One of the best parts about being a first-year at the University of Virginia is experiencing the dorm life. With students from so many different home-towns and backgrounds, the residence halls are some of the most fun, diverse, and chaotic places on Grounds. However, amongst every UVA dorm, whether it be Cauthen, Echols, Dunglison, or Gibbons, there are 10 personality types one is bound to find roaming the halls. Below are these personality types, as modeled by those living in Watson-Webb:
1. The Walking Textbook (Victoria)
Have a question about Spanish? Calculus? Economics? Biology? “The Walking Textbook” is the person who has quickly become the living answer to all of your academic problems. Not only is this student brilliant, but also willing to help out his or her fellow Hoos when their brains seem to fall short. In Watson-Webb, the go-to-girl is Victoria; she may need to start charging students for her abundance of knowledge this midterm season!
2. The Townie (Summer)
“Do you commute?” “Wait, why would you want to go to UVA if you’re from Charlottesville?” “Do you know EVERYBODY?” These are questions that students frequently ask “townies,” or the students who lived in Charlottesville previous to attending UVA. At first, many Hoos are surprised to hear that someone would want to go to college right down the street from his or her house, but this initial shock is soon pacified by the realization that “townies” have valuable connections and knowledge that most common folk lack. The “townie” of Watson-Webb is Summer; she knows everything there is to know about Charlottesville and is ready to be your Google Map.
3. The Ones Who Go Out on Wednesdays (JC and Jack)
Most students know that the nights to go out at UVA are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and even Tuesdays. However, every dorm has its residents who do not consider themselves confined by the calendar. In Watson-Webb, it is not uncommon to look up from your textbook on aWednesday night to see JC and Jack heading out the building doors, Corner bound. This dynamic duo is the definition of work-hard, play-hard.
4. The One Who Doesn’t Actually Live There (Julianne)
Unfortunately, there is always that one person in the friend group who was placed in the wrong building. This student’s best friends are often all hall mates, while he or she remains geographically separated by dorm. Julianne so frequently comes to Watson-Webb to hang out with her social circle that its residents often forget she doesn’t actually live there – the only thing that reminds them of this fact is the phone call they receive when she needs to be let into the building.
5. The Floor Floater (Aniket)
Which floor does he even live on? The “Floor Floater” is the resident who has made each floor his homestead. This student is so close with residents on all levels of the building that nobody knows where he or she actually sleeps at night. If you are ever looking for Aniket, you better check every floor of Watson-Webb; you never know just who he is socializing with. The elevator shaft’s the limit!
6. The “Been There, Done That” (Carly)
At UVA, there is a plethora of students who have done the dorm life before. How? Boarding school! Whether it be Woodberry Forest, Episcopal, Milton Academy, or Exeter, many students have lived in these residential conditions long before college. On move-in day at Watson-Webb, the students who passed by Carly’s perfectly organized and equipped bedroom couldn’t help but wonder how she already had everything figured out. As it happens, Calry attended Deerfield Academy, a boarding school, and is almost as proud of this fact as she is proud of attending UVA.
7. The Handy Man (Finbar)
Is your window broken? Does your bed need to be lofted? Might your door hinge be loose? Each building has its own “Handy Man” who knows how to fix just about everything. No need to call UVA services, just knock on the door of this student if a mechanical problem arises. In Watson-Webb, Finbar (yes, his name is Finbar) comes with a tool kit and the skills to build or fix whatever you need. Pictured is the bookshelf he put together for a fellow dorm-mate during the first week of school – and it is still standing!
8. The Athlete (Jessi)
There are two types of people in the world: NARPs (Non-Athletic Regular People) and athletes. At UVA, athletes live amongst regular students in the residence halls. At first, they might seem intimidating in all their coordinated glory, but if you take the time to get to know them, you might discover that they are just like you! Jessi is a club lacrosse player in Watson-Webb who knows just how to balance school and sports. Next time you feel like complaining about making time for homework and the gym, look at Jessi!
9. The Amenity Thieves (Luke and Jack)
“Who are those guys in the lounge? I’m pretty sure they don’t live here.” Often, the “Amenity Thieves” are Old Dorms students who come sneaking in to New Dorms in hopes of taking advantage of the air-conditioning, study rooms, and lounges…and understandably so. Luke and Jack can frequently be found in the Watson-Webb study lounge on a weeknight, or passed out on the sofas in the icy lounge after a hot football game. Luckily their presence is pleasant, a strategic move on their part.
10. The Phantom of the Stall (Unknown)
You go into the bathroom after a long night at the library and start getting ready for bed. Everyone on your hall is asleep, and the bathroom is empty and silent. You take out your contacts. You wash your face. You brush your teeth. You scroll through your Instagram feed as you floss. Ten minutes have gone by when you look at yourself in the mirror and realize there is a pair of feet visible in the stall behind you. Nobody has come into the bathroom…they have been sitting there in silence the entire time. “The Phantom of the Stall” is that unknown person in the residence hall who makes the night stall their favorite hangout spot. You don’t truly understand the definition of awkward silence until you are alone with “The Phantom of the Stall.” Exit as quickly as possible.