academics

Topic of the week #2: What are UVA classes like? Along with that, share your fave class/professor!
There are huge, big classes. Especially popular 101s (Econ, Chem, Bio). There are also small seminars (like Ella said USEM) and the ones in the middle (20-50 ppl). I've taken all of them. What I like about popular big lecture classes the anonymity, you usually don't have to worry about cold calls or participation. The participation often lies in the discussions and you get to know your peers and TAs very well there. TAs may become valuable mentors in the long run as well. With USEM and the ones in the middle, professors are easily accessible. Going to office hours can be really helpful too. You have to be pro-active about it. When you are struggling with material - ask your TAs and go to office hours!! It can be intimidating at first but once you really get to know your professors - it will get more comfortable. They're here to help you! And never underestimate class difficulty - exams and tests can surprise you when you're not looking.
Fave classes/professors
Global Media - Professor Hector Amaya
Anthropology - Professor Richard Handler
Intro to Asian American Studies - Professor Sylvia Chong
- alice

sometimes, i am a nerd!

Congrats on being accepted to UVA!!!check back regularly for posts on our next topic, Our fav classes and Professors:
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Classes are a huge part of college life (you are a student afterall :P). So if you ask me what classes/professors I liked the most in the brief one year I’ve been here…

1/ USEM- First- year ONLY, everyone should go take a USEM!! They’re a small class (around 10-20 people) where you get close interactions with your Professor and other students in the class. The topics are generally specific and interesting, and the professor is usually pretty flexible in adjusting to where the students want the class to go. My Professor, John Nemec was really funny and nice, and he always asked us whether we liked the books we were reading and adjusted the assignment deadlines to our schedules. The class was just mostly chatting, him telling us about his adventures in India and interesting people he met etc…highly recommend his classes!

2/ Poetry/ fiction writing- Love creative writing but feel like you haven’t written anything creative in a long time? (because writing is now all about essays and papers…) Take one of these classes. I am taking a poetry writing class, and not only is the writing process fun and relaxing, it’s amazing to see how well your peers can write!(Fiction writing is equally great too as I heard from friends who were in it- also, these classes are an easy A as long as you participate!)

3/ TA- Maybe you have heard that TAs are just sucky teachers that don’t really matter in a course. But I can prove you wrong. I’ve been in a class with Jon Shoup, TA for politics, for two semesters because he is such a great teacher! He’s really encouraging and nice, speaks eloquently and explains concepts very clearly. I wouldn’t have learnt so much without him! So if you ever get to be in a class where he TAs for (I think he’s going an African-American studies class next semester), remember to go to his office hours because you really can learn a lot and have great conversations with him: )

Speaking of office hours, go to a Professor’s office hours! That’s why they have it for- so students can go talk to them! Don’t feel intimidated to go the first time and just introduce yourself, prepare some questions about the course or something that’s related to his/her field of research…once you start establishing a relationship with him/her, you’ll understand how valuable that can be.

ella 26/3/09

Hola from Ecuador!

Hi! My name is Alejandra Pasquel. I am a first year, pre-commerce student from Quito - Ecuador. There are many reasons why I chose to leave home and come to UVA. When I started researching for colleges I considered different aspects like academics, location and student diversity. UVA is a university that compiled all of these but at the same time it has the right mixture between academic and social life.

Before coming I talked to people that attended here and listed to their experiences, which made me want to live these moments as well. Being here I understand their excitement and pride to be a UVA student. There really are so many opportunities available to do what you like and to meet other people. It is a big university but at the same time it is such a tight community. In the academic environment I have noticed this as well, by how people work together and help each other.

This is what I love about UVA, the friendly people, the warm community and the sense of belonging that you instantly acquire. It really has been an amazing experience for me and I wouldn’t change it for anything!

Hi everyone!

Hi everyone! My name is Ankit Sundaram, and I’m a first-year, Pre-Commerce student at the University of Virginia. I was born in India, but really, I call the small city-state of Singapore my home. I attended high school in Singapore, and also completed two years of mandatory National Service in the Singapore Armed Forces, before traveling across the world to attend UVA!

UVA was always one of my top choices for many reasons. As most of you may know, the McIntire School of Commerce is currently ranked as the top undergraduate business school in the world. Apart from its strong academic showing, I was also attracted to UVA because of the many great things I’d heard about how beautiful UVA is and how nice the people here are. Although I never had the chance to actually visit, I was painted such beautiful images of students studying and playing Frisbee on the Lawn that I had just had to see it all through my own eyes!

wahoowa, wahoowa!

