Help?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
1

<p>Hey everyone. I'm deciding between a few schools and UVa is definitely on the top of my list.
My only concern is that, with a closed campus, I may run out of things to do. Are internships readily available in Virginia? If they aren't, won't that affect my chances of getting into a good grad school or getting a good job later on? </p>

<p>Plus I looked up study abroad programs and there weren't many listed. Won't living on campus get boring after a few years? </p>

<p>Also, how's the social life? Is the community closely knit? How friendly are the students there? </p>

<p>Any advice or insight would be really helpful. Thanks in advance! :)</p>

2

<p>Can you explain what you mean by a “closed campus”?</p>

3

<p>Some colleges make studying abroad a central part of their marketing. Usually, they are just bragging about programs that any student of any college can attend. A few colleges run their own study abroad programs - Georgetown brags about the “villa in Tuscany” that they own. There is no shortage of study abroad opportunities at UVa, and many students do it. </p>

<p>UVa is certainly a different experience from going to college inside a big city. However, that also means that it is a less stressful environment - you can walk or bicycle or ride a city or uva bus to most places, without having to pay big city housing prices and high fares for commuting and spend hours a day commuting. Without having to worry about big city problems, it is easier to concentrate on academic and social experiences. </p>

<p>With the money you save living in Cville, you will have money to visit big cities and enjoy them. In comparison, some people living in big cities spend so much money on housing that they can’t afford to do anything. </p>

<p>Cville has become a much more cosmopolitan city. You are one hour from Richmond, and 1.5 hours from the Northern Va. megalopolis. You can be in DC in 2 hours in off-peak traffic or by Amtrak. You also have direct Amtrak connections to NYC, Phila, Baltimore, Boston and Atlanta. There is also bus service that connects to the nearest Metro station, and from there you can get to every major destination in the DC area (and soon to Dulles Airport). </p>

<p>Here’s a link to one of the organizations that connects students to internships in Cville:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.coopercenter.org/uip”>http://www.coopercenter.org/uip&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My impression is that most students prefer to do serious internships over the summer, such as in DC (which is what my son is doing). The academic workload may not allow much time for internships during the school year. My understanding is that UVa is not as permissive in granting academic credit for internships compared to some other colleges. </p>

<p>If anyone is looking for an affordable place to stay over the summer in the DC area for an internship, they might check out the fraternities at U. of Md., which rent rooms to students of other colleges. It is much cheaper than renting rooms at other universities in DC. There is a free bus that runs back and forth from the center of U. of Md. to the Metro station.</p>

4

<p>This is not a closed campus. There are no gates or guard houses. The grounds are active and bustling. Students are happy (97% retention rate!) and friendly. </p>

<p>The UVa network is vast and our students work all over the world. Every summer, students are working here and abroad. For example, in recent years, working in tech companies and government Ireland has been really popular. </p>

<p>There weren’t many study abroad programs listed? I think this list is massive! It makes me want to be a student again! :)</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.apps.studyabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ListAll”>https://www.apps.studyabroad.virginia.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ListAll&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;