Colleges >> Browse Articles >> College Visits

Campus Tour: Virginia is for Students

Take these campus tours where Virginia is for students.

Is Virginia really for lovers? Yes, if they are lovers of knowledge. Teeming with campus folklore, arresting landscape and warm hospitality, Virginia has left its mark on higher education in the United States. A place of passionate tradition and enormous history, Virginia is perfect for the intellectually and socially attentive. The commonwealth is designed for students, so long as they are prepared to honor the past as they prepare for their future. If you’re ready for the challenge, pack up your books, laptop and willingness to learn as we head out on the open road toward four bold Virginian universities.

Begin your journey in the little town of Lexington, at Washington and Lee University. Washington and Lee is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation, as well as one of the oldest. Virginia’s history runs deep: although W&L isn’t the state’s oldest institution of higher learning, it is the ninth oldest in the country (you’ll visit Virginia’s oldest at the end of this road trip). Once led by Robert E. Lee and initially endowed by George Washington (hence the school’s name), W&Lis known for its “speaking tradition” and honor code. Don’t be surprised to be greeted with a friendly “hello” from current students or see neglected book bags and unlocked bicycles while you tour the campus. Situated at the foothills of the Appalachians, students at W&L enjoy the outdoors as well as a cohesive Greek social life – roughly 80% of students are proud members of a fraternity or a sorority.

Now head further east along I-81 to Charlottesville. Home to the 13,330 students that attend the University of Virginia, Charlottesville is the quintessential college town.