I'm very excited to share the first 2022 entry in a series of guest blog posts by UVA students. Tucker, a regular around Peabody Hall, is kicking things off. Keep an eye on @uva_students on Instagram for more content from Tucker and our other intern, Betsy, who you'll meet next week.
Hey everyone! My name is Tucker, and I am a third-year student at the University of Virginia studying Commerce and French. As a Student Intern at the Office of Admission, I work with the Communications team to engage with students through social media. In this blog post I’ll be introducing myself, talking about the UVA community, and also sharing more about why I made the decision to attend the University of Virginia.
I am originally from Jackson, Mississippi, so coming to UVA was intimidating for several reasons: I would be hundreds of miles from home, I didn’t know anyone attending UVA, and I would be in the minority of students not from Virginia. However, after my first month on grounds, all of those concerns had melted away, and I was left with a deep appreciation for this university and the people who also call it home.
Getting Involved
One important factor that made acclimating to life at UVA seamless was the strong communities that exist outside the classroom. Every club, organization, sports team, and activity has a vibrant social component. This emphasis on community made me feel welcome as a first year, and now, as an upperclassmen, I love sharing that welcoming energy with underclassmen as well as visitors to UVA. Some of my involvements beyond my job at the Office of Admission include the University Guide Service (which is responsible for giving historical and admissions tours of the university), Greek Life (both a pre-professional, co-ed business fraternity as well as a social fraternity), the Equity and Environment Fund (an endowment that funds projects that explore the intersection of sustainability and equity), and Days on the Lawn (our admitted student programming). In addition to these extracurriculars, I also work for the UVA Office for Sustainability, which has been a great opportunity to learn more about sustainability, to educate my peers, and to help reduce UVA’s impact on the environment.
Community and Traditions
Beyond these individual involvements and the communities associated with them, I have felt a profound sense of community at the university level as well. UVA has so many unique, fun traditions. My personal favorite is Lighting of the Lawn, which happens right before the end of the fall semester. Everyone comes to the Lawn (which is the historic center of grounds) on a December evening and watches as the Rotunda and the Academical Village is illuminated in a light show that’s synced to music. This tradition arose in the aftermath of 9/11 as an act of solidarity. Today, it cointies to bring people from across the university together. Another quintessential UVA tradition is streaking the Lawn. This happens during the cover of night randomly throughout the semester. Have something to celebrate? Streak the Lawn. UVA win a national championship? Streak the Lawn. There’s no right or wrong way to do it - it’s just an (admittedly quirky), long-standing fixture of the UVA experience for those who chose to participate. Finally, another tradition I’ll highlight is trick-or-treating on the Lawn, which is where members of the Charlottesville/Albemarle county communities come to the Lawn as students and faculty hand out candy. It is a wholesome, fun event that helps connect the UVA community with its surroundings.
The last variety of community I will touch on is the one that exists in the classroom. As a student in the School of Commerce, I have had the opportunity to get very close with members of my “block,” which is essentially a cohort of students with whom I take the core classes required for a degree in commerce. However even in other majors without a cohort system, there are so many avenues to develop friendships with peers. The academic departments try not only to help students by supporting their future professional pursuits, but also to provide opportunities to form connections with other students. Whether it’s having people to study all night with the day before a midterm or people to remind you about an assignment due the next day, the academic community at UVA fosters a sense of collaboration in a way I have found to be incredibly supportive.
Why UVA?
Now that you know a little bit more about my experience joining the UVA community, I will share why I chose UVA in the first place. I was looking for a university where I would be challenged academically and surrounded by ambitious, intelligent individuals, but I didn’t want any of that at the expense of a fun, social, and vibrant college experience. During my senior year of high school I was visiting some friends in Richmond and wanted to check out colleges nearby, so I visited UVA. I knew nothing about the university and hadn’t even considered it. But, after touring and chatting with a few students, it quickly became apparent to me that UVA was exactly what I was looking for in a school: students here have a healthy balance between their social and academic lives. Of course there were logistical factors, such as geography and finances, that I had to consider, but, of the places that I could feasibly attend, UVA was where I felt most at home.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about my journey at UVA. Please feel free to reach out to the Office of Admission should you have any questions. I also encourage all admitted students to sign up for Days on the Lawn, which is happening throughout April!