When the 2020 Days on the Lawn were cancelled, we had no idea it would be two years before we could host our admitted student open houses again. To say we are excited to start the 2022 DOTL season next week would be quite an understatement! We're ecstatic!
Here are a few notes for those of you who are traveling to Charlottesville next month for Days on the Lawn:
1. The Schedule
There are all sorts of talks and sessions on the DOTL schedule, but the pace of your day is totally up to you. Some students have a "divide and conquer" approach, sending a parent to one session while they go to a different one. Others take a more leisurely approach. This is a day to get the information you need to make a decision about attending UVA and if that includes meandering around the gardens or hanging out on a patio for a while, that's just fine.
2. Parking
We sent detailed information about parking and registration by email. Please read that information carefully and share it with the person coming with you. Visiting on a Days on the Lawn day is not the same as on other days. If you're driving, you'll be parking and checking in at John Paul Jones Arena and taking a shuttle to Central Grounds. If walking, you'll be checking in at the Rotunda. Keep in mind that you'll be arriving when many locals are commuting, so please leave some extra time for traffic.
3. Dress Comfortably
You will probably be doing a lot of walking on your DOTL day, so wear comfortable shoes. It will most likely be cold in the mornings and warm up over the course of the day, so be prepared by dressing layers.
4. Don't Miss the Student Social
There is a students-only social in Garden 9 (it's marked on the map we'll give you at check-in) at 1 PM each DOTL day. There will be snacks, games, and some current students there to chat. I usually try to stop by with Jack for a bit, too. Just a heads up that Jack believes he is an excellent corn hole partner.
5. About Dorms
You can walk around the housing area, but we aren't able to have dorm tours this year. Luckily, there are video tours showing the different types of residence halls on the UVA Housing youtube channel. Housing will have a tent set up to field your questions at DOTL.
There are also some tours on the WUVA youtube channel (that's a great channel to get a sense of student life here, by the way).
The number of current students, staff, and faculty who have signed up to take part in DOTL is probably over 100 right now and everyone else at UVA realizes what day it is pretty quickly. If you need help or have questions, the student volunteers will be in a special t-shirt (orange for most, blue for the team leaders) and admission staff members will have nametags on.
If you need anything from our team, you can email adm-days@virginia.edu in advance of your DOTL day. During DOTL, you'll probably see an admission officer at most sessions, but we will always have people at Peabody to help visitors.
Safe travels! We can't wait to see you!