<p>Like the title says...How is the overall experience at Virginia? Here's a few questions to anyone who goes to Virginia(or went there):</p>
<p>Does the student body seem generally intelligent?
Do the majority of students have a strong work ethic?
How is the social life there?
Is the campus aesthetically pleasing?
What do people do on the weekends mostly?
How's dorm life/the cafeteria food?</p>
<p>Okay...I'll see if I can even get answers to those first. Thanks</p>
<p>Hello, I'm currently a second-year student @ U.Va. I'll just answer briefly.</p>
<p>Does the student body seem generally intelligent?
Yep, certainly.</p>
<p>Do the majority of students have a strong work ethic?
Yes, you can see students studying just about anywhere on the Grounds.</p>
<p>How is the social life there?
Good. The Greek system is quite huge here, if you're into that stuff.</p>
<p>Is the campus aesthetically pleasing?
In my opinion, this school is among the Top 5 in terms of campus aesthetics.
It is absolutely gorgeous during fall and winter.</p>
<p>What do people do on the weekends mostly?
It depends. My thought is that most will relax (go to parties, go shopping, go out for a dinner, etc.) on Fridays, study on Saturdays and Sundays.</p>
<p>How's dorm life/the cafeteria food?
Food: Decent. I've had no problem with the food so far.
Dorm: Okay.</p>
<p>Sorry my answers are so brief.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. Anyone have other comments about pros and cons of the overall experience at UVA?</p>
<p>Okay, I graduated over 6 years ago, but I can't imagine that UVa has changed that much since I left. I agree w/ Int'l_85's comments, but I would add that there's much more to UVa's social life than the fraternity system. I wasn't in a fraternity but had a great time. I was an officer of a several of Asian organizations, co-chaired several University Programming Council committees (which bring speakers, bands, etc. to UVa), and volunteered w/ the Admissions Office. With over 300 student organizations on Grounds like Student Council, the Academical Village People (an all-male a cappella group that hosts several concerts a year), I.M.P. (one of UVa's 4 secret societies), and The Disciples of Bob Barker (whose sole mission it is to plan a yearly trip to LA to attend "The Price Is Right"), you'll always have something to do. Personally, I was never bored. Granted, I'm a very social person, so I seek out parties, activities, etc. Like I've said before, UVa is a party school for smart people. Virginia students are serious about studying, but they also believe that college is also about having the time of your life.</p>
<p>If you're not a partier, you can still find your place at the University too. UVa is big enough to have a good diversity of people and experiences, but not too large like many public schools to feel lost in the system. (UVa has 13,000 undergrads compared to Michigan's 24,000 & Texas' whopping 50,000.) </p>
<p>If you look at the "Things to Do" section of UVa's site (and click on the "Web Calendar" at the bottom of the page), you'll see a multitude of activities everyday. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.virginia.edu/news.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/news.html</a></p>
<p>Here were some of my favorite activities to give you an idea of UVa student life:</p>
<p>THE BALLS & PARTIES IN GENERAL. There are several balls on Grounds. The Restoration Ball & the Colonnade Ball (where you wear a tux), and the various other formal and semi-formal galas hosted by the fraternities, sororities, Asian organizations & other clubs. My absolute favorite was the Architecture School's Beaux Arts Ball, where everyone dresses up in costume. </p>
<p>If the ball scene isn't your thing, there are always laid-back student parties somewhere in & around Grounds on the weekends.</p>
<p>STREAKING THE LAWN. Basically, you run naked from the steps of the Rotunda down the length of the Lawn and kiss the butt of the Homer statue at the other end and run back. On a good night, you'll see a bunch of people doing it. I've done it a total of 7 times. The last 2 times was the night before and the night of my good friend's wedding w/ the wedding party. One of my earlier streaking moments was during the first "Mass Streak." That year, the police started arresting students for indecency, so in protest thousands of people came to the Lawn to witness hundreds of students streak. It was awesome.</p>
<p>FALL TRICK OR TREATING. The Autumn in Charlottesville is gorgeous. It was really cool seeing little kids come up to the original Jefferson-built Lawn Rooms and then handing them candy. (Also cool was staying warm by the fireplace w/ friends in the room.)</p>
<p>FOXFIELD. It's the bi-annual horse races - 1 in the Fall & 1 in the Spring. Everyone gets dressed up in jackets & ties and sundresses and tailgates in an open field surrounded by a horse track. This party is a blast and no one really pays attention to the horses. </p>
<p>FOOTBALL GAMES. I realize that everyone these days wear orange & blue t-shirts, but back when I was at UVa, the men wore jackets & ties and women wore dresses. I know this seems really snooty, but somehow, it seemed more civilized. </p>
<p>STUDYING @ CLEMONS LIBRARY. My friends and I were always here. Because it's built on slope, you enter on the 4th floor. The lower you go, the more serious studiers you find. (The super serious students go to Alderman Library.) We tended to goof off on the 4th floor. I don't know how we got anything done.</p>
