VIRGINIA??

sean-og3

Hello,
Just wondering has anyone travelled/lived in Virginia? I may have an option to live there for three years as a phd student and would really love to hear ppls opinions on it? I'l be in Curry School of Education to be exact. Any info/opinions/warnings at all would be great!
Thanks,
Sean

cheesehead

The University of Virginia (of which Curry is a part) is consistently rated one of the top public universities in the US. For undergraduates (I don't know about graduate/PHD students), UVA (as it's known here) has very high admission standards, particularly if one applies from outside the state of Virginia. Even for prospective students who live in Virginia, it's an extremely selective admissions process - UVA has the pick of the best students the state has to offer. It's a great education at a reasonable cost - particularly when compared to the cost of comparable private universities. I don't have any specific information regarding Curry, but generally one can't go wrong with UVA.

As an aside, UVA's campus is also generally ranked as one of the nicest campuses in the nation. I've heard Charlottesville is nice, but I've never been to the area.

LostinKildare

I'm a native Virginian, and I lived in Charlottesville for four years -- did my undergraduate degree at UVA. So I know it well!

The Curry School is one of the United States's best graduate schools of education; if you are accepted, grab it with both hands. The tuition will be top-notch and your fellow students, a surprisingly diverse group, will be very good too. In spite of the competitiveness of admissions, there is a slightly laid-back feel to UVA due perhaps to its position in the South.

The campus ("the grounds") is wonderful -- built by Thomas Jefferson and beautifully preserved. The university, which is large and very wealthy, has excellent facilities of all sorts (sports facilities and gyms, libraries, theaters, radio stations, museums, etc). Charlottesville is a classic American college town teeming with bars, restaurants, music venues. The surrounding countryside is beautiful --- you're close to the Blue Ridge.

Hot in summer, cold and snowy in winter. Beautiful autumn color that people travel to see. Less rain than Ireland!

Go for it OP, you won't regret it.

sean-og3

Ah, now I understand why you are lost in kildare!! :-) Thank you very much; I am delighted to hear such a good review of the place.. I will certainly go for it and fingers crossed my GRE is enough to get me in!! Thank you...

LostinKildare

Good luck sean-og3. If you have more questions, feel free to PM me.