Back to Classes!

Well, I have finally started the last year of my undergraduate experience and now I must officially call myself a "fourth year". Doesn't seem too long ago that I was first exploring the grounds here, desperately attempting to find my first class and trying to figure out that MRY meant Maury Hall, home to the International Studies Office but also where I would be taking a religion course. Now, well versed in the campus, I find myself walking around grounds as a fourth year, familiar with it all and constantly running into first year students completely lost and frantically trying to find their first classes. (Don't worry, I usually calm them down and point them in the right direction.) I'm also well versed in classes: I know which ones actually require you to do the reading and for which ones you don't really need to buy books. I know which professors will let you switch around your exam schedule if you want to and which will freak out if you're 30 seconds late for class. I know that even though professors threaten to give pop quizzes, they probably won't remember to do so. It's great to finally have a schedule where my weekends start at noon on Thursday. It's great to have class events planned at bars. It's great to take classes like "Memory Distortion" and "Unforgettable Lecture Series: the Best Lectures of UVA" and do an independent study with my favorite professor. It's great to have two final exams and one paper to do for the entire semester. It's great that my books totalled only $75.90. It's great... to be a fourth year! But at the same time, it's weird to think that I only have 8 months left. It's weird that I just finished my "Last First Day of School". It's weird that instead of taking 5 classes, I am taking 3 and doing an internship at an organization in Charlottesville. And while it's a bit weird, it's also really cool that students in their fourth year spend every minute as though it's their last. Every minute is precious. The Last Home Football Game. The Last Dining Hall Brunch. The Last Spring Break. The Last Final Exam. I'm so jealous of the first years here- they have four incredible years ahead of them. I just wish I had taken advantage of every day that I had here, but now, I guess I'll just do my best in making fourth year the best yet!

While this week has been a bit hotter this week than usual, one of the best parts about Charlottesville in the summer is the weather! Lots of students stick around in the summer and it's always nice to get outside and enjoy it! From hiking to boating, biking to picnicing, there are always great spots around town to enjoy the weather. Here are just some of the ways I, and the others, have chosen to enjoy the outdoors this summer:

Tubing down the James River: Because it has been pretty hot recently, my friends and I went tubing down the James River last Saturday. We had a cooler in one tube and us in the others and just spent the afternoon floating along, enjoying the weather, some tanning (or burning... in my case), and cool drinks. The drive is only about 20 minutes, it's cheap, and loads of fun.

Hiking/Biking in the Blue Ridge Mountains: The Riviana Trail runs through the Blue Ridge Mountains, no more than 15 minutes from UVa. My boyfriend and I went hiking up there last week and even brought lunch so we could picnic at the top of the mountain. The weather was great and the view was incredible! Some students are always up there going mountain biking too.

Canoeing, Kayaking, Stargazing: The Blue Ridge Mountains are also home to lots of open lakes for water sports or open fields for stargazing at night. With warm mornings and evenings too, these events are great before or after work/classes in the summer.

Peach, Strawberry, Blackberry, and Cherry Picking: Chiles Orchard in Crozet, 20 minutes from here, is a great place to pick your own fresh berries and fruit in the summer. During the fall, Carter Mountain is a great place for apple picking as well! A laid-back event with a tasty ending! Don't want to pick it yourself?....

Saturday Farmer's Market at the Downtown Mall: Every Saturday morning, different Virginia farms come to Charlottesville for and outdoor market, selling fresh produce, and other foods. I go every Saturday morning and get great food for weekend picnics and dinners with my friends. I even picked up some fresh hummus and bread the last time I was there!

Movies in the Amphitheatre: Every so often in the amphitheatre at UVa, the University Programs Council will set up a big screen and have outdoor movies for the students in town for the summer. A great, free, event to do with your friends on a warm summer night.

The Charlottesville Pavilion: At the end of the Downtown Mall is an outdoor pavilion that hosts lots of great concerts and events during the summer. This summer, Josh Ritter and Rufus Wainwright, among others, will be coming for different concerts.

There is a ton to do here... this is just a small taste of Charlottesville activities in the summer. Come by and see for yourself!

Fridays After Five

One of the best things to do in Charlottesville between April and September is going to the Downtown Mall for Fridays After Five. A staple summer tradition, these are a series of FREE concerts in the open-air Charlottesville Pavilion, with mostly local and regional bands playing everything from blues to rock to reaggae. People from all ages go to enjoy the music, the environment, and the wine tasting that takes place in the Pavilion as well.
A couple of weeks ago, the six of us actually went and visited Meagan, who was working a wine stand; unfortunately, only Cate and I were able to savour the wine because we were the only over-21 peeps. We ate dumplings before in the Downtown Mall followed by delicious gelato (both of which are another must). Afterwards, we danced (or at least the others tried) to salsa music played by an awesome band.
As you can tell, the Downtown Mall is full of great activities throughout the year that you should definitely check out next time you're in town, or once you're a student. For more info about the Charlottesville Pavilion and Fridays After Five, check out http://www.charlottesvillepavilion.com/

HEYYYYY!!