<p>VOLUNTEERING w/ MADISON HOUSE. Madison House is one of the largest organizations on Grounds. Its focus is community service. UVa students are really big on giving back to the Charlottesville community and society in general. During sign-up days, there are looooooong lines, but it feels great to tutor young kids, be a big brother or help rebuild someone's damaged home.</p>
<p>WORKING OUT @ THE AQUATIC & FITNESS CENTER. Virginia students are huge on running and working out. 94% of the student body works out in some form. Kaplan College Guides even named UVa the "Hottest College for Fitness."</p>
<p>HIKING et al. UVa is very close to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the picturesque Skyline Drive. If you're outdoorsy, you'll have a plethora of activities at your immediate disposal.</p>
<p>Globalist, thank you so much for the detailed reply. I especially liked this quote: </p>
<p>"UVa is a party school for smart people. Virginia students are serious about studying, but they also believe that college is also about having the time of your life."</p>
<p>Thats basically my philosophy for college. I work my ass off Monday through Thursday, but once Friday night comes, I'm ready to drop the books and party. </p>
<p>Could you explain more what the secret societies are? (If you know anything else about them).</p>
<p>All of the other information was great too. A bunch of stuff there I'm interested in taking part in.</p>
<p>Anyways, thanks again for all your help.</p>
<p>UVa has 4 secret societies: The 7 Society, Z Society, Purple Shadows, and I.M.P., which stands for "Incarnate Memories Prevail." When you walk around Grounds, you will see their insignias painted everywhere. There are also some semi-secret societies like the 13 Society and the Rotunda Burning Society. </p>
<p>Of all the secret societies, the 7 Society is the most secretive. You don't know who's a member until his death, when the chapel bells will suddenly chime 7 times. At his funeral, a black wreath in the shape of a 7 will be placed on his coffin. Plus, the Society's insignia will be shown next to the member's obituary in the UVa Alumni Magazine. The 7 Society is philanthropic and often donates money to student organizations. Furthermore, it always does things around the number 7. There's a story of a football game decades ago when on the 7th minute into halftime an explosion happened in the air afterwhich an envelope landed on the 7th yard line. Upon opening the envelope, there was a check for $7,777.76 plus a penny to weigh the envelope down to the ground.</p>
<p>As I was perusing the threads, I realized that I forgot to include the most important aspects I loved about attending UVA Football Games. Since our mascot is the Cavalier, I loved seeing a member of our polo team dressed as a Cavalier charge the field on horseback right as our football players entered the stadium. Whenever we scored, all Wahoos (our other UVa moniker, which apparently is a fish that can drink twice its weight) put their arms around the persons next to them, swayed left & right, and sang the "Good Ole Song." I especially looked forward to the cheer at the end w/ my fist thrusting in the air in synchronization w/ my fellow Hoos: </p>
<p>Wahoowa! Wahoowa!
U of V, Virginia!
Hoo-ra-ray! Hoo-ra-ray!
Hey! Hey! U-V-A!</p>
<p>"STUDYING @ CLEMONS LIBRARY. My friends and I were always here. Because it's built on slope, you enter on the 4th floor. The lower you go, the more serious studiers you find. (The super serious students go to Alderman Library.) We tended to goof off on the 4th floor. I don't know how we got anything done."</p>
<p>I don't go to UVA, but I live in Charlottesville, and always go to Alderman, and sometimes Clemons. I never thought about it in the way you put it, but you're absolutely right. Haha, it's like that unfinished Bruce Lee movie, where he had to ascend the pagoda to beat progressively harder fighters, except descending, lol. But yeah, I don't know how anybody could get any work done on the top floor of Clemons, it's like a friggin cafeteria.</p>
<p>i think this should be bumped up</p>
<p>UVa introduces UVA To Go to help students and alumni stay on top of what's going on on Grounds. </p>
<p>"UVA TO GO is a new service offered by University Relations that allows users to access news releases from Top News Daily and selected calendar events, including athletics, films, exhibits, and performances wherever they go."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.virginia.edu/aboutuvatogo.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/aboutuvatogo.html</a></p>
<p>Here's a relatively new tradition at UVa: The Lighting of the Lawn. It happens in December right before final exams.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle_print.asp?ID=14390&pid=961%5B/url%5D">http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle_print.asp?ID=14390&pid=961</a>
<a href="http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2001/40/lights.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2001/40/lights.html</a></p>
<p>This was the first year in three that lighting of the lawn didn't coincide with the first snow of the year. Here are some pictures of the 2k3 lighting of the lawn. </p>
<p>"Simply the Best"
<a href="http://www.people.virginia.edu/%7Ejwv4r/photos/lotl/%5B/url%5D">http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jwv4r/photos/lotl/</a></p>
<p>Even on winter break, looking at these photos and thinking about how much fun lighting of the lawn was makes me want to go back =)</p>
<p>Does the student body seem generally intelligent?
