<p>1) The major universities of Virginia are notoriously underfunded by the state. However, a great deal of money still comes from private donors, and the university itself is humming along quite well. There have been cutbacks and freezes on pay raises, like many universities nowadays (public and private). Unlike many other universities, however, UVA did not start initiating construction until they had organized all of the funds needed, and thus many construction projects are still going on at a rapid pace. Overall, the cutbacks are not altogether noticeable.</p>
<p>2) I have not had a problem with bureaucracy at all at UVA. Most of the people you meet who work here are quite nice, and studying abroad is quite easy to do, even as a first year. Some departments are bigger than others, but so far I have not had major problems with bureaucracy. </p>
<p>3) Relations between OOS and IS students are quite normal. You will meet quite a few OOS students if you come here, both from public and private high schools. Quite frankly, OOS students generally have a reputation of being smarter than the average ISer, since everyone knows the standards for admission were higher.</p>
<p>I hope this helps!</p>