Hi semua, apa kabar? ("Hey all, how are you?" in Bahasa Indonesia!) I am Nanette, a first-year from Indonesia who went to high school in Singapore. I am pre-Comm, but I'm probably going to do Psychology as well.

You know, it's getting really exciting over here. The admission offers will be released in less than a week, and all of us really can't wait to congratulate you all! :D

I still remember the time when I received my offers from several universities. Some of them are more well-known than UVA back where I'm from. But what made me choose UVA? Being the enthusiastic aspiring business-woman that I was, McIntire was enticing. The Grounds looked extremely pretty from the pictures. The tuition fee is also not exorbitantly expensive like most other schools.

But what is the catalyst, the tipping point that really swayed me into sending my deposit to UVA? It was actually the scribbling that the Admission Dean wrote on my decision letter. It was hand-written, it was personal, it was warm. I think it embodied what UVA really is, a school that cares for who we are as a person. In UVA, you're not just another number. It is in UVA where you can discover what your true passion is, and UVA will help you achieve it. I have only been in UVA for a year, but I can already testify that it's true. I'll tell you more about it when we talk about our activities in UVA. (So check back often for updates! :)

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What I can't write in words, I show in pictures. Spring is in the air! This is a shot of one of the first flowers that just bloomed on Grounds, overlooking the International Residential College (which is where I stay).

Nanette
Indonesia/Singapore
UVA 2012
Pre-Comm, Psych

Really, UVa?!

Shoutout from C’ville! I’m Ella Wong, first year student from Hong Kong, most probably doing the new student initiated Global Development major(check it out!) and Foreign Affairs.

Last year same time I had NO idea where I was going to go. In fact, I was torn between going to UVa or universities in England or Canada…so I understand what some of you may be going through right now. Looking at official websites with the pretty Photoshopped pictures of students smiling as they are doing their labs is pretty lame when trying to decide which school to go to, so I have to say word of mouth is crucial.

I was lucky I had a very influential senior at my high school who also went to UVa, and she told me a lot about the school which definitely helped in my decision. Another way was just looking at the facebook groups and other websites that talk about college life and see what they have to say. And as you are reading this, you also have me, a real life student at UVa who is not just going to tell you that UVa is a perfect school, but one thing I can tell you is it is a better school than perceived, especially when you are referring to international reputation (UVa is a pretty underrated school outside the States)… I eventually decided to come to UVa basically on the basis that I wanted to go to the States for college and that it’s a good school. Pretty much a leap of faith!

All I can say for now is there have been decisions that I regretted making, but definitely not the decision on coming to UVa, and I’m pretty sure a LOT of students you meet here will tell you the same thing.

Feel free to email me at ykw4k@virginia.edu if you want some genuine advice! (wink*)

UVA is my home :)

Name: Kim Sine (I'm second from the right in that picture)
Email: kms7fp@virginia.edu
Major: East Asian Studies (and maybe Anthropology, too)
Year: Third year (Yeah 2010!)
Country: It’s complicated…

Hey (possible) future Wahoos! My name is Kim and I’m actually American. So why am I writing on a blog for international students? Well, I only actually lived in the US until I was in first grade. I’m not really sure what to say when people ask me where I call home. I grew up in Beijing, China, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Manila, Philippines. Currently my family lives in Bangkok, Thailand. So I can identify with some of the questions that you may have about UVA.

I guess the biggest question going through your mind right now is if UVA is the right university for you. Honestly, before coming to UVA I wasn’t sure if it was the right place for me. So after all of my acceptances (and, yes, rejections) came in, I started looking into the schools where I was accepted. I read that UVA had a great balance between work and play. The college books also said that UVA students really do love going to UVA. It seemed like what I was looking for, but I still wasn’t sure. I hadn’t visited UVA for a tour, I didn’t know much about Virginia, and I wasn’t sure if it was going to have enough diversity.

I decided to come to the international student orientation session right before classes started in August. During orientation, I was nervous, shy and didn’t seem to make friends as easily as I had hoped.

