Anonymous wrote:I have a 2021 graduate and a current first year. My sense is that the attitudes are shifting, primarily due to the new upper class housing opening fall 2024. Used to be that the "cool" option was to move off-campus second year. The new dorms have unique configurations (eight single bedrooms, sharing living area, two kitchens, and four bathrooms) and amenities that are attractive to students. The rumor is that UVA wants to move to make it mandatory for second-years to live on-campus.

I also have a current 1st year, and would agree that they are trying to make on grounds housing more attractive. That said, the new housing went FAST, and a lot of people who wanted it didn't get it. I also heard that some people ended up dropping out of the housing process because by the time they got their choices, there wasn't anything left that they wanted. My own son got an apartment in October with 3 friends which I thought was crazy, but he knows them from HS, so I hope it will all work out.

One good thing about UVa upperclass housing now (since maybe 1990) is that if one is happy with one’s upperclass housing assignment, then one can stay in the same room and same building for the following year.

In the late middle ages, UVa did not let one do that. So students who wanted to live on-grounds had to re-enter the housing lottery de novo every year. People usually could not stay the same place (because the person’s lottery number determined who got their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd choice). There also was no guarantee of receiving any on-grounds housing. Some students might go to a wait list for housing, which usually cleared, but often cleared in mid-late summer (and waitlist students tended to get the worst housing).

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Anonymous wrote:A lot of UVa upperclass housing is not directly walkable from central grounds. The Faulkner complex is at North Grounds, so needs a UVa bus ride to/from central grounds. Lambeth also is a bus ride away from central grounds, but is somewhat walkable to the A School.

I lived in Lambeth my third year a few decades ago. Not a bad walk at all if you go through the backside, through the colonnades, and then hop out on the street there. I was in the college and walked to the Lawn/Cabell all the time. I don’t know if I ever once took the bus.

Silly PP above. Lambeth is across the street from the rotunda. My kid was there his second year and never once had to take a bus to Lambeth. And he walked to the Anderson library back and forth at all hours.

Lambeth is across from JPJ.

Mad Bowl is across from the Rotunda.

Still, you can take the bus to the Barrack's shopping center with Harris Teeter on one end and Kroger on the other. Lots of stores in between.

come on, you walk from the rotunda through some athletic field and et viola There is LAMBETH! stop being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Lambeth is one of the closest second year/upper class housing available on campus and it is very very nice (my SLAC had NOTHING with full kitchens like Lambeth). DC who lived at Lambeth never once had to take a bus anywhere. Barricks shopping center is across the street. Anderson library in short walking distance. The rotunda similarly. The gym, also RIGHT THERE. stop complaining! FAR better than anything i had in college or law school

PP above does not seem to know UVa well at all. There is no “Anderson library” for example. Caveat Emptor.

Come on. We all know she meant Alderman. Her kid went there, not her. When I was at UVA, I had friends who lived at Lambeth and they walked everywhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your kid says that now but once they’re on campus they think differently.

+1

Agree, though admittedly based only on my own experience in the 90s. I was so super overwhelmed by the information that most kids lived off grounds after first year and wanted to stay on. Changed my mind once there, though we did not rent something until early second semester. (I did not have good friends yet in October!)

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of UVa upperclass housing is not directly walkable from central grounds. The Faulkner complex is at North Grounds, so needs a UVa bus ride to/from central grounds. Lambeth also is a bus ride away from central grounds, but is somewhat walkable to the A School.

I lived in Lambeth my third year a few decades ago. Not a bad walk at all if you go through the backside, through the colonnades, and then hop out on the street there. I was in the college and walked to the Lawn/Cabell all the time. I don’t know if I ever once took the bus.

Silly PP above. Lambeth is across the street from the rotunda. My kid was there his second year and never once had to take a bus to Lambeth. And he walked to the Anderson library back and forth at all hours.

Lambeth is across from JPJ.

Mad Bowl is across from the Rotunda.

Still, you can take the bus to the Barrack's shopping center with Harris Teeter on one end and Kroger on the other. Lots of stores in between.

come on, you walk from the rotunda through some athletic field and et viola There is LAMBETH! stop being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Lambeth is one of the closest second year/upper class housing available on campus and it is very very nice (my SLAC had NOTHING with full kitchens like Lambeth). DC who lived at Lambeth never once had to take a bus anywhere. Barricks shopping center is across the street. Anderson library in short walking distance. The rotunda similarly. The gym, also RIGHT THERE. stop complaining! FAR better than anything i had in college or law school

PP above does not seem to know UVa well at all. There is no “Anderson library” for example. Caveat Emptor.

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Anonymous wrote:We were just there on a tour last week or so -- Guide said that it is required 1st year and then guaranteed the 2nd year... and if you use it 2nd year, then it's guaranteed 3rd, if you use it 3rd, guaranteed 4th. Sounded like there were a lot of 2nd - 4th year options.

