<p>My understanding is that they will no longer base the housing applications on who gets them in first (because richer students often submitted them early, while those who were waiting for financial aid information did not). The applications I believe will also ask for your race, so that housing can ensure a reflective balance. </p>
<p>Advantages to New Dorms:
Rooms are bigger, have more light, have bigger closets, and have a suite room which you can decorate. They have more privacy, and you are much less likely to get woken up by druken people running in your hall because there are only ten people able to come into your suite.
10 minute walk to the lawn.
Advantages to Old Dorms:
5 minute walk to the lawn. </p>
<p>It is really pointless to ask a UVa student this, because each one is inevitably biased towards the place he or she lived (Maupin pride, hecks yes). Unless you live in Hereford, which everyone admits is plain awful. There are stereotypes, but I’m hoping these will change next year, so I’m not going to repeat them.</p>
<p>I think you’ll really like the IRC though. I have 3 friends who live there and love it. You’ll have a nice common area and kitchen and stuff and it’s not very far from classes.
I think I feel bad for the incoming first years. No echols pre reg, no dorm choices, more hereford 1st year dorms, etc etc. haha.</p>
<p>So I was wondering what you, a current Echols scholar, think the advantages to the program are. I’ve heard that many of the advantages or changing and whatnot. What do you think are the major perks of your situation, in your opinion?</p>
<p>Well, its a question that will have answers, some of which wont be effective for echols scholars entering in fall 2007. That perk is pre-registration priority for all other students. Now the system is changed so that starting with class of 2011, the pre-reg perk is only available for priority within that person’s class (aka class of 2011). So basically ull have priority over a much smaller group of people instead of the whole school. Being a current echols scholar for people in class of 2010 and below basically gives me first dibs on classes, which means i can get the best classes that fill up REALLY fast and this is so important in college (to get good classes). Also, it appears on my transcript and diploma. Um…there really isnt much else. Oh and they put us all together in Webb, Watson or Maupin (where i live). We also are allowed to take upper level classes like 3 and 4 year level and beyond that other first years wont be able to because we have echols written everywhere. Professors have record of it. ALSO, NO REQUIREMENTS. I can take whatever i want. So far i havent taken a math class and i dont plan to because i hate math! So ye, thats a HUGE perk. Otherwise i wouldve been tortured by being required to take a certain number of math, science, etc courses.</p>
<p>You can get out of the Echols housing if you have a good reason. If you plan on trying to maintain the kind of social life I looked forward to out of HS (beer, girls, tomfoolery), then make something up and try to get into old dorms. New dorms (especially Echols dorms) are incredibly lame, unless you like World of Warcraft and D&D.</p>
<p>Bklyn2Cornell,
Thanks for the info. I will tell my son about the lack of requirements (open curriculum) for Echols students. Although he likes most subjects (including math), he likes being in control of his own education and has been taking enrichment classes since 7th grade (just because he wanted to explore subjects not offered in his school). Not that he has gotten in to Echols or UVA for that matter, but it will give him something to think about. Perhaps he already knows about this but it’s news to me.</p>
<p>Yea, the living arrangements were one thing I wanted to ask about. What are your opinions on it? Is it a good thing? Do you have stereotypical homebody nerds and a significantly less social life than living in other dorms, or is it pretty much the same? And you can opt out of it, how does that work? If there’s a choice as to whether or not to live with the rest of the echols, what would you recommend?
Thanks SO much for answering all these questions.</p>
<p>A girl in Echols applied to Brown and got in, but they put her in Echols housing anyways. I think it’s really hard to get out of it. Besides you can’t choose old/new dorms anyways anymore so I don’t really see the problem. Most people I know in Echols liked it though. I’ve never heard of it being more geeky than other dorms. I can’t really peg people for echols or not, you usually have to ask or be told (read: they are just as cool/geeky as anyone else here).</p>
<p>I will say that Echols are no less social than others. I have an amazing social life and proud of it. It depends not on where you live, but your personality. There are antisocial people everywhere. It doesnt matter where you live. The only difference is that in old dorms, people act stupid in the halls. But in new dorms, we dont have halls, we have like suites. That isnt conducive for ■■■■■■■■ behavior however, there is all sorts of activity within a suite. It really depends. My social life doesnt revolve around my living quarters. With all due respect, anyone who is so concerned about their social scene around their living quarters will probably end up having that be the extent of their social life. In other words. you GO OUT like normal people do. Maybe thats just me, cus im from New York City and used to that </p>
<p>As for opting out…theres no point. Why? Just live with other echols. You’ll build relationships with other echols for 4 years. I dont get this Echols self-hating complex that exists. A person who receives echols should be damn proud of it cus it was well deserved and im sick of this rhetoric on CC (by people who will remain nameless) who constantly attack New Dorms and Echols kids. It all stems from jealousy. </p>
<p>As for random housing, why is it so bad to have random housing? Is it because people truly are racist? Of course they are. Today, an editorial in the CavDaily by none other than a conservative writer said…" why should people have positive views of racial differences be imposed on them." This blatantly means, if ur racist, why cant u just be left alone and be racist? Why must the university randomize housing so you dont alienate yourself away from people racially different from you because you have prejudices against them. Lets not forget why we go to a university like UVA, to EXPAND our minds, not to remain limited, ignorant, bigots in our views. I find it absurd that parents specifically complain to housing if their children are placed in New Dorms. It happens all the time. Its called elitist racist legacies whos mommy and/or daddy lived in Old Dorms and who want their kids to be like momma’s girl or papa’s good ol’ boy. I think its disgusting. Deal with diversity! You’ll deal with it every day in the real world. Maybe ull learn something useful for a change. I fully support randomized housing and an end to this self-segregation of white elitists (ol’ boys clubs) in Old Dorms.</p>
<p>btw, im 14 posts away from having 1,000. This is since being a member for just under 2 years here at CC. I was a HS Junior when i joined. Oh the memories…Do i become a Senior Member after 1,000? Are there any perks to that? Haha, any special interests?</p>
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