For some students, experiencing the University once is simply not enough. After walking the Lawn in May, some Class of 2024 alumni have already returned to Grounds for postgraduate studies. Though these soon-to-be “Double Hoos” will attend graduate school at the University, their nickname represents something more than the pursuit of two University degrees. As future Double Hoos, these students build on a foundation they laid as undergraduates, expanding their communities, memories and connections at the University.
After bidding adieu to her undergraduate years, Rana Yu, Law student and Class of 2024 alumna, keeps having to pinch herself. Her first year as a law student comes on the heels of Final Exercises, the thought of which brings on a wave of bittersweet feelings for her.
“It still feels pretty surreal,” Yu said. “It feels very good to be accomplished, but it also feels sort of sad and scary to be moving on to a different chapter of your life. Starting something new is always difficult.”
Going into college, Yu had her eyes on a Juris Doctorate degree but was not set on a particular law school. That was until she discovered the tight-knit graduate communities and alumni networks at the School of Law. She said the support systems she saw in the University’s graduate student body reminded her of the uplifting atmosphere she experienced as an undergraduate.
“Having a lot of support at the undergrad level really demonstrated how much support U.Va. as a university … is able to give in general,” Yu said.
Active in the Korean Student Association as an undergraduate, Yu is now looking forward to joining comparable cultural organizations in the School of Law, such as the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Memories of her time in KSA — from library nights to Taco Bell runs — still bring out a twinge of nostalgia. But with communities like APALSA on the horizon, Yu sees a clear connection between her undergraduate years and her new life learning the law.
Undergraduate interests also guided Mehmet Dilek, Medical student and Class of 2024 alumnus, in his transition to medical school. A former research assistant, volunteer at the Charlottesville Free Clinic and physics teaching assistant, Dilek said his undergraduate involvements inspired him to seek out medical schools that practiced community-oriented healthcare.
That very path became a possibility for him when he was accepted to the School of Medicine. When choosing a medical school, Dilek envisioned himself collaborating with the professors and organizations that had supported him before — so the decision to return to Charlottesville came easily.
“It was a no-brainer for me. I was really set on U.Va. [Medicine] the second I got the acceptance,” Dilek said. “What it really came down to, for me, was the culture … of U.Va.”
Dilek spent four years as a University undergraduate, but some students did not need to wait long before they realized the University was the place for them. Class of 2024 alumna Aishwarya Sivasubramanian earned her undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science in a whirlwind two years. Now she is a Master of Public Health candidate looking to add a Masters in Commerce under her belt next year. The completion of both graduate degrees sets her up for a four-year track that runs parallel to her peers in the Class of 2026.
Sivasubramanian forged close ties with her professors and peers despite her brief time as an undergraduate. While her early graduation date is notable, she measures her University experience not in the number of academic years but in the relationships she made on Grounds.
“Having a good group of friends to study with and to do the work with — that, to me, feels like a huge part of the U.Va. experience,” Sivasubramanian said. “It’s [about] being around so many capable, amazing individuals and creating friendships through projects and through class.”
While these prospective Double Hoos are returning to the University, they still look forward to a fresh start. Graduate life, even at the same institution as one’s undergraduate career, comes complete with new academic systems, tougher classes and more bouts of nerves. Sivasubramanian said she is gearing up for the new lifestyle and routine.
“I'm most nervous [about] the content. I know it's going to be a lot more in-depth and high-level than I've ever done before,” Sivasubramanian said. “[But] I get to have a different way of life. It won't be exactly the way my undergrad was … and I'm excited for a little bit of a switch-up.”
Dilek also anticipates a heavier workload than the one he shouldered as an undergraduate. But for him, the looming responsibilities of medical school are made less daunting by the opportunity to meet his new peers.
“You hear horror stories [about] med school, that it's really difficult … so that's something that makes me nervous,” Dilek said. “But I'm really looking forward to making new friends and getting to know everyone.”
As the Class of 2024 heads in different directions — from travels abroad to careers in the Big Apple — these will-be Double Hoos acknowledge their luck at getting to spend more time at the University. They are returning to the same Grounds, but they are not experiencing the same thing all over again — they are discovering a new side of the University and doubling their impact on Grounds, all while appreciating the community that welcomed them in the first place.
“I absolutely loved what I had [in] undergrad,” Sivasubramanian said. “I'm coming back for more.”
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