UVa A "Best Value"

From the UVa Today News Blog (1/4):

New Year, New Ranking: U.Va. is No. 3 ‘Best Value’

The first college ranking of 2010 is already upon us, and U.Va. has retained its No. 3 ranking in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance “Best Value” list of public colleges and universities. The financial magazine cited U.Va.’s financial aid program — known as AccessUVA — for keeping costs affordable in a time of rising tuition.

You can find the Kiplinger’s story here. If you want to skip to the list, click here.

Now What?

So, you've written your essays, made sure your letters of recommendation are in, and have paid the application fee. Congrats! You've applied to the University of Virginia! But now what?


Some suggestions:

1. Use this time to gather more information about the places you have applied. The UVa website is a great place to start, and the Office of Admission even has a form for you to ask a student! You can always post a question in comment to us here, too! That way, you'll be super informed by the time admissions decisions are made.

2. If you haven't already, plan a visit! Even though a lot of places have special visit days for students once they are admitted, they can be crowded! Come visit now (yes, in the cold!) to beat the crowds and have a jump start on your question-answering and decision-making. Consider staying with a student, too!

3. Start your FAFSA! FAFSA is the application for federal student aid and it is what UVa uses to determine financial aid packages. There are several steps to take before actually beginning to enter your information, so start early to make sure you're not struggling to finish up at the last minute. UVa's priority filing deadline is March 1!


You've got some time to wait, but April 1 will be here before you know it! Good luck with the rest of your senior year, and we hope to see you on Grounds soon!

What UVa Students Say...Round 3

This week's question:

What is the craziest thing you've done or learned at U.Va.?

-My roommate is from China, and a family from Virginia is hosting her for breaks. While chatting with her host mother, it turned out that her host mother's sister has lived next door to me for the last eight years. I rode bikes with their kids when I was 10. -Hillary, 1st year

-My friends and I played Hide-and-Seek in the lower levels of Clemons Library. People gave us weird looks. -Anonymous

-The Brown College Zombie Apocalypse game-I just observed someone get attacked and it was hilarious. - Tania, 2nd year

-Craziest thing would be rolling down the hills on the lawn :). Fun, even though 3 of us were rolling at once and one girl crashed into another. -Amber, 1st year

-Seeing so many squizzles. Yvonne, 1st year

Lighting of the Lawn 2009

Lighting of the Lawn is a great UVA tradition where students bundle up and gather on the Lawn to attend specialized receptions and Lawn Rooms dedicated to specific student groups. This year, HOA Member Josh Mitchell, hosted HOA in his lawn room. We had cookies, kettle corn, eggnog, cider..yum! Other receptions include one for the College of Arts and Sciences which had free COLLEGE T-Shirts, a reception for 4th years with free mugs, UPC with free water bottles..and much more!

Students then enjoy delicious snacks and drinks while listening to Acapella groups sing on the Lawn. Then around 9:30 the lights come on at the Rotunda! It's a great way to relax on the last day of classes before starting to study for finals!


From left to right: Regina, Mary, Josh, Kate

Left to Right: Mary, Yvonne, Shayla

Left to Right: Alexis, Shayla, Regina, Megan

Left to Right: (Current Exec Board - Allie): Kate, Mary, Alexis, Shayla

Part of the exec board: Allie, Shayla, Mary

The lit Rotunda!

Pictures from Wakefield HS's UVA Visit!

One of the ways HOA reaches out to high school students is to coordinate high school visits! In early November, we welcomed seniors from Wakefield High School from Arlington VA for a campus visit at U.Va. We planned an information session for them with Julie Roa, AccessUVa Coordinator, who talked about the Admissions and Financial Aid process. Then the students go on a tour of UVa. Then it's lunch time with UVa students! HOA members volunteer to be Lunch Buddies, and sit and talk with the students about student life as they eat their delicious meals. Finally, there is a student panel of HOA members who answer students' questions about classes, dorm life, and anything you can think of! If your school is interested in a campus visit, please contact Julie Roa at roaj@virginia.edu, and Hoos for Open Access will be happy to plan your visit!
HOA Student Panel

HOA Student Panel for Wakefield Students.


An info session for Wakefield High School, led by Julie Roa in the Rotunda Dome Room!

What UVa Students Say...Round 2

This week's question is:

If you could create any course at U.Va., what would it be?

-Hair and Beauty in Western Civilization. -Tania, 2nd year

-A Cantonese language course because a lot of people nowadays are very interested in China, especially southern parts of China. It will be very useful to learn Cantonese if people want to learn more about China. Also I would like to create a cooking course. Learning how to cook a meal will not only be useful but also interesting. -Yvonne, 1st year

-English lit course on Harry Potter, anonymous

-Course called Naptime. I love to sleep and I think it is crucial to success in college. -Vanessa, 1st year

-Musical Instrument learning/singing (there are only courses for those who already know an instrument, but not any classes to teach a new one or teach how to sing). I think it's like learning a new language, so there should be beginner classes for different instruments/singing. -Anonymous

“. . . You Can Always Go Downtown” by HOA Member Tiffany Hope

Hello everyone! I’m Tiffany Hope, a fourth year, pre-med, Religious Studies major here at UVa. I am also involved in several activities, from University Dance Club, to Hoos for Open Access. Additionally, I am a resident advisor (RA) in Bonnycastle, which is in the first year area affectionately known as “old dorms.”

We are currently in the middle of our finals for the fall semester, but there is still time for fun. Today, I caught up with some old friends. First, I went Downtown with one of my friends from my first-year hall taking the free trolley. We got dumplings (amazing), donuts, (eggnog flavored) and the best part is that I only spent $7 the entire day!!! Trust me, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. And my friend got a pair of shoes and two shirts just over $20 at Urban Outfitters – a total steal! While I had great fun catching up with her, the fun was just getting started.

I went to the dining hall for dinner with some of my residence staff, all of whom I love and adore. Later, another friend of mine from my first-year hall watched CBS comedies and YouTube videos back at my room. I did manage to squeeze in some study time with a class friend for our final on Friday, but it wasn’t that stressful; we ran into several friends while at the library, so there were many study breaks.

Well, that was one of the most epic days of my final year here, but there have been many others, and I am positive there will be many more to come!

Until next time . . .

Cheers,

Tiffany