<p>lol i always wonder why those kids even come to class</p>
<p>ha, tj9854 was that the 10-1050 physics 232? I was at that one and noticed similar things. It was pretty bland, the material of the day was really easy (photoelectric effect) and I already knew the subject backwards and forwards, but I did get to see that the professor explained it fairly well and a fair number of the kids were asking questions and listening (though one of the questions was ‘where do the electrons go…’).</p>
<p>In my EE class, a lot of students were reading the paper or sleeping, then again the lecture of that day was very dry as the professor warned me about before hand. The professor was fantastic though, and contrary to what I have heard was really interested in his students doing well. He seemed to have a close relationship with one of the students (who was also a Rodman) and knew a couple of others well (ie told me about their concentrations and what they were majoring and how they were taking it). He did seem pretty annoyed with the people that didn’t pay attention, but that also shows he cares.</p>
<p>How atrocious of a student to tell you it’s a “waste of time” to sit in a math class?! Did this come from a volunteer in the orange shirts at the admissions office/rotunda?</p>
<p>That was kind of my reaction, but I wasn’t going to argue with someone who was handing out the passes to get into the classes. It’s not as though I haven’t had experience with math in high school, either. I’ve taken two semesters of calculus and would be interested in taking a third, which is why I wanted to sit in on the course in the first place. </p>
<p>At this point, I think I am likely going to end up somewhere else this fall. After taking a long hard look at things, I had some concerns about UVA to begin with, and since the DOTL only affirmed most of my concerns, I’ve decided it might simply be better for me to enroll elsewhere. I’ll be sure to post once again if circumstances or my opinions change.</p>
<p>Just as a kind of closing point, I do want to thank everyone again for their help on this board and in this thread. This whole process has been rather trying for me–some painful rejections, waitlistings, and tough decisions–and so every bit of help and support really makes a difference. Thanks again.</p>
<p>It was the 11-11:50 Physics 102 I think. They were learning about the making of the atomic bomb, but only the nuclear fission part. It was basically all stuff I had already learned. I’m guessing that this was an easier physics class because the class before this one had all these equations that seemed like they were doing sound and harmonics. The professor seemed like a high school teacher, easy to follow and everything. No one asked questions and no one really answered any questions either, but there was this one cool demonstration which made the class somewhat worthwhile. Hopefully, not all the classes are boring at UVa…</p>
<p>When I was there for the Jefferson Scholars selection week, I sat in on some truly awful classes as well. I ultimately chose not to accept the scholarship based at least partially on my experiences with classes and my general feel for the campus as well. Good luck to you regardless of what you choose, though! Go with what feels right.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, if students aren’t given a favorable impression, they walk away disappointed in the school. That’s how UVA loses bright kids like jegan and needscissors, IMO. In general, it sounds like this Day on the Lawn could have been better executed by the school…Good luck to all!</p>
<p>I am an Echols Scholar and disappointed with this reaction. What made people feel bad about DOTL?</p>
<p>The day on the lawn just wasn’t very representative of the school b/c it was really disorganized. Maybe it was the was the weather or something…but I’m still going. UVa and Echols just seem exciting to me despite the DOTL :)</p>
<p>i remember one of the days was bad cus of the weather. But ye, echols is amazing! Im from NYC and rejected Cornell for UVA so goes to show that it is a good program, trust me…Im really interested to know whether the initial founder of this thread decided on UVA!?</p>
<p>“I’ve decided it might simply be better for me to enroll elsewhere. I’ll be sure to post once again if circumstances or my opinions change.”</p>
<p>Seeing that he hasn’t posted again, I have a feeling that he chose not to enroll at UVA. Looking at his other posts, there’s a good chance that he decided to enroll at Brigham Young.</p>
<p>My son had the same experience and decided to attend another Virginia college as a result. UVA could have done a much better job at welcoming students at the DOTL. We attended a few of these accepted students events at other colleges and UVA was definitely the worst – even though it’s the highest ranked school. It was disorganized. There was not enough parking or people to help. It wasn’t the weather … it was an attitude.</p>
