University of Virginia-Main Campus Top Questions

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There are some but no more than you would find at a school not characterized like this, such as jmu.

Yes!

yes

To a large extent, however UVa kids are on the whole much nicer than people believe.

Yes

yeah we the shiz.

no, there are so many different kinds of people here. you can definitely find some prep stars but overall, we've got many types of ppl.

They're accurate to some degree, but the vast majority of students are just regular people that aren't a bit stuck up. UVa values diversity, though it encounters the same struggles in doing so as many other institutions.

For the most part, yes.

I would say that there are a good number of "preppy" people here, but that they are also the people who tend to get noticed. In reality, they are a minority and don't adhere to the specific characteristics attributed to the word "prep" as much as the clothing.

Many people are preppy and quite wealthy, but most people are very friendly and nice.

The party scene is definitely an accurate statement. The clothing, it really depends - it's true of some people, but not everyone looks like they just walked out of a J. Crew catalogue.

Yes

No, people are caring, friendly, and normal. UVa rejoices in it's powerful diversity.

However, the majority of my fellow student don't fit this stereotype, although a good amount of them are fairly well-off.

The elitist portion is somewhat accurate. But for the most part its not correct.

For the most part, no. UVa is an amazing school for a variety of reasons. We have the great academics, but we also have a great social scene. Even though we're not #1 in football, we still love our sports teams and know how to keep a good attitude and have good sportsmanship. When it comes down to it, our claim to fame is so much more than our sports team because we are truly more than that.

Yes and no. There are plenty of smart kids (but also plenty of average kids) and plenty of preppy ones (but, again, plenty of scensters and indie kids), a lot of wealth (but also a lot of financial aid), etc... It's a public school, albeit a good one, so you'll find a wide gamut of people to confirm/dispel the stereotypes dand there are kids who are both smart and preppy. Come fall, you'll definitely see

Because UVa is such a huge university these stereotypes are only somewhat accurate . Yes there are those types of students here, but there are also students here that are the opposite of those stereotypes. Despite rumors, there are people here that are unique in their own way.

for the most part, yeah

of course not. Being rich has nothing to do with getting into UVA, you still have to have the grades for that. Unless you're an athlete of course. And I actually find UVA to be an extremely varied student population. Obviously there are quite few preppy people (at least 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} for sure...) but there are people that fit almost every stereotype and many that create their own. Wh

Sometimes

UVA is incredibly diverse; in any class I've been in, no matter how small, I've had people of all colors and even from different countries. Two of my best friends here are from Thailand and Holland. That being said, the preppy look IS widespread here. As for being snobby, most students are surely proud to attend such a great university, but never have I seen a student brag about his school without being provoked.

not all the way. Most people arent spoiled but there is a lot of money at UVA. I dont think that most people are stuck up like people say

They are accurate to a degree...of course, you can find the snobby, stuck-up rich kids in the Greek system, but it's a state school. There's a lot of variety here if you open your eyes and look past the obvious on Rugby Road.

Yes and no. From my own personal observation, I've noticed that generally those that fit the ultra-preppy profile are legacy students. Many UVa alumni parents tell their kids what life was like at UVa when they were there, and in that way, some of the sterotypical UVa students continue to pop up. I'm not too fond of legacy students in general because of this "good old boys" persona they try to put on. Some fraternity brothers and sorority sisters fit the "old school" UVa student image, but not all fraternities and sororities are like that. UVa started a new diversity mission around fifteen years ago to ward away the very white image of the University. I'd say that they've done a bang-up job, too. Our student population demographics are similar to the Commonwealth of Virginia's.

In general, no.

The fact that even my personal aesthetics (an Afro) draws so much attention on Grounds in part proves to me that UVA is a bastion of uncritical, white supremacist, anti-intellectualism. The school is not homogenous, however. There are SMALL groups of students who are really here for more than maintaining their class status.

yes

answered in first question...ooops

Do not pay any attention to those stereotypes. UVA students are all incredibly interesting, unique, open-minded, and nice. You may see a lot of khaki and polo shirts, but that is definitely not all there is to UVA.

While I do think many students dress in a manner that suggests that they are preppy, there are a significant number who don't and I've found that it doesn't really matter. Independent of dressing style and background, I think you'd find that the majority of students are really nice. As far as drinking, I do think that it is prevalent and can seem ubiquitous. But there are students who don't drink and it's just a matter of finding your own niche.