SO YOU'RE not from Virginia. Welcome to the Thirty-five Percent Club, because only about 35 percent of us come from somewhere outside of the Old Dominion, which is one of Virginia's nicknames. The first thing you need to be aware of is that you will start picking up useless information like that as soon as you get here. Now, I too am an out-of-stater, and I wish that someone had given me a little advice on what to expect at the University of Virginia. So, without further ado, I present:
Kristin's Useful Advice for the Non-Virginian
1. "Nova" stands for "Northern Virginia" and is not, as I originally thought, some gigantic city in Virginia that I somehow had never heard of but from which everyone seems to come. This is really important to know, because I guarantee that you will hear "I'm from Nova," "Hey, me too" over and over again for at least two months.
2. When you get to school, it's going to seem like everyone in Virginia knows each other. Do not be intimidated by this. I seriously think there's a law in Virginia that says everyone has to meet everyone else before they go to college. You'll find that this person went to high school with this person, who knows this person from Governor's School (I still don't know what that is), who met your roommate at the beach in seventh grade, and, omigod, still has the pictures. Do not let this bother you -- people already think you're cool because you're from somewhere other than Fairfax County.
3. You will learn the names of Virginia counties very quickly.
4. "TJ" stands for Thomas Jefferson High School, and undoubtedly you will run into someone who went there. The school sends over a hundred kids to the University each year. There are other high schools that also send lots of people. But do not worry. Hanging out with your high school friends is cool for about three days. By the time classes start, these people will have realized that college is a time to branch out, not sit around and talk about how senior year was so awesome.
5. Don't write off those people who still hang with their high school friends. They're usually very nice people, and their connections can be a great way to meet new people. You'll find that in the beginning, everyone is looking to make a new friend, and you won't be excluded.
6. Get involved. I really can't stress that enough. And I don't mean in the I'm-going-to-join-every-club-in-existence-because-I've-heard-it-will-get-me-on-the-Lawn-even-though-I-don't-really-know-what-that-means kind of way. Find something that you really enjoy -- a team, a club, a fraternity, anything and really put effort into it. The University can sometimes be overwhelming to an out-of-stater, but it seems so much smaller when you have a group with which you're really involved.
7. People will think it's super cool that you're not from Virginia. Be prepared for a "wow" reaction, no matter where you're from.
8. Also be prepared for the "So, what made you come to U.Va.?" question, because you'll get it a lot. It's also best to have a good answer and not "It was pretty," which is what I usually say.
9. If you're from above the Mason-Dixon Line, Charlottesville is definitely southern. Get used to things like barbeque (which is apparently an actual food, not a cook-out), okra, "y'all" and Waffle House.
10. If you're from the South, Charlottesville is, I'm told, definitely northern. I guess you should be prepared for a significant lack of southern accents.
11. If you're from the West, well, just get used to the East Coast.
12. If you're from a particularly long distance away, I would recommend going to a friend's home for Thanksgiving or fall break. Not only is it expensive to fly or take a train home, but you might miss a great opportunity to get to know your friends better. Because you'll only know them from college, it's always interesting to see where they come from and what their families are like. Plus, as an exotic non-Virginian, you'll get treated very, very nicely.
13. U-turns are legal in Virginia.
14. It's a Commonwealth, not a state. Apparently this is a very touchy issue.
15. Some people will try to convince you that Charlottesville is a city. In fact, it's technically called the City of Charlottesville. It also gets a big dot on a map of Virginia. Do not be fooled by this. It's a small town surrounded by hills and the occasional sheep.
16. Don't ever let anyone complain about in-state tuition. Ever. If they do, I give you permission to beat them with the huge bag of cash you're carrying to the registrar's office.
(Kristin Brown can be reached at kbrown@cavalierdaily.com.)
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