University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

The organizations and student groups are one of my favorites parts of U.Va., because there are so many! There are organizations for politics, for cooking and for outdoor adventures. There are intramural sport teams, dance teams, and organizations that cater to more cultural interests. There are also religious groups. U.Va. creates mini-communities through these groups. To many peoples’ surprise the dormitories also create mini-communities. In the International Residence Hall, which is an on-campus housing for both international and American students, they have different game nights and weekly activities that the residents and general public can participate. Dancing and performance art are really big here at U.Va. Although U.Va. isn’t heavily known as a university of such, there are many opportunities to perform. Students here have a way of surprising you because they are involved in activities that one wouldn’t expect. For example I know many student who study in the Engineering School and are also involved in performance arts groups. That may seem a bit unusual to some, but it’s quite normal here. There are about twelve categories of student organizations here. I lose count of the dance groups because there are so many. It is hard to say which ones are the most popular because the dance groups cater to different types of communities. For example the Step Team here attracts a more urban and African-American audience, while the Salsa Club, attracts students from all over the campus because they do more fusion music and dance. The Latino Student Association puts on dance performances; along with the Indian Student Association and the Organization of African Students that both perform multiple times a year. The list goes.

The organizations and student groups are one of my favorites parts of U.Va.; because there are so many! There are organizations for politics, for cooking and for outdoor adventures. There are intramural sport teams, dance teams, and organizations that cater to more cultural interests. There are also religious groups. U.Va. creates mini-communities through these groups. To many peoples’ surprise the dormitories also create mini-communities. In the International Residence Hall, which is an on-campus housing for both international and American students, they have different game nights and weekly activities that the residents and general public can participate. Dancing and performance art are really big here at U.Va. Although U.Va. isn’t heavily known as a university of such, there are many opportunities to perform. Students here have a way of surprising you because they are involved in activities that one wouldn’t expect. For example I know many student who study in the Engineering School and are also involved in performance arts groups. That may seem a bit unusual to some, but it’s quite normal here. There are about twelve categories of student organizations here. I lose count of the dance groups because there are so many. It is hard to say which ones are the most popular because the dance groups cater to different types of communities. For example the Step Team here attracts a more urban and African-American audience, while the Salsa Club, attracts students from all over the campus because they do more fusion music and dance. The Latino Student Association puts on dance performances; along with the Indian Student Association and the Organization of African Students that both perform multiple times a year. The list goes. Speaking of dormitories I’ve already alluded to the cultural impacts they have on grounds. Often times, dorms cater to certain kinds interests of students. For example I live in the Spanish Language House (La Casa Bolívar), which is a dormitory that requires that its residents speak in Spanish while in the common areas. We have weekly dinners that are open to all students from around the campus to come eat with us, while improving their Spanish. This kind of setting caters to students who really value foreign languages and want to improve their language skills. Many of the dorms celebrate particular characteristics and interests of students by providing a space in which they can utilize them. Since being here at U.Va. I’ve been involved various student organizations. One of them has been the Organization of African Students as a dancer at their annual Africa Day event, and for the Culturefest! which is a weekend for freshman and their parents to explore U.Va. An important question that many prospect students have asked me is: What do you students do on the weekends? This is a fun question to answer. The students here are very active and there are events happening on campus all the time. The weekends are never boring because outside of the abundance of student events, the City of Charlottesville also has activities for students to do. For students that are old enough to enter the bars, there are sets of bars with dance floors with DJ’s that play pop/modern music, they are located on The Corner, which is walking distance from the main campus. Speaking of music, very often we have celebrities come to Charlottesville and perform in John Paul Jones Arena (JPJ). There’s also the Downtown, which is one of Charlottesville’s oldest centers and it has an array of restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, ice stores, etc. These are just a few, of the many endeavors U.Va. students embark on for weekend adventures. What’s great about these is that they are, most of the time, free so it doesn’t hurt students’ pockets.

The organizations and student groups are one of my favorites parts of U.Va.; because there are so many! There are organizations for politics, for cooking and for outdoor adventures. There are intramural sport teams, dance teams, and organizations that cater to more cultural interests. There are also religious groups. U.Va. creates mini-communities through these groups. To many peoples’ surprise the dormitories also create mini-communities. In the International Residence Hall, which is an on-campus housing for both international and American students, they have different game nights and weekly activities that the residents and general public can participate. Dancing and performance art are really big here at U.Va. Although U.Va. isn’t heavily known as a university of such, there are many opportunities to perform. Students here have a way of surprising you because they are involved in activities that one wouldn’t expect. For example I know many student who study in the Engineering School and are also involved in performance arts groups. That may seem a bit unusual to some, but it’s quite normal here. There are about twelve categories of student organizations here. I lose count of the dance groups because there are so many. It is hard to say which ones are the most popular because the dance groups cater to different types of communities. For example the Step Team here attracts a more urban and African-American audience, while the Salsa Club, attracts students from all over the campus because they do more fusion music and dance. The Latino Student Association puts on dance performances; along with the Indian Student Association and the Organization of African Students that both perform multiple times a year. The list goes. Speaking of dormitories I’ve already alluded to the cultural impacts they have on grounds. Often times, dorms cater to certain kinds interests of students. For example I live in the Spanish Language House (La Casa Bolívar), which is a dormitory that requires that its residents speak in Spanish while in the common areas. We have weekly dinners that are open to all students from around the campus to come eat with us, while improving their Spanish. This kind of setting caters to students who really value foreign languages and want to improve their language skills. Many of the dorms celebrate particular characteristics and interests of students by providing a space in which they can utilize them. Since being here at U.Va. I’ve been involved various student organizations. One of them has been the Organization of African Students as a dancer at their annual Africa Day event, and for the Culturefest! which is a weekend for freshman and their parents to explore U.Va. An important question that many prospect students have asked me is: What do you students do on the weekends? This is a fun question to answer. The students here are very active and there are events happening on campus all the time. The weekends are never boring because outside of the abundance of student events, the City of Charlottesville also has activities for students to do. For students that are old enough to enter the bars, there are sets of bars with dance floors with DJ’s that play pop/modern music, they are located on The Corner, which is walking distance from the main campus. Speaking of music, very often we have celebrities come to Charlottesville and perform in John Paul Jones Arena (JPJ). There’s also the Downtown, which is one of Charlottesville’s oldest centers and it has an array of restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, ice stores, etc. These are just a few, of the many endeavors U.Va. students embark on for weekend adventures. What’s great about these is that they are, most of the time, free so it doesn’t hurt students’ pockets.

