Saturday Q&A: AP, IB, and Dual Enrollment Credit

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

Does AP, IB, or dual enrollment credit transfer at UVa?

Parents and students often wonder how and if UVA accepts credit for AP, IB, or dual enrollment courses that many students take during high school. UVA does a great job at offering credit for those three areas of classes.

For AP credit, UVA takes mostly 4s and 5s. You can send in your scores to the University via the Collegeboard website. You may also send in scores during the admissions process if you would like our counselors to see how you have done on them over the years. A list of the scores UVA will accept for credit for AP classes can be found at this link: http://college.artsandsciences.virginia.edu/ap-credit . Similarly, for the IB programs UVA will take higher level scores. Which scores and what courses they accept credit for with respect to IB programs can be found here: http://college.artsandsciences.virginia.edu/iclec .

UVA will also accept varying levels of dual enrollment credit depending on the institution in which it was taken and which classes were taken. Acceptance for dual enrollment will be evaluated on a case by case basis. For more detailed information on how dual enrollment credit works, please visit: http://college.artsandsciences.virginia.edu/dual-enrollment

--Wyatt Moorer

Saturday Q&A: Rotunda Renovations

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

What is the construction going on at the Rotunda?

The Rotunda is the building at the heart of Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village. Designed as a half-scale model of the Pantheon, this "Temple of Knowledge" was purposefully placed at the center of TJ's original grounds to function as UVa's first library. It also served as a classroom and special event space.

Today, the Rotunda is used for very similar purposes. It still functions as one of the University's many libraries, a student study space, an administrative building for meetings of UVa's governing Board of Visitors, and a special event space where residence halls, student organizations, and special guests can have "Dome Room Dinners" in the top story of the building. Renovations to the building are currently underway to make sure it can serve students and the UVa community in these capacities for many more years to come.

The project should be complete in the Spring of 2016. The to do list for the next two years includes renovating staircases, elevators, and replacing the crumbling capitals at the tops of the exterior columns. All of this and more should be completed so that the project only effects the first year of UVa's Class of 2019. The Class of 2020 and beyond should have no problem at all. By then, the Rotunda with its more historically accurate and up-to-code interior and exterior will be open for all to enjoy.

Want more information about the Rotunda and the renovation? Visit rotunda.virginia.edu!

--Jared Morgan

Saturday Q&A: Echols Scholars

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!
 

What is the Echols Scholars program and what are the benefits that come with it?
 

The Echols Scholars Program is a merit based scholarship program offered to students in the College of Arts and Sciences. While there is no monetary benefits offered to students that receive this scholarship, there are several other useful benefits awarded to the scholars. For starters, Echols Scholars do not have to fulfill the general area course requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, such as the foreign language, math, history, and nonwestern perspective requirements. This allows the Echols Scholars greater freedom in the classes they can take throughout their academic career at UVa. Echols Scholars are also assigned an academic advisor specifically tailored to their expressed areas/majors of interest when they enter the University. During their first year when UVa students live in dorms, Echols Scholars are assigned to live in some of the newest dorm buildings on Grounds with other Echols Scholars and first-year students belonging to the other scholars programs at UVa (Jefferson, Rodman, etc). Echols Scholars also have the ability to declare an Echols Interdisciplinary Major, which combines three areas of study in the College of Arts and Sciences into a single interdisciplinary major. The final benefit of the Echols Scholars program is that Echols Scholars are given priority course registration times among the students of their year. This means that Echols Scholars will register for classes each semester before the other classmates within their year.

A multipurpose room on a floor of a dorm for Echols Scholars

This is probably the most useful benefit because, by the time you are a fourth-year student, you will be among some of the first undergraduate students to register for classes at UVa. There is no special application that must be submitted when you are a prospective student applying to UVa to become an Echols Scholar. All students accepted into the College of Arts and Sciences are considered for the Echols Scholars program when they apply to UVa, and the students that are selected for the program are notified upon their acceptance to UVa.

--Will Bennett



Saturday Q&A: Part V

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

How can I get involved with sports at UVa?

There are a lot of ways to get involved in sports at UVa. There are three tiers of sports: Intramural, Club, and Varsity. Intramural (IM) sports are more casual and you can get involved through the clubs and activities at UVa who will organize an IM team for the sports that are offered throughout the semester. If you are a first-year student, then the dorm building that you live in will organize a team to play in the IM leagues for different sports during the year. Additionally, if you want to play sports more competitively then you can try out for the Club and Varsity teams at UVa.Our Varsity sports teams compete in the Division 1 of the NCAA and we are a member of the ACC. If you want to just play with some of your friends then you can always rent athletic equipment from the gyms at UVa and reserve some of the athletic fields and courts around Grounds. 
--Will Bennett

Where's the student union?

