The University of Virginia

The student body is a disgrace. If you are white, sexist, racist, alcoholic, rich, and from NOVA - come to UVA. For most out-of-state students, this place sucks. If I had to decide again, I would not even bother applying. Don't let the beautiful campus hook you; make sure you get the truth about the school. I would love to answer any question about UVA and my experiences here - both good and bad. I will tell you the truth, not what the Office of Admissions tells you :) Seriously though, any questions or comments - feel free to email -

1st Year Female -- Class 2007

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Individual Value: D-

I've had some really positive but also some really negative experiences here. I am sad since I wanted to love the college, it is beautiful and gave me a lot of financial aid. But I never felt more alone, isolated, and unwanted than when I came here.

The cons -
Almost no diversity. The vast, vast majority of students are white, wealthy, fit, preppy, and probably from northern Virginia. Literally 60% of the student's parents make over 100,000 a year. If you are low income, or a minority, or lgbt, or different in any way, then you will probably not fit in.

Literally 99.3 % of students dress the same way. I maybe only saw 2 goth / alternative students, and they were first years at orientation. There is also a very strong hook up and drinking culture. Which sounds fun, but that is what 2/3 of students do on a weekly basis as defined in our campus newspaper, and almost no one is a couple, which can be depressing if you are looking for more.

I tried, but everyone is "busy" and only wants to use you for 10 minutes and does not want to get to know you personally. I have tried over 20 clubs and stuck with 5, but I finally realized no one truly cares about me in any of them. That was a very sad realization for me, since I tried really hard to make friends and fit in. Being a broke transfer student will get you nowhere fast here. The academic quality is strange here.

Professors want vague things, barely explain what you need to do, then give you bad grades when you don't magically include everything they wanted you too, which they never explained in the first place.

Greek life is big here, but it's very expensive. $2,000 a semester average. Who has that kind of money anyway if you were not born rich?

Pros -
There are a ton of events every week. Concerts, plays, free food, movies, dance, etc. The campus is drop dread gorgeous, and I never got bored looking at it. There are a lot of parties in general. Which is good if you want to go to a party.

Though with the new fraternity agreement it's very hard to throw a party / get into a party now. But the college clubs still have them often, and they are usually more fun since you know people.

They have some good resources like free career services, free counseling, and good financial aid if you can get it. The college itself will look good on your resume.

Overall,
I do not regret coming here that much. But if I was not already a transfer student, I would have transferred to somewhere with more diversity, where I felt more wanted and welcomed, and where people were friendlier. If you are white, rich, fit,and preppy, you will fit right in. If you are a minority, not preppy, not fit, not rich, you will really stick you and not feel welcomed.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2015

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Friendliness: C

I've known many people who have attended good southern schools-Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Furman, Washington and Lee-and with few exceptions most were friendly, laid back, easy going and modest. The same can't be said about students at UVA. They are the most arrogant, egotistical jerks you'll ever have the misfortune of meeting. But I'll write about the academic aspects first. The University does have a well deserved reputation for highly rated programs and good career connections in the mid-atlantic and the south. Professors can be hit or miss just like any school, some good and some not so good. Until your third year classes can be large and impersonal, more like any run of the mill state university than one with the reputation of UVA. There also are good internship and study abroad opportunities. Charlottesville is a very nice town with lots to do but really no better than Chapel Hill or Oxford MS. Greek life dominates the social scene but it isn't quite the overwhelming presence it used to be. Students think way too highly of themselves. They'll tell you UVA is every bit as good as schools ranked far above it such as Duke or Princeton but far superior to schools ranked very close like William and Mary or the University of Richmond. People also exaggerate their attractiveness, most are average at best but think that dressing preppy automatically makes them much hotter than they really are. Any SEC school blows us away when it comes to looks. I also very much disliked students from the Richmond area. I would have thought they'd be friendly and nice with the southern hospitality thing but so many were arrogant and snooty, acting like they were some kind of southern aristocrats when really they just were solidly middle class to upper middle class like most of us. You can get a great education and have a good experience here but I wish I'd gone elsewhere.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2015

Campus Aesthetics: A, Innovation: F