<p>Questions for you UVA folks:
1. Are the marching band and/or pep band no cut?
2. Is the campus diverse? Is it a comfortable place for middle class black students?
3. Is the feel of the school more elitist or more welcoming?
Thanks!
T</p>
<ol>
<li>From what I can tell, the marching band doesn’t cut, but there’s certain instrumentation needs, so you may be shuffled to a new instrument or offered a reserve position if you’re in a section that’s too big. Pep band is limited by seating so the directors try to shuffle members with priority to instrumentation and seniority.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>I have made many friends of all ethnic/social/economic backgrounds in my short time here.</li>
<li>The vast majority of people will open up to you if you open up to them.</li>
</ol>
<p>As a middle class black student, I would say that it is definitely better than what I expected, but those expectations (you know what I mean) can definitely be witnessed. There are a lot of cool people that you will meet that you can associate with, and the black community is very welcoming, especially when we are all-faced with the same situation, and they understand what is running through your head when you first get on grounds. I encourage you to do an overnight stay and request that you get someone of the same ethnicity so you can see what its like, or if you get admitted, definitely do the “Spring Fling” event that is exclusivity for black students, it was really fun.</p>