Google Student Blog: The Google Apps bus pulls into the home of the Hoo

The Google Apps bus pulls into the home of the Hoo

September 28, 2008

After starting the week at UNC Greensboro, the Google Apps Road Trip was off to its next stop at my alma mater and home of the Cavaliers, the University of Virginia. Needless to say, as an alum, I was both giddy and nostalgic as we headed north on 29 to the ole' stomping grounds. When we reached the UVa campus in the heart of Charlottesville, all of these great memories came rushing back - Saturday afternoon tailgating, delicious Bodo's bagels, and late nights at the Biltmore. I took a walk around campus to see TJ's "lawn" and grab dinner at the Corner.

I also visited the gorgeous, new building for the McIntire School of Commerce, where I spent 2 years studying finance and management. Recognized as one of the country's premier undergraduate business programs, the Comm School emphasizes a case-based and collaborative learning culture. To simulate a real-world professional environment, we primarily worked in small teams to evaluate the net present value of a product launch or develop a new marketing campaign.

Therefore, I was happy to talk with students about how Google Apps can make their lives and schoolwork a little easier. On Wednesday morning, we pulled the bus right into Newcomb Hall plaza between the book store and student center. UVa recently deployed Virginia mail, so we demoed the cool features of some other Google Apps technology. Students were excited to learn about the real-time collaborative functionality of Google Docs. They appreciated that group work can become less annoying, because they can work on the same paper simultaneously, rather than having to save and send back and forth multiple times. We also heard from graduate students and first-years how they create their own surveys to conduct opinion polls in a Politics class or ask friends about the next trip to Wintergreen.

Overall, it was just a phenomenal visit to Charlottesville. We got to chat with really energetic students, faculty, and administrators and had a lot of fun too - tossing frisbees around the plaza and rocking out to "Say It Ain't So" on the bus. Thanks to everyone at the University of Virginia for "getting on the bus!"