a class you want now you'll have plenty of semesters of Echols status to get into whatever you want.</p>
<p>Sounds good to me sv3a. Thanks for the response.</p>
<p>Hey Freaked, have you learned the Good Old Song yet?</p>