UVI St Thomas

Hello Kim,

What are the students at UVI like? Is it a diverse college?
Most are between 18-25ish in the undergrad programs and then various ages for grad. level - quite a few older students in the grad. program; older and settled with spouse, kids, grandkids... A good bit of older folks are returning to school or just taking a few refresher courses. Most of the undergrads are either from the USVI or from other Caribbean islands. Pretty much each semester there are say 30-50 "transfer" students from the US mainland. ("transfer" some are transfer for one semester and others are actually there for a year or two or the full 4 years.) The majority of the students are black.

... race/sex, etc. does not make one a social outcast at UVI.
Not sure what you mean. If you mean you are white/female and wondering if you will be a social outcast, the answer is no. If you are staying in the dorms your dorm-mates will generally befriend you, ask about where you are from and help you out with island terms/issues/places/music ect. As a side note I found that most of the students from the states stuck together; sat together in the cafeteria, went out together, dated each other, partied together - with some exceptions of course.

-What do students do for fun? What kind of nightlife exists, stuff to do on weekends, etc.
UVI isn't a party school, students are pretty serious about studies. Some fun things they do are; camping, beach bbq, parties at students apartments that live off campus, go bar hopping, beach days, island hopping, snorkeling/diving... Nightlife - there are various bars/dance spots around the island.

-Is UVI in an unsafe area in terms of crime?
Its in a safe area and the school has campus security that drives around and has a station at the entrance. They close the gate at a certain time and you have to stop by the security window to "check in" if you come in late at night. I wouldn't go walking around at night down at Brewers Bay alone or outside the campus at night, other then that no other safety suggestions for the campus besides using common sense.

-If I brought a computer, would i be able to access the internet for free or low cost? (my home campus provides free internet service)
I don't quite remember but I think they had free access for students while I was there. Call UVI and ask them, ask someone in the housing dept. or maybe the registars office can direct you to the right folks to ask.

Good Luck.

--Islander