So I moved into my dorm, feeling both excited and apprehensive. Because I went to the international student orientation, I got to move into my room early. The next day, when everyone else moved into the dorm, I started to meet my suitemates. Immediately, I met another American girl who had grown up abroad. I also had suitemates from Korea, Burma, Greece, and the Virgin Islands, in addition to a bunch of people from Virginia (of varying ethnicities). It was more diverse than I could have ever imagined. We didn’t all become best friends, but it was a nice little community of people within the greater UVA community where I felt at home.

I’ll be honest; it’s hard when my roommates from Virginia go home for the weekend because they “really miss their family.” Or when I have to calculate, and wait 12 hours until I can talk to my mom on Skype. But overall, I have really enjoyed my time at UVA. I can’t imagine going to school anywhere else. Now I can add Charlottesville to one of the places that I consider “home.”

i (heart) uva

Hi, I’m Alice and I’m currently a second year at UVA. My anticipated major is Anthropology, possibly a double in Foreign Affairs. Long story short: I was born in New Jersey but I have lived in Taiwan since I was four years old. I went to a little bilingual school in a city called Hsin Chu. My interests are all over the place. At the moment I love alternative music, strawberries, Arsenal (CL draw in three hours!), 30 Rock, New Orleans and this Korean drama called Boys Before Flowers.

It is almost 3 AM right now. One thing I learned at UVA is that there are NEVER enough hours in a day to do everything you want! Thursdays are my long days BUT I have Fridays off! After classes ended today, I headed towards the Second Year Dinner Series. SYDS is basically a dinner where you can eat really good food and have a roundtable talk with professors and faculty. We really do have an amazing set of professors and faculty here, they genuinely love to hear what we think and LOVE to tell us what THEY think. Haha. It’s their job anyway. The food was SO good. Dinner was paella and tortellini. Dessert was homemade coffee ice cream and soft cookies. I’m hungry all over again thinking about it. So onto the point of the post:

Why did you choose to come to UVA?
My brother attended UVA too. He is both the reasons why I wanted and did not want to come to UVA. He always told me how great UVA was and I always looked up to him. But it was also one of those “I was growing up in his shadow” ordeals. And then I thought, well my brother is graduating and UVA is big anyway - so no one that knew him will know me, right? Wrong. But that’s a whole other story that I can elaborate later! Haha well, another important reason is that I got into my other first choice, it was a much smaller school that was focused on a particular area of study. What if I found out I hated it or didn’t like the subject at all? Which turned out to be true, by the way. Most people don’t end up majoring in their intended major. I know this is true for many of my friends who had pre-med or pre-comm dreams that drifted into Astronomy (seriously), East Asian Studies or Studio Art. You are exposed to so much more here and when you find your passion - the sky is the limit. And at UVA, there are so many opportunities you can take part in. Plus, did I mention how beautiful UVA is? I’m beginning to smell spring in the air. It’s going to be gorgeous.

Habari...Niaje...Hello!!!!

Habari...Niaje...Hello!!!! I'm Rehema Wachira and I am from Nairobi, Kenya!

I first heard about UVA from a friend who had just started here and he had nothing but praise for this great university. Im sure you have looked up and compared university rankings from Business Weekly and the rest and have seen that UVA features consistently at the top. Our McIntire School of Commerce was definitely a big factor in my decision to come here. But more than that, I could see that if I came to UVA I would not be constrained to one path of study. That's the beauty of a liberal arts education. Sure, I am Pre-Comm, but I have taken classes on Islamic Philosophy, Astronomy and Dialogues-on-Diversity... and I'm still in my first year! There are so many options for you here and new majors are introduced fairly often! We even have a Global Development Major that's stirring up a lot of interest!

We're not all study and no play though! Everything from symphony orchestra's to jazz bands to Jay-Z (amaaazing concert!! and T.I took off his shirt!!!) is free or cheaply available to everyone! Or you could just chill on grounds and watch the squirrels do their thing:)

UVA is your university and the opportunities are endless:D

See you soon!!!

Rehema ^_^

Let's hear it from the Brit!

Name: Alex
Major: Psychology (and hopefully something else too)
Year: 2011
Country: Born and raised in London, UK

Why I came to UVa:
It started out as a whole lot of totally random recommendations from friends of my dad. More and more people told me that UVa was an awesome place to spend four years of my life for a variety of reasons so I applied without really knowing much about it, except that everyone I'd met had told me either that they had been there and loved it, or knew someone who had been there and loved it.

