University of Virginia

[Anonymous]

These threads about UVA never cease to amaze me. Lots of people bitter it seems..

Anyhoo, if the OP is looking for an honest answer to the vibe at UVA my kid would say out all all the stereotypes out there, the one she sees to be true is work hard, play hard. Everyone takes their studies very seriously and they are also super involved in the community as well whether it be the social scene, club sports, church, volunteering, etc etc….so many things to get involved in and most students are active and involved in something to their liking to balance out the “work hard.”

My kid couldn’t be happier!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA definitely has a (well-deserved) reputation as preppy/privileged. My Hispanic daughter from a well-regarded NOVA public refused to apply after visiting and talking to students there. Students, especially girls, have a reputation of dressing up for football games, wearing dresses and even heals. This was the scene she was looking for She also sees photos on IG of her high school friends still hanging out with other HS friends.

They haven't dressed up for games since the early 2000s.

Or maybe I'm missing something. Can you point out the girls in dresses here?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQANS4RDp3R/?img_index=5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA definitely has a (well-deserved) reputation as preppy/privileged. My Hispanic daughter from a well-regarded NOVA public refused to apply after visiting and talking to students there. Students, especially girls, have a reputation of dressing up for football games, wearing dresses and even heals. This was the scene she was looking for She also sees photos on IG of her high school friends still hanging out with other HS friends.

They haven't dressed up for games since the early 2000s.

Or maybe I'm missing something. Can you point out the girls in dresses here?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQANS4RDp3R/?img_index=5

That's not the student section. Some girls do wear dresses to games but with sneakers or boots, not heels. And many girls wear shorts or jeans. It's no where near as fancy as places like Auburn or Tenn or Georgia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA definitely has a (well-deserved) reputation as preppy/privileged. My Hispanic daughter from a well-regarded NOVA public refused to apply after visiting and talking to students there. Students, especially girls, have a reputation of dressing up for football games, wearing dresses and even heals. This was the scene she was looking for She also sees photos on IG of her high school friends still hanging out with other HS friends.

"Guys in ties; Girls in Pearls" at games stopped a LONG time ago. My kid did it his first year 12 years ago. And if they do wear dresses today it's very short dresses with boots - a style I can't quite figure out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These threads about UVA never cease to amaze me. Lots of people bitter it seems..

Anyhoo, if the OP is looking for an honest answer to the vibe at UVA my kid would say out all all the stereotypes out there, the one she sees to be true is work hard, play hard. Everyone takes their studies very seriously and they are also super involved in the community as well whether it be the social scene, club sports, church, volunteering, etc etc….so many things to get involved in and most students are active and involved in something to their liking to balance out the “work hard.”

My kid couldn’t be happier!

It's bitter people who couldn't get in themselves, their children can't get in, their children aren't even a contender in the eyes of the high school college counselor (our situation with one child) or have loved ones who didn't get in. It's a great school at a great price. So people lash out. It's that simple.

And I agree with everything else you said. My one UVA kid there was blissfully happy. I asked her recently if she wants to go back and she said, definitely, hopefully for Law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA definitely has a (well-deserved) reputation as preppy/privileged. My Hispanic daughter from a well-regarded NOVA public refused to apply after visiting and talking to students there. Students, especially girls, have a reputation of dressing up for football games, wearing dresses and even heals. This was the scene she was looking for She also sees photos on IG of her high school friends still hanging out with other HS friends.

The girls do wear dresses to football games, paired with cowboy boots ( not heels lol). You will see this outfit at lots of college football games

Isn’t this true at lots of schools though? What is wrong with it? Isn’t it better than pajamas or sweats?

Because those are the only two options?

Dressing up for football games might be common in the South or at party schools, but isn't really true at the more academic schools in the NE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads about UVA never cease to amaze me. Lots of people bitter it seems..

Anyhoo, if the OP is looking for an honest answer to the vibe at UVA my kid would say out all all the stereotypes out there, the one she sees to be true is work hard, play hard. Everyone takes their studies very seriously and they are also super involved in the community as well whether it be the social scene, club sports, church, volunteering, etc etc….so many things to get involved in and most students are active and involved in something to their liking to balance out the “work hard.”

My kid couldn’t be happier!

It's bitter people who couldn't get in themselves, their children can't get in, their children aren't even a contender in the eyes of the high school college counselor (our situation with one child) or have loved ones who didn't get in. It's a great school at a great price. So people lash out. It's that simple.

And I agree with everything else you said. My one UVA kid there was blissfully happy. I asked her recently if she wants to go back and she said, definitely, hopefully for Law.

Nobody is "lashing out" at the school. UVA boosters on DCUM tend to get bashed because they make ridiculous comments...like claiming that people trash UVA because they couldn't get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugly brick buildings look like a prison
There is a distinct upper untouchable tier of legacy kids who know it
Limited STEM


Cheap
Name brand

a) it’s a world UNESCO known for the beauty of the rotunda;
b) UVA stopped looking at legacy several years ago
c) STEM is excellent, especially for management-level positions. A lot of money and development has been done in the stem departments. My kid was an aerospace engineer there. Now with NASA

Maybe you should go and tour

Not anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was built by enslaved people. Really prestigious.

