We love the Echols Scholars Program for its incredible community
As an Echols Scholar, you are connected to a community of Scholars at UVA and alumni across the world. One of the biggest reasons we love this program is the people we’ve met through it. You have the option to live with Scholars of your year, and throughout your first year you will be connected with older Scholars until it’s your turn to help incoming students. Echols Council also regularly organizes events for you to meet other Echols Scholars throughout the year and throughout your time at UVA.
Scholars Housing
All Echols Scholars are guaranteed a spot in the Alderman Road Scholars Housing. Scholars Housing is typically in one building, Balz-Dobie House, and features air-conditioning, access to private study rooms and common rooms on every floor, and a building laundry room. The Scholars Housing is reserved for Echols and Rodman Scholars (the honors program of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences). If you choose to live in Scholars Housing, your roommate has to be of the Echols or Rodman programs. You can choose the Scholar you will be living with or you can go random and housing will automatically pair you.
Echols Scholars have loved living in the Scholars Housing because the community within the building and your hall is very tight-knit. That’s good for a first year because you have such a great group of people to always go back to at a new school. There’s something about living with other Scholars that just clicks and it creates such a fun and close community. Living with other Scholars creates incredible friendships for life. Many people go on to live with the friends they made in Scholars Housing for the rest of their time at UVA. Plus, it’s really nice to have guaranteed access to such nice facilities in your own room and your own building (and yes, the image above is the sunrise view from Balz-Dobie).
Peer-Mentoring
The summer before you arrive at UVA you are paired with an upperclassman Echols Scholar with similar interests to you to serve as your peer mentor while you are at UVA. The Peer-Mentoring program allows for you to have direct contact with another student who has gone through similar experiences to you and has gone through the classes and activities that you will be joining. First years register for courses before being able to meet any older students so your peer mentor is a great resource to have before you have to register for courses. When the school year starts, there are programs organized by the Echols Council for you to get to know your mentor like lawn events, coffee dates, and more.
Alumni Network
The Echols Scholars Program was founded 60 years ago and as such, there are 60 classes of Echols Scholars spread across the world in many different fields. Students have the option of joining the Alumni Mentoring Network to talk to alumni who have gone through the same school and program you will and have gone on to successful positions in their field of interest. Echols Scholars are so involved in a wide array of fields that you can find someone to talk to who is doing what you are interested in.