In a word, yes. You always get some airheads and stuff, but the average UVA student is smart, and it shows in their conversations.</p>
<p>Do the majority of students have a strong work ethic?
Yep. The students here want to do well. And I agree about the Alderman library note. During final exam time, you have to fight to get a desk on the bottom floor because it's so full.</p>
<p>How is the social life there?
There are so many options of what you can do. There are frat parties, Habitat for Humanity builds, movie showings at Newcomb Theater. You can go downtown, where there are lots of yummy restaurants and a skating rink, or you can just go to the Corner which is a lot closer and has a number of college-oriented (read: cheap and open late) eateries. And definitely check out the Student Activities Calendar at <a href="https://etg07.itc.virginia.edu/studentcal/event/week;%5B/url%5D">https://etg07.itc.virginia.edu/studentcal/event/week;</a> it doesn't even have everything listed.</p>
<p>Is the campus aesthetically pleasing?
It's gorgeous. I don't know how else I can elaborate. I'm sure the website has a virtual tour or something.</p>
<p>What do people do on the weekends mostly?
Everything. Of course there are frat parties, but there are also movie showings for $3 (and sometimes free, depending) on-campus, and these are GOOD movies - Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite, Requiem for a Dream, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (OK, I thought it was good). Lots of club events too, and you can always take the bus downtown or to the shopping center, though I've heard the latter is kind of underwhelming.</p>
<p>How's dorm life/the cafeteria food?
All first years must live on campus, and if you're part of the large majority who live in first-year dorms, you get to know a lot of first-years really quickly, which is nice. The cafeteria food does get old after a while, but honestly, it's not that bad. Newcomb and O-Hill are the two main cafeterias. Newcomb is generally better, but it's farther away, and O-Hill is pretty fun because that's where all the first years go, so you run into people you kno. For lunch and dinner they always have sandwiches, hot dogs, french fries, pasta, and Belgian waffles, plus a variety of rotating choices like burgers and stir-fry. When the cafeterias reopen on January 16th you can check out the menu here: <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/dining/weeklymenu.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/dining/weeklymenu.html</a>. Yes, sometimes their marinara tastes like tomato soup, and sometimes your wrap has more tortilla than filling, but generally it's pretty good and you can find something to eat. Also, with any meal plan (you have a choice of unlimited, 15, and 13 first semester) you get a certain about of Plus Dollars which you can use at other, usually better locations on campus. For example, at Alderman Road there's the Treehouse, which prepares selections from the Pizza Hut menu (personal-size pizzas, breadsticks, etc.) as well as burgers (a lot better than O-Hill's), chicken fingers, and really good french fries. They also have prepackaged salads and sandwiches and soup, and recently started making grilled sandwiches as well. You can also use Plus dollars to buy food at on-grounds convenience stores that sell everything from frozen pasta to chips and salsa to ice cream to bottled water.</p>
<p>Sometimes non-Hoos have a difficult time getting "UVa-speak." So, here are some guides.</p>
<p>The official UVa Terminology link for international students:
<a href="http://www.virginia.edu/iso/handbook/history.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/iso/handbook/history.html</a></p>
<p>A comical (and more interesting) Declaration link on UVa "U-phemisms."<br>
<a href="http://www.the-declaration.com/2004-08-31/892%5B/url%5D">http://www.the-declaration.com/2004-08-31/892</a></p>
<p>"The Honor Men" is one of my favorite missives written about UVa. Penned by James Hay, Jr. in 1901, it pretty much sums up the UVa character:</p>
<p>The University of Virginia writes her highest degree on the souls of her sons. The parchment page of scholarship-the colored ribbon of a society-the jeweled emblem of a fraternity-the orange symbol of athletic prowess-all these, a year hence, will be at the best mementos of happy hours-like the withered flower a woman presses between the pages of a book for sentiment's sake. </p>
<p>But... </p>
<p>If you live a long, long time, and hold honesty of conscience above honesty of purse: </p>
<p>And turn aside without ostentation to aid the weak; </p>
<p>And treasure ideals more than raw ambition; </p>
<p>And track no man to his undeserved hurt; </p>
<p>And pursue no woman to her tears; </p>
<p>And love the beauty of noble music and mist-veiled mountains and blossoming valleys and great monuments- </p>
<p>If you live a long time and, keeping the faith in all these things hour by hour, still see that the sun gilds your path with real gold and that the moon floats in dream silver; </p>
<p>Then... </p>
<p>Remembering the purple shadows of the lawn, the majesty of the colonnades, and the dream of your youth, you may say in reverence and thankfulness: </p>
<p>"I have worn the honors of Honor,
I graduated from Virginia"</p>
<p>Rizdiz, since you showed an earlier interest in UVa secret societies, here's a link provided by the University Guide Service that lists and gives brief histories on Virginia's 18 supposed secret societies.</p>