University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

I felt out of place the first year I was at UVA. I was surrounded by preppy, stuck up, rich kids, and annoying frat boys. (I got over it though).

Racially, the University is growing in diversity. With that has come less self-segregation, though it is still quite common. Students often form tight-knit groups with various ethnic (or otherwise) organizations, gain a stronger sense of identity, and fail to branch out. I have heard about several incidents of prejudice against all groups of people on campus, sorority girls and frat guys, blacks, gays, etc. But I would say most people are relatively socially aware and open-minded. People of a particular ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion generally do not have more trouble than others in finding friends and expressing themselves in class. Students who might feel out of place: I don't really think anyone, because there are groups of all kinds of people, though they may not make up a large population. People who dye their hair funky colors and have lots of piercings, or come from poor families (if the student is self-conscious about this), these are probably the groups of people who might feel less comfortable at UVA. Most UVA students are from northern virginia. and mostly from middle to upper middle class families. Students are generally socially aware and active, but not so much politically. I don't think I can judge whether most students were politically left, right, or center, but I do know that most professors are left and not afraid to talk about it. Students generally don't talk about money very much, maybe about stuff, but I've never overheard a conversation about future income, even in jest.

UVA is not the most diverse campus i've ever been on, in terms of NUMBERS of minorities. however, those students who are minorities, whether racial, LGBT, religious, what have you, are DEFINITELY accepted in the community. UVA is really one big family. we all love each other and all have so much in common, most importantly a great love for Mr. Jefferson's University. There really is no student who would feel out of place at UVA. I have close friends in all groups of race, religion, and sexual orientation. and they are all loved equally. most students are from NOVA - aka northern virginia - aka the washington dc area. but there are a significant amount of out-of-state students, myself included, which makes up about, i'd say 30-40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. truthfully, most students are from upper-middle class suburbia. as far as what students wear to class, you'll mostly see kids get it together. not so much of the sweats and pajamas at UVA. don't get me wrong, there definitely are students that do, but not a whole lot. you do see a fair amount of students in workout clothes, especially if its warmer. which reminds me, SO MANY RUNNERS! no matter where i go, someone always runs by me, even if its a 2 minute walk. at night/going out clothes is nicer than casual. girls usually in dresses or a nice top, maybe with some heels. guys its pretty much w/e goes. whats collective true about all students at UVA is that they are smart people, who are motivated to get good grades and good jobs and really go somewhere in life.

Students are politically aware. I don't think any kind of student would feel out of place at UVA. Students wear everything to class ranging from gym clothes to dresses. Students don't talk about how much they'll earn one day.

The LGBT groups are awesome. You can meet some of the nicest people there, even if you are not LGBT. I went to a meeting and felt a little awkward because some people there knew i wasnt LGBT, but everyone was really sweet and they seemed like a tight group. There is a lot of subtle racism at UVA.

UVA is a fairly homogenous school. Although there is diversity, I would have to say it's not quite as diverse as a city school. There are blacks, Asian, rich, poor, gay, straight, etc, but for me - it's something that I feel people of the "minority" would have to look for. Granted, I'm a typical straight, white, female, so I don't constantly (or ever) feel out of place. I also don't know how easy it is to find somewhere to fit in, so my perspective on diversity is slightly skewed. A lot of people tend to look nicer for class. Rather than just throwing on a pair of old sweat pants and a sweat shirt, people wear jeans and dresses to class (at least when it's nice out). Not saying that sweats are unheard of, because plenty of people do wear them, it's just that we also have the very well dressed people, as well. I guess you could say, our fashion statements have a wide range for acceptability. The one thing you don't normally find is the "Emo-black pants, black shirt, black jacket, black everything" look.

Overall, there is a great variety of people at UVA. Going along with the common stereotype, there tends to be more students from upper-class backgrounds, but most of the time, this doesn't reveal itself until you are closer friends with a person. Some students try to live up to the preppy stereotype by dressing well in class, but I myself prefer to wear gym shorts and t-shirts as much as possible. Every student from every background or experience can find a place at UVA, and nobody is excluded simply for their particular beliefs.

Very diverse racially, religiously definitely more agnostic/atheists than high school. LGBT community is well accepted and represented in several organizations. UVA is pretty good about need based financial aid, so a wide range of financial backgrounds come, although the socio-economic level is still the higher, typical college bound group. Most students are from Virginia, although only 6/10 in my suite first year were. Politically students are predominantly liberal, like most college campuses, but numerous political student groups exist and interact with each other. The only student that would feel totally out of place are those who are anti social. Some of my good friends from first year include nerds, jocks, preps, black, white, asian, and most religious backgrounds.

Student body is relatively diverse. You will see a couple of people from each race, however it is still predominately white like most universities. Although the student body is pretty open to different groups, there is still an underlying disconnect between different groups. I think that frats/sor. at UVA cause the biggest culture divide, because they create a culture of selectivity and also expose the massive differences that people may have. Economic split is also a huge issue at UVA, because so many students are filthy rich while others are paying there way through school. This divide makes it nearly impossible for students to relate and interact on a mutual basis. Lastly, students at UVA are pretty politically aware, and are relatively aware of humanitarian issues around the world. However, most students do tend to be right handed republican becuase of the huge southern influence, and rich background that the school tends to bring in.

Huge public school=lots of diversit...and there are a lot of student groups for basically all kinds of peoples and beliefs, so anyone can feel at home.