First off, what is a cohort?
A cohort is essentially a group of students who study together within a course or a program. These cohorts allow students to build a community and support each other.
Within my first year at UVA, I discovered a few cohort programs here that focus on uplifting different groups of students.
McIntire Commerce Cohort
The McIntire School’s Commerce Cohort is a program that “engages and supports high-achieving, high-need UVA first-years with academic mentorship, career preparation, and personal development through sessions on practical study and employment skills, critical analysis, self-reflection, and communication—all conducted through a business lens.”
These sessions take the form of a 1-credit class that meets once a week, on Tuesdays, for and hour and 15 minutes. During each session, McIntire has different speakers come into class, allowing the students to learn more about the admissions process, studying abroad, and whether or not they think McIntire is the right fit for them.
Commerce Cohort is a program that doesn’t take applications. All students need to do is display interest in Commerce in their Common App applications, and they will automatically be put into a pool. From then on, admissions at UVA and McIntire admissions will select students to be in the cohort.
Some perks/events that students in the Commerce Cohort have had are:
- A retreat that allows students to bond with each other
- A trip to Macy’s to get fitted for business clothes
- Dinners with mentors and staff at McIntire
Bridge to Batten
The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy’s Bridge to Batten is a program that “supports promising UVA students with high economic need in their aspiration to become effective, engaged leaders poised to create meaningful change in their communities and the world at large.”
This is a 1-credit seminar class that occurs once a week in the spring that is designed to “encourage academic, personal, and professional exploration of the public policy world.”
Within this seminar, students do readings before class, specifically about how to bridge the gap between institutional colleges and lower income students, and then discuss them in class. Alongside that, this seminar also helps students with resume building, cover letters, internships, scholarships, and of course, how to apply to Batten.
Bridge to Batten is an application based program, so students have the chance to apply to be in it.
Some perks/events that students in Bridge to Batten have had:
- TAs office hours during the week, during which they treat students to food or drinks
- Free food with the class on fridays
Asian Pacific American Leadership
Training Institute (APALTI)
APALTI is a student-faciliated leadership development program at UVA. It is sponsored by the Multicultural Student Services and focuses on exploring leadership through the APISAA (Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian American) student experience.
According to their website, “their hopes for this program is for each participant to understand their capabilities of creating social positive change and that each understand that leadership and social change is a process, rather than a position.”
This is a 10-week cohort that meets for 2 hours a week, every Wednesday during the spring semester. Prior to that, students must apply in the Fall to be in APALTI.
To get involved, students must apply in the fall through an online application and interview process.
Latinx Leadership Institute (LLI)
LLI is also a student-faciliated leadership development program at UVA. It focuses on “exploring leadership through the lens of emerging Hispanic/Latinx leaders.”
This is an 8-week cohort that holds their sessions in the spring semester.
In this cohort, students will spend the semester working on a project that addresses issues within the Hispanic/Latinx community, and at then at the end, they produce a final presentation on it.
LLI focuses on three pillars:
- Professional Enhancement
- Hispanic/Latinx Cultural Understanding
- Leadership Development
To get involved with LLI, students can apply when applications open in the fall.
Muslim Institute for Leadership and
Empowerment (MILE)
MILE is a “leadership, identity, and community development program that seeks to create socially-aware leaders within the University and beyond.”
They focus on the Muslim community and is a year-round program. In this program, they try to cultivate a space for students in their cohort to “engage with complex issues and explore meaningful strategies for progress.”
They have three essential components of leadership:
- Lift As You Climb
- Challenge Yourself and Others
- Come As You Are
This cohort consists of around 30 students from a Muslim background who meet during the spring semester. Each session happens once a week, for two hours. During these sessions, there are workshops, guest speakers, lessons, and receptions/celebrations for the students.
To get involved with MILE, students can apply when applications open in the fall.
Women’s Asian American Leadership
Initiative (WAALI)
WAALI is a student-led programmed that’s for 2nd-4th year students. It focuses on “exploring leadership development through the lens of Asian and Asian American women’s experience.”
This cohort spans over 8 weeks, meeting once a week for two hours, during the fall semester, which different than the other cohorts mentioned. In this cohort, they “engage in meaningful discussions on leadership at the intersection of race and gender.”
Topics that they have covered in this program are:
- Asian American Women in Media
- Asian American Women in the Workplace
- Wellness and Emotional/Mental/Physical Health
To get involved with WAALI, applications and recruitment begins mid-August/Early September of each academic year.
With that said, I hope you learned a bit more about the cohort programs offered at UVA! Commerce Cohort and Bridge to Batten are offered by their prospective schools, however, the cultural and leadership development cohorts are under Multicultural Student Services!
If you’re interested in joining any of these cohorts, you’ll be able to check out their websites and find out more about the application process when it opens.