University of Virginia Reviews

"UVA is a school with a southern, colonial charm. It's a large enough public university that it gives you the opportunity to choose from a lot of fields to study."

"Part of history, architecture, politics. Great alumni and education!"

"This was a great program to obtain both my teaching certification and my Master's of Education. I was able to work, raise my children, and complete this program both in person and online."

"A big school, but a close knit education community. Good professors. The education program gives the best experience you could hope for because they get you out in the classroom!"

"I loved my college and my experience while attending. It has helped me move forward in my career."

"I liked college, it was really fun for the parties. The classes were difficult."

"it is very educational, and safe, excellent teachers and science"

"The University of Virginia provided a well-rounded education. I was exposed to lots of fields of study before deciding on a major. UVA is one of the top universities in the country, with beautiful Grounds and insightful faculty."

"It was expensive,boring and all the lessons they taught were useless"

"State of the art equipment. Lecturers well prepared. Extensive staff support, great class preparation, enjoyable transport facilities between schools, faculties and surrounding shops, on-campus accommodation, transport facility to off campus residences,"

"Buyer Beware: It would be tough to recommend this school for a variety of reasons. First, class sizes are quite large (expect to be in core classes of 40+ students). To go with this, professors rarely read or provide substantive feedback on major course projects. Instead students are left feedback by fellow student TAs and this poses difficulties when many employers request writing samples. Second, experienced and often award winning professors teach few classes at the school. Instead, the school relies on very new faculty, sometimes without terminal degrees in the fields they teach, to convey material to students. Lastly, the school lacks substantive networks to help students secure employment (perhaps expected for a new school) and this is compounded by the fact that professors rarely if ever use their professional connections to help students get jobs. This, combined with ineffectual career services, causes many students to obtain employment far outside of the areas in which they are interested. These factors, combined with location, make the Batten School a poor choice for those truly passionate about pursuing careers in public policy. Instead, prospective students should look for opportunities in the DC area (or other area with policy jobs in which they are interested) to obtain meaningful, year-round internships that can lead to employment while still being fully engaged in the campus community.Read Less"

"UVA is a uniquely special school, a wonderful "academic village" (as Thomas Jefferson called it) where students and faculty can join together to learn and grow. Virginia definitely prepared me for entering post-graduate life, and the great diversity of courses allowed me to understand different cultures from around the world and approach problems with a holistic mindset, rather than a narrow, one-sided focus. UVA is an amazing school with great opportunities, no matter what you major in, and Charlottesville is an awesome town to live in! Would highly recommend.Read Less"

"Everything you've heard about UVa is true: the academics there are excellent and you have to be very intelligent (or incredibly hard-working) to succeed there, the mindset of a majority of the students is "work hard, play hard" so the weekends can get a bit wild (especially if you're involved in Greek life), and most of the students come from an upper middle class white NoVa background, so you have to expect the cliques and snobbery that comes along with that. If you're not willing to put in the work, aren't well-off, and/or are not outgoing and sociable, you will not enjoy UVa; but if rigorous classes and partying every weekend with your parents' money is your idea of a good time, you'll love UVa.Read Less"

"Wonderful experience with close group feel and welcoming environment"

"University of Virginia's renowned historical academical village coupled with its breathtaking history with Thomas Jefferson and his unique worldview lends students the opportunity to experience world-class knowledge at a public school price. The demographic is quite homogenous and the school can appear quite large and at times, overwhelming. The psychology department had overall competent professors; however, the large lecture classes and over-involvement of teacher assistant in grading an classroom management leaves the student with feeling impersonal as well as just a number in a large crowd. My viewpoint of the world expanded tremendously throughout my four year at college, and I am immensely grateful for the bright intellectuals that comprised UVA's classroom and campus.Read Less"

"UVa is full of high-achieving students. Even the supposedly easy classes are challenging; however, I would say that I have learned that teachers and peers are all willing to help you out if you reach out. It is about taking an initiative to improve. In terms of diversity, it is majority white, but you will definitely meet people from different ethnic groups and backgrounds."

"The curriculum at UVA is rigorous, and the academic competition between students is absolutely cut throat; this also applies to ALL extracurricular activities and fraternities/sororities. While the actual UVA grounds and surrounding Charlottesville, VA landscape are absolutely breathtaking, the faculty and students BOTH leave MUCH to be desired. Nearly each student believes they are the next JFK, and every professor a modern day Einstein, both of which are far from accurate. The faculty is very hands off towards students, unapproachable, and extremely hard to converse with before and after class, even during their posted supposed "office hours." They clearly DO NOT want to help students succeed, and see their job as simply a title and resume booster since UVA is very historic and academically prestigious. For all non-STEM majors, the grading is EXTREMELY biased, and professors make it blatantly obvious who their individual favorite students are (as in who is a brown noser), and who agrees with their personal worldview. Any sort of grading rubric or standard is non-existent, and they DO NOT reward hard work and well thought out papers, unless their personal philosophy happens to align with yours that is. I received a 3.87 cumulative GPA, but only after learning the hard way that EVERY professor ONLY wants to read essays, term papers, and tests which coincide with their viewpoint; and that is un-arguably reflected in your grades. The students... now they are some of the most self entitled, pretentious, fake people you will find virtually anywhere. I am currently at the Harvard Kennedy School for my Master's, and the typical students here is exponentially more down to earth, sociable, and rational than any student you will find at UVA... and even though UVA is a top 25 university... it isn't Harvard, but don't you dare tell them that.Read Less"

"I absolutely love attending the University of Virginia. The first time I set foot on the grounds, I just knew it was going to be home. The nursing school there is one of the best in the country and I'm so proud to be associated with it. I have had wonderful instructors and learned so much from doing my clinical rotations. I even got a job in the STBICU (Surgical Trauma Burn Intensive Care Unit) so that experience plus my classroom instruction will hopefully help me on my journey to becoming a trauma nurse.Read Less"

"The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy continues to prepare me for statistical and analytical analysis necessary for a career in public service."

"The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is quickly rising in the ranks of the best public policy graduate schools in the country. The small cohorts encourage bonding between the students and allows for special attention from professors. The workload is demanding but provides us a strong foundation to advance our careers. Although out-of-state tuition is considerably expensive, consider the high quality of the overall program, the University of Virginia, and city of Charlottesville.Read Less"