Is UVA really more of a party school than other big state colleges?

[Anonymous]

I did not attend UVA, but based on my small anecdotal sample of friends and colleagues, schools in less urban areas seem to have more heavy drinking culture. I went to school in a southern city and while there definitely was a heavy drinking culture, it seemed much easier to find an alternative bc the city offered a lot of options. At the state school near my fairly small hometown, drinking or frat parties were pretty much the social scene on weekends. FWIW, I will also say, I was shocked freshman year to see the kids who could play hard but also study hard - it was more common among the kids of means who had been drinking through high school, so had figured out the balance between academics and fun, but it was not the burnouts - it was the smart kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did not attend UVA, but based on my small anecdotal sample of friends and colleagues, schools in less urban areas seem to have more heavy drinking culture. I went to school in a southern city and while there definitely was a heavy drinking culture, it seemed much easier to find an alternative bc the city offered a lot of options. At the state school near my fairly small hometown, drinking or frat parties were pretty much the social scene on weekends. FWIW, I will also say, I was shocked freshman year to see the kids who could play hard but also study hard - it was more common among the kids of means who had been drinking through high school, so had figured out the balance between academics and fun, but it was not the burnouts - it was the smart kids.

This is why I encouraged my son and daughter to organize drinking parties for their teammates and friends, from spring of 9th grade on after learning to drink within our house that previous summer and fall. I wanted them to learn BEFORE college how to handle their alcohol and their responsibilities, so they wouldn't be cutting loose for the first time in college. I also wanted them to build the confidence that comes from being at the top of the social pyramid, and that starts with high school. They needed to learn who they should be friends with, and who's embarrassing.

Things move fast in college those first few weeks, and kids make the mistake of being desperate and latching onto the first kid or group who they think could be "friends". The LAST thing you want to do is to get yourself anchored to someone everyone (especially Greeks) sees as a loser. YOU want to be the one deciding who's a loser, and who's cool. YOU want to be the one the frat or the sorority wants. YOU want to be the hot commodity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to UVA, class of ‘08, so I’m old. But I recall the party school reputation as existing but being old and wrong even then. I had an English teacher tell me serious students went to William and Mary. Nothing against W&M, but she was wrong.

You can party at UVA. It’s something like 30% Greek and it’s easy to be part of it or not part of it as you prefer.

Its 70% non-Greek. And there are 900 clubs. DD didn’t drink but still found her own people in debate and political organizations. She was proud of the fact she never sat foot in a Greek house or attended a Greek party. Why would you if you got into the Jefferson Society (oldest continuing debate society in America), or played a sport, or played an instrument or was involved with Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the UVA Center for Politics. Life is all about making smart choices. College students should know that

[Anonymous]

Wow, you sound fun. 😴

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a 90s grad of uva. I drank wayyyy too much there, and it was exacerbated by:

the huge Greek culture as the main social scene
The idea that getting blackout drunk was somehow the norm or ok/many people doing it
My own stress I put on myself, and not knowing other ways to relax
Being a first gen college student, and not having parents warn me or understand the danger I was in.

I’m sure this craziness could have happened at another school, but uva made drinking a pretty bad situation. I have another family member by marriage that went around the same time and they had a similar experience.

I think drinking and getting into trouble with drinking at uva is avoidable, but the reputation is well deserved.

A) that is a long time ago. The caliber of student (4.57 gpa, 34 ACT) can’t party like that and do well academically. They know that so don’t party like you did.
B) you chose to go with the Greek scene. UVA frats and sororities are off campus. You can have a very full life at UzVA without once setting foot inside a Greek house.
C) you chose to get black out drunk
D) you cannot blame this on being first-gebrrstion. I was one too. I chose not to drink

Life is all about making smart choices. Thst you made bad ones is your fault, not UVA’s.

FYI UVA no longer has that reputation

UVA was well-known for grade inflation when I was in college. Pretty much everyone had at least a 3.9gpa. As were handed our like candy.

the gpa referenced is what last year’s incoming class reported to SCHEV for high school GPA, not UVA’s

[Anonymous]

A) that is a long time ago. The caliber of student (4.57 gpa, 34 ACT) can’t party like that and do well academically. They know that so don’t party like you did.
B) you chose to go with the Greek scene. UVA frats and sororities are off campus. You can have a very full life at UzVA without once setting foot inside a Greek house.
C) you chose to get black out drunk
D) you cannot blame this on being first-gebrrstion. I was one too. I chose not to drink

Life is all about making smart choices. Thst you made bad ones is your fault, not UVA’s.

