University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

There is ALWAYS something to do on the weekends which is so great about UVa. Also, everything is within walking distance so it is convenient to go out to a party and easily get home. But if you don't drink, there is still a ton to do at UVa. We have downtown Charlottesville which is full of restaurants, ice rink, movie theater, art museums, stores, etc. On UVa there is always the student movie theatre, and activities that vary week to week in dorms involving dorm sings by student choruses, improv comedy groups and more. However you look at it, there is always someone to hang out with!

Most, if not all, of the social life is off grounds, although the university community is fairly compact, so the on/off grounds distinction is somewhat blurred. Greek life is comparatively big -- about 1/3 of UVA is greek. This isn't to say that the only social scene is the greek scene, in fact that's not true at all. The best way to think of the greek life here is as an added park to all the other social outlets. You can drink cheap free beer at the frats then head over to any of the house parties (less often dorm parties), bars, etc. Lots of options to get drunk or high. I'm usually found studying at the library at 3am on a Tuesday, but it's not unheard of to go to bars. There's a drink special to be found every day of the week!

THe group im most involved with is Agape, which is campus crusade, we just dont call it that. I love it and its such an awesome and welcoming environment. its not a bunch of prude and awkward christian kids either- its normal college students that love God. i love the ppl there so much and its the highlight of my week when i go to agape large group. students in dorms lock their doors when theyre not home but when they are home it not uncommon for ppl to prop their doors open so ppl passing by can stop in for a bit. if im awake at 2 am on tuesday, im prolly writing a paper that i put off until the last minute. UVa has the coolest visitors, guest speakers and events here, and they happen allll the time. theres always something going on that i see a flyer for and think, hey thatd be cool. UVa has so many traditions it would be pointless to get into cuz id be going so long id miss class. but when youre here, the traditions are so easy to pick up on and its not hard to learn at all. ppl start partying on thursday every week and they party friday and saturday as well. i myself dont party but generally everyone does- UVa parties like crazy allll the time. frats and soroities are pretty popular and thats almost always where the parties are. a lot of ppl join frats and sororities here but it doesnt mean that all frats and sororities are crazy and out of control. last weekend i went home because it was easter and i just chilled the whole time and went to church on sunday morning.

I'm a conservation advocate with UVA Recycling. I promote recycling and other environmental activities in my dorm and help to organize these activities that occur on grounds. We leave our doors open. I don't go to athletic events but I think a lot of people do. 2am on Tuesday? Probably I'm ill or something. Last weekend was Easter so I went home. On a Saturday night not drinking I'm probably watching a movie and talking with friends. Off Campus I go downtown quite often. I go to the Farmer's Market when it's open. I go out to eat on the Corner. I go shopping at Harris Teeter. I am increasingly going hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

the most popular groups on campus would be the greek life. I personally am involved in a sorority called Delta Gamma and they are very involved in social and philanthropic events. Most students in dorms leave their doors open and almost always unlocked becuase you have trust in people that you live with. people tend to party every weekend. and as i said before, greek life is pretty important in social outgoings. on a saturday, sometimes people stay in and watch movies.

Drinking is a big part of the social life. Work hard, play harder--that's UVA!

