<p>I really agree with Globalist. I fell in love with Virginia. I didn't choose it over any state flagship beside Michigan (I never wanted to go there), but I did choose it over Georgetown and WashU. They're all academically equal but the culture and spirit at UVa is unmatchable. You really do fall in love with the place.</p>
<p>I think Globalist hit the nail on the head. Much of what he mentioned is why I picked UVa in the end. And oh yeah, it is my states flagship ;). I mean we have Tech (known for engineering, and not much else) and W&M (no diss from me, its a great school, but its only Liberal Arts and science)</p>
<p>And also, the misconception that UVa doesn't have great science/engineering programs is getting debunked fairly quickly. They are pouring money into research in emerging fields and doing very well. There are vast numbers of design teams with good funding working on the DARPA challenge and other things, but they don't boast about it even though they are quite good. Here at NASA, we have a number of people that graduated from VT, but there are many from UVa, and the guys that are higher up? UVa alums... I forget how many astronauts UVa has produced from their engineering school, but its nonzero, and greater than one, so thats a feat in itself.</p>
<p>Good stuff, Globalist. Those are real factors, not just reputation-based.</p>
<p>You're welcome, gadad. Actually, I'm at UVA now. I'm down here for the wedding of an old college buddy this weekend in Roanoke but decided to spend a day at dear ol' UVA. There are a number of students here for summer orientation and the various summer camps going on. A lot of new construction too. What's the new structure being built between Echols and Page dorms on McCormick Road? I see construction of the new First Year dorm on Alderman Road has started. I also tried to check out the reincarnation of the O-Hill Dining Hall, but alas, I got there after it closed. Maybe I'll stop by tomorrow as well as check out the JPJ sports arena. I can't wait to see the new Commerce School when it's completed. </p>
<p>One old favorite place I visited was UVA's cemetery. It was creepy yet cool seeing the huge headstones of the old professors buried there.</p>
<p>I was in C'Ville last week and toured the JPJ arena. It was wide open due to a basketball camp and got to see everything but the inside of the suites. The bathrooms in the suites area are much nicer than those for the normal seats. Very nice. Now I can go to Madison and compare it to the Kohl Center.</p>
<p>I agree with everything Globalist said about UVA. I wish my daughter had been accepted. :( Instead, she is going to Ohio State. Yes, it will save us a lot of money, but I would have done whatever it takes if she had been accepted at UVA.</p>
<p>sportsmama - I think there are lots of parents and kids like us out there. Same thing happened to my son. He went to Penn State - so far so good. Saved lots of money. He's happy. But I know it would have been UVA had he been accepted. He had an excellent record all around - so it's clear they can afford to be VERY picky - especially for out of staters. Students who are applying - make sure you don't get your hopes up too high. It's always worth a shot though...</p>
<p>I'm not OOS, but I decided to transfer from VT to UVA which is sort of the same thing. And my reasons are similar to much of what Globalist pointed out. Yes, there were strong academic reasons pushing me away from VT towards UVA. I'm an engineering student, but have other passions I love, and VT's curriculum wasn't going to allow me to be able to take other classes, whereas UVA would, in addition to the wide variety of classes available (tomorrow at orientation I will be mapping out an EE major with politics minor, specializing in international relations). Also, the abundant study abroad opportunities, J-term, summer classes, and the overall high class academic atmosphere that surrounds UVA is very appealing.<br>
Beyond academics, UVA is remarkable, and the first time I visited I knew I had made a huggee mistake by not applying there for first year admissions. I fell in love with Grounds, the people, the classes (I went to two with a friend, simply because I had nothing better to do and wanted to keep him company/watch sweet 16 games on the laptop), and the overall atmosphere. You really do not meet a Hoo that doesn't love UVA. I know a few who have transferred out and their main reasons were purely academic or personal, not so much that they were unhappy with UVA. Yes, the "classy/pretentious" lifestyle, the parties, the sports, and the basic D1 state school poopah sometimes gets to people. But overall, the love for UVA binds everyone, including students, faculty, and alumni, together. Even after witnessing a surge in school pride after 4/16 at VT, UVA still overall is the most cohesive, unified student body i've ever seen. And even though everyone is joined, everyone is still unique, ranging from the scholarship athletes to the Brownies, from the engineering majors to the slavic studies majors, from the old dorm kids to the new dorm kids, underclassmen to upperclassmen. I think this is helped also by the strong tradition that lies behind UVA and its founding, from TJ's beliefs of a university where a man can study what he pleases, the honor system, and the whole vision of the academic village. Everyone loves the University, and thus, everyone succeeds as a result.
Most regulars on here knew of my strong desire to transfer, and my passion to attend, in addition to my sometimes too extensive amount of knowledge. Even my mom notices that I light up whenever I start talking about UVA, which of course makes her ecstatic knowing that i'm happy. I can't wait until orientation tomorrow so I can take her down and show her around and let her find out what UVA is about. I know I love UVA and everything about it, from the education to the Grounds to the tradition and beyond, and will always, and somehow it'll probably increase once school starts (it's like a mother saying she isn't sure how her love will increase with another child, but it somehow does).</p>
<p>Try to find another student this proud of a school, and then wonder why people chose it.</p>
<p>:) at shoebox. yay for her transferring.</p>
<p>I'm really happy for you shoebox!! :) </p>
<p>again, yayy for transferring lol.</p>
<p>MightyNick: i'll miss meeting you :( I'm still reeling over your (late) rejection, you have no idea. Let us know how UMich goes, maybe we'll send you an UVA transfer application and you can burn it to keep warm =P</p>
<p>Haha I've gotten over it actually. I guess it was not meant to be.</p>
<p>Please do send me a bundle. I'm not looking forward to those long walks from my dorm to central campus (Transfer students get crappy housing...my dorm is a 15 minute walk to central campus!!).</p>
<p>Nice post, Shoebox10. I hope you have as wonderful a time as I and many other students/alumni have had at UVA.</p>
<p>there is certainly more to look at than rankings. as a Virginian it basically came down for me to Virginia being the best bang for your buck and a wonderful opportunity that I couldn't pass up.</p>
<p>looking at it from an out of state perspective (who knows how well, but I have lots of friends out of state including two of my best) people come here for a change of pace and a great opportunity. some out of staters are more loyal/proud etc. to/of UVa than in staters. </p>
<p>yes it's one of the best schools in the nation, but when you're talking about the best, a couple points here and there don't much matter, I think. At that point it comes down to all the other things that make colleges different from eachother. opportunity for involvement, areas of interest, sports, clubs, social scene, location, peers, traditions, vibe, etc. etc. </p>
<p>You don't quite get the whole college experience at an Ivy that you would at a UVa or UCB. My friends from the north east came down here to be away, independant, and take advantage of all the great thigns UVa has to offer. (I mean really, across the board, we almost have it all. Anything you can think of that is attractive about one school, we probably having something very comparable) My friend from Cali wanted to see what the east coast is all about. She admits it's really different but really appreciates the opportunity that she is getting, and her friends back home are missing out on.</p>