Cost-effective option for in-state students, variety of majors, located in a historic city

Surprising number of scandals in recent years, ranging from the Rolling Stone article to the protests of August 2017 in Charlottesville

Explore the variety of academic programs available at UVa, and make sure that you complete prerequisites for majors you are interested in during high school (will help out in the long-run)

Yes

still retains a bit of a waspy southern feel at times, frat culture too pervasive

still retains a bit of a waspy southern feel at times, frat culture too pervasive

don't go here to study arts or math. the E school is okay, but business and pre-law are by far the strongest programs.

Yes

You DO have to work hard enough to achieve impact - it doesn't get handed to you, and no one is there to hold your hand through your academic career or recruiting

You DO have to work hard enough to achieve impact - it doesn't get handed to you, and no one is there to hold your hand through your academic career or recruiting

It might feel a bit bigger than some of the private schools but you can easily find your niche and thrive. Make sure the academics fit you and don't worry about whether you'll like the culture or not - it's big enough you'll find people you like

Yes

3

2011

Not common application when I applied, UVA had its own specific questions. No interviews. I did early decision, but that is gone now. Financial Aid and Scholarships were not a factor in my admission process.

4

2010

There is a lot of work and some courses have stricter grading. But overall it is completely worthwhile.

2

3

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences who are not selected into the Echols Scholars Program have certain core requirements to complete before graduation.

Average class size is roughly 23.5 students to 1 professor, although some introductory level classes are much larger to accommodate the large demand for them.

Professors are extremely approachable; the same goes for academic advisers. Faculty at U.Va. make themselves very accessible to their students outside the classroom, and really appreciate when students initiate contact with them. Research opportunities are numerous here, and it is not uncommon for undergraduate students to hold positions in various labs, performing scientific research. In addition, students have a large research component built into their major, allowing them to explore research methodology as undergraduates.

Study abroad programs are amazing at U.Va. A huge percentage of the student population studies abroad during their four years, and have the opportunity to take part in programs across the world, in any specialization, for any of the University's seven undergraduate schools.

Housing is good.

Cost of living can be a little expensive, between the lifestyle that students here are used to living, and the cost of living in the city of Charlottesville itself.

Grounds IS GORGEOUS...we're not a UNESCO World Heritage Site for nothing.

Libraries? Oh, you mean all 17 of them? Awesome libraries with amazing resources and faculty available to help students with research.

Facilities are great! Grounds are a great mixture of classical Jeffersonian architecture and the constant construction of brand new buildings.

Dining is okay.

Neighborhood is great, Charlottesville is consistently voted one of the best places in America to live/raise a family.

Crime is low and safety is excellent.

Overall happiness is stellar!

I elected to complete the U.Va. specific application, rather than the Common App.--I think that this was still an option for the Class of 2007.

I did not do an interview, and submitted the same essays to each of the schools I applied to.

I did not apply early action/early decision.

2012

We have requirements for foreign language, English, and sciences. Most majors require 30 credits, so it is pretty easy to double major or have a minor. Classes are difficult, but students aren't necessarily competitive.

Overall, I think most students are very happy. We have great dining services that allow students to be vegetarian and works with food allergies. The Grounds is beautiful, and the University is working on restoring buildings and expanding the University.

We have the Common Application with a supplement, or you can apply online. The most notable essay question is "what's your favorite word and why?" We do not have any early decision or early action.

4

2011

2013

have professor that are at the top of their teachings

great

unique application questions, essays, interviews for certain programs,

1

Area requirements; major degree requirements; 15:1 ratio between students and faculty; available faculty; healthy competition

On- and off-grounds housing; 16 libraries; three dining halls; "work hard, play hard" mentality

2013

2012s fortunate enough to place out of all of the general requirements, so I can't say much about those except that I've heard most students complain that they wished they had taken the APs in high school, since the coursework was much harder comparatively in college. The major requirements seem fairly equal as far as credits go, but vary in terms of difficulty, and amount and difficulty of the prerequisites; for example, I once was aiming for an economics major and had to take 6 (I think) courses before declaring, whereas my current history major only asked me to take 1 history course, and credit from a high school AP class counted towards that requirement. The classes can get to be quite large in the entry-levels (550 for my Intro to Microeconomics class), but the weekly discussion sections of 20 students, where we go over problems and further discuss lecture with a TA, definitely help, and make a huge difference in my large-class experience. If you want to do research, you can easily find opportunities at UVA, and professors always hold open office hours weekly (often two or three times a week) where you can discuss anything from your grades to your future career to worries you have about your life outside academics. The faculty is very accomplished, but for the most part, it's not something you realize until you notice that one of the books you were assigned to read for class was written by them, or someone tells you the professor has their own Wikipedia page and that they were once a speechwriter for President Bush Sr. Also, I'd just like to note that the major selection below is really strange - it doesn't have history or religious studies (my two), or even other common majors like biology and chemistry.