University of Vermont Top Questions

UVM has a chance to lead the country in so many senses. In some ways we are, but we aren't even close to truly walking the walk. The "leaders" of the school say that we are the socially just, and green university, but underneath it all, when you look at our investments and our labor practices, that is not the case. we invest in corporations profiting from the war, destroying the environment, and abusing workers. how does this make sense? it doesn't. im sad to see that this is happening, and i hope that the university can begin to practice what it preaches. i want to be proud of my school, and im not there yet. burlington is awesome, and uvm has a beautiful campus, though, i worry that way too much money is being spent on fancy buildings that we don't really need. it would be too bad to lose the rustic charm of campus to more monstrous buildings that don't fit in. we need to take care of our faculty and staff, and make sure they are getting what they deserve before we put hundreds of millions of dollars into construction. not to say that facilities aren't important, but let's be serious here. the davis center cost something like 70 million dollars. livable wages would cost $1.2 million. recently, the administration passed a resolution spending $844,000 dollars on research into the new health and athletic complex. RESEARCH!!!! we've been fighting for livable wages for years and the administration refuses to respond. there has been non-stop student activism around it with protests and tent cities. i don't understand why they won't pass this when the majority of campus supports it. how can the administration say the davis center is the center of social justice when they very people who work there are getting paid poverty wages. please president fogel, explain this to me.

I love snowboarding, so UVM is the best you can get for the east coast. People are mad chill. It's kinda hard to party because it's so cold and the campus police are getting more strict, however. Burlington's a great college town and VT is an awesome state.

I like how much a lot of the students seem to care about various causes. There may still be the beer-infused frat parties you'll see on any other campus, but you really get a sense of students here wanting to make a difference and many of them seem intelligent enough to do so. If I had absolute power I have to admit I would change the weather here. The snow just won't. go. away! UVM's size suits me, but I could see it being too big for other people. People seem to have a good opinion of UVM. It's not up there with the Ivy League schools in people's minds, but it's also not like "Oh, she had to go to a STATE school." I spend a lot of time in my dorm, but that's mostly because it's cold out and this is where all my stuff is. Burlington definitely knows about us. They probably call every weekend to tell us to shut up. I think that UVM has a lot of awesome teachers, but I don't really have an opinion on the people who run things. The president is controversial though. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of school spirit. That might be because we don't seem to have a football team though.

UVM is a fun place for me because of the bars and other things to do downtown, and I also really like the people here. One huge drawback is the weather. If you can't take rainy/snowy, dreary days for the majority of the time you're at school you should think hard about if you really like this school. I obviously don't enjoy the weather here but I like the school anyway, but it's certainly something to take into consideration that nobody told me when I was applying here. The campus food kinda sucks but there're plenty of places off campus around town to eat.

My favorite thing about UVM is the people and the town. Burlington is such an amazing little city with a variety of experiences and people. I feel like UVM is the perfect size of a school without being oversized. 10000 undergraduate students is enough where you know alot of people but not everyone. People often react by giving me a wide eyed "ohh UVM" which to me always seems to suggest that I love weed and drugs. They always say that its a good time but few people are aware of the academic prowes of UVM. Burlington is not a college town the city was here way before and will be here way after. The UVM administration in my opinion is trying very hard to improve the image of UVM but not working hard enough to actually improve UVM. They are overly woried about the image and not enough about the substance. The biggest recent controversy on campus was the arrival of the Dudley H. Davis center. There is a fair amount of school pride but nothing like in a big university with a prestigious football or basketball program. UVM is unusual because of the amount of experiences that are possible to have at UVM. Burlington is a cold northern town but during the spring you can go down to the beach and enjoy the sand and the water as though you were down south. I will always remember my freshman dorm, Buckham 3, and I will always remember north beach. Students often complain about the administrations inability to listen to the students and their new found extreme concern with UVMs image and not its substance.

Burlington is one of the best things about UVM, which I didn't actually realize until I moved off campus. With a strong underground arts movement, activist groups, etc. there is plenty to become involved with off campus. Living among mostly students is also great, as well as skiing in the winter and the lake in the summer, especially biking in the summer, around town. Williams Hall, the art building is where most of my time is spent, a majestic old building with a great faculty, I also spend a lot of time at the library. UVM is a good size, although I wouldn't want to see it get any larger. There doesn't appear to be much school pride, which I like. Also not having a football team is nice, sets us apart from the other big state schools. The Naked Bike Ride, at midnight on the last day of classes, is certainly one experience that I will take away with me, a great UVM tradition in which hundreds of students cycle around campus. fantastic.

One thing I enjoy about UVM is the close relationship it has to the City of Burlington. It makes access to downtown stores, shops, and restaurants a whole lot easier. The best thing (if people enjoy it) is the skiing, with four or five great resorts under an hour and a half away from campus. If i had to change one thing it would be the way UVM enforces its drug and alcohol policy. As far as size goes it's about 11,000 undergrad give or take, which is a great size. It's large enough to meet new people but small enough to not feel lost. I have a very low opinion on UVM's administration. They try to treat the student body like children instead of implementing more progressive alcohol and drug programs. It's one thing that UVMPD is allowed to refer you to judicial review, but it's another thing that they are allowed to make random rounds inside dorms, listening for noise and looking for excuses to question students.

I love the whole community at UVM. I would change how strict the cops are. They school is perfect for me and for most peopole here. Its the perfect size university. People are proud of me when i tell them i go to UVM. The biggest controversy was the murder of michele last school year.

I love UVM. Having now gone here for four years I think it's the perfect size and environment for me. The reaction I get from people when i tell them i go to UVM is often one of surprise, people can't believe that someone from New York City would want to go to a school that immediately connotes hippies and the woods. To all the skeptics, though, I tell about the beautiful campus, perfect size, and prime location of the school. Burlington is really an amazing city to be in. It's got a lot of diverse elements to it including nice quaint stores and great restaurants; one's life does not depend on campus life.

I wish it was more racially diverse. Burlington is a great asset. People are generally friendly. It's a good size, lots of new people to meet.