University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

From my own experience here, student at UVA are really involved and there is a strong sense of community. I'm currently involved in numerous of activities that I could talk about for hours just because I love them! There is ALWAYS something to do here, which in some instances is very frustrating because there are never enough hours in the day to do them. And if you can find anything to do at the University, there is always Downtown Charlottesville, with tons of places to eat, shop and even watch a movie. If you are ever in the town, I highly recommend going to "The Flat", an excellent crepe place. I know coming to college, I was worried about the party scene and how was prevalent it was. If you do not like drinking, there are other activities to do. The university programs council puts together comedy and talent shows and even will show already released movies at the theater. This weekend, they are showing Dark Knight here. No one here will pressure you to go out. I know when I've told my friends that I had to spend my Friday night writing my paper, they have understood and not pushed me to go out. There is something for everyone here.

Statistics say that the Greek system accounts for about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population. In my opinion, and definitely for first years, it dominates the social scene. There are definitely people who want nothing to do with it for various reasons and they of course find their own niche because there are plenty in that category. The UVA social scene is what you want to make it. There is enough diversity. However, I would strongly recommend going Greek because it opens up a lot of opportunities for you.

There is a lot of greek life, which can separate potential friends but brings together many more than it pulls apart. It is also perfectly acceptable to not go greek, in which case you meet friends in class, in dorms, at the gym, at work, in the library, in clubs, on coucils, playing sports, ... . There are great performances by a cappella groups, comedy clubs, other music and theatre, guest speakers, and presentations that you can find on any day of the week and most are very popular so your friends will want to go too.

I met my best friends because of too much candy. One night, as I was trying to get rid of an over-bountiful care package from home, there were some people I didn't know in the study lounge watching a movie on somebody's laptop. It turned out to be one of my favorite movies, so I asked if they wanted any candy and if I could join them -- a really bold and out-of-character move for me, but to my surprise they invited me right in and we had a great time. Now we're all really good friends, and I'm actually living with one of the girls next year! Just shows that sometimes being friendly is all you need to do to find friends!

I suppose this is where I should write about the Greek System. Yes it's important here, but only a third of the college is Greek. It doesn't have to run your life. However the reason it's important here is not neccessarily because you're not cool if you're not in one, but because the parties are so open to everybody, so that's what people do on the weekends. I talked to a friend from a different school, and he talked about how you wouldn't get into a fraternitities party if you weren't in the fraternity, and I was a little shocked. Someimtes it's hard to get in, but for the most part anyone can get into a party.

Students ALWAYS leave their doors open( the social ones anyway), so it is very easy to meet new people. There is always something to do at UVA. You can find campus events, private events, or events that you and your friends plan. There's always downtown, the corner, and barracks to visit and enjoy. Also, UVA doesn't have a huge party scene. Of course you can find parties thursday, friday, and saturday nights on rugby road but it's nothing compared to the parties in D.C.

I'll be honest, UVA is a drinking campus. With such a strong Greek scene, many undergrads' weekends revolve around frats. If you can resist the lure of free beer and nonstop CCR, there's still plenty to do. People throw non-frat parties every weekend which are generally more fun and abounding with more interesting people. My weekends consisted largely of attending said parties with my friends, staying out late (or was it early by then?), and grabbing sandwiches from Little John's on the Corner before heading back in. There are nearby musical venues- the greatest of which, Satellite Ballroom, is facing closure, which is truly tragic, but others do exist. Plenty of restaurants cater to the poor college student, be they meat-and-potatoes diners or vegans. Of course, if you're still bored, you can indulge in some UVA traditions: streaking, steam tunneling, refrigerator tunneling (ask your upperclassmen), and climbing on top of structures you should not.

Greek life is a big part of some students' lives, but I never felt pressured to join a sorority or be involved with a fraternity. I think there is definitely an emphasis on study-- many students like to talk about how much time they spend in Clemons, the 24 hour library. Athletic events are very popular-- especially football and basketball, and I will say that as someone who doesn't really enjoy going to sporting events, the atmosphere at a UVA football game is something anyone sporty or not can appreciate. UVA is a typical university, there are parties and drinking, but there is plenty to do without drinking and clubs and organizations that work to provide plenty of opportunities minus the drinks. Charlottesville is nice because there is a lot of cultural events and organizations that provide concerts and festivals and things. Plus, only 2 hours drive from DC!

A Capella groups are hot. They're really good here. Join a student group and you'll make friends. I joined the Men's Crew team and instantly had about 25 friends, freshmen through seniors. GO TO FOOTBALL GAMES. Everybody does -- don't be that kid who doesn't. Some people party every night. However, Friday nights or Saturday nights are very common. Some kids go for the triple crown and go Thursday, Friday, Saturday just for fun.

Popular groups on grounds are, of course, the fraternities and sororities, musical organizations and dance teams. I'm involved with Black Voices, which is a gospel choir. They are like another family to me! 35 years strong and counting! I personally never leave my door unlocked when I'm gone, but a lot of people do. Theater and athletic events are incredibly popular events to go to, as well as guest speakers. In fact, Obama came to Charlottesville my first year. I didn't get to go, but I heard he was extraordinary. Obama '08!! I was blessed enough to have met all four of my closest friends on my hall. That does NOT happen often! If I was awake on Tuesday at 2am, I'd probably be doing school work or clowning around with my friends. People party EVERY weekend. Even when there's not a party, someone finds one, haha. Frats and sororities are pretty important. They all give back to our community, so it's important to support them from time to time. A fun Saturday night that doesn't involve drinking can involve going to an awesome party sober, or just hanging out on the corner or somewhere else on grounds. Off campus I volunteer and go out to eat.