UVa, Competitive and Fun!

Introduction
Uva is a great school, with academics and a lot tradition. It's not for everyone; if you don't like preppy kids or difficult classes, UVa is not for you. But, if you enjoy being challenged intellectually, love dressing up for class and like the fraternity and sorority scene, UVa is the place to be. I chose the school because of the great Undergraduate Business program. It is also a very southern school which could be good or bad, depending on yourself and football is very big here too.

Campus Life and Social Life
There are tons of clubs at UVa, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you'll find a club or many where that suit your needs. The house parties (mostly in fraternities) are great, although besides that, there are only bars which are ok. UVa although being very academic, also has good sports in almost any category. You'll spend most your weekends drinking but certain weeks, you might have to spend a night or two at the library. Academics
UVa is pretty solid all around, although I know that Business is constantly ranked within the top ten nationally. Politics, government and even Religion majors are also some of the best around. Most professors are really good and knowledgeable; they are also approachable outside of class. The TA's usually aren't that great (because they aren't much older than the undergrad students), but I don't think they are better or worse than TA's at most top ranked universities. The workload at UVa is pretty intense for most majors, so you will spend a considerable amount of time studying and writing papers, but you'll definately have free time for social events, clubs, etc.

Student Body
Most of the students are from Virginia, so they are conservative politically and personally. It is a preppy school and you'll definately see kids walking around with a pink, popped collar lacoste shirt. The campus isn't diverse (mostly caucasian, southern kids), although there are all types of people and international students, just not a large queantity of them. The kids study hard and party hard at UVa.

In Closing...
In general, UVa is a great school with a good balance of academics, partying and sports. But if you are really libreal, interested in a diverse student, body and don't really enjoy being around southerners, it may not be the school for you. Although the retention and graduation rates are really high (ie, most of the kids that start at UVa, finish at UVa).