Maybe you should educate yourself before posting next time. Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, and almost all southern universities were built upon the slave industry. https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2017/09/04/shackled-legacy#:~:text=Profits%20from%20slavery%20and%20related,and%20served%20faculty%20and%20students.

I am educated. I wasn't talking about other universities.

No, you're not. You thought it was only UVA. Here are 14 universities built on the backs of slaves. And many many other smaller ones not mentioned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_at_American_colleges_and_universities#Barnard_College

Seems like you need to “educate yourself” on reading comprehension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugly brick buildings look like a prison
There is a distinct upper untouchable tier of legacy kids who know it
Limited STEM


Cheap
Name brand

a) it’s a world UNESCO known for the beauty of the rotunda;
b) UVA stopped looking at legacy several years ago
c) STEM is excellent, especially for management-level positions. A lot of money and development has been done in the stem departments. My kid was an aerospace engineer there. Now with NASA

Maybe you should go and tour

Not anymore.

It's still listed.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/&&order=country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_the_United_States

Still listed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads about UVA never cease to amaze me. Lots of people bitter it seems..

Anyhoo, if the OP is looking for an honest answer to the vibe at UVA my kid would say out all all the stereotypes out there, the one she sees to be true is work hard, play hard. Everyone takes their studies very seriously and they are also super involved in the community as well whether it be the social scene, club sports, church, volunteering, etc etc….so many things to get involved in and most students are active and involved in something to their liking to balance out the “work hard.”

My kid couldn’t be happier!

It's bitter people who couldn't get in themselves, their children can't get in, their children aren't even a contender in the eyes of the high school college counselor (our situation with one child) or have loved ones who didn't get in. It's a great school at a great price. So people lash out. It's that simple.

And I agree with everything else you said. My one UVA kid there was blissfully happy. I asked her recently if she wants to go back and she said, definitely, hopefully for Law.

DP. I’m an alum and my kid doesn’t know yet whether she got in or not, so I’m definitely not bitter, but I often post in UVA threads to offer a measured opinion. It’s a great school and many, many will have a great experience. But the expectation that you will be “blissfully happy” there is a dangerous way to send your kid off to any school. I went off to UVA thinking I would be blissfully happy, but when it didn’t quite pan out that way, I spiraled a bit.

If it works for your kid, fantastic. But don’t assume everyone who has a less than glowing review got shut out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The good? UVA students love the school and the experience, and go on to become successful leaders (check the recent "schools that produce leaders" rankings)

The bad? Your kid isn't getting in.

The ugly? That's down the road a bit, to the southwest, and is called Virginia Tech.

Well played.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These threads about UVA never cease to amaze me. Lots of people bitter it seems..

Anyhoo, if the OP is looking for an honest answer to the vibe at UVA my kid would say out all all the stereotypes out there, the one she sees to be true is work hard, play hard. Everyone takes their studies very seriously and they are also super involved in the community as well whether it be the social scene, club sports, church, volunteering, etc etc….so many things to get involved in and most students are active and involved in something to their liking to balance out the “work hard.”

My kid couldn’t be happier!

It's bitter people who couldn't get in themselves, their children can't get in, their children aren't even a contender in the eyes of the high school college counselor (our situation with one child) or have loved ones who didn't get in. It's a great school at a great price. So people lash out. It's that simple.

And I agree with everything else you said. My one UVA kid there was blissfully happy. I asked her recently if she wants to go back and she said, definitely, hopefully for Law.

DP. I’m an alum and my kid doesn’t know yet whether she got in or not, so I’m definitely not bitter, but I often post in UVA threads to offer a measured opinion. It’s a great school and many, many will have a great experience. But the expectation that you will be “blissfully happy” there is a dangerous way to send your kid off to any school. I went off to UVA thinking I would be blissfully happy, but when it didn’t quite pan out that way, I spiraled a bit.

If it works for your kid, fantastic. But don’t assume everyone who has a less than glowing review got shut out.

This could be said about literally any college (or new job, or anything really) and isn't the right way to approach new things in general.

[Anonymous]

Girls still wear dresses, short and tight
Or bandage tops and short jean shorts
Or small tennis skirts with a fitted tshirt

The guys are in polo shirts and khakis for the most part or the orange/blue striped overalls


Pearls and ties have been gone for decades

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girls still wear dresses, short and tight
Or bandage tops and short jean shorts
Or small tennis skirts with a fitted tshirt

The guys are in polo shirts and khakis for the most part or the orange/blue striped overalls

Pearls and ties have been gone for decades

Not that I’ve seen in the past few months.

Few girls in dresses. Mostly sweats, pajama pants, yoga pants.

No guys in polo and khakis. Shorts or sweatpants plus tee shirt.

About what you see on any campus.