University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

The common stereotype to our school is that we are a bunch of Frat and sorority kids who dress overly well and sometimes ridiculously. This statement is somewhat true, and a good explanation of this is shown through our traditions for football games. There are two themes to our games, the most notable of this is called "guys in ties girls in pearls". In this case guys wear a dress shirt and ties to the games and girls wear sundresses and pearls. This plays into the stereotype I previously mentioned. But the majority of students who go to games wear the standard orange and blue colors of our school through t-shirts and hats and other regular clothes. As an engineer, most of my friends are not in fraternities and they wear regular brand clothes that would be worn anywhere.

People often think of UVa as a very preppy school where a lot of rich, North Face-wearing, private school kids attend, but really there is much more diversity than the stereotype suggests. While the stereotype is true to a great degree, especially when considering the IFC frat culture here which is mostly made up of moderately wealthy white kids, there are many social options and different groups who do not want to merely fade into becoming another "stereotypical" UVa student.

A lot of people think the students at the University of Virginia are all preppy, Greek (frat/srat members), and wealthy. Although a lot of students do fit this stereotype, there is a great deal of diversity as well. Through the diversity of majors offered and the opportunities to join different clubs and activities, it quickly becomes clear that this stereotype is simply that: a stereotype.

I went to high school in Charlottesville and the stereotype for UVA Students at our high school was that they were all stuck-up rich preps. When I agreed to go to UVA, this stereotype was the one thing that made me hesitant to accept because it did not fit my personality or interests. At first I did meet several people who fit the stereotype. However, there were also plenty of people who did not fit the stereotype. The wonderful thing about UVA is that there is such a diverse population that although there may be people who fit this stereotype, there are just as many who do not. It is very easy to find friends who fit your personality and interests.

UVA students have a bad reputation for being unnecessarily pretentious and/or materialistic. I can tell you that while you will find that here, it is by no means indicative of our student population as a whole. Some of the most down to earth, sweetest people I've met in my life, I've met here. It's a school that prides itself very much on honor, appearance, and reputation. But all that means when push comes to shove is that we pride ourselves on Honor Code, and withholding a positive image. Yes, that will mean that some kids tend to be more into name brands than others, but as a whole this University fosters a very positive, nurturing environment, and I'd say that almost anyone can find their niche here and fit in, no matter who you are or where you come from.

As a student at the University of Virginia, you will be constantly reminded of the rich diversity of whole University community. Therefore, one can just about find any of the common stereotypical college groups. To begin, the usual stereotype that is associated with UVa is that the students are mainly rich, stuck up, preppy snobs. Granted, that group of people is here but they are really few and far between. Additionally, the Greek life is rather large at UVa. Approximately 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the undergraduate students participate in either a sorority or fraternity on grounds. As goes with that, there are the prototypical "frat bros" and "frat stars," but there are also a lot of nice kids and great friends to be found in the greek organizations. There are also a lot of different educational and really specific groups and organizations set up at UVa. There are a lot of different honor societies and educational groups to get involved in, which can get slightly geeky. Finally, there can also be a jock scene but that is mainly if one is an athlete at the University. Overall, as stated earlier, one can find just about any stereotype at UVa (both good and bad).

I've heard of the stereotypes that it's a prep like school but I honestly don't believe it's that way. There are just so many students here at the University with a diverse range of groups.

The stereotype of students at my school is that they are preppy, pretentious, rich, over involved, and heavily involved in Greek life. The phrase work hard play hard also sums up the UVA stereotype well. While I can say that there are certainly some people here who do adhere to that stereotype, I would say that those who fully embody the stereotype are limited to around 1 in every 10 students. That being said, the work hard play hard mentality is quite prevalent here, and most students do work very hard at their academics and their various extracurricular activities. Most students also have some form of "playing hard" that they also enjoy, whether it be party, sports, or otherwise socially related.

The stereotypical UVa student is most likely a privileged (wealthy), white male from NOVA (Northern Virginia), wearing a button down, pair of khakis, and Sperrys. In addition, it has the reputation of being very preppy, as illustrated by the motto "guys in ties, girls in pearls" for home football games. Finally, it may be viewed as a party school. Although there are examples of students that fit this stereotype, I would say by no means are these the only types of students at UVa. There are PLENTY of very, very serious students and I honestly don't think that the party scene is any bigger than other public, state universities. Despite the somewhat preppy/pretentious outward appearance, the student body is very polite and friendly to other students, visiting families, and prospective students.

The stereotypical UVa student is most likely a privileged (wealthy), white male from NOVA (Northern Virginia), wearing a button down, pair of khakis, and Sperrys. In addition, it has the reputation of being very preppy, as seen by the motto "guys in ties, girls in pearls" for home football games. Finally, it may be viewed as a party school. Although there are examples of students that fit this stereotype, I would say by no means are these the only types of students at UVa. There are PLENTY of very, very serious students and I honestly don't think that the party scene is any bigger than any other public, state universities. Despite the somewhat preppy/pretentious outward appearance, the student body is so polite and friendly to other students, as well as visiting families and prospective students.