U.Va. does not have one single Student Union building with student resources, but rather has many resources all over grounds for students to use when they need! There are 4 main gyms, The Aquatic and Fitness Center, Memorial Gym, Slaughter Gym, and North Grounds Gym that are all available to students with different amenities and sports/recreational facilities. There are also tons of fields and courts around grounds students can use for a variety of purposes. In Newcomb Hall, there is a game room for students to use with televisions, pool tables, and a variety of games students can use. In each dorm, there are even common rooms with televisions, couches, study spaces, and more! Plus - we even have 3 main dining halls for students to choose from: Newcomb Dining Hall, Observatory Hill Dining Hall, and Runk Dining Hall, all located in different areas around grounds! We may not have a single Student Union building, but we definitely have a vast variety of resources for students to use all over grounds that serve a similar purpose!

--Chelsea Marcelin

What kind of events happen on the Lawn?

As you may have guessed, the Lawn is indeed the large grassy field located right in the center of the University's historical Academical Village, which includes the Rotunda, the 10 Pavilions and 54 Lawn rooms. The Lawn was part of Mr.Jefferson's original design for the University and is terraced by the very first buildings to be built on Grounds. Although the Lawn is such a historical  place, it's still a very active part of daily student life. On the average day, you can see dozens of students scattered across the Lawn, studying, hanging out with friends or simply catching a tan. Two of our long-standing student traditions also take place on the Lawn: Rotunda Sing and Lighting of the Lawn. To kick off  the Fall semester, over a dozen of our acapella groups gather on the Lawn to put on a huge acapella concert called Rotunda Sing and students spread out on their beach blankets and enjoy the wonderful welcome back event. We end off the Fall Semester with the Lighting of the Lawn. There are lights streamed across the entire Academical Village, illuminating every inch, and the entire UVa community gathers on the Lawn to socialize amongst each other while sipping hot chocolate and listening to musical performances. The Lawn is always open for use for the entire UVa community, and there's nothing like laying right in the middle of it, surrounded by the beautiful architecture of the Academical Village.
--Belen Osman

Saturday Q&A: Part IV

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

Can I have a meal plan after my first year?

Yes, we have many meal plan options that are available to our second, third, and fourth year students. The meal plan options offered to our upperclassmen students are different and more varied than the plans offered to first year students. You can also choose to not have a meal plan after your first-year if you decide you want to cook for yourself more or take advantage of the wide variety of restaurants that we have in Charlottesville and near Grounds.
--Will Bennett

Do undergraduates have the chance to participate in research?

There are many opportunities for students to get involved with research at the University - both on and off grounds. U.Va. is a large research University that is also very undergraduate focused, so right off the bat students can get involved in lab work (the most popular being in the social science, science, and psychology departments for example), work at a research institute off grounds, or help conduct studies and interviews in a multitude of subjects! Many of these research opportunities are open to all students and majors and can even count for academic credits at the University. Undergraduates can have a lot of responsibility within these projects, so it’s a great experience for those who want to participate!

--Chelsea Marcelin

What outdoor activities are available for students?

There are so many outdoor activities available to students. There are plenty of running and hiking trails near the New Dorm area close to observatory hill. There is also several popular hiking trails available with spectacular views - Old Rag, Humpback, and Sugar Hill are popularly attended by the students. In addition, there are several waterfalls nearby and also for the wintertime there is skiing at Evergreen.

--Wyatt Moorer

Saturday Q&A: Part III

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

Do I choose a roommate or am I assigned one?

There are two options when it comes to deciding who you want to room with in your first year dorm.  Some students find someone with similar interests on the admitted students Facebook page or choose to room with a friend.  The other option that is available is to do a random assignment. A student wishing to be placed with a random roommate will fill out a questionnaire about his or her daily habits and routines, and UVa will match him or her with someone who submitted a questionnaire with similar answers.
--Andrew Barat

Do you feel safe on grounds?