FYI UVA no longer has that reputation


She slurs while spilling wine on the keyboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not attend UVA, but based on my small anecdotal sample of friends and colleagues, schools in less urban areas seem to have more heavy drinking culture. I went to school in a southern city and while there definitely was a heavy drinking culture, it seemed much easier to find an alternative bc the city offered a lot of options. At the state school near my fairly small hometown, drinking or frat parties were pretty much the social scene on weekends. FWIW, I will also say, I was shocked freshman year to see the kids who could play hard but also study hard - it was more common among the kids of means who had been drinking through high school, so had figured out the balance between academics and fun, but it was not the burnouts - it was the smart kids.

This is why I encouraged my son and daughter to organize drinking parties for their teammates and friends, from spring of 9th grade on after learning to drink within our house that previous summer and fall. I wanted them to learn BEFORE college how to handle their alcohol and their responsibilities, so they wouldn't be cutting loose for the first time in college. I also wanted them to build the confidence that comes from being at the top of the social pyramid, and that starts with high school. They needed to learn who they should be friends with, and who's embarrassing.

Things move fast in college those first few weeks, and kids make the mistake of being desperate and latching onto the first kid or group who they think could be "friends". The LAST thing you want to do is to get yourself anchored to someone everyone (especially Greeks) sees as a loser. YOU want to be the one deciding who's a loser, and who's cool. YOU want to be the one the frat or the sorority wants. YOU want to be the hot commodity.

I want to believe this is a troll but sadly I’ve seen this so many times with parents of high schoolers that it is a sad reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A) that is a long time ago. The caliber of student (4.57 gpa, 34 ACT) can’t party like that and do well academically. They know that so don’t party like you did.
B) you chose to go with the Greek scene. UVA frats and sororities are off campus. You can have a very full life at UzVA without once setting foot inside a Greek house.
C) you chose to get black out drunk
D) you cannot blame this on being first-gebrrstion. I was one too. I chose not to drink

Life is all about making smart choices. Thst you made bad ones is your fault, not UVA’s.

FYI UVA no longer has that reputation


She slurs while spilling wine on the keyboard.


Try tapping on a phone in a car but go ahead and be judgmental of typos. Does it make you momentarily feel superior?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a 90s grad of uva. I drank wayyyy too much there, and it was exacerbated by:

the huge Greek culture as the main social scene
The idea that getting blackout drunk was somehow the norm or ok/many people doing it
My own stress I put on myself, and not knowing other ways to relax
Being a first gen college student, and not having parents warn me or understand the danger I was in.

I’m sure this craziness could have happened at another school, but uva made drinking a pretty bad situation. I have another family member by marriage that went around the same time and they had a similar experience.

I think drinking and getting into trouble with drinking at uva is avoidable, but the reputation is well deserved.

A) that is a long time ago. The caliber of student (4.57 gpa, 34 ACT) can’t party like that and do well academically. They know that so don’t party like you did.
B) you chose to go with the Greek scene. UVA frats and sororities are off campus. You can have a very full life at UzVA without once setting foot inside a Greek house.
C) you chose to get black out drunk
D) you cannot blame this on being first-gebrrstion. I was one too. I chose not to drink

Life is all about making smart choices. Thst you made bad ones is your fault, not UVA’s.

FYI UVA no longer has that reputation

1) I was a high caliber student at the time. Same as all the other kids at uva. It was never an easy admit.
2) my drinking was always my choice, I understand that. But being at uva exacerbated it. It’s hard to compare because I only went to one school, as did most people.
3) Greek life has always been off campus, but right next to campus and the major social scene at uva. I wasn’t even Greek, just all my friends were.
4) I’m not blaming my parents for being first generation, but I had little experience with tailgating or football game or Greek culture. I wasn’t one of those kids whose parents had wine and cheese parties or even talked or knew about heavy drinking like that. I’m sure it made a difference
5) I’m sure it’s changed a bit since the 90s, but everything I’ve heard is that the drinking scene is still going on in full force.

Why on earth do you think your experience from “the 90s” is at all relevant today? Do you have any idea how much college admissions has changed in 30 years? Or how campuses have changed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did not attend UVA, but based on my small anecdotal sample of friends and colleagues, schools in less urban areas seem to have more heavy drinking culture. I went to school in a southern city and while there definitely was a heavy drinking culture, it seemed much easier to find an alternative bc the city offered a lot of options. At the state school near my fairly small hometown, drinking or frat parties were pretty much the social scene on weekends. FWIW, I will also say, I was shocked freshman year to see the kids who could play hard but also study hard - it was more common among the kids of means who had been drinking through high school, so had figured out the balance between academics and fun, but it was not the burnouts - it was the smart kids.