Hi guys! I'm way excited about this blog, because it gives ya'll a chance to speak to students while going through the admissions process which I think is extremely important and was something I really wanted out of my search! Let me start by introducing myself...My name is Meagan Kraus and I am a rising fourth year (sniff), so I will be graduating in a year, which is extremely scary. I am from Blacksburg, Va which is a small town in southwest Virginia and is also the home of Virginia Tech. Now I know what you're thinking: what is this girl doing at UVA coming from Blacksburg?? Well......needless to say, I absolutely fell in love with this school the second I visited it and I haven't looked back since. It has been everything I could have asked for and wanted in a college and my past three years here have been the best of my life. Being a tour guide for the Admissions office is a fantastic way for me to to share this experience with prospective students like yourself and really communicate how much I love this school! It has also been a great way for me to be involved at the University...sooooo please Please feel free to ask questions because it is one of my favorite things to talk about UVA so i would be more than happy to talk to you!

Hi y'all!

My name is Emily, and I just finished my first year here at UVA. I know I had tons of questions as I was going through my college search, especially about the freshman experience, so if you have any questions or thoughts about the application process and its craziness, please send them my way! I have already become very involved in the UVA community; a few of my interests include participating in community service organizations and fellowship groups, going out with friends, enjoying the gorgeous UVA grounds, eating at the amazing restaurants here, and talking to people about how great UVA is! Please don't hestitate to ask me about any topic--I'd love to hear from you!

Rocky Says Hey

Hey hey now. Its me Rocky J. Uva has been a great place for me to learn and grow these past two years. I will be entering my third year at the university and I am uber excited. I am from Glen Allen, VA and I will be majoring in Foreign Affairs and Spanish. That is why this spring i will be ready to study abroad in Valencia, Spain. I have a bunch of interests, I like music of all sorts and I am into music around grounds. I am also a pretty involved person so if you have questions about UVA in general I will be more than happy to answer them. I also love sports, mainly football, baseball, basketball and soccer. I go to the games in all of those sports so if you'd like to find out about UVAs great teams here is another place to find out. So feel free to check back and see what Rocky (me) has to say.

Heyo!

My name is Steph -a rising 4th year from Williamsburg, Virginia majoring in Spanish and Elementary Education. Like Cate, I’m hesitant to admit that college is nearly over, but have the privilege of staying an extra year because the Education School offers a 5 year program at the end of which I will graduate with a Bachelors of Spanish and a Masters in Teaching. Better than the degrees is definitely the extra year I get to spend in Charlottesville. Questions about what to do around here? Arts and music are huge - ask about all of the concerts I have seen this past year, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Rod Stewart, or the ways I’ve enjoyed nature, from picnics at Beaver Creek to strawberry-picking. Want to know how I get involved? Ask about my favorite groups like Nicaraguan Orphan Fund or Madison House - the largest student-run service organization in the country. I've also got a store of educational experiences, from challenging professors and inspiring classmates to accounts of my summer abroad in Valencia, Spain. Let me know what YOU want to hear about, and I'll try to show how I've made Virginia everything that I wanted it to be. Keep checking back in for more postings and leave us your comments!

Bonjour! Je m'appelle Tomeka!

What's going on everyone? My name is Tomeka and I am a rising 3rd year student here at UVa! I am in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Anthropology and African&African American Studies! I am from the 757, more specifically, Hampton, Virginia. I have met so many wonderful students during my first two years at the University and I am anxious to meet many more. I enjoy working with Charlottesville youth, so when I don't have my head buried in about 7 books, I am usually working with elementary or high school aged students! I have had several great experiences during my time here, and guess what??? I LOVE sharing them with people! So, please feel free to ask me any questions that you may have about student life, my major, Grounds, Charlottesville, or just my college search experience in general. Thanks for visiting our blog, and stay tuned for much more information regarding our perspective of UVa!

Introducing... CATE!

Hey guys! My name is Cate, and I just finished my third year at the University. I'm not ready to admit that I'm almost done with my undergraduate career, so I refuse to call myself a "fourth year" yet. I am from a small town right outside New York City, and being an out-of-state student here is awesome! I am currently a psychology major and economics minor, but I have a ton of other interests that I am pursuing at the University. I am in drama productions, I study voice privately, I'm in a sorority, I spent a summer studying abroad in Italy, I work hard with many philanthropy events, and I am constantly having a ton of fun here! Like a true UVa student, I work hard and party hard! Please ask any and all questions you have for me- I promise to respond as quickly as I can. And after being a student here for the past three years, I know a lot about what it means to be a UVa student. Can't wait to hear from you!

Allow me to introduce myself

Hey guys! My name is Elio and I will be a 4th year student in the fall, majoring in Foreign Affairs (focusing in Latin America) and Environmental Thought & Practice (one of the many interdisciplinary majors offered here). I'm from Lima, Peru, so I am a full-time international student at UVA. I just wanted to introduce myself and welcome you once again to our brand new student blog. I know applying for colleges can be stressful, but you'll get through it. And I also know that you might have some questions you're not too comfortable asking an admissions counselor or a tour guide in front of strangers and your parents, so feel free to ask us anything. We, as students, want to give you an honest perspective of what it's like to be a student here at UVA so that you may have a better, more complete understanding of what UVA is like when making your college decisions. So, start sending your questions and we'll try to answer them as soon as possible.