Meet the Interns: Meet Maddie!

This week and last, we're posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hi guys!! My name is Maddie Sugg, and I’m a rising third-year studying Government & Religion from Chantilly, VA.

Like the other interns, I’m hoping to shed a little light on different aspects of the student experience throughout the summer ~ I’ll be posting more about career services, tabling, who (hoo) lives in the pavilions, different types of student government, start-ups, and using UVA & Cville transit ~ so much to look forward to!!

Around grounds, you can find me in Nau-Gibson (arguably the prettiest academic building), roller-blading down Culbreth, searching for the best spot to hammock, and hanging with friends on the Lawn.

taking in the solar eclipse on the Lawn

For now, a brief overview of some of my favorite things to do while at UVA:

enjoying the great outdoors (especially at Shenandoah National Park)-

hiking, biking, & bears, oh my!

celebrating the (incredible) food scene in Charlottesville-

pictured: Brazos Tacos (in the IX Art Park) and Barbie’s Burrito Barn (near the Downtown Mall)

& attending free talks offered around town-

highlights from this year included Hillary Clinton, Melody Barnes, Katie Couric, and Pete Souza

Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions, interests, and/or vulture facts at mes4wh@virginia.edu!

All the best,

Maddie

Meet the Interns: Meet Carly!

This week and last, we're posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hey everyone!! My name is Carly and I’m so excited to be writing on this blog for the summer!! I hope my writing gives you some insight on what being a student is like at UVA, as I write on a range of different things at UVa varying from Greek life on grounds and how to get involved with that, to Trick-or-treating on the lawn for Halloween and how that event is so special at UVA. If you read my posts and have any questions for me, feel free to shoot me an email and we can chat :) (ckt7cb@virginia.edu)

So a little about me:

• I’m a rising third year in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Psychology
• I was born in Charlottesville and currently live in Crozet which is the next town over, about a 30 minute drive from grounds (so if you have any cville related questions hmu!!)
• I have two dogs that are my two favorite things EVER and i’m just gonna leave this picture of them here so you can tell for yourself that they’re the cutest dogs you’ve probably ever seen

I’m a HUGE foodie. I love any and all kinds of food and I’ll eat pretty much anything. Lucky for me I grew up around here so i’ve got a lot of the best restaurants in town mapped out pretty well (shoot me an email if you want some good restaurant recs, cville is most definitely a foodie city!!) I’m a big fan of Tasty videos and am always trying to recreate what I see in the videos, so if you know of one that is particularly mindblowing please lmk because odds are i’m gonna wanna make it.

• During the year at UVa some of my favorite things to do are:
• Go to Thursday night Sunset Series on Carters Mountain. This is something you HAVE to do when you come to UVa… there’s nothing better than sitting on the mountain and watching the sunset, all the while putting away a half dozen donuts single handedly!!!!

• I’m a bigggg virginia sports girl. I go to all the football games (even though we’re not too good i’m a loyal fan and you’ll catch me at all of the games in the fall). Basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, you name the sport and i’ll be there cheering on the hoos!!
• Lighting of The Lawn is my personal favorite event that UVa has during the school year that is incredibly popular and brings the entire student body together to relax and unwind before finals start up.
• Okay so that’s a little introduction and some basic information about me, if you have any questions for me about anything send me an email!! I’m SO excited to be writing on my different experiences here at UVA and hope to give y’all something somewhat interesting to read during the summer :)

Meet the Interns: Meet Ashley!

This week and next, we'll be posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hi everyone! My name is Ashley and I am a rising third year studying Kinesiology. I’m super excited to spend my summer in Charlottesville while interning in the Office of Admission. I can’t believe that I’m halfway through my time here at UVA so here’s a picture of me smiling through my sadness/pain/heartbreak.

Here are a few facts about me that tie into reasons why I love UVA:

• I love a good sunset. Carter Mountain has a great view so I would highly recommend going to Thursday evening sunset series.

• I love food but only recently started to enjoy cooking. I’m actually vegan so look out for my post coming up soon all about eating vegan at UVA. Charlottesville definitely has some great options so I can easily find a restaurant that my meat-eating friends will also enjoy.

I’m a big fan of Brazos Tacos. Also, avocado toast is a major staple in my diet. (My “recipe” is wheat toast, avocado, tomato, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and sometimes sprouts)

• I love conspiracy theories. I won’t go into detail here but a few of my favorites are all about Mattress Firm, Britney Spears, and Avril Lavigne. There’s also a UVA related conspiracy theory that I recently became interested in but I’m only gonna say one word: bunker.

• I love UVA basketball. To be completely honest, I wanted Devon Hall’s fathead. Sadly, it was in high demand so I settled for Jack Salt’s. (jk <3 you too Jack)

• I went on Alternative Spring Break to the Grand Canyon this year. It was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on and I made some cool new friends.

