This past weekend, my family and I took an awesome trip to Virginia Tech. I wanted to at least visit all the campuses before I made any decision about the colleges I got into. We drove for fourteen hours starting from the greater Fort Lauderdale area, Coral Springs through South Carolina, North Carolina and finally ending at Blacksburg, Virginia around two in the morning. It was forty degrees outside (which is very cold mind you, compared to the seventy’s in FL) and we definitely went to bed pretty fast, cuddling up under the comforters. We woke up in the morning with forty degree weather to attend Hokie Focus, a special event being hosted at Virginia Tech showcasing the different colleges and programs offered at VT.
I will admit, that I was pretty impressed with the campus. It is pretty spaced out, but not too much and the weather was just really nice with clear skies. Apparently, one of the catch phrases that the students like to use is that “Blacksburg is one of the only places that you can experience all four seasons in one day”.
One misunderstanding that I’ve had about these old looking colleges is that everything about them would be old: their facilities, buildings, technologies. That is one thing that I am glad that I straightened out on the visit. I’ve realized that the “old look” is just an image of the buildings. Inside, you would find high def flat screens, projectors, WiFi. I only got to look at the classrooms inside the CS (Computer Science) building and they looked pretty contemporary. The chairs are fun to sit in and each seat comes with a power outlet and Ethernet cord. Can’t really go wrong with that to be honest.
In contrast, I did visit the UCF (University of Central Florida) campus on the way home. As soon as I arrived, I did like the feel of the modern upbeat campus life, but I didn’t get the same pull from the campus as I did from VT. The campus was definitely larger than VT’s and beating with activity everywhere. However, on the inside, I didn’t like the idea of being a big school near a bigger city as much as I would have thought. Suddenly, the smaller town ran by the larger college seems a lot more interesting and fun. I can’t put my tongue on it, but there is just something about being a Knight that didn’t win me over.
My final decision comes down to these two schols: VT and UCF. Frankly, I’m really liking the idea of becoming a Hokie and I’m getting excited about it. Now I just have to find the $400 deposit money…
Good job going through the steps to reach an informed decision. You never know what you’re going to find if you don’t look. I’m sure the deposit money will be found for such an important venture. Go Hokies – and go Jamie!
Hey, I just Stumbled onto your blog and I just wanted to say that I’m thrilled you want to be a Hokie. A few words of advice for an incoming freshman:
1)sign up for the earliest possible orientation session your major allows- you’re more likely to get into classes you want if they already haven’t been added to your schedule… (for ex. you took an AP course and don’t need the english class they automatically sign you up for – you would have a better chance of getting that awesome other course)
2)use resources to strategically choose your classes
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/cms/site/grades_fall_2007/
http://www.ratevtteachers.com/
3)don’t room with anyone you know- have a fresh start. And, if you can, join a Theme housing program – they have tons of perks (better rooms and buildings, for ex) and while some require a class – every intro class is usually incredibly useful.
http://www.studentprograms.vt.edu/themehousing/galileo.php
http://www.studentprograms.vt.edu/themehousing/rlc.php
http://www.studentprograms.vt.edu/themehousing/ <-for others
4)sign up for football tickets. even if you think high school football was the worst thing in the entire world, hokie football is an entirely new experience and it is totally worth it just to experience it once.
5)sign up for a few random classes just because they’re awesome sounding (you have 6 weeks to drop them with absolutely no penalties) and it’s so much fun. (the college of engineering is a bit stingy letting freshman have freedom with their credits, but try). Also, you can design your own education – if there’s something you want to do that isn’t offered – you can make it happen. Contact Terry Papillon in University Honors if you’re a honors student- and ask who you should contact in what department if you have an interest in X subject. You should be able to make it work.
6)if you’re not in Honors, join as soon as possible. The Course Request priority registration is to die for.
7) study abroad – there are tons of summer opportunities and scholarships for you to do so
8)get involved in something or somethings. It’s so easy to be far from home and get super involved in your school-work. have something outside your major.
9)get to know someone older than you in your major – they can recommend the good courses to take.
ummm… Sorry that was incredibly long, I just love VT.
Hope you have as much fun as I did during my undergrad career. And if you actually have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
-Erin
VPI&SU
B.S. Biochemistry 2008
VMRCVM DVM Candidate Class 2012
Erin,
Thank you so much for your insight. It definitely helped to answer some questions I’ve been having and also is pushing me toward my next move in this registration process. I would like to let you know that I have officially decided on VT and I am looking forward to being there this summer for orientations and this fall for the start of classes.
I’m sorry that you chose VT – because UVA is clearly superior 😉 – but congratulations anyway and good luck in college. I just bought a (used) macbook pro and your blog entries have definitely been helpful and enlightening! Keep on writing!!
Lindsey M.
University of Virginia ’08