As many new students from Bangladesh are coming to UVA, I thought it might be helpful to highlight some UVA/Charlottesville resources that may be beneficial for those who will soon be adjusting to a different environment. Academic resources and requirements vary from department to department, but non-academic resources may interest students coming from a similar culture despite differences in academic departments. I hope the following list is beneficial to all incoming students and possibly some of the existing community members.
Bangladeshi Community: You may doubt the worthiness of this resource, as it is not a material resource, but such a vibrant community will probably be the best blessing during your stay at UVA. Our community members are the gateway to learn about academic and non-academic activities in this small university town. They are always willing to share their years of experience. Everyone including both students and professionals share a close and amiable bond. During fall semester, you will have the opportunity to attend numerous potlucks and just may grow tired of attending them all! (The intensity reduces during other times of the year mainly due to adverse weather.) The Bangladeshi community has even been able to attract foreigners in our regular sports activities such as soccer and cricket. As a result, this is a great way to interact with those from other cultures – one of the many opportunities of living abroad!
UTS (University Transit Service): This is a bus service operated by UVA and allows students a free and convenient way to travel within the university’s grounds (saying grounds instead of campus per UVA tradition). The RIDER app (link) can be installed to accurately track bus schedules. It is important to note that this service is also free to non-students as well! If you mistakenly leave an item on the bus, you can call Lost & Found at 434-924-7231 to check whether they have found your item or not. The bus employees are usually very responsive to gather any lost items found on the buses.
CAT (Charlottesville Area Transit): This is a city-operated bus service that is free for UVA students and employees. It is your best bet to see this beautiful town! You can install the CAT app to check bus schedules will need to carry your UVA student/employee ID card to ride for free. Otherwise, each ride will cost 75 cents!
Safe Ride: Sometimes, you may need to study well into the night on-grounds when the bus service is not as frequent or available and thus, may worry about safely arriving home. In such situations, you can easily call the Safe Ride service at 434-242-1122 (link). UVA provides this free service for students’ safety from midnight to morning. It is helpful to know that UVA/Charlottesville is generally quite safe regardless of the time of day.
Groceries: Although academic work is always the top priority, groceries and restaurants are a necessity as food-lovers! I will write about my restaurant experience separately at a later time, but you can grab your day-to-day groceries and other essentials at nearby stores (Harris Teeter, Kroger, Costco, Dollar Tree, Walmart, Sam’s Club, etc.). You can take the CAT to go to all of these stores. Also, you can conveniently have halal meat, Bangladeshi fish, vegetables and spices delivered to your doorstep by joining the “Al Hera Grocery” Facebook messenger group.
ROSE Program (at University Press Warehouse): UVA gives importance to recycling and reuse of office and household supplies through its ROSE program. If you are lucky, you might even obtain a microwave or glassware set for free (I have seen such items there)! If not, you will surely get file holders, clip files, pens, papers, gadgets, etc. And this warehouse is nearby to most places on-grounds (Google Map Location).
Discounts for UVA Students/Employees: As part-time employees at the university (GRA/GTA), you can receive discounts from several local businesses such as free state car inspections, discounts at certain restaurants, etc. (link). Usually, these stores never ask for your student/employee ID, you can just verbally mention that you are a UVA employee!
I believe we are all here for others and I personally have been blessed with lots of altruistic hearts when needed. So please do not hesitate to ask for help! I hope you all enjoy your stay at UVA and attain success in all your endeavors! Go Hoos!
You will also find that help will always be given at [UVA] to those who ask for it.
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets