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Old 03-29-2008, 04:40 AM
 
3 posts, read 16,166 times
Reputation: 12

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I live in southern NJ and have been accepted to VT - engineering major.

I've searched throughout the VA forums and sub-forums, but didn't find too many comments on VT itself.

I would like to hear from students and non-students alike about VT, Blacksburg, the whole experience.

I've also applied to UVA but haven't heard yet.
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Old 03-29-2008, 01:20 PM
JJM
 
61 posts, read 237,535 times
Reputation: 22
Virginia Tech's engineering school is considered to be one of the best, if not, the best in the state of Virginia. It is located in the fairly quaint rural town of Blacksburg. It has a more "down home" kind of feel to the area. I know for a fact that it is a big party school. If you are going to major in any of the sciences you can't go wrong with VA Tech.

The University of VA is in Charlottesville and is much more upper crust. It is in a lovely and expensive area. Getting a degree at UVA is more prestigious and will take you anywhere you want to go.

To me, the UVA students are snobbier and more affluent. Some think VA Tech is full of Red Necks. There are great friends to be made at either campus and you'll enjoy the experience. It just depends where you feel you fit in best. Be certain to visit both campuses. Good luck making your decision!
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Old 03-30-2008, 06:29 AM
 
Location: Virginia
210 posts, read 1,139,139 times
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My daughter is finishing her Junior year at Virginia Tech. She is an Areospace engineering student. She also applied at UVA And George Mason. But fell in love with Tech and its engineering department and never looked back. While the past few years have brought on many of heartaches. The pride and closeness among the students, faculty and town can not be beat. Virginia Tech is a FAMILY.
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Old 03-30-2008, 11:37 AM
 
Location: Roanoke VA
2,032 posts, read 6,887,712 times
Reputation: 929
Default Vt & Uva

I think the comments about both schools are pretty accurate. The engineering school at VT is among the best. Blacksburg is a safe, friendly town(despite the recent events). If you like the outdoor lifestyle, there are countless hiking trails, sporting events, ski resorts in WV & NC, whitewater rafting, etc. I don't think VT is a party school like Florida State as I have always thought of it as rather conservative with the Hokie Nation stuff and Hokie Football mindset. Anyway, good luck on your selection!!
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Old 03-30-2008, 02:50 PM
 
Location: Chesterfield, VA
1,222 posts, read 5,147,991 times
Reputation: 552
Congrats on your acceptance! If you decide to go I honestly think it is a decision you will never regret! As you can tell from my user name, once a Hokie, always a Hokie! And we always show our pride - you should see all of the Hokie license plates in VA!! For more information, you might want to search specifically on the Roanoke sub-forum.
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Old 03-31-2008, 01:39 PM
 
299 posts, read 1,008,830 times
Reputation: 80
I started my undergraduate career at VT, but I transferred after my sophomore year. It didn't have anything to do with my VT experience, really; I was paying out-of-state tuition for a liberal arts degree at a technical school, and it just didn't really make sense to stay. But I miss VT and consider myself a Hokie alumna before I do a Panther alumna, even though my degree is from Pitt!!

VT is a beautiful campus, the student population is tight-knit and friendly, and the surrounding area offers lots of outdoor opportunities. It is a small town, and I admit having grown up in the city I missed cultural opportunities, but I had nothing but positive experiences at VT. The health center is really very good. The on-campus food is amazing. The football culture is awesome. And if you're interested in going Greek, the Greek experience is really very positive. I was in a sorority, and though I didn't personally know every fraternity, I never heard of any of those really negative hazing stories. I can't say that it didn't happen, but it didn't happen to anyone I know! My experience with the Greek community was healthy.

Oy, I do miss VT a LOT! Definitely visit the campus and see for yourself, but I think you'll love it there!!
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Old 03-31-2008, 01:43 PM
 
299 posts, read 1,008,830 times
Reputation: 80
I also visited and applied to UVA, but I wasn't accepted. My impression of UVA was incredibly different from my experience at VT. Think: secret societies, old money, and loafers. Maybe that's not what UVA is really like, but that's what I gathered from my campus visit there. But one of my sorority sisters also transferred from UVA to VT; her experience was very similar to my impression.

Plus, UVA football stinks!!!
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Old 03-31-2008, 05:29 PM
 
3 posts, read 16,166 times
Reputation: 12
Thank you all for your comments. They are very helpful.

I just received my acceptance letter from UVA so I'm planning a road trip.

Please keep your comments coming.
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Old 04-01-2008, 08:27 AM
 
Location: Kentucky
108 posts, read 452,251 times
Reputation: 58
If you're going to study engineering, or just about any other technical field, you can't go wrong with VT. I'm a 2001 Hokie alum, and I've never regretted going to school there. There is a great sense of community in the university and town, and I can only imagine that this has increased over the last year.

Some of the things I like about VT and Blacksburg:
-Beautiful campus and surroundings (by far the prettiest campus of all the colleges I visited).
-Plenty of outdoor activities nearby.
-Hokie football!!! The men's basketball team should also be pretty good for the next few years.
-Lots of clubs and activities. VT is a large school, but there are plenty of smaller groups which make it easy to meet people with similar interests.
-Blacksburg is definitely not a huge metropolis, but it is a fairly pleasant little college town. It has grown a lot in the seven years since I graduated, though. I was surprised to see how many new buildings had been built when I visited a couple of years ago.

All this thinking about Blacksburg and VT really makes me want to go back for a visit!
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:30 PM
 
Location: Virginia
82 posts, read 486,284 times
Reputation: 35
Go with Virginia Tech for Engineering. The programs are all top-notch and will offer many many opportunities for you in the future. You really can't go wrong. For instance, here is a small sample of the great things student projects are doing in the Mechanical Engineering Department:


YouTube - DARwIn, by RoMeLa

If that doesnt work, search for ROMELA in Youtube.

Or, how about the VT team placing third in the DARPA Urban Challenge for autonomous vehicles? Not too bad to say the least!

Every field of study in Engineering will be represented at Tech. Can't say that for UVA.

Blacksburg, it's a great place to live and learn! So, congrats on getting in.
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