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

Follow Friday: Part III

Follow Friday

Part III: See Our @UVa_Summer Instagram!

Don't forget to follow @UVa_Summer and search the hashtag #UVaSummer on Instagram! To view the Instagram in your browser, click here.

Below are some of our top reposted Instagrams from the past week from @TheUniversityofVirginia and its students!

"'Katie Couric just asked me how I broke my leg, and I've never been so excited to share the story #uvasummer' -- @cmbouchard, Class of 2014 with one of our most active alums!"

6.7.14

"Want to learn more about the #acapella community at #UVa? See our blog post on the arts at hoostories.blogspot.com #hoostories #uvasummer. Photo cred of AVP to @TheUniversityofVirginia"

6.10.14

"Hoo else made it to the #VampireWeekend concert last night? #uvasummer @CarolineWhiz, Class of 2017"

6.11.14

Hear Us Shout & Roar: Wahoowa! UVa Baseball

Hear Us Shout & Roar

Wahoowa! UVa Baseball

by Wyatt Moorer

Nothing is better on a warm spring day than a UVA baseball game. Like all other varsity sports, regular season admission to UVA baseball games are free, making them a popular entertainment option for students. Students are not the only people who frequent the baseball games. Many from Charlottesville and the state of Virginia will travel in to see the Hoos play. 

Our baseball team is not only fun to watch, they are good; very good. Throughout a majority of the year, our baseball team was ranked number one in the nation. Now the team is headed to Omaha for the College World Series among a total of eight schools to have made it this far. The UVA baseball team has made it to the College World Series three times in the past six years, illustrating the program’s dominance over time. To get to the College World Series this year, UVA had to beat Maryland in the Super Regional round. Maryland won the first game, but even then, most Hoo fans were calm knowing UVA could win the next two games to advance. UVA did just that, having impressive showings in their next two victories against Maryland winning 7-3 and 11-2 respectively.

UVA will face Ole Miss on Sunday June 15^th in their first game of the College World Series. To follow all UVA baseball action simply keep up with the team on their website or on twitter.

Be sure not to miss the experience!

UVA Baseball Twitter: Click Here

Let's Get Traditional: Painting Beta Bridge

Let's Get Traditional

Painting Beta Bridge

by Will Bennett

One of the most popular and visible traditions at UVA is the painting of Beta Bridge by students and clubs. Beta Bridge is located on Rugby Road near the house of fraternity Beta Theta Pi, hence its name. Students will often paint the bridge to advertise events, activities and other things going on around Grounds. Beta Bridge was originally built in 1923, and it didn't take long for students to begin the tradition of painting it; in 1926, a group of students splashed it with an inaugural coat of green paint. At first, Charlottesville citizens and authorities did not approve of students painting Beta Bridge, but over time it became an accepted and eventually beloved tradition at UVa.

Although student clubs and organizations are the most common painters, sometimes students will paint Beta Bridge to celebrate a friend’s birthday or congratulate classmates on their graduation from UVa. After students paint the bridge with their advertisement or message, an important part of the tradition is to write “Thanks, Beta” somewhere on the bridge as well. Painting Beta Bridge is a very common activity for students to participate in and is frequently featured on lists of activities that students should do before they graduate. In fact, if you look at parts of the bridge where chunks of paint have come off, you can see the hundreds of layers of paint that have accumulated on the bridge as a result of decades of students painting it.

Painting Beta Bridge Essentials:

Where: Bridge on Rugby Road next to the Beta House

When: Best times are late night or very early morning

Look Out For: Other people painting over your messages on the bridge, especially if you paint early in the evening or night 

In the Audience: No Instruments Necessary

In the Audience

No Instruments Necessary

by Andrew Barat

If you want to see a great performance around grounds, you can’t go wrong seeing one of UVa’s a capella groups in concert.  There is a wide variety of music that these groups cover from modern hits to classics and each show gives you something to remember.  My first exposure to a capella was at a UVa tradition called Rotunda Sing and since then I have been to a number of concerts.

Luckily, a capella grounds don’t only perform at their concerts.  Many of them perform at what we call dorm sing.  Groups will come to the quads of the first year housing areas and perform a few songs as a free sample of what you can see if you go to their concerts. 

My favorite concert I've been to has been the Academical Village People's 20th anniversary concert.  The performance was at the Paramount Theater so it was the largest venue I had seen an a capella concert at and because it was a big anniversary for the group, many alumni came to see the show as well.  The group looked like they had a lot of fun as they performed which made the audience even more excited to cheer for their favorite song or if their friend was singing a solo.  It was an incredible concert and was great to see all the former members of the group come on stage and perform as well.  The a capella groups clearly have an impact for those involved during the time at UVa and can make memorable experiences for audience members and performers alike. 

Check out the Academical Village People putting UVa’s top five Facebook posts to music!

Want to see more about all the groups on grounds?

See UVa Arts' page on the student groups on grounds.

My Date with CVille: Walking the Downtown Mall

My Date with CVille

Walking the Downtown Mall

by Jared Morgan

Charlottesville's historic downtown mall provides the perfect opportunity to get away from grounds for good food, good shopping, and a good time. Yesterday I went to a restaurant called Bizou (which means kiss in French), Chaps Ice Cream, and a movie.


Bizou--like Hamilton's, Zocalo, and the Blue Light Grill--is a fantastic, foodie-inspired restaurant with a fun feel and indoor/outdoor layout perfect for Fall, Spring, and Summer. The bread plate appetizer had three fancy dipping sauces that I'm not sure I can pronounce (below left). Each one was great. For the entree, I had shrimp and grits with mushrooms, veggies, and more (below right). Best shrimp and grits I've ever had.

Chap's may be a little more casual than Bizou, but it's a cornerstone of Charlottesville's ice cream community. With frozen yogurt places like Berry Berry, SweetFrog, Cups, and Spoon & Berry popping up all around Charlottesville, it's great to sometimes grab a single scoop of German chocolate cake ice cream on a waffle cone for a change.

Finally, I went to the movies. I would've explored the downtown mall's Regal Cinemas, but the indie-based establishment unfortunately wasn't playing The Fault in Our Stars. Still, I highly recommend paying a visit and completing the downtown mall experience. Also, check out countless shops for used books (Blue Whale Books), bow ties (The Young Men's Shop), and more!

Go for the food, the ice cream, the shopping, the movies, the walking, or the street vendors. Go with your significant other, your friends, or your family. Just don't miss the downtown mall if you're in Charlottesville!

Cost
-Bizou: ~$20/person
-Chap's: ~$5/person
-Regal: $11/ticket

Transportation
Just a ten minute free trolley ride from the Lawn!

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