UVa's reputation

gurlinthasticks · 04-22-2008, 04:11 PM

I am pretty admant on going to UVa, but the only thing that is bothering me is UVa's social reputation. I have read so much about the diversity and racism issues there and I want to get to the bottom of it. Should I believe what I read/see? Is Virginia Tech any better than UVA diversity-wise (it's my second choice)?

FLVADAD · 04-22-2008, 05:05 PM

Go to UVA and be done with it. The social life is great, and most comments to the contrary are vastly overstated. There is no reason pertaining to any of your concerns for you to be considering VT instead.

vicente · 04-22-2008, 07:26 PM

I'm sick of hearing White/rich/straight people telling others that because they haven't experienced any problems, there shouldn't be a problem for non-Whites / non-heterosexuals / non-rich. What they really mean is, "As long as you're white/straight/rich there shouldn't be a problem".

Would any Black / Latino / Asian / Indian / poor / gay students care to share their experiences on Grounds? Are you still able to make friends with the general majority population or do you have to look for open-minded people or people of your own minority type? Do people see you as part of a minority group first or as an individual? (think of this as being known as "the Asian guy" vs. being known as "Bill").

cavalier302 · 04-22-2008, 07:35 PM

There really aren't any meaningful problems. The student body is much more diverse, civically involved and intellectual than what you'd find at VT. I don't see how this is even a decision for you, unless VT is really rolling out the red carpet...

uvajack · 04-22-2008, 08:02 PM

I think all schools have racial issues. Saying there aren't meaningful problems, IMO, is incorrect, because there certainly are. Most whites are, as vicente alluded to, insulated from it.

BUT, you're going to find this problem at just about every school. Racism in college is NOT A UVA PROBLEM IT IS A BROAD SOCIAL ISSUE IN THE UNITED STATES.

shoebox10 · 04-22-2008, 08:23 PM

I personally know two of the gayest guys in the 2010 class, and they feel very comfortable here, and have made it clear to people, or at least the group I hang out with. Every school has some of it's own issues, but frankly, I see diversity here and I haven't encountered any problems/stories of problems.
Frankly, some of us "White/rich/straight people" are tired of hearing that the minorities are treated like dirt. They aren't, for the majority, and it's unfair to single out every single "White/rich/straight" person as a cruel person who thinks life is sweet and dandy. As a technical minority in the e-school (and trust me, being a girl in a group of boys is tough, especially when you hear "oh, we got the girl?" from across the room) I know that we're not even, but you gotta get over it and just not participate.

FLVADAD · 04-22-2008, 09:57 PM

I'm a minority and I stand by my earlier comments. Comparatively speaking, I think UVA is great.

happycollegemom · 04-22-2008, 10:28 PM

good for you, FLVADAD! i guess i just don't get it when kids actually have the honor of getting into UVA, and then worry about the this and that...would they do this about harvard? princeton? yale? same difference.
gurlin~ go to UVA and be proud and happy...stop worrying!

gurlinthasticks · 04-22-2008, 10:28 PM

See, I didn't get that vibe either when I visited the other day. I just noticed that people just associated themselves with their own ethnic groups, like at my high school, which does not have a racism problem. That's why I was wondering what people were talking about.

shoebox10 · 04-22-2008, 11:28 PM

It's all rumors. People, for some reason, think every person at UVA is stuck up and racist. For the majority, we're good people. There ARE these kind of people, don't get me wrong. I wonder if your mom ever told you the phrase: because of the 1% of bad apples, the rest have to suffer. And it's true here. There are a couple of rotten kids, but, they're few and far in between, and not all are white/rich/frat-tastic boys. Be open and you'll be fine.

db123 · 04-23-2008, 05:50 AM

I know many, many people that are considered to be minorities at UVa and all of them are happy. I've said this before and I'll repeat it again. It's up to YOU to find who you want as friends. There are many people that are open minded; there are some that come from very sheltered backgrounds and college is a cultural shock. Because UVa is such a large institution, all walks of life roam campus. Some harbor racist ideas but the vast majority do not. The atmosphere is generally one of acceptance more than hatred.

As for going to VT:
Mincer's of Charlottesville has offered University of Virginia, UVA, and Cavalier imprinted clothing, gifts and memorabilia since 1948.

and after you see that, jk, jk.

VT is a fine institution as well and it's engineering school is amazing.

gurlinthasticks · 04-23-2008, 05:59 AM

That was funny! Thanks for assuaging my worries and bad thoughts about UVA.

db123 · 04-23-2008, 08:37 AM

my favorite part is on the bottom of the shirt it says "Partners for a Hokie Free America" hahahaha.

gurlinthasticks · 04-23-2008, 06:41 PM

that brings my attention to another question: is the uva-vt rivalry originate from football??? (terrible for a prospective student to not know this, sorry!)

btw...im about to fill out my uva acceptance letters

shoebox10 · 04-23-2008, 06:45 PM

No. The rivalry exists because there at one point was nothing better to do in Blacksburg and C'ville =P Just kidding. There's not a huge rivalry, per-say, but there is sort of a "oh, them!" type thing. It's mostly friendly neighbor rivalry, and since a lot of IS kids go either place or W&M, since UVA/VT/W&M are the top schools to draw in students in VA (for VT, it's engineering program makes it top). Thus, my guess is a lot of the "rivalry" comes from friends who go to one of the two schools and jibe at the other. Beyond that, and the annual football game and occasional bball game, there really isn't a ton of rivalry.