Hi,
I’m a 3rd year transfer and am trying to get an inside scoop on housing, especially the residential colleges and language houses. What is the best option for meeting people? Is it weird living with faculty members? Which are the nicest dorms?
Thanks!
I lived in the IRC when I first transferred and now live in Brown. Not sure what you mean about living with faculty members - at least for the residential colleges, faculty are around but it’s not like they live in your dorms with you or anything. RCs are definitely great for meeting people, since they have lots of social programming and are more of a community. They also house students of all years, so they have events to help first-years acclimate to UVA, which you can kind of get in on. Let me know if you want more info on the feel of Brown/IRC - I know the most about those since those are the places I’ve lived.
UVA will push you to live in JMW, which is a transfer-designated community (and, fyi, a little bit far away from Grounds - it’s not that bad though, I’ve made the walk many times). I decided not to live there because I wanted to be integrated into UVA as quickly as possible and not be surrounded just by other transfers. However, I have a friend who similarly transferred and chose to live in JMW, and he liked being able to bond with other people who were new to UVA. So you could just think about whether you want to live mostly with other transfers or mostly with existing students.
Thanks for the reply! I think I’d rather live with existing students instead of transfers.Given the choice between JMW, and living off campus, I may even sway towards living off campus, but think that will make it too hard to meet people?
I dont think i’d consider Herefored but I’d love to hear more about Brown and IRC!
From what I understood, IRC does not have single occupancy dorms. That is a big thing for me since I have a weird sleep schedule, and would not want to have to worry about waking anyone else.
Also, do you know anything about the faulkner, and copley apartments? Or about any of the language houses?
Thanks again
The only thing I know about Copeley/Faulkner is that they are really far away from central grounds, and the two transfers I know who lived there complained that the distance made it hard to get involved on grounds. Hopefully someone who lives there or language houses can comment.
The IRC does have single rooms. It’s about evenly split between international and domestic students, so the cultural and linguistic diversity is incredible. And I’m not international at all - never been outside of the country - and I enjoyed the environment. Like all RCs, it has a lot of events, particularly in athletics. It also probably has the most free food of any dorm on grounds. One of my favorite events was this dinner series where a professor hosts a small round-table dinner to discuss their recent projects.
Brown is a little more offbeat; the people who live here tend away from the UVA mainstream or stereotype. My perception is that Brown has a little bit more of a close-knit community, because it has a central lounge that people congregate in, whereas the IRC is somewhat more spread out and diffused socially. But I will also say that I’m more active in Brown than I was in the IRC, so I’m sure the IRC has a strong community if you choose to get involved. Brown is all singles, but it’s kind of hard to describe - basically you have to walk through your roommate’s single to leave or access the bathroom, so you have your own room, but sort of also have a roommate.
Both colleges have lots of events going on, and both have good locations, though Brown’s is a bit better. Also, if you apply to the IRC you’re very likely to get in, whereas Brown has more selective admissions.
I think im leaning more towards IRC than brown, were the rooms nice at IRC?
I’m torn between that and living off grounds at Grandmarc (if you have heard anything about tha, id love to hear your input as well!)
Thanks again
Grandmarc is kind of overpriced but houses basically all UVA students, most being second years. You would probably meet more people immediately in IRC but you would have to be very interested in and suited for the environment it offers. I know many people who live there absolutely love it but I also know a decent number trying to move elsewhere.
Hi, I just got accepted off the waiting list for McIntire. Is there specific dorm where McIntire students live in?
No pretty much all students that are third or fourth years live off grounds in apartments, houses, etc.