Interviews

University of Virginia

Responses from the Student Interview


From a student  who identifies as Major: English
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Bisexual Straight Female


Summary


I do some volunteering through the Madison House, I’m in the First Year Players theater organization, and I’m part of the Young Women Leaders Program where I mentor middle school girls.


Background


Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Bisexual
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Pubic school in Alexandria, VA with a graduating class of about 750 students. There was a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: English
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I do some volunteering through the Madison House, I’m in the First Year Players theater organization, and I’m part of the Young Women Leaders Program where I mentor middle school girls.
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
The Young Women Leaders Program has because I want to be a teacher so it’s a lot of learning how to advise girls and help them with their schoolwork.


Academic Experience


Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
For my most recent class, I had reading every week, about three essays a semester, and then a midterm and a final exam. It’s always just readings every week and a few essays throughout the semester.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it could be competitive just because everyone’s really driven, but I found it to be a nice environment. There are study groups within a lot of classes and those have been supportive and we all work together in those.
How accessible are your professors?
The majority of my professors have been really accessible. You can meet with them through office hours and they’re very open to meeting. I don’t often go, but they put the offer out there and when I’ve needed one-on-one time with a professor it was easy to get.
Do you think people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yeah, I think so. A lot of the classes I’ve been in are discussion-based and there are usually a variety of opinions in class.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
Reading and writing is something that always interested me and is something I looked forward to doing. I found myself naturally wanting to take a lot of English classes, so I decided that’s what I want to continue doing.


Reasons to Attend


1. There are a lot of resources for whatever you want to do
2. It’s a really supportive environment in terms of teachers and peers when you’re struggling with classes.
3. The social scene and the college itself is a really nice place and it’s easy to find your niche.


Reasons Not to Attend


1. It can be stressful, especially during midterms and finals.
2. There could be more diversity with people of color. [About 58% of students are White.]
3. Parking is difficult.


Around Campus


Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Kellogg, which is one of the new dorms, with one roommate.
Sophomore: I live in an off-campus apartment with two other roommates.
How was transitioning from Alexandria, VA to Charlottesville, VA?
It’s not very hard for me. I feel like Charlottesville is a really welcoming town, so it wasn’t too difficult. It’s a comfortable town. It’s been a really easy transition.
Can you describe the level of safety on and around campus?
I’ve never have felt in danger. There are always Ambassadors around and I’ve been able to leave my stuff around and not worry about it being taken.


Social Opportunities


What kind of weekend or nightlife activities do you like to participate in?
I like to go out to The Corner with friends to different places. I also will go to parties with my close friends. Other than that, I just hang out with my friends in their apartment.
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
I usually do things on Thursday and Friday nights because I work Sunday mornings.
Can you describe a typical night going out freshman year when you were less socially established?
I tended to go to fraternity parties more when I was a first-year. My friends and I would just go bounce around to different parties. I would also go out more and stay out later then because it was easier for me to do. I definitely stay in more now and go to the same places now. When I was a first-year, we just went wherever.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
For a lot of people, it’s a way of going out to things and they have different activities for people to go to. I don’t participate much with them at this point. I did first-year, but it doesn’t have much of an impact on me anymore. I do have some friends in Greek life so that could be an influence, but, other than that, I don’t really deal with it.
How has identifying as LGBT influenced your nightlife experience? Is there much of an LGBT nightlife scene at UVA?
It hasn’t influenced it too much. There are some Queer parties you can go to that I’ve been to that are super fun. If you are in that community, you can get Facebook invites to those and meet other people like you. Those are usually at peoples’ houses. Other than those parties, it hasn’t had a big influence.
How happy are you with the weekend options? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m happy with it. I think you can make nightlife how you want it to be. If you’re not much of a partier, you can find things to do without going out. But, if you’re a partier, there are a lot of options like fraternity parties or places on The Corner. I’ve always had a good time going out and felt pretty safe within my community and with my friends. I would just suggest that you watch out for yourself as a female at the larger fraternity parties.


Campus Culture


How did you meet your closest friends?
My really good friend was my first-year roommate and then I met all of my good friends through her. She was in First Year Players and a lot of her friends from that became my friends too.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
People are working really hard a lot of the time and studying a lot. But, it’s not too high stress because there is a lot to do in terms of social outings on the weekends. I think it’s a pretty good balance of people working hard on their schoolwork but also winding down by going out or hanging out in their apartments.
How would you describe the student body?
A lot of driven, smart people who also like to have a good time. It’s a really welcoming environment the majority of the time and there are opportunities for a lot of different kinds of people. It’s also pretty diverse in terms of thought, political stance, and just how people view things.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
At fraternity parties at least, there is a majority of White people. But, there are also fraternities for people of color. I don’t think it necessarily mixes well all the time, but there are places for people of color. For LGBTQ people, there are a lot of clubs and I’m personally in a lot of GroupMe’s and things where people can talk. But, I will say there could be a better implementation of people of color at the university in terms of membership and also organization.
How would you describe the LGBTQ community? How strong is it?
I think it’s very welcoming. It’s cool because there are so many people in these different big group chats. People are there for each other, so it’s a cool community to have. It’s nice to see what the people are talking about and know that the number of people out there that are similar to you. It’s a nice, comforting environment. The LGBTQ Center in Newcomb is really cool and people are really supportive during Pride Month too. I think it’s a good community.
How do you like the size of UVA in terms of undergraduate enrollment? [UVA has about 16,000 undergraduates.]
I think it’s a good size. It’s a big school, but I still run into people I know all the time so it feels small to me. It never felt like it’s too large or overwhelming.


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