UVa has always stressed student self-governance. This has led us with a lot of priveleges that you don't see at other schools. For example, our University Justice Committee and Honor Committee are both completely governed by students. Juries on the Honor Committee are composed only of students. I'm President of the American Indian Student Union here at UVa. Our student group is focused on launching both public events and support systems centered on UVa. You could say that AISU is a success story of how administrators and faculty take students seriously at UVa. Just a year ago, there weren't ANY support systems in place or events about American Indian culture! Now, with the help of other Natives of AISU, my group has established a presence here at the University, sparking relations with the Office of the Dean of Students, Office of Undergraudate Admissions, Office of the Provost, and Office of the President, just to name a few. It was through student involvement at UVa that Natives have finally arrived at the University! Students that live in hall-style dorms do leave their doors open. I know mine was always open when I was in my room and not sleeping. We would all visit each other occasionally when our doors were open. Some of my strongest friendships at UVa still come from the days of when I lived in a first-year dormitory. Athletic events are wildly popular at UVa, especially football, men's basketball, and men's lacrosse. The people of Charlottesville enjoy coming out and watching events, too. One of the best things about UVa's football games is that all students can attend all games, if they like. The student section is large enough to accommodate every student that shows up. Basketball ticket distribution is more restricted, but most students can still get into most games without any hassle. The dating scene is okay, I guess, at UVa. To be honest, I'm single myself, but that's largely because of my lack of free time because of being in engineering. The girls, in my opinion, are certainly more attractive here than in other universities. I think I saw a survey that said only 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of UVa students classify themselves as in a relationship. UVa students, to be honest, are usually too busy during the week doing homework to have relationships. Partying at UVa is a pretty big deal. Guys put on their best polos and shorts and head out to Rugby Road on Fridays, Saturdays, and, for some, Thursdays. "Going out to Rugby Road" usually means going to a fraternity party. Most people I know enjoy going out at least once a week, but only when the weather is nice. This limits the partying to August through October and April. I would like to think of most UVa students as sensible party-goers, though. The vast majority of students that I know only go out on the weekends, and sometimes not every weekend. This isn't to say that the only parties are at fraternities, of course. I've been to parties at other people's apartments or houses, too, but usually only upperclassmen go to those. Even those who don't drink often go to parties; no one will bother you if you don't want to have a beer. Partying isn't the only way we socialize, either, and there are a few people who prefer to stay away from parties, which is perfectly fine. There are lots of ways to hang out with others without the typical party scene. Last weekend I chilled with my mates Bjorn, Gavin, and Phil, and we had fondue at my house with some Halo. 'Twas pretty sweet. Saturday night I had some friends from home visit me, and we went out to Rugby Road. Sunday was all homework. Ugh. There's plenty to do here that doesn't involve drinking. We have ice skating downtown, intramural sports, the biggest hot tub on the East Coast, and a ton of restaurants. General chilling is popular here, like sitting out by the Lawn, meeting friends at Starbucks, or simply chatting it up while watching TV in the dorm or apartment.

Athletic events and speakers are very popular on grounds. We have the classic varsity teams but then also a vast array of club teams. We even have a ski & snowboard team here that races against other colleges. In addition, many clubs bring in speakers relating to politics which are always highly attended and many times controversial. I've met my closest friends from the extracurriculars I'm involved with. Many of them are from the Network of enlightened Women and the ski team. I'm living with some girls from the Network of enlightened Women now and next year and can see us being life-long friends. If I'm awake at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, I am doing homework. Off campus, I go hiking, apple picking in the fall, visit Monticello, go skiing in the winter, do hot yoga at the downtown mall, and go out to eat.

The Frats and Sororities are very popular. I didn't pledge, and don't go to many frat parties (I personally prefer smaller house parties with people I know well). I am very involved in UVA theater. I was just in the Vagina Monologues. It was a great experience. We sold out completely every night, had a standing ovation, raised $5,000 for a great charity, and really bonded as a cast. I'm currently in Shakespeare on the Lawn's "Taming of the Shrew". It is a lot of work and a lot of fun. If you want to meet eccentric students, audition for "SOTL" (as we call it. EVERYTHING AT UVA IS AN ACRONYM! It drives me insane.) The Drama Department is small, but tight. We are all really good friends. I'm a Drama Minor. I love it. You should definitely come see all the Drama Dept. productions. They are free to students (with ART$ dollars, part of tuition). The Culbreth Theater has just been refurbished and we have a new, big, multistorey parking garage next to it. Athletic events are extremely popular, but I am always in the theater, so I haven't gone to many. The dating scene - there are nice places to go on dates on the Corner and Downtown. Sadly, so far, there has really been no 'dating scene', just lots of "Free Love". Which leads me to how I met my closest friends...hmm...*censored* I went to a party and hooked up with someone...now I'm best friends with all of his friends. It's interesting. Now, Tuesday at 2am: I am either screaming joyfully with my crazy, wonderful suitemates, wasting time on facebook, studying, partying, or *censored* lol People party all the time. Saturday night w/out alcohol: GO see a play!! Go downtown, chill with friends, study, be in a play, go to a concert, there are millions of things to do without drinking and it's not hard to find people who don't want to drink. It's also not hard to find people who do want to drink.

I'm the president of the Latter-Day Saint Student Association, the Mormon club. We meet every Monday in Newcomb hall, the student center, for a Scripture study. UVA has an amazing club program; there are so many opportunities. We've had a dance and right now we're organizing a student panel to raise awareness of what Mormonism is and what it isn't.