<p>Just so people associated with the day know, I know people who did like their DOTL - I think if you don’t like it that may or may not mean the school isn’t for you. Certainly no school is for everyone. However some people may be unduly influenced by the DOTL IMO, when none of these events (at any school) is a true reflection of the school. If you aren’t sure, then it is good to visit at an unofficial time if possible I think, or the next best thing, talk to current students about their actual life and experience there, to try and get a feel for it.</p>
<p>That said, I think DOTL at any rate may have some room for improvement. The parking is a problem but I truly sympathize with the organizers there because I don’t see what they can do, except perhaps cap the number who can attend a session. Some more structured information sessions may help. Most of our day was unfilled, although I already knew plenty about UVA, and like it very much, although I decided to ultimately attend elsewhere. The rough spots in the DOTL were not the reason though, I just liked the other school better, size, feel, culture, etc. However I think UVA is a great school with great people, I had the luxury of choosing between two schools that I liked very much.</p>
<p>Our family attended DOTL on April 9th. The program was informative and enjoyable. It was well organized, and offered both structure and flexibility. The professsors and students on the panels were approachable and friendly. We especially enjoyed talking with several folks from the admissions office, including Dean Blackburn, Dean J and Parke Muth (also an Admissions Dean). There were a few elements of the program that could use some “tweaking”, but overall the program was quite beneficial. My son turned in his paperwork and check before leaving the Grounds (UVA was his 1st choice before DOTL). His idle moments are now spent memorizing his new computer password (who comes up with these random combinations of letters, numbers and punctuation marks?).</p>
<p>parentofthree: A very good friend of mine and her son had the same impression as you did. Her son, a NMF and Echols, was disappointed in DOTL. He especially found the attitude of the students in the class he sat in on to be quite poor; i.e., inattentive. He, too, chose to attend another VA school. UVA lost a bright, promising student.</p>
<p>it’s ridiculous how high school students expect college classes to be fun, inspiring, stimulating, etc. Some classes are like this. Most classes are not. This applies to most top schools, tons of classes are junk, but you have to take them if you want the degree.</p>
<p>UVA does not “lose” anyone. If the student did not pick the school, then the school was not for them. They overadmit carefully because some people will discover UVA is not the school they like best after getting accepted. Not everyone will accept their offer and they aren’t trying to get everyone to accept their offer. However all of the students who choose to attend did pick Virginia and they are therefore likely to work best in the community. I do not think the experience of one DOTL should be the overall way to make a decision though, all things being equal. It is not a complete picture of life at the school. As I said, the DOTL experience was only one relatively minor factor in my decision as it is info coming quite late in the game at this point, many people essentially have their minds made up before going anyway which will color the experience. </p>
<p>I agree with Untilted, also you have to keep in mind that you can’t expect to just jump in a class one day, you have no idea what’s going on, and it could be a slow day, it does not mean that every other day of the year the class was not engaging. It is better to ask students in the respective department you are interested in what their experience in class is, in addition to sitting in. I noticed a lot of the UVA classes offered for sitting in the day I went were the freshmen introduction to writing courses. I’m pretty sure that those would be the most boring classes you’d take in all four years. Not a great way to judge what your overall experience will be like, considering a score above 700 on the writing SAT portion waives the requirement and most schools have boring freshmen requirements like that, however in some ways they are necessary and helpful.</p>
<p>Yeah I mean, I wanted to go to UVA before DOTL and its not like a cruddy day would have changed my mind. I actually very much enjoyed my DOTL though…I dunno what everyones problem is. I sat in on an interesting astronomy course.</p>
<p>a bunch of kids came to sit in on my astro class one friday but we were having a test! it was funny. better yet was the day the prof brought his son. i was like… man that kid is young for college. i seriously should have noticed some smart 12 year old before! then i realized it was his kid when he walked over. lol.</p>
<p>I had a 12-year-old TA once. College is wierd like that.</p>
<p>wt*?! (10chrs)</p>