University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

UVa is an extremely diverse school. There are no students here, no matter race, gender, orientation, socio-economic status, that would feel out of place here. The students and staff are so accepting of one another. In addition, they are eager to learn about other cultures and promote diversity.There are no real cliques here. Everyone interacts with everyone. No matter who you are or where you come from, you are accepted here!

There is a very diverse student population at UVA. I am always hearing about the different activities that different groups are doing on grounds. I am very tolerant as I attend discussions and panels for different groups. I feel that LGBT students feel most out of place at school as they are still looked down upon. However, there is a strong group at UVA to shelter such students. In my opinion, different types of students do interact such as MSA (Muslim Student Association) and ISA (Indian Student Association) students. Even though most students are from different parts of Virginia, I encounter many that are also either international or out of state students. Since many students are active participants in their learning and are seeking strong future careers, many do talk about earning a lot of money one day.

If you want a guide on how to fit the stereotype, order the following books from Amazon: The Preppy Handbook, How to Win Friends and Influence People. We power-network in bowties. And we do just about everything in bowties. I joke, though ties are common apparel, even in finals. Students are a balance of northern and southern culture: they appreciate southern tradition but live by NYC efficient and competitive work ethic. Many -- not all -- come from wealthy backgrounds and many -- not all -- are predominantly moderate conservatives, though fiscal views are far more conservative than social views. Students are well-spoken, put-together, and have a life plan. If you're not interested in doing something great with the talents and time you have, you won't find much support. Students genuinely want to engage the world politically and economically to leave their impact.

My classmates were fantastic; they were intelligent, creative, fun, and motivated.

Diversity, as I mentioned before, is quite the hot topic on grounds (the campus). There are many organizations that cater to the interest of minority groups. For example I have been heavily involved in the LGBT community here as I’ve worked with different student run organizations and initiated forums and presentations that discuss plights and issues of LGBT students at U.Va. and in the nation. I’m also a peer advisor for the Office of African-American Affairs as a mentor to help incoming first-year (freshman) African-American students succeed in college. There are different avenues and opportunities for students to learn about the diversity here at U.Va. In general, minority related or not, most students at U.Va. are involved in something that is not strictly class related. There are many dance groups, Acapella groups, debate forums, cultural organizations, and student-administration groups. I’ve observed, over the past few, different cliques here. For example there’s the Greek life community. Or there’s an African-American and Latino community. However, even within the Latino community there’s the international students from Latin American who come from different backgrounds than Latino-Americans. There’s a high population of Asian students here too. Not even considering, race, ethnicity, and sexuality, sometimes students form cliques through their majors. For example students in the McIntire School of Commerce have similar groups of friends. One implication behind this is that there is a community here for most students when they come to U.Va. The other implication is that with such stratification, often times these groups seem isolated from each other. That is gradually changing from the different public forums and debates that bring students from different backgrounds but it is something that I’ve observed while studying here. However, many students are not engulfed in the clique culture and prefer just to meet fellow peers in the libraries, social events, clubs and bars, and other locations. Students here are really into sports and athletics. Students here go to the gym regularly, run around the campus, or are on an intramural or school sports teams. Staying in shape and healthy is a value that I noticed many students here have. I know when I first came here I ran around the campus all the time or went to the gym. It’s nice because it’s something that’s highly encouraged and a great way to meet friends. Students here really like to engage in discourse, which I absolutely love about U.Va. This university seems quite politically charged, meaning many students talks about politics and an array of other topics. It encourages students to stay updated on current events, which I personally think is a good.

My classmates are very school-oriented. They dedicate a lot of their time to studying but also manage to volunteer in community service activities and sports. They are very engaging and diverse in their views and ethnicities.

Students here are great. We study hard, but know how to have fun when the time is right. There's all different types of pockets at this school, so I can't but an adjective on our student body as a whole. Every demographic of people is included in our student body whether that's being religious, ethnic, preppy, athletic, artsy...everything. Also everyone at this school is out to help each other, and no one is out to spite another person. Yes there is a competitive edge here, and students want to succeed, but to gain this at the loss of another student is unheard of here.

There is a lot of acceptance at UVa. I personally was part of the Queer-Student Union last year, and loved my experience. There is a huge stress on separation of church and University, as Mr. Jefferson wanted a secular academic environment when he founded UVa. If there were four tables of students in the dining hall, I'd say there'd definitely be a table of male athletes. They usually eat together (though they have their own dining hall so I doubt they'd be mingling!). There'd also be a table of Asian students with computers, a table of mixed people all doing their own business, and a table of sorority girls planning an event or something. Most people at UVa do come from higher end backgrounds and have a bit of money, but there are a lot of middle-class people as well. Politically and religiously, the students are mixed. I have friends of many different religions and political backgrounds. As I study Arabic, a great deal of my friends are Muslim, but I also have Catholic, Hindu, and atheist friends as well. Some of my friends are staunchly conservative, some are staunchly liberal. Especially given the split nature of Virginia (liberal north, conservative south), there is a great deal of variability in terms of personal views, whether religious or political.

The students at UVa are great. There is just about any different group of kids one can think of at the University. UVa constantly reminds the students of the diversity of the UVa community, and works hard to respect all different types of people. Being a state university there are a lot of kids form Virginia, but there is also a significant portion of out-of-state students and international students. It is really hard for one to feel out of place at UVa because of hundreds of different organizations one can get involved in at UVa. Anyone could find a group of kids that they can relate to, and if they don't find a group or organization they can start one if they can gain enough support. The typical dress at UVa could be described as preppy. Collared shirts and sun dresses are the stereotypical UVa attire, however there is just about every other type of stereotypical attire as well (goth, jock, hipster, etc.).