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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityB+ Faculty AccessibilityB
Useful SchoolworkB- Excess CompetitionA
Academic SuccessB Creativity/ InnovationC
Individual ValueC+ University Resource UseA
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyA- FriendlinessA-
Campus MaintenanceA- Social LifeA
Surrounding CityC Extra CurricularsA
SafetyB+
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Approachable

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly

Male
SAT1520
Bright
Lowest Rating
Creativity/ Innovation
C
Highest Rating
Excess Competition
A
He cares more about Creativity/ Innovation than the average student.
Date: Apr 30 2008
Major: Electrical Engineering (This Major's Salary over time)
I applied to Virginia Tech for two reasons, I wanted to be an engineer and their application didn't require an essay. I wasn't crazy about VT my first semester but it really grew on me. The people here are amazing, they are all friendly and I've never felt excluded or afraid to approach a group. While the campus is huge and can be overwhelming at first, but if you make the small effort to get involved in some sort of activity instead of isolating yourself you'll definitely find like-minded people that you want to hang out with. For me this meant pledging a fraternity, where I met a ton of upperclassmen who helped me adjust to college.

The social life here is pretty good. Even before I began meeting a lot of people I could easily find an apartment or fraternity party on any Friday or Saturday night. Most parties cost about $3-5 to get in (at least for guys), which is way better than the UVA parties I've gone to, which are free but require a 5:1 girl to guy ratio and you have to know like 10 fraternity brothers to get in. On the other hand the fraternities here are really welcoming, I have yet to encounter the "frat douche bag" stereotype here at Tech. As for girls, we're not exactly JMU but tech girls are on average good looking, if not impressively bright. Most of them are in the non-technical programs here (philosophy, history, english…) which are all pretty much jokes compared the engineering and architecture programs at tech. At first glance the ratio of guys to girls here looks bad, but as this is a technical school there is a good percentage of nerdy geeks who can be factored out, leaving VT with a pretty balanced ratio of guys and girls who actually socialize. I've also heard that the class entering Fall 08 will be roughly 70% girls!

Housing is great, work orders get fixed quickly. Pretty much all the housing buildings are close to classes. The RA's are cool for the most part, they aren't out to get you and will generally overlook drinking in their hall. Blacksburg has a ton of affordable housing close to campus and on the bus routes, so most students live off campus their sophomore year. Tech is known for their great food, (#1 for food in 07-08). While the food is great and our meal plan is better than the plans at most other colleges I wish the hours of operation were extended for some of the dining halls.

One thing VT really has going for it is school unity and spirit. It doesn't matter if you care about football or not, the games and atmosphere in the fall is incredible. Also, as a named school with a great reputation you'll find that it's a lot easier to get engineering-related internships and jobs with VT on your resume, I'm only a freshman but I essentially have a position as an electrical engineer already lined up with a firm in Northern Virginia hired me because I got into V Tech.

I can only talk about freshman engineering classes from experience. Classes like chem, physics, and engineering lectures are pretty big, but it doesnt seem to affect people in a negative way. Sometimes the engineering assignments seem unnecessarily complicated and in first semester of engineering you learn about pretty useless stuff. Most people do fine if they don't let themselves procrastinate and learn to manage their time.

Bottom Line: If you're not a super social person then Virginia Tech can help you come out of your shell if you are willing to put forth an effort. College is about re-inventing yourself and the atmosphere here is really conducive to that. If you want to major in something like english or business then consider JMU or UVA, don't waste your time here. If you come here you will meet a lot of amazing people, and earn an engineering degree at a school with an excellent record.

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