ARAKAKY: What good is a U.Va. education — from B.A. to Ph.D.
A little over a decade ago, I meandered through Central Grounds to Nau Hall 101 for my first class at the University. Hailing from a small, rural community in the Shenandoah Valley, the big-town feel of U.Va. was initially intimidating, if not paralyzing. My stomach sank when I walked into the lecture hall for Introduction to Comparative Politics with Politics Prof. Leonard Schoppa. As I looked around, I saw a sea of students who I assumed had their act together. I had worked diligently in high school to earn a place at the University, but a part of me felt inadequate that day. I wanted to turn around and walk out the door.