Hello,
I am interested in transferring to UVA for the fall 2016 semester. I am curious to know how conservative or liberal UVA’s current student body is, overall. While it is a large southern school, it is not located in the deep south and Charlottesville is considered to be a rather cosmopolitan area. I am a northerner and a democrat, so I am wondering if I would feel out of place at UVA politically or not find many people who share similar political views. Is the student body 50/50, or do the majority of students lean towards one end or another of the political spectrum? How political are students in general- are most interested in what’s going on in the world on a political level, or only a handful? How prevalent are political clubs and debates on campus? For anyone who is also a current UVA student, northerner and/or democrat, what is your take on this?
Thank you.
Virginia is a swing state but tending toward blue. Blue in 2008 and 2012. UVA’s own Prof. Larry Sabato currently projects it as blue in 2016. The single largest in-state demo for undergrads is Fairfax County, which is the deeper blue D.C. suburbs. Plus one-third of the undergrads are from out-of-state, many of whom are from the I-95 corridor.
Lefty yankees do fine at UVA. Like Tina Fey for example.
As someone who has lived in the deep south (South Carolina), most people down there don’t even consider Virginia to be part of the south, let alone the deep south. The UVA community, being a non-religiously affiliated university, is going to be more liberal as a whole than whatever town you come from up north. I can’t speak to the political clubs or debates at UVA, but generally the culture shock to northerners comes as how “preppy” a lot of the students are compared to back home.
Charlottesville (the city and UVA area) is more liberal than Albemarle County. I always thought we were pretty liberal here, but I spent some time in Seattle last summer, and the folks there make us seem conservative. So, I guess it depends some on where you are from. I tend to think of UVA and the Charlottesville area as progressive and forward-thinking. I have lived here for more than 30 years, though, and I am biased:). My kids attend UVA and are liberal. They seem to find UVA a progressive place. Have you visited?