The most popular groups/organizations are definitely those that are Greek life affiliated or involving some type of service. I am involved with the Adopt-A-Grandparent program through the volunteer organization Madison House. I serve as a program director as well as visit one of the grandmothers at a local nursing home once a week. Athletic events are generally popular but there is definitely less of a fever around them compared to other schools. Greek life is very dominant at UVA, around 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are Greek, which controls most of the party scene. Since UVA is in the city of Charlottesville, there are plenty of events and things to do off campus in an extremely welcoming community.

Greek life is huge at UVa. Approximately 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the undergraduate population is in a fraternity or sorority. However, there are hundreds of other organizations to get involved in as well. UVa is a Divison I NCAA school and has many different varsity teams, but in addition to those varsity teams there are club teams that students can try out for. Furthermore, there are hundreds of organizations beyond sports. There are different educational organizations, political organizations, art organizations, and much more. The University is very open and accesible due to the honor code at UVa. All students at the University are bound by the Honor Code and if they are found to have broken it they can face expulsion. The University prides itself and student ownership and leadership in different organizations. They really want the students to be the ones in charge of their futures, which is great.

I'm a member of UVA's Club Tennis and we literally have over a hundred people try out for the team so Club Tennis is definitely popular. I'm a member of UNICEF, Autism Speaks and Pause for Paws and those are relatively large groups as well. A lot of organizations do fundraising events with the big one being one that is centered on Halloween and you have people from the Charlottesville community come to the Lawn and engage wit hthe students. Lots of groups have their own parties which you can see if you're walking on 14th street, Emmet Street or somewhere on JPJ. We have a shopping center called Barracks which is just a short while away from campus. There's a Harris Teeter, Ulta, Bed Bath and Beyond and some others. If you take one of the CAT buses which are free if you have a University ID, you can go to a shopping center that has Belk, Marshalls, Victoria's Secret and some others. The weekends are a perfect time to make a trip with your friends.

At UVa, Greek life is big. 30-40 percent of the student body participates. Other popular groups are club sports, philanthropic organizations, tour guides, and a capella.

One of the very popular things I've found at UVA is the music scene. I have many friends that play in the marching band, sing in an a capella group, or play in the orchestra. I, for example, am a member of the orchestra and it has allowed me to meet many new people I would of otherwise have never seen. On home football weekends, tailgating and going to the game is a very popular and fun thing to do. Fraternities play a fairly large part in the social scene at UVA. About 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of men and 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of women are a member of a fraternity/sorority. Every weekend, there are several fraternity parties going on and the party scene is definitely a large part of many students lives. Parties are limited to Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and are virtually non-existent during finals week. Not all students go out, however, and there are other options available besides partying. The downtown mall is a very popular place to head to go to, where there are probably a hundred different shops/restaurants.

The most popular organizations on grounds include ISA and MSA, which are religious organizations. They do many cultural events that bring together UVA. Also, the University Student Council is very active in getting students involved. Athletic events, especially football games are very popular at UVA. Games bring together faculty, students and even parents and other family members. I am personally not sure about the dating scene as I do not go out much. If I were awake at 2am on a Tuesday it would either me watching a tv show in my dorm room or studying for a test the next day. Some traditions that happen every year include the Lighting of the Lawn and also the 4th year 5th where 4th year students try to drink a fifth of alcohol on the last home football game. In my opinion, a good amount of people party on weekdays such as Thursdays. At this school, the social life is a big concern. Due to this reason, fraternities and sororities are very popular. Personally, I can go to a friend's dorm and watch a movie with her or just watch tv in my own room.

The most popular groups here are probably the student run clubs and of course, Greek organizations. One organization I am involved in is called Madison House. It is a volunteer program offering about 20 different programs on grounds and in the Charlottesville are. My program is called Big sib Little sib. Students have the opportunity to get a "little sib" from an elementary or middle school in Charlottesville. We meet with our little sib once a week for three hours and it is a great way to help improve a child's life who may come from a lower income home. I have really enjoyed this program. A great thing about this school is the hundreds of different clubs and activities offered every year. At the beginning of each semester, there is an activities fair where all the organizations go and students can browse to see which groups interest them. The activities fair is always exciting, especially for new first year students who are nervous about meeting people and fitting in at school.