Top Law Schools

it seems like the UVA ED can be many splitters best way into the t 14. has anyone taken the t14 or bust mentality and taken the risk of UVA EDing without ever having been to Charlottesville? not saying that i'm going to do this but with the "ED UVA" advice being giving to almost every splitter (and the fact that i doubt all these people make their way out to the school) i'm definitely curious as to whether or not anyone has just rolled the ED dice without ever visiting.

I did. I had visited like 4 years before (the UG campus) when thinking about UVA for UG.

There really isnt anything to not like about it from what i have heard. But then again i guess i have kind of been there.

I think visiting a school isn't as necessary as some people make it out to be. If you spend enough time on the internet researching, there's probably better information to justify a decision to attend somewhere than what you are going to get out of a weekend trip.

AssumptionRequired wrote:I did. I had visited like 4 years before (the UG campus) when thinking about UVA for UG.

There really isnt anything to not like about it from what i have heard. But then again i guess i have kind of been there.

There are def. things to not like. Like the fact its in the middle of the nowhere. The drive in freaked me out so much I didn't ED there. I'm not as down with the whole South thing as I thought.

I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

Tanicius wrote:I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

1. Did you just make that number up? Nowhere near 150k people
2. I'm talking about the surrounding areas, from my drive in I was a little freaked out. I admit I didn't explore much outside of the town but I'm pretty sure there's not much

I ED'ed without ever visiting, I knew it was a great school and had a reputation for being the fun T14
Charlottesville is pretty cool, I would say it is a pretty average college town but a little nicer, there's plenty of restaurants, bars, movie theaters, pretty much anything you would want

Mike12188 wrote:

Tanicius wrote:I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

2. I'm talking about the surrounding areas, from my drive in I was a little freaked out. I admit I didn't explore much outside of the town but I'm pretty sure there's not much

That caught my attention.. what do you mean, you got freaked out, if you don't mind me asking? I'm intrigued, as I've never been to UVA or anywhere remotely close but applied RD.

Mike12188 wrote:

Tanicius wrote:I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

1. Did you just make that number up? Nowhere near 150k people
2. I'm talking about the surrounding areas, from my drive in I was a little freaked out. I admit I didn't explore much outside of the town but I'm pretty sure there's not much

(1) The 10 square mile city is 35K + UVa's 25k and the surrounding county, Albemarle (where the majority of the population lives and in which many of the businesses are located) contains ~ 90k. So, the 150K in the immediate metro area (~100 square mile) is a fair assessment. Probably also worth mentioning that Charlottesville is 60 miles from a 1M greater metropolitan area (Richmond (city=200k + 3 surrounding counties ~ 800k) and 90 miles from the multimillion person metroplex that is DC.

(2) Not sure how your drive could freak you out. If you came down from DC, then you had a 1.5 hour drive through beautiful rolling hills paralleling the blue ridge (which, honestly, is a similar to driving through the countryside in PA, NY, New England). If you came in from Richmond, then you spent 60 minutes on a tree lined interstate.

Mike12188 wrote:

AssumptionRequired wrote:I did. I had visited like 4 years before (the UG campus) when thinking about UVA for UG.

There really isnt anything to not like about it from what i have heard. But then again i guess i have kind of been there.

There are def. things to not like. Like the fact its in the middle of the nowhere. The drive in freaked me out so much I didn't ED there. I'm not as down with the whole South thing as I thought.

lol at VA being considered in the South. I guess Charlottesville is a bit out of the way but VA as a state has not of the negative )or positive) stereotypes of a southern state within 100 miles of the coast.

@ OP I would recommend visiting a school before you ED but don't think it is impossible to have a good idea without it. With places like TLS you can talk to current students and probably in a more honest environment than you would at a school -- they might be more likely to tell you any negatives than in the middle of there campus.

Agree with the above. If you aren't afraid of living in a smaller city, you'll love Charlottesville.

vamedic03 wrote:

Mike12188 wrote:

Tanicius wrote:I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

1. Did you just make that number up? Nowhere near 150k people
2. I'm talking about the surrounding areas, from my drive in I was a little freaked out. I admit I didn't explore much outside of the town but I'm pretty sure there's not much

(1) The 10 square mile city is 35K + UVa's 25k and the surrounding county, Albemarle (where the majority of the population lives and in which many of the businesses are located) contains ~ 90k. So, the 150K in the immediate metro area (~100 square mile) is a fair assessment. Probably also worth mentioning that Charlottesville is 60 miles from a 1M greater metropolitan area (Richmond (city=200k + 3 surrounding counties ~ 800k) and 90 miles from the multimillion person metroplex that is DC.

