Ryan's Advice For Fall 2026

Welcome to UVA Fall 2026, and a new semester of Hoo You Know.

This time last year I was overenrolled, had too many classes in my cart, and changed my schedule 5 times over.

To kick off the year, I offer the following advice:

To 1st Years:

Question if the major you thought you wanted matches your current interests. I thought I was going to be a computer science major my first year. Then I applied to McIntire, unsuccessfully, then landed on Stats and French.

Find a professor that’s inspiring to you and ask them to get lunch. Chat about their life and share your goals.

To 2nd Years:

Getting an internship this summer might feel like the most important thing in your life, but it’s not. Consider studying abroad, starting a business, a band, a club. Recruiters like that stuff more anyway – it makes you interesting.

If you do have an internship, get your boss’s phone number. Text him/her throughout the year after it's done on what’s going on in your life. Who knows, maybe they’ll be your saving grace when looking for a job after graduation.

To 3rd Years:

If you have an internship for this summer, don’t feel like you need to stay in that industry if you don’t love it. Often, the best answer to “Why do you want to do X field?” is "Because I tried Y, and it wasn’t for me.”

If you don’t have an internship, my advice for 2nd years’ holds: study abroad, start a business, a band, or a club.

To 4th Years:

I didn’t have a job until a month after I graduated, so don’t sweat it if you don’t have anything lined up.

End the year strong. Spend more time with your friends than with books. You spent 3 years doing well, so take this one easy.

I wish you all the best of luck. Wahoowa!

Best,
Ryan