https://www.reddit.com/r/UVA/comments/1ifln2m/admitted_student_questions_regarding_the_student/
created by batzful on 02/02/2025 at 01:13 UTC
16 upvotes, 8 top-level comments (showing 8)
hey! i got rejected from my top choice today, but i was accepted to uva. it's def my best option, both program-wise (archaeology), and financially. i want to commit, but i'm feeling some anxiety and would love for current students to answer some questions!
1.) i do not plan on rushing and i'm not a huge fan of greek life. i'm also not very preppy. i don't doubt that uva students are incredibly kind, but i do worry about fitting in. if i avoid greek life, will i have a social life? do y'all think i'll have a hard time fitting in? don't know, just suuper worried about that š
2.) does the school feel as large as it is? like, do y'all feel more like numbers than students at times? i worry about the larger size as i originally planned to go to a smaller college. i fear being overwhelmed by the size for sure!
if any of y'all are in the archaeology/anthropology department, i'd appreciate any information! the programs look REALLY good and they're definitely my main pull to the school right now. i'd love to attend, i just wanted some feedback :) thank you all so much!!
Comment by SilverWinter24601 at 02/02/2025 at 01:56 UTC
23 upvotes, 2 direct replies
Sorry about getting rejected from your top school, but congrats on getting into UVA!
1. Youāll be fine. 70% of students arenāt in Greek life, and thereās plenty to do outside of that (check out clubs at the Activities Fair in August!). And if you do go to the occasional party, all the people Iāve met have been very chill about non-drinkers and Iāve never seen anyone being pressured to drink.
2. People say āUVA is a big school that feels smallā because itļæ½ļæ½ļæ½s big and it feels overwhelming when you first arrive but after you settle in it feels smaller and you see a lot of people you recognize around Grounds
Comment by JonStoen at 02/02/2025 at 06:36 UTC
7 upvotes, 1 direct replies
1.) UVA is surprisingly a big party school, but just as you said, UVA has a latge student population, so you can definitely still have a social life without greek life. None of my friends are in greek life, and we all do just fine. Even if you don't fit the preppy type, you're pretty much guaranteed to find your niche because of how many people you'll find.
2.) UVA is large but mostly because it has a lot of different schools/departments. Once you commit to a major the number of people you interact with on a daily basis shrinks and you're much more localized. You'll always be able to engage people from other schools in other classes or evenets or CIOs though, so you can have it both ways.
Comment by SetTheoryAxolotl at 02/02/2025 at 15:01 UTC
5 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I'm in anthropology and I'm not in greek like. Feel free to reach out.
Comment by Hoogineer at 02/02/2025 at 12:04 UTC
3 upvotes, 1 direct replies
You'll be fine. UVA is always changing. The student body has definitely changed since I graduated.
Comment by iloveregex at 02/02/2025 at 12:22 UTC
2 upvotes, 2 direct replies
You should come visit before committing. Check out UVa Monroe Society.
For example many first year classes are large lectures (like 400 students). I think you will probably have small classes in your archaeology major but your general ed classes will be huge. So you need to consider whether this is really the right fit for you.
Are you waiting on any regular decision schools?
Comment by Responsible-Bag-3846 at 02/02/2025 at 14:40 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I graduated a few years ago but was an anthropology major and loved it! Many of my friends in my classes did archeology and had a similar experience to me :)
Comment by TheRealRollestonian at 02/02/2025 at 14:54 UTC
1 upvotes, 1 direct replies
It's really not a big state school compared to the rest of the country. If anything, it's too small for its reputation because of limited space.
Some intro classes might be in a 600-person auditorium, but they'll all have smaller labs or discussions.
You can definitely find a place outside the fraternity/sorority scene.
Comment by Swimming_Sir_9031 at 03/02/2025 at 02:30 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I would definitely tour this school first. Whatever feeling you get when you're here touring, please trust it!! Go with your gut. I know costs can be a big factor in regards to where you attend undergrad (my ONLY reason for choosing UVA was because of the cost, otherwise I did not get a good feeling about this place when I toured, which proved to be right 2 years later), but also look into the others schools you applied to. They might be just as cheap potentially and you may like one of them better. Either way, just tour it and explore all the colleges you applied to before making any commitments.