Academics
Virginia Tech is a school with a reputation as big as its campus. Known for its “beautiful campus, amazing community feel, top-notch engineering field,” and as a “good value”— not to mention its renowned athletics—Virginia Tech offers “a perfect blend of challenging and fun, encompassed in an unparalleled community feel.” That community feel is a big part of the attraction to this top-ranked school, with students saying they feel “more comfortable here than anywhere in the world.” Students are here, of course, for an education at a well-respected research university. At Virginia Tech, that education is provided by “passionate professors who bring real-life examples and cases into their teachings.” The school’s size and correspondingly large teaching staff mean that at times “professors are hit-or-miss,” with “a few who just see it as another job.” Most, however, “are really there to help you know as much as you can,” a group who are “are extremely helpful and devoted to their students.” The best of this school’s professors “really makes students eager to learn.” One student enthuses, “My professors here have changed the way I look at the world and have become some of my biggest heroes.” But maybe another student sums it up best: “I would definitely say that my academic experience has been outstanding and that it has opened my eyes to even more possibilities.
Student Body
Better be ready to be part of the Hokie Nation, because the “typical student is someone who has a love for all things Virginia Tech.” Those who attend VT “are proud of our school,” and “A typical student here wears Virginia Tech clothes practically every day.” Indeed, “you will find them at every VT football game.” But the student body is about more than cheering for the maroon and orange. These “middle-class” students study hard “but play harder.” Education matters here, but maybe not as much as living life. “The typical student is serious about schoolwork,” students say, “but also knows how to have a good time.” A majority of students are “white and from Virginia or North Carolina,” but students prefer to describe their peers as “smart, approachable, and kind” and note that “we have every personality type and quirk you could ever imagine.” If you are “wellrounded, involved, and [have] lots of school spirit,” you are likely to fit in at VT.
Campus Life
Living “in the middle of nowhere” may seem like a recipe for boredom, but members of VT’s Hokie Nation make the most of this “perfect college town.” After all, when “there are 30,000 people around you that are the same age as you, you find stuff to do.” When not consumed with Virginia Tech football—you’ll see more maroon and orange in a single day here than most people will see in a lifetime—students here do, well, a little bit of everything. “School-related and Greek-life functions are the main sources of weekend activities,” students say, but deceptively quiet Blacksburg and the surrounding area offer plenty of other options. On weekends, students “go out to parties or downtown with friends, we go out to eat, we play tennis, lay out on the Drillfield, play in the snow when we have some, go on hikes, and go to the river.” That’s just a start. Students find “there is always something fun going on to do with your friends,” including “bowling, movies, club sports, video games,” and more. If you can’t find it in Blacksburg, it’s ten minutes away in Christiansburg. Students enjoy relaxing, getting into discussions, or having outdoor adventures in a pastoral setting. When autumn arrives, “football games dominate the social scene.”
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