University of Virginia
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: English
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Biracial: Half Korean Half White Pansexual Female
Summary
I’m in a sorority, I go to a church once a week, and I’m part of a theatre group.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Biracial: Half Korean Half White
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual
High School Experience: Pubic school in Northern Virginia with a graduating class of about 550 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: No
Major: English
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a sorority, I go to a church once a week, and I’m part of a theatre group.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
I joined theatre right off the bat, and that’s where I met all of my best friends. It was a great way to get to know upperclassmen as well. UVA has delayed rush, so I didn’t join my sorority until the second semester of my first year. That changed my experience because I’m going to a lot more parties, and meeting a lot more people through Greek life. Through my sorority, I’ve had opportunities to get involved in volunteering. My GPA also went up when I joined the sorority because it has a good reputation, so I was hustling and studying with my sisters. The house is really nice, so I’ll go there to get a meal and hang out.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your English major?
It’s a lot of reading because you’re studying books. I was writing a decent amount too, but there weren’t worksheets or problem sets. For ENG 2500, there were three or four papers ranging in length. The most writing I did was an eight-paper final my first year in a Women and Gender Studies course.
Is there anything you think the English department does especially well or poorly academically?
The professors are super nice, accessible, and very knowledgeable. I don’t have any complaints other than it’s really big, but that’s everything at UVA.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
In general, UVA is super competitive. I came in my first year not knowing what I wanted to major in, and I ended up changing my mind two or three times. Everyone is really smart, and there are a lot of things you have to apply for to get into. I’m not applying to the Communications school, but a girl who lives with me cries a lot over it, which is very sad. People at the university are very well off, so there’s a lot of stress trying to keep up appearances. It’s competitive holistically, not just in terms of academics. [About 67% of students come from families in the top 20%.]
In terms of the English major, I’d say it’s a lot less competitive. I think people are stressed out because your job isn’t guaranteed after work. People are very collaborative. A big group of us would study together before a big exam, and we’d send each other study guides.
How accessible are your professors?
They’ve been pretty accessible. Everyone has been very clear about office hours. I had one professor where I showed up to her office hours, but she was sick and forgot to send us an email, so I emailed her and she arranged a time to meet with me outside of office hours. It’s up to the student to be proactive.
Reasons to Attend
1) If you’re a college sports fan you can go to tailgates, basketball, and football games.
2) I’m an in-state student, so the bang for your buck is amazing. I’m getting a really awesome education, and it’s not a huge financial burden for us. It’s not something I would’ve done if I chose an out-of-state school.
3) The alumni network and the camaraderie. When I wear my UVA gear and see someone far away wearing something UVA, it’s really cool to be part of a great tradition.
4) It has an amazing reputation.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re someone who needs a lot of individual attention, it may not be the school for you. It’s so big and you need to be proactive.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Gooch/Dillard with one roommate and two suitemates.
Sophomore: Lambeth Field Apartments in a single because my roommate transferred over the summer. There was supposed to be two other girls in the apartment.
Can you describe the level of safety on and around campus?
Because I’m a girl I’ve always been conscientious about safety. I always try to go out in groups, and in the rare occasion I’m by myself at night I’m on high alert. There are some areas that aren’t well lit, such as from where the sorority houses end to where Beta Bridge begins isn’t well lit at all.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend or nightlife activities do you like to participate in?
Since I’m in Greek life I take part in the party circuit, especially frat parties and date functions. On a typical weekend, I go out Friday and Saturday nights, and sometimes on Thursdays. I’ll go to theatre parties every now and then, and those are also held in houses. I’ll go to a darty or a tailgate if a game or something is happening. I don’t really go to bars. My sorority will typically have a mixer with a frat, and I’ll go to that at around 9-9:30. The actual parties start around 10-10:30. I’ll stay out and go to a party or two, and I’ll call it a night around 2 AM. I might go to Sheets, or go straight home.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
It’s pretty big. I’m biased because I’m in Greek life, and that is most of the parties I go to. If you’re not in Greek life, there are still parties held by every organization, such as the Outdoors Clubs or Theatre Clubs. Greek life has the biggest parties and there will be something happening every weekend.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Is there much of an LGBT nightlife scene at UVA?
Because I swing both ways, I’ll get a lot of male attention in Greek life. There is a gay frat on the grounds, and I’ve been to their parties, but it’s the same people every week and I don’t go as often because I won’t meet anyone new. A lot of people in the gay community are very much closeted or don’t want to go out to gay parties.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m decently happy with it. I’m a big extrovert, so there’s always something to do. If a fraternity party is full and you’re a pretty girl, you’re going to get in. Having to negotiate for my guy friends, or making sure there was a decent ratio is annoying.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met my closest friend through [my theatre group]. She did tech and I was acting, so I knew about her. When I would see her at Queer events I’d say hi because she was a friendly face. I lived in Dillard and she lived in Gooch, so I’d see her on the bus. I met her and a bunch of other girls through theatre and Gooch/Dillard. We became friends because of convenience, and they ended up being my closest friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
It’s heteronormative, no buts about it. It’s just a very gendered environment and I know people aren’t always comfortable being out. The social scene is pretty healthy, and as I said earlier, there’s something to do every weekend. A lot of it is related to Greek life. I don’t think it’s anything too off the walls.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I went to a Black fraternity party my first year with my Black friends. There are spaces for people of color, but it’s a bigger hassle because they don’t have their own houses, so they have to rent space and jump through all these hoops that the IFC fraternities don’t have to go through. The frats I go to are generally friendly to people of color, but you could have a weird incident every now and then. In terms of Queer people, my gay male friends aren’t always going to have a good time at frats because they don’t look like the fraternity brothers and kind of stick out. You can’t really flirt with people of the same sex, but no one really cares if you’re Queer at the theatre parties. There are also gay fraternity parties, but they are much smaller.
When I came to the university I found a culture that is very respectful of different identities. The university’s attitude is more left leaning so that was reassuring knowing if something were to happen other students would have my back. Even so, with right wing protests and stuff, the university doesn’t always handle it right. [About 58% of students are White.]
How would you describe the LGBTQ community? How strong is it?
It’s tiny. Someone made a GroupMe of all the gay students on campus, and the fact that we can fit in one GroupMe is hilarious. A lot of people lean on being straight passing because it makes your life easier at UVA. People take you more seriously.
How do you like the size of UVA in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [UVA has about 16,000 undergraduates.]
It’s alright. When I was searching for colleges, I was looking at a lot of smaller schools, and I really liked how the classes were smaller. It can be really intimidating going to a lecture of 300 people. It’s also nice that I can do stuff like Greek life because I go to a big school, and if you’re dating, there’s a pretty big pond of fish to choose from. At the same time, I’m constantly running into people all the time. It’s big in numbers, but it feels a lot smaller because I know a lot of people.