(2) Not sure how your drive could freak you out. If you came down from DC, then you had a 1.5 hour drive through beautiful rolling hills paralleling the blue ridge (which, honestly, is a similar to driving through the countryside in PA, NY, New England). If you came in from Richmond, then you spent 60 minutes on a tree lined interstate.

gonna nitpick a little bit and point out that tanicius said town, and you're saying that the county has 150k. i've lived in towns of about ~150k, and in towns of ~50k, and c'ville feels a lot more like a ~50k town. it's not a bad place to live at all, and i've rather enjoyed my time here, but i wouldn't want anyone to come here expecting a bustling mid sized city, cuz this aint it. it's actually similar in many respects to the suburb in new jersey where i grew up, except for being a college town and being more southern culturally.

vamedic03 wrote:

Mike12188 wrote:

Tanicius wrote:I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

1. Did you just make that number up? Nowhere near 150k people
2. I'm talking about the surrounding areas, from my drive in I was a little freaked out. I admit I didn't explore much outside of the town but I'm pretty sure there's not much

(1) The 10 square mile city is 35K + UVa's 25k and the surrounding county, Albemarle (where the majority of the population lives and in which many of the businesses are located) contains ~ 90k. So, the 150K in the immediate metro area (~100 square mile) is a fair assessment. Probably also worth mentioning that Charlottesville is 60 miles from a 1M greater metropolitan area (Richmond (city=200k + 3 surrounding counties ~ 800k) and 90 miles from the multimillion person metroplex that is DC.

(2) Not sure how your drive could freak you out. If you came down from DC, then you had a 1.5 hour drive through beautiful rolling hills paralleling the blue ridge (which, honestly, is a similar to driving through the countryside in PA, NY, New England). If you came in from Richmond, then you spent 60 minutes on a tree lined interstate.

Let me clarify, if you ever been to South Jersey that freaks me out too lol, like through the Pine Barrons and shit. I came from NJ, so the last 1.5 hours was absolutely nothing. I'm not down with the country unless it's just a vacation, that's all. I'm not saying it sucks, just not my cup of tea.

AreJay711 wrote:

Mike12188 wrote:

AssumptionRequired wrote:I did. I had visited like 4 years before (the UG campus) when thinking about UVA for UG.

There really isnt anything to not like about it from what i have heard. But then again i guess i have kind of been there.

There are def. things to not like. Like the fact its in the middle of the nowhere. The drive in freaked me out so much I didn't ED there. I'm not as down with the whole South thing as I thought.

lol at VA being considered in the South. I guess Charlottesville is a bit out of the way but VA as a state has not of the negative )or positive) stereotypes of a southern state within 100 miles of the coast.

@ OP I would recommend visiting a school before you ED but don't think it is impossible to have a good idea without it. With places like TLS you can talk to current students and probably in a more honest environment than you would at a school -- they might be more likely to tell you any negatives than in the middle of there campus.

Yea I wouldn't consider VA south, just Charlottesville had that Southern little town feel to me. I've been to other parts of VA and liked it.

arism87 wrote:Agree with the above. If you aren't afraid of living in a smaller city, you'll love Charlottesville.

Again, its not the small town I don't like. I live in a town of about 50k people now. It's a Jersey thing lol


EDIT: I'm not trying to argue with anyone, I would just suggest someone visiting before EDing anywhere.

dailygrind wrote:

vamedic03 wrote:

Mike12188 wrote:

Tanicius wrote:I get why people have this opinion of a town of 150,000 people as "in the middle of nowhere," but I still lol at them.

1. Did you just make that number up? Nowhere near 150k people
2. I'm talking about the surrounding areas, from my drive in I was a little freaked out. I admit I didn't explore much outside of the town but I'm pretty sure there's not much

(1) The 10 square mile city is 35K + UVa's 25k and the surrounding county, Albemarle (where the majority of the population lives and in which many of the businesses are located) contains ~ 90k. So, the 150K in the immediate metro area (~100 square mile) is a fair assessment. Probably also worth mentioning that Charlottesville is 60 miles from a 1M greater metropolitan area (Richmond (city=200k + 3 surrounding counties ~ 800k) and 90 miles from the multimillion person metroplex that is DC.

(2) Not sure how your drive could freak you out. If you came down from DC, then you had a 1.5 hour drive through beautiful rolling hills paralleling the blue ridge (which, honestly, is a similar to driving through the countryside in PA, NY, New England). If you came in from Richmond, then you spent 60 minutes on a tree lined interstate.

gonna nitpick a little bit and point out that tanicius said town, and you're saying that the county has 150k. i've lived in towns of about ~150k, and in towns of ~50k, and c'ville feels a lot more like a ~50k town. it's not a bad place to live at all, and i've rather enjoyed my time here, but i wouldn't want anyone to come here expecting a bustling mid sized city, cuz this aint it. it's actually similar in many respects to the suburb in new jersey where i grew up, except for being a college town and being more southern culturally.

