Don’t know what NOVA is? (Don’t care?)
About a third of UVa’s students come from outside of the state of Virginia. This includes
students from all across the United States and the world. Being out-of-state (OOS) at a
school where the majority of students are from Virginia has its difficulties, but ultimately,
every student has a great experience at UVa, and everyone experiences UVa differently.
Today, the OOS interns want to talk about some of the best parts of coming to UVa from
another place.
students from all across the United States and the world. Being out-of-state (OOS) at a
school where the majority of students are from Virginia has its difficulties, but ultimately,
every student has a great experience at UVa, and everyone experiences UVa differently.
Today, the OOS interns want to talk about some of the best parts of coming to UVa from
another place.
Charlottesville from above - via Wikipedia.
Outside Your Comfort Zone - Alex
Charlotte, NC
When I first got to UVA, I thought when people said “NOVA” that they were talking
about Villanova. I thought it was weird that people were talking so much about a school
in Pennsylvania when we were sitting at our own school in Virginia. I eventually learned
that “NOVA” is short for Northern Virginia, a swath of suburban streets outside of DC.
As someone not from Virginia and not from suburbs of any kind, this was all new to me.
But that’s the thing, everything in college is new, and that’s part of the fun of it. Whether
you go to school in your hometown or thousands of miles from where you grew up, college
is about experiencing new things for the first time: maybe your first time living independent
of your parents, your first time not knowing everyone around you, or your first time sprinting
naked down the Lawn towards the Homer statue at 2am on a Friday night. No one has any
idea what they’re doing in the beginning of college, regardless of whether they come from
Virginia or not. And even if they’re from Virginia, they may be the only person from their
town and are walking in just as blind as the kid from Argentina. Embrace it! Get outside of
your comfort zone, eat new food, and surround yourself with people who look like you and
those who are drastically different.
about Villanova. I thought it was weird that people were talking so much about a school
in Pennsylvania when we were sitting at our own school in Virginia. I eventually learned
that “NOVA” is short for Northern Virginia, a swath of suburban streets outside of DC.
As someone not from Virginia and not from suburbs of any kind, this was all new to me.
But that’s the thing, everything in college is new, and that’s part of the fun of it. Whether
you go to school in your hometown or thousands of miles from where you grew up, college
is about experiencing new things for the first time: maybe your first time living independent
of your parents, your first time not knowing everyone around you, or your first time sprinting
naked down the Lawn towards the Homer statue at 2am on a Friday night. No one has any
idea what they’re doing in the beginning of college, regardless of whether they come from
Virginia or not. And even if they’re from Virginia, they may be the only person from their
town and are walking in just as blind as the kid from Argentina. Embrace it! Get outside of
your comfort zone, eat new food, and surround yourself with people who look like you and
those who are drastically different.
Hot Commodities - Will
Winston-Salem, NC
I remember coming into UVA as an out of state student, my biggest misconception was that
EVERY person from Virginia knew EVERY other person from Virginia. There is partial truth
to this in the fact that your Virginian friends will almost undoubtedly know other people from
their high school, people they competed against in sports, from their hometowns, etc.
However, I falsely equivocated knowing people to having set friend circles. I eventually
learned that this was far from the truth. The fact is that the vast majority of these students are
coming from their toxic and suffocating high school friend groups and are really looking to
branch out and meet new people. That makes out of state students somewhat of a hot
commodity, and once I realized that, I never had a problem making new friends.
EVERY person from Virginia knew EVERY other person from Virginia. There is partial truth
to this in the fact that your Virginian friends will almost undoubtedly know other people from
their high school, people they competed against in sports, from their hometowns, etc.
However, I falsely equivocated knowing people to having set friend circles. I eventually
learned that this was far from the truth. The fact is that the vast majority of these students are
coming from their toxic and suffocating high school friend groups and are really looking to
branch out and meet new people. That makes out of state students somewhat of a hot
commodity, and once I realized that, I never had a problem making new friends.
New experiences! - Sabrina
Cape Coral, FL
One of the coolest things about being an OOS student is having a fresh start in a new town
you most likely wouldn’t go to otherwise. Before college, I had no idea what Charlottesville
was, or really Virginia for that matter. Coming from somewhere with a completely different
climate and topography (Florida), it’s been a whole new experience I probably wouldn’t have
gotten had I stayed in-state. With that being said, exploring a new city is so much fun, as well.
At this point in my college career, I can proudly call C'ville my second home, and I really
couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. I’ve had so many new experiences both inside
C'ville and the greater VA area (NOVA anyone? ;) ) and have had to make different adjustments
that have been essential to my character development!
you most likely wouldn’t go to otherwise. Before college, I had no idea what Charlottesville
was, or really Virginia for that matter. Coming from somewhere with a completely different
climate and topography (Florida), it’s been a whole new experience I probably wouldn’t have
gotten had I stayed in-state. With that being said, exploring a new city is so much fun, as well.
At this point in my college career, I can proudly call C'ville my second home, and I really
couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. I’ve had so many new experiences both inside
C'ville and the greater VA area (NOVA anyone? ;) ) and have had to make different adjustments
that have been essential to my character development!
Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall - via Pinterest.com.
That OOS Bond - Abby
Leonardtown, MD
For me, one of the hardest things about coming from OOS is not knowing a lot of people at
UVa. I didn’t know any people coming in to UVa at all, and I was nervous about making friends
and getting to know people here. My first-year roommate and suitemates were from Virginia,
and they knew people at UVa before classes began, where I didn’t. My in-state friends were
amazing, and introduced me to all of the people they knew, and it was really cool to get to know
a lot of people quickly. What I also discovered about being OOS here is that students from
outside Virginia, regardless of their home state, quickly bond over being from another place.
It is a really cool way to meet people who come from different backgrounds and make great
friends. Basically, when you come from outside of Virginia, you come in with people all across
the world and you all have that in common.
UVa. I didn’t know any people coming in to UVa at all, and I was nervous about making friends
and getting to know people here. My first-year roommate and suitemates were from Virginia,
and they knew people at UVa before classes began, where I didn’t. My in-state friends were
amazing, and introduced me to all of the people they knew, and it was really cool to get to know
a lot of people quickly. What I also discovered about being OOS here is that students from
outside Virginia, regardless of their home state, quickly bond over being from another place.
It is a really cool way to meet people who come from different backgrounds and make great
friends. Basically, when you come from outside of Virginia, you come in with people all across
the world and you all have that in common.
We love all of our in-state and out-of-state friends, and we hope this blog gave you some
insight as to what it’s like to be an out-of-state student here at UVa. If you have any questions,
please feel free to reach out to any of us!
insight as to what it’s like to be an out-of-state student here at UVa. If you have any questions,
please feel free to reach out to any of us!
Signing off,
Abby, Alex, Sabrina, and Will
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