University of Virginia

Pros: strong academic programs, beautiful campus, sports, Greek life
Cons: a bit segregated, dining hall food, Greek life

Overview
The first thing that the University does for its first-year students (we call then first years NOT freshmen), is sit everyone down on The Lawn and show them a film about the school’s Jeffersonian tradition and about the honor system....

Pros: niche available for most everyone
Cons: binge drinking, greek life, anti-intellectualism, too much dressing up!

Before you choose a college to attend, it is important to get a sense of the type of environment you'll find there. What will it be like to spend four years on its campus, among these students and professors? Every college has a different "feel" to it,...

Pros: great variety
Cons: perhaps hard to find your place amongst it all

Student organizations are a major aspect of life at UVa, and as at most mid- to large-sized universities, the choices are broad. Some students choose to get involved in a number of different organizations; others “specialize” in one or two and dedicate...

Pros: some real gems out there for you to find
Cons: not all departments are equally challenging

When I attended UVa as an undergraduate student from 1995-1999, I was lucky enough to have the title of Echols Scholar. The main benefit of this distinction was that I was exempt from regular college course requirements (such as foreign language...

Pros: beautiful campus, strong academic program, variety of extracurricular activities, great alumni organization
Cons: not all academic departments equally good

Please forgive me for being a bit off topic with my ruminations.

Every university has its share of celebrity alumni, and UVA is no different. Even though I haven’t been a student for more than 10 years, I hear about the glitterati through the...

Pros: Good professors, easygoing students, relaxed atmosphere; plush new Hall of Justice™
Cons: Social scene sometimes a bit reminiscent of high school; classmates' career tracks can be heavily corporate

Think law school for a second. What do you see? Stress and hassle, probably. It's natural when you're spending hours in the library, sweating through on-call days in lectures, and watching your entire career ride on some tests you take in just your first...

Pros: shared spaces allow great interaction with other residents
Cons: competition for showers in the morning, privacy can be elusive

Starting with the highly anticipated thick envelope containing your acceptance, you will be inundated with information about life in Hoo-ville.

(note: incoming students are first years, not freshmen. Thomas Jefferson, the designed and...

Pros: meeting new people, comraderie, socials
Cons: shared showers, no privacy

Overview
The eternal question that all first year students at the University of Virginia face is not what to major in, where to party, or even what professors are too easy. The eternal question is and always has been: old dorms or new dorms....

Pros: Academics, Social life, reputation
Cons: None

Let's see, where do I begin. Oh yes, how did I choose this school. Well, after touring a few other schools in the area (DUKE, UNC, JMU), UVA was the last leg of my tour. From the moment I stepped onto "grounds", something simply felt right....

Pros: beautiful campus, class sizes, variety of classes, sports teams, lots to do within a 2-hour drive
Cons: very Greek, nonexistent dating scene, homogeneity, sometimes bumbling idiocy of administration

Where to start, where to start... I almost didn't end up here, but my mom forced me to apply and I am so, so glad that she did. I adore UVA and I can't imagine spending the rest of my undergraduate (and probably my graduate) career anywhere else.
...

Pros: Quality Education, affordable, Great social life. Strong Alumni
Cons: Locale, cliquishness.

University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson. The school is currently in the midst of trying to gain national recognition by attracting the best faculty and students while still trying to stay true to its Virginia roots. One thing...

Pros: a cappella, great profs, managable size
Cons: anti-intellectual atmosphere

I have had mixed feelings about UVa from the time I applied up to the present, a full year after I graduated. There are a lot of great things about UVa, many of which the opinions already submitted have discussed. But I think it's also important to...

Pros: good education; prestige; wide range of choices
Cons: large, maybe a little intimidating

UVa. offers everything any college or university in the country can possibly provide, for a relatively low price and only moderate hassles. First, the good: It's a nice place to live. The Grounds are beautiful. Housing seems to be plentiful, and it's...

Pros: Traditions galore, beautiful
Cons: not a single one

I graduated from "Mr. Jefferson's" University in 1993 and my heart and my mind hold large sections open for memories and love of this institution. I could write forever on the good people, the solid academics, the fun athletic games, the...

Pros: Beautiful campus, fun traditions, quirky superstitions, wonderful German department, amazing alum (ie Pavement), and usually accessible professors.
Cons: not much diversity, high cost for out of staters, lower standards for in staters (to get in), very Greek, terrible relations with parking and transportation and housing.

I am a first year at the University of Virginia. There are a couple of things to learn before you come here. First, I am a FIRST YEAR, not a freshman. Freshman is demeaning and is not what "Mr. Jefferson" intended on having at a university....