Well I got in and still hadn't seen the campus (or as I was repeatedly reminded, the "grounds"). So my first visit before I made my college decision was for the Days on the Lawn. To cut a long story short, the day I came to visit was as beautiful a day as Charlottesville can offer, my tour guide was great and I just couldn't say no. I'm now in my Second Year here and haven't regretted my decision once.

Why I think YOU should come to UVa (especially as an international student):
You've read all the generic statistics about the academics, student life and probably a couple of interviews with students about the social scene - and I'll just give you my no BS account on what's good and bad (but mainly good) about being a student here.

1. Academics
It is said that there are 'no easy classes' at UVa. Not true. The vast majority of classes at UVa at least have their challenging moments, but there are one or two that are 'show up and pass'...actually scratch that, more like 'skim over the lecture slides the night before the midterm and final - and pass'. Having said all of this, there are some really, really, really tough classes here - right now it's 2:08am, I'm on the quiet floor of Clemons library, procrastinating from studying for a test that I'm going to take at 9:30am this morning and I'll probably be here all night, BUT there's hope - if you have somewhat good study habits, you'll be fine...it just so happens that I do not have good study habits.

With regards to the influence of being an international student on academics - really it's not a huge deal. The only point of note I have concerns language courses here at UVa...I didn't completely place out of my foreign language requirement and I noticed when I took my first French course that I was vastly knowledgeable in certain areas where U.S. students had no idea about, and totally in the dark about a few things that U.S. students had been learning for years.

2. Extra-Curricular
Lots of stuff to do here. If you're interested in something, chances are there's a club or society with like-minded people. The easiest way to get involved in ex-curricular clubs/committees is at the annual fair in which loads of the clubs etc. set up stalls and take your email address if you're interested. If you don't find what you're looking for - look it up on the internet and send some emails.

3. Social
In my personal opinion, the social scene at UVa is fantastic, although it's important to note that it won't necessarily come to you - sometimes you have to go and find it. Thankfully, this isn't hard. A lot of the social scene at UVa, especially for First Years, is based around the Greek System (Fraternities/Sororities). There is a large amout of drinking at UVa, and large proportion of it happens at frat parties (side note: If you're an international student, even if you hate the idea of going to a house full of inebriated and uninhibited students, I would recommend going to a fraternity party at least once, purely for the important cultural significance). If the frat party scene/drinking yourself to oblivion really isn't you, there's plenty of social organizations and groups around grounds that you can get involved with and have a good time with - it just takes an ounce more of effort to find them. Really though, a couple of the guys I live with don't drink or go to big parties, and they have very active social lives.

4. The People
As an international student who speaks English fluently (in my case it's my first language), I actually think I had it easier getting into the social scene than my American friends - from Day 1, EVERYONE was really friendly and wanted to get to know the British kid. In fact, the first question my academic advisor (a Philosophy professor) asked me was, "So you're from England...how are you finding it here so far? Is it like Love Actually?". If you've seen that movie you'll know what he was talking about.

I'm not going to sugar-coat this; UVa definitely seems pretty homogeneous - the stereotypical UVa student is white, middle class and raised in Northern Virginia. That's not to say that there are lots of other cultures that aren't represented here, but again, they're a little harder to find. This leads on to my single most important piece of advice for all prospective UVa student but especially international students - DON'T CLUSTER. Sure, be friends with people from the same backgrounds (e.g. race, culture, language, socio-economic status), it's understandable because you find common ground with them but please, please, please don't let it completely dominate your social life - make the effort and meet new people outside of these groups, I promise you wont regret it!

Oh and for all you English guys who wanted to know the answer to the question my advisor asked me, I'm sorry but you'll just have to find out when you get here.


I love it here at UVa, and if you come in with the right attitude, you will too.



Good luck in your decision making - I remember it being stressful, but take solace in the fact that chances are, wherever you go, you are going to have a blast.

Have fun - these are supposedly the best years of our lives.

Alex

Olla!

Hello friends from all over the world! :)

By now, you should have known the results of your university applications. We still remember how hard it was in deciding which school you want to spend the next four years of your life at. It’s all the more confusing for international students who may not be familiar with American schools. That’s why we came together to create this blog, just for you, so that you can have a glimpse of what UVA is really like for international students! We hope the blog can help you in your decision-making.

If you have any further questions, or if you just want to chat with one of us, don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at uva.blog@gmail.com!


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