This.

Moving off grounds is popular for many students, but it is just personal preference. There is plenty of university housing available these days. For non-Greeks a smart housing play is to apply to one of the Residential Colleges and then stay there for all of the remaining time on grounds. Unlike many years ago, if one likes one’s 2nd year room/dorm, then the student is guaranteed the option to stay put in future years. If one dislikes that, one is still guaranteed housing, but can apply to live elsewhere. Some upperclass housing is in suites with a kitchen. Other upper lass housing is more like a traditional dorm. There are a range of options.

Why is living in the Residential Colleges a smart play for non-Greeks and not Greeks?

Two main factors. First, the residential colleges are farther from Rugby Road, which is where most fraternities/sororities are located, than most upperclass housing (especially far from Hereford). Second, the Residential Colleges are focused on building community *inside* that particular residential college, while the greek organizations are focused on building community *inside* that fraternity/sorority. So a greek person in a residential college gets pulled in different directions (exceptions must exist where someone successfully does both, but it is not very common). The residential colleges also have separate meal plans, which are mandatory for their residents. If one is in a fraternity/sorority, then other on-grounds housing (or off-grounds housing) would be much closer and more suitable, for example Lambeth. The UVa residential colleges for decades have tended to attract more nerdy students who are looking for a community outside the greek organizations. Exceptions must exist, of course, but these are the general trends.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is the case of many colleges.

UVA freshman year, living in the dorms is required, and they are specific first year dorms.

People do start grouping finding roommates and signing leases in the late fall, but that’s typical many colleges. However, it was kind of considered a bit nerdy to live on campus, and 2nd through 4th year I lived in an apartment that was on the bus line and was probably as close as some of upperclassmen class housing on campus. Different friend groups every year.

It’s the kind of thing not to worry about until the fall and your student will handle it.

Why is that? My daughter will be living in one of the on grounds apartment next year as a second year. The housing is a full-fledged apartment. Why is living g on an on-campus apartment less desirable than on off-campus apartment?

There is nothing wrong with living on grounds. I think that some kids love the idea of living in their own apartment, having in apartment laundry, their own room and furnishing it as they like, being closer to the Corner etc. it just makes it feel like they are grown ups, rather than living in a dorm with an RA and very standard furnishings. The newer dorms are great so I agree that the tide seems to be shifting because they are much closer to "the action" so to speak of the Corner and where others live off grounds.

I have a 2021 graduate and a current first year. My sense is that the attitudes are shifting, primarily due to the new upper class housing opening fall 2024. Used to be that the "cool" option was to move off-campus second year. The new dorms have unique configurations (eight single bedrooms, sharing living area, two kitchens, and four bathrooms) and amenities that are attractive to students. The rumor is that UVA wants to move to make it mandatory for second-years to live on-campus.

Anonymous wrote:My student is at a different Va school but I’m sure this happens at UVa also. Being forced to make 2nd year plans in October of freshman year of tens leads to students pairing up with others that they end up hating by second semester. If your student decides to wait, there will be apartment spaces that open up because some students change their mind and need to find someone to take their spot. I’d follow the UVa off campus Facebook page now and see how things are working out to get an idea of options.

Thanks for this!

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of UVa upperclass housing is not directly walkable from central grounds. The Faulkner complex is at North Grounds, so needs a UVa bus ride to/from central grounds. Lambeth also is a bus ride away from central grounds, but is somewhat walkable to the A School.

I lived in Lambeth my third year a few decades ago. Not a bad walk at all if you go through the backside, through the colonnades, and then hop out on the street there. I was in the college and walked to the Lawn/Cabell all the time. I don’t know if I ever once took the bus.

Silly PP above. Lambeth is across the street from the rotunda. My kid was there his second year and never once had to take a bus to Lambeth. And he walked to the Anderson library back and forth at all hours.

Lambeth is across from JPJ.

Mad Bowl is across from the Rotunda.

Still, you can take the bus to the Barrack's shopping center with Harris Teeter on one end and Kroger on the other. Lots of stores in between.

come on, you walk from the rotunda through some athletic field and et viola There is LAMBETH! stop being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Lambeth is one of the closest second year/upper class housing available on campus and it is very very nice (my SLAC had NOTHING with full kitchens like Lambeth). DC who lived at Lambeth never once had to take a bus anywhere. Barricks shopping center is across the street. Anderson library in short walking distance. The rotunda similarly. The gym, also RIGHT THERE. stop complaining! FAR better than anything i had in college or law school

You don't know what you are talking about. Well, it's one of the closer university housing options but technacially the closest 2nd year+ housing would probably be Brown College at Monroe Hill (if you don't count getting to live on the Lawn as a 4th year). I'm the PP who lived in Lambeth and I also lived in Monroe Hill (4th year).