One of the firefighters taught a few of us how to use a chainsaw. I learned that it’s much heavier than it looks and I should just generally stay away.

Pictures really can’t do it justice. Seeing a mountain goat while on a hike one day was truly one of the highlights.

• I took an ENWR about memes my first year and haven’t been the same since. If you want to read my final paper just let me know.

• I also took a class about Middle Eastern and South Asian film festivals. One of our homework assignments was to watch a few films at the Virginia Film Festival. I would have gone even if it wasn’t assigned so it didn’t feel like homework at all.

I saw two of the best films I have ever seen in my life (which is saying a lot because I’m kind of a snob when it comes to movies). The films were In Between (98% on Rotten Tomatoes) and Bending the Arc (100% on Rotten Tomatoes). I put a lot of trust in Rotten Tomatoes so you should definitely check those out.

I hope this post gave you some insight on a few fun things you can do while at UVA. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at amf3qp@virginia.edu. Looking forward to seeing you around grounds!

Cheers,

Ashley

Meet the Interns: Meet Brynna!

This week and next, we'll be posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.   

  Hello incoming and prospective UVA students! My name is Brynna and I am an intern at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions this summer. I must say, I’m pretty thrilled to be here, and equally as excited to write about different aspects of UVA student life on this blog.

    A little bit about myself: I am a rising second year from Wilmington Delaware studying Economics and Sociology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. Around grounds you can find me lounging on the lawn with friends, “studying” in Alderman Library, running up one of the seemingly endless hills that plague Charlottesville runners, or at any establishment that sells a good cup of coffee (I’ll be writing about said establishments on this blog).

     I hope each blog post I write gives each of you a little taste of UVA, a place where I have found a home like no other. Over the course of my first year, I took many pictures of me doing many things that I’m going to write about this summer. Take a sneak peek below:

This first picture is mainly included to show you what I look like, but also as evidence of how excited I was at the end of high school to be a rising first year. That August, I moved into a dorm, and within a week started calling it “home”. I have an entire hall, an awesome RA, and a pretty standout building to thank for that. I’ll be writing about why “New Dorms” are the best dorms later this summer. I also feel obligated to include that I am less dweeby now, even if marginally so.

    I came to UVA not knowing a single person here, but was welcomed with open arms by first years and upperclassmen alike. Whether from Montana, Long Island, or right here in Charlottesville, each new friend has made UVA a place where I can be myself and become myself. Some of them are pictured below. I’ll be including many more pictures of them throughout my blog posts, which include many first-year-related topics like Convocation, Student Health, and how to get home for breaks without a car.

I found that at UVA, I can climb a mountain, grab a great bagel and a cup of coffee, and still get to my 9:30 am class. I did that twice (the first time is pictured at left). I painted Beta Bridge two times, both of which were completely unforgettable and followed by a bagel (yes, this is a theme).

According to my iPhotos, I took over 50 pictures in front of the Rotunda this year. Here are some of my favorites:

My first year at UVA has given me so much, from friends and experiences, to lessons learned and phenomenal professors. This crazy, quirky, supportive UVA community isn’t restricted to the classroom, a dorm, or even Charlottesville. It comes in the form of company late at night in the library, the freedom to sing the Good Ole Song as terribly as possible at a football game, and people who challenge and love you unconditionally, no matter where you are. I can’t wait to welcome you here on grounds, whether it’s for a tour or for four years. Feel free to email me with any questions you may have at bmg5bg@virginia.edu, and stay tuned for my posts throughout the summer!

     

Meet the Interns: Meet Jordan!

This week and next, we'll be posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hey there everyone!

My name is Jordan Smithson and I am a rising third year (yikes!) transfer student
majoring in History and minoring in Foreign Affairs here at UVA. This summer, I
am interning at the University of Virginia Office of Undergraduate Admissions and
will be sharing different aspects of the UVA life with you through this amazing blog!
If you are a prospective student- welcome! I hope my insight and stories give you a
solid idea of whether you can picture yourself at UVA! If you are a newly admitted
student: congratulations and Wahoowa! We can’t wait to have you!

Pictured: Two Hoos looking way too relaxed to be in the middle of finals week.
As you will soon learn, the lawn is a place for lounging disguised as a place to study.

First, a bit about myself: I’m from Midlothian, Virginia (right outside of Richmond)
and I enjoy reading, hiking, and spending lots of time with my friends. Most of the time,
you’ll find us lounging on the Lawn eating a Newcomb ice cream cone, chowing down
at the many fine eating establishments on the Corner, or trying our best to be productive
in the depths of Alderman Library (if you’re confused by anything in that sentence,
don’t worry- all will be explained). Over the course of my time here, UVA/Charlottesville
has become one of my favorite places in the world and I’m elated that I get to share my
love for it with all of you!