Simply put, yes. The reason I feel so safe is because I'm aware of the numerous precautionary measures UVa has in place to ensure a safe and secure environment.  For example,  UVa has a university-wide emergency alert system that sends a text message and email to all students once it is activated. Plus, every emergency alert is displayed on LCD screens in buildings around Grounds and a siren goes off to alert anyone outside. Our residential halls require both a key and cardswipe for entrance and the doors lock automatically upon exit. Our SafeRide program, a sort of taxi service that begins once the University bus system stops running for the evening, provides students with a ride home from anywhere on Grounds free of charge. And lastly,  there are emergency lights all throughout grounds with a button that students can press if they ever feel unsafe that will connect them directly to the local police.

--Belén Osman

What does UVa do to help students get jobs or internships?

At UVa we have an awesome career services department. They'll meet with you to go over resumes, do mock interviews, and they even organize job fairs, internship fairs, and networking events with the organizations that come and recruit at UVa. They also run our online database for applying to jobs, CavLink. They're a fantastic resource, and I've spent many hours prepping for internship and job hunts in their offices. For more information and stats, visit University Career Services's website, Facebook page, and follow UCS on Instagram and Twitter at UVaUCS!

--Jared Morgan

Saturday Q&A: Part II

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

Are first years allowed to have cars? What is transportation like at UVa?

First year students are not allowed to have cars. UVA is a very walking-friendly campus, and the farthest walk I've ever made from one end of grounds to the other was about 20 minutes. Some students choose to bring bicycles to get to and from class and their dorms or apartments, but the majority of students simply walk from place to place. When there is inclement weather or a student wants to go somewhere far, such as downtown Charlottesville or Barracks Shopping Mall (where there is a grocery store), the bus and trolley system is extremely convenient. All the buses are free for students to use and run from 7:30AM to just past midnight.
--Veronica Mercado

Can people major/take classes in two different academic schools?

One of the questions I get most often on tours is whether or not students are able to double major across schools?

The answer is: Yes. Many of my older friends double major in Systems Engineering within the E-School, but also major in Economics within the college of Arts and Sciences. Also even if you do not want to double major, students from one school can still enroll and take classes from another. As a result, there is a lot of crossing between schools especially early on in a student’s academic career.
--Wyatt Moorer

How do I get involved in Greek Life?

As a new first-year student at UVa, you cannot rush a fraternity or sorority until the spring semester of your first-year. This policy is called deferred rush, and it's designed to allow first-year students to adjust to college life and get to know their dorm mates and hall mates before they begin the process of rush. After your spring semester in your first year, you can still rush Greek Life organizations at UVa during the spring and fall semesters of your second year.

--Will Bennett

Saturday Q&A: Part I

Saturday Q&A

Frequently Asked Questions from Our Tours...

Every week we'll post answers to prospective students' questions. Some will be FAQs from tours, like this week, and others will be responses to comments and emails received via this blog. If you have a question about a post we've covered previously, comment to ask us for more information. Have we not covered it yet? Email us at UVaSummer14@virginia.edu and we'll reply with an answer!

What is it like to come into UVa as an undeclared major?

Normal! As an undeclared major, you'll be in the College of Arts and Sciences--a program that houses over 40 different majors at UVa. You'll also have an assigned advisor within the College and certain area requirements (e.g. mathematics, humanities, non-western perspective) to explore. Working with your advisor and taking classes to fill these requirements will help you find your interests and find a major. You don't need to declare until the end of your second year, and you can even declare multiple majors, change your major, or maybe even switch schools (e.g. to the School of Engineering).

--Jared Morgan

What opportunities are there for students to work while at UVa?

There are many opportunities for jobs on grounds and off grounds! On grounds, students can work for the University in a variety of ways. For example, the University Bookstore hires student employees every semester! The libraries, some academic buildings, the dining services, and departments also hire students for various positions. Students can also search for jobs off grounds at numerous restaurants, shops, studios, companies, political campaigns, Charlottesville paid internships, babysitting, and much more!! You can also sign up for CavLink, which will email students about working opportunities in Charlottesville!

--Chelsea Marcelin

What is upperclassmen housing like at UVa?

All students are required to live on grounds for their first year, but have the option to either continue living in University housing or go off grounds for the rest of their time at the University.  Upperclass housing offered by the University can be apartment style, like the rooms at Lambeth Field, or in a residential hall layout, like the Hereford Residential College.  Students are guaranteed on Grounds housing when they live on grounds the previous year, so all first can stay on grounds if they want, and those second years that live on grounds are guaranteed housing for their third year.  It is about a 50/50 split for second years for living on or off grounds and keeps splitting in half every consecutive year.  Students can rent a house or an apartment if they choose to live off grounds, some of which may be closer to one’s classes or fit a budget better.

--Andrew Barat