Barracks is NOT across the street from Lambeth. Barracks Road Shopping about 0.7miles (according to google) down Emmet from Lambeth.

It's Alderman Library, by the way, and it's about a 1/2 mile from Lambeth -- the Rotunda a bit farther.

As I said before, you can go out the back of Lambeth (around the Colannades, up to University Way, over to Rugby where Beta Bridge is and down the street that way to Central Grounds) but it is a walk. There's a lot of walking but also totally do-able on a daily basis. Again, I don't think I ever took a bus to or from Lambeth -- bus would have ultimately taken longer than just walking in most cases!

Here's a link to a good interactive map. https://atlas.fm.virginia.edu/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c54aefa568904e018601a0447eb722bf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were just there on a tour last week or so -- Guide said that it is required 1st year and then guaranteed the 2nd year... and if you use it 2nd year, then it's guaranteed 3rd, if you use it 3rd, guaranteed 4th. Sounded like there were a lot of 2nd - 4th year options.

This.

Moving off grounds is popular for many students, but it is just personal preference. There is plenty of university housing available these days. For non-Greeks a smart housing play is to apply to one of the Residential Colleges and then stay there for all of the remaining time on grounds. Unlike many years ago, if one likes one’s 2nd year room/dorm, then the student is guaranteed the option to stay put in future years. If one dislikes that, one is still guaranteed housing, but can apply to live elsewhere. Some upperclass housing is in suites with a kitchen. Other upper lass housing is more like a traditional dorm. There are a range of options.

Why is living in the Residential Colleges a smart play for non-Greeks and not Greeks?

Anonymous wrote:I think this is the case of many colleges.

UVA freshman year, living in the dorms is required, and they are specific first year dorms.

People do start grouping finding roommates and signing leases in the late fall, but that’s typical many colleges. However, it was kind of considered a bit nerdy to live on campus, and 2nd through 4th year I lived in an apartment that was on the bus line and was probably as close as some of upperclassmen class housing on campus. Different friend groups every year.

It’s the kind of thing not to worry about until the fall and your student will handle it.

Why is that? My daughter will be living in one of the on grounds apartment next year as a second year. The housing is a full-fledged apartment. Why is living g on an on-campus apartment less desirable than on off-campus apartment?

My student is at a different Va school but I’m sure this happens at UVa also. Being forced to make 2nd year plans in October of freshman year of tens leads to students pairing up with others that they end up hating by second semester. If your student decides to wait, there will be apartment spaces that open up because some students change their mind and need to find someone to take their spot. I’d follow the UVa off campus Facebook page now and see how things are working out to get an idea of options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of UVa upperclass housing is not directly walkable from central grounds. The Faulkner complex is at North Grounds, so needs a UVa bus ride to/from central grounds. Lambeth also is a bus ride away from central grounds, but is somewhat walkable to the A School.

I lived in Lambeth my third year a few decades ago. Not a bad walk at all if you go through the backside, through the colonnades, and then hop out on the street there. I was in the college and walked to the Lawn/Cabell all the time. I don’t know if I ever once took the bus.

Silly PP above. Lambeth is across the street from the rotunda. My kid was there his second year and never once had to take a bus to Lambeth. And he walked to the Anderson library back and forth at all hours.

Lambeth is across from JPJ.

Mad Bowl is across from the Rotunda.

Still, you can take the bus to the Barrack's shopping center with Harris Teeter on one end and Kroger on the other. Lots of stores in between.

come on, you walk from the rotunda through some athletic field and et viola There is LAMBETH! stop being contrarian for the sake of being contrarian. Lambeth is one of the closest second year/upper class housing available on campus and it is very very nice (my SLAC had NOTHING with full kitchens like Lambeth). DC who lived at Lambeth never once had to take a bus anywhere. Barricks shopping center is across the street. Anderson library in short walking distance. The rotunda similarly. The gym, also RIGHT THERE. stop complaining! FAR better than anything i had in college or law school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of UVa upperclass housing is not directly walkable from central grounds. The Faulkner complex is at North Grounds, so needs a UVa bus ride to/from central grounds. Lambeth also is a bus ride away from central grounds, but is somewhat walkable to the A School.

I lived in Lambeth my third year a few decades ago. Not a bad walk at all if you go through the backside, through the colonnades, and then hop out on the street there. I was in the college and walked to the Lawn/Cabell all the time. I don’t know if I ever once took the bus.

Silly PP above. Lambeth is across the street from the rotunda. My kid was there his second year and never once had to take a bus to Lambeth. And he walked to the Anderson library back and forth at all hours.

Lambeth is across from JPJ.

Mad Bowl is across from the Rotunda.

Still, you can take the bus to the Barrack's shopping center with Harris Teeter on one end and Kroger on the other. Lots of stores in between.