Yeah, but Virginia cities tend to be smaller because we have independent cities and counties. You can't really evaluate the size of a 'city' in Virginia without accounting for the size of the surrounding county.

Edit - I should add that very few people could probably tell you where the city-county line runs. Example - the city county line runs through the middle of the law school and the middle of the central grounds. And, the Rotunda, somehow, ends up being in the county rather than the city.

I should add that very few people could probably tell you where the city-county line runs. Example - the city county line runs through the middle of the law school and the middle of the central grounds. And, the Rotunda, somehow, ends up being in the county rather than the city.

I went to UVA UG and I did not know that!! Interesting

arism87 wrote:

I should add that very few people could probably tell you where the city-county line runs. Example - the city county line runs through the middle of the law school and the middle of the central grounds. And, the Rotunda, somehow, ends up being in the county rather than the city.

I went to UVA UG and I did not know that!! Interesting

For UVA UG - old dorms are in the city, new dorms are in the county.

vamedic03 wrote:

arism87 wrote:

I should add that very few people could probably tell you where the city-county line runs. Example - the city county line runs through the middle of the law school and the middle of the central grounds. And, the Rotunda, somehow, ends up being in the county rather than the city.

I went to UVA UG and I did not know that!! Interesting

For UVA UG - old dorms are in the city, new dorms are in the county.

I think I MIGHT have known that once upon a time.. the zip codes were always confusing.

Also to add to my earlier answer: I grew up in a "city" in VA roughly the same size as Charlottesville. I would NEVER commit to spending three more years in my hometown, but will have no problem doing so in Cville (if I attend). There are a lot more opportunities, events, and people close to me in age in Cville than in similarly sized cities. I dont think size alone is a good judge, but if you need a big city for size and not amenities, this isn't it.

Hey everyone thanks for all the opinions so far. Last year I got to visit monticello and get gas in Charlottesville so I a teeny tiny taste of what the surrounding area is like. Unfortunately I was with my girlfriend who had no interest in seeing UVA so i didn't get to check out the law school. But yeah charlottesville is a little out of the way so I have a hard time imagining the whole ED class having visited first. But it seems like everyone there definitely enjoys it.

FlanAl wrote:Hey everyone thanks for all the opinions so far. Last year I got to visit monticello and get gas in Charlottesville so I a teeny tiny taste of what the surrounding area is like. Unfortunately I was with my girlfriend who had no interest in seeing UVA so i didn't get to check out the law school. But yeah charlottesville is a little out of the way so I have a hard time imagining the whole ED class having visited first. But it seems like everyone there definitely enjoys it.

Your gf didn't want you to see the school when you were right there? Boo that woman! (No offense, lol)

I enrolled at UVa without ever visiting, so that's pretty similar to your decision. I actually did not visit any school that I got into, except for Berkeley, and I visited there before I even applied.

Anyway, I'm happy with my choice.

arism87 wrote:

FlanAl wrote:Hey everyone thanks for all the opinions so far. Last year I got to visit monticello and get gas in Charlottesville so I a teeny tiny taste of what the surrounding area is like. Unfortunately I was with my girlfriend who had no interest in seeing UVA so i didn't get to check out the law school. But yeah charlottesville is a little out of the way so I have a hard time imagining the whole ED class having visited first. But it seems like everyone there definitely enjoys it.

Your gf didn't want you to see the school when you were right there? Boo that woman! (No offense, lol)

agreed. this is a big life choice. if your gf really loved u, she'd want to be there as a second opinion when u make that choice. college women are so self absorbed. then they thought i was a jerk when i didn't say i love u too.

Wow I made my girlfriend sound super lame and I totally forgot to say that she really wasn't feeling well (like threw up on the road) and was definitely being a trooper through the whole monticello tour but had no energy for UVA by the end of it.

So i'm basing my feel of UVA on monticello, hope that is pretty accurate haha

FlanAl wrote:Wow I made my girlfriend sound super lame and I totally forgot to say that she really wasn't feeling well (like threw up on the road) and was definitely being a trooper through the whole monticello tour but had no energy for UVA by the end of it.

So i'm basing my feel of UVA on monticello, hope that is pretty accurate haha

Haha this actually makes me feel better (for you, I guess)

And while I rarely like museums and the like, Monticello was super cool. I would say it is on par with the awesomeness that is UVA.. lol

looks like i'll be doing this either tomorrow or the next day (taking an application break to go on tls, haha) so I have a few more questions for you all, and if you think I should post these in another thread please let me know. i'm pretty sure uva is my best shot at the top 10 with my numbers ("above average" gpa and 170)

i decided to put those questions in the 2L taking questions thread.

I'm really curious about this as well. It's the reason why I decided not to ED, but I'm still wondering if I should change to ED...