This is why I encouraged my son and daughter to organize drinking parties for their teammates and friends, from spring of 9th grade on after learning to drink within our house that previous summer and fall. I wanted them to learn BEFORE college how to handle their alcohol and their responsibilities, so they wouldn't be cutting loose for the first time in college. I also wanted them to build the confidence that comes from being at the top of the social pyramid, and that starts with high school. They needed to learn who they should be friends with, and who's embarrassing.

Things move fast in college those first few weeks, and kids make the mistake of being desperate and latching onto the first kid or group who they think could be "friends". The LAST thing you want to do is to get yourself anchored to someone everyone (especially Greeks) sees as a loser. YOU want to be the one deciding who's a loser, and who's cool. YOU want to be the one the frat or the sorority wants. YOU want to be the hot commodity.

I know you are joking but this isn’t far off from what some parents believe when they regularly allow their kids to host parties. There is a mom at my kid’s school who provided alcohol for parties. She let her daughter take some high school friends on a lake vacation and then posted pics of the kids drinking and smoking weed. Car full of drinks etc. Definitely wants her kid to be cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a 90s grad of uva. I drank wayyyy too much there, and it was exacerbated by:

the huge Greek culture as the main social scene
The idea that getting blackout drunk was somehow the norm or ok/many people doing it
My own stress I put on myself, and not knowing other ways to relax
Being a first gen college student, and not having parents warn me or understand the danger I was in.

I’m sure this craziness could have happened at another school, but uva made drinking a pretty bad situation. I have another family member by marriage that went around the same time and they had a similar experience.

I think drinking and getting into trouble with drinking at uva is avoidable, but the reputation is well deserved.

A) that is a long time ago. The caliber of student (4.57 gpa, 34 ACT) can’t party like that and do well academically. They know that so don’t party like you did.
B) you chose to go with the Greek scene. UVA frats and sororities are off campus. You can have a very full life at UzVA without once setting foot inside a Greek house.
C) you chose to get black out drunk
D) you cannot blame this on being first-gebrrstion. I was one too. I chose not to drink

Life is all about making smart choices. Thst you made bad ones is your fault, not UVA’s.

FYI UVA no longer has that reputation

1) I was a high caliber student at the time. Same as all the other kids at uva. It was never an easy admit.
2) my drinking was always my choice, I understand that. But being at uva exacerbated it. It’s hard to compare because I only went to one school, as did most people.
3) Greek life has always been off campus, but right next to campus and the major social scene at uva. I wasn’t even Greek, just all my friends were.
4) I’m not blaming my parents for being first generation, but I had little experience with tailgating or football game or Greek culture. I wasn’t one of those kids whose parents had wine and cheese parties or even talked or knew about heavy drinking like that. I’m sure it made a difference
5) I’m sure it’s changed a bit since the 90s, but everything I’ve heard is that the drinking scene is still going on in full force.

Why on earth do you think your experience from “the 90s” is at all relevant today? Do you have any idea how much college admissions has changed in 30 years? Or how campuses have changed?

DP. UVA has changed in 30 years, but not enough for the drinking culture to be that different. Tradition is so ingrained there, and heavy drinking is part of that for many. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, something they excel at.

[Anonymous]

UVA has a huge problem with drugs and frats only make it worse. I just attended a students funeral who OD it was horrible.

Tech's business school is a joke.

JMU at least has some requirements to get it. Better Business School

UVA is the only game in VA unless you can afford U of R but, if your looking at state school forget it.

[Anonymous]

I have to say, as a New England person, you VA people really seem to take it for granted that you have the opportunity to not only have an easier time getting your kids into UVA or W&M but to send them at reduced cost. Total no brainer - barring acceptance into a handful of Ivies and the like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to say, as a New England person, you VA people really seem to take it for granted that you have the opportunity to not only have an easier time getting your kids into UVA or W&M but to send them at reduced cost. Total no brainer - barring acceptance into a handful of Ivies and the like.

I mean, yea, as the parent of two kids who went there I totally agree. I was over the moon when they got in. A school of that quality and reputation for that price? There’s only a half dozen private schools, tops, that I’d even consider paying full price for over UVA.