My friends and I on a popular sunrise hike to Humpback Rock- you may have to get up
early but the views are worth it!

On this blog, the interns will be addressing different facets of the UVA experience that
speak to them as individuals. Personally, I will be writing about the transfer experience at
UVA, off-grounds eating, the student theatre scene, our beautiful library facilities, and some
special traditions kept at the University, like Secret Societies and Lighting of the Lawn
(pictured below!)

Meet the Interns: Meet Rehan!

This week and next, we'll be posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hey y’all!

My name is Rehan and I am a rising 4th year here at the University of Virginia. I am a biomedical engineering major and business minor from Sterling, VA. This summer, I hope that the experiences and UVA wisdom I highlight in my blog posts will help you all in some way, or at least give you a few laughs. To all you newly admitted students, congratulations! And to all you prospective students, I hope my stories help give you an idea of how you could see yourself fit into this UVA community.

For reference, this is me eating a peach at Carter Mountain Orchard here in Charlottesville…

During my time as a Wahoo, I have made some incredible friends and some amazing memories that will remain with me long after I complete my last year here. I can’t wait to share some of these memories and some of the lessons I learned along the way with all of you. If any of you have any questions particularly relating to engineering, being pre-med, dorm life, volunteering, or getting involved in research here, please feel free to email me at rehan@virginia.edu. Feel free to ask me any questions relating to my blog posts or really any questions in general as well!

To give y’all an initial idea of what you can look forward to at UVA, here are some of my favorite things to do as a Hoo…

1. Go to a home football game...

2. Hike Humpback Mountain with some friends to see a gorgeous sunrise and get pictures with dope lighting…

3. Meet your new hallmates through stuff your awesome Resident Advisor plans…

4. Get involved in the C-ville community through service projects like Habitat for Humanity’s Rake-a-thon…

5. Play some Intramural basketball with your friends while dressed super obnoxiously…

6. Get all dolled up and head out to Foxfield Races in the spring

7. And finally, find your people…

That’s all from me for now. Expect to see posts from me about these things in the near future: Pre-Med, the Engineering School, Why Old Dorms are the Best Dorms, the Old Dorms Renovations, Sabre Points, UVA Lingo, and Textbooks. If you want me, or another intern, to write a post about something else, please let us know!

Much love,

Rehan

Meet the Interns: Meet Zach!

This week and next, we'll be posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hey!

I’m Zach, and I’m a rising fourth year here at UVA. It’s hard for me to believe, but I do indeed have only one year left. In my blog posts, I hope to impart my three years of rich wisdom upon you, Prospective Student, helping you navigate this wacky place and make fewer foolish mistakes than I did.

Stay tuned for posts about the New Curriculum, life in the College of Arts & Sciences, interdisciplinary majors, the Fralin art museum, UBikes, the music scene at UVA, Tom Tom Festival, on-Grounds housing after first year, just to name a few. If there’s a topic you want me to cover, send me an email at schauff@virginia.edu – I’m guessing that almost no one will do this, so if you email me an idea there’s a high chance I’ll write about it. ;)

But first, here’s a visual history of my time at UVA so you have some sense of who’s giving you this sage advice.

Pre-UVA

For context, this is what we were working with.

Nowhere to glo but up.

First Year

In August, I arrived at UVA as a fresh-faced fool. By November, I was a fresh-faced fool in a suit.

Me, on right.

This photo was from an annual event called the Colonnade Ball. Please note the cast on my wrist– in September, I fractured my wrist when I tripped and fell over a cornhole board.

By the end of the year, I was doing things I had never dreamed of, such as competing in a beauty pageant.

I repped my dorm building and stunted on the competition, singing an acoustic Fetty Wap cover for the talent show portion. In the end, I wasn’t crowned as Mr. 2019, but at least I got to show off my velcro New Balances on stage.

Second Year

Over the course of the year, I planned and led an Alternative Spring Break trip to Anza Borrego Desert in California. Despite the extensive training, I still thought it would be an okay idea to not bring a sleeping bag for the week.

Here I am, adorned in all the layers I needed to survive the nights.

Also, throughout the year, I grew out my hair until this happened.

Third Year

I found love.

And now, here I am, bathed in the maroon light of seniority, ready to give some admissions tours and hopefully inspire some new folks to come to UVA.

There’s a whole lot of my UVA experience that isn’t pictured here. With a wide range of experience in my classes and extracurriculars, I do actually have broad knowledge & expertise to share. If you have any questions at all, please hit me up at schauff@virginia.edu – I’d love to chat!

Yours,

Zach Schauffler