Galileo theme housing (and misc. questions)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Virginia Tech
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<p>So I just got the email from Susan Arnold-Christian saying that I got accepted into the Galileo community. I'm pretty happy about this, especially since I applied earlier for Honors and got completely rejected, supposedly because of my unimpressive recommendation (I'm rather shy and thus I was never very open with my teachers in high school; it's one of the reasons I applied to VT because the general application doesn't require teacher recs). </p>

<p>I've been doing a search on the forums about Galileo, and I've heard some mixed opinions. I hear the career guidance is great, but the seminar class we're forced to take is BS. People suggested RLC instead for the air-conditioned dorms, but I feel that living near people with engineering majors and possibly similar interests would be better suited for me. </p>

<p>I'm going to ask for a few details about the Galileo people themselves. Are they nice, cool, motivated? Or are they all "bros" who party and don't give a crap about academics? I enjoy gaming as a hobby (to the dismay of my parents), so I wonder if gaming is seen as acceptable or just "nerdy" at Galileo. I don't plan on drinking or partying very frequently</p>

<p>I'm planning on reapplying for Honors next year. Any tips on how to approach my freshman year to improve my chances of getting accepted, such as who and/or how to woo some of the faculty members to give me an excellent recommendation? My last recommendation, from my counselor, was pretty bland; I kept getting Top 25% or top 10% instead of top 5% or 1%, despite coming from the number 1 high school in America according to US News and World Report. I want to fix that.</p>

<p>Also, out of curiosity, how is the Wing theme housing community? Judging from the descriptions, it seems to be meant for awkward, insecure freshmen. For a while, I thought that described me well, but my brother, who graduated from VT just a few weeks ago, helped me change my mind. Apparently, Wing is meant for...err...retarded people who aren't mature enough to stand living away from their parents (learning to use the library? How to use the computers? Really?). In fact, I have been living alone for a month at one point this year, so I'm sure I'm mature enough to live in a regular dorm. If anyone knows anything about Wing, would you like to confirm what I'm believing, or correct it, or otherwise provide some information about it? Again, I'm just curious, and I'm not considering going there at all.</p>

<p>Thanks for your attention. :)</p>

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<p>Welcome to Tech! I’ll start by saying I don’t know anyone in the Galileo community, but I’ll share my impression of the program. Galileo guys are not known for their inclination to party. They tend to be very studious, and I’m sure they give quite a crap about academics if they’re intentionally living with other engineers in a program specifically designed for males in the most challenging college at VT.
No matter where you live, you’ll find people who party and people who don’t, just as you would at any university. You’ll also find guys who bond over Halo and Starcraft and such in any residence hall… though I would suspect you’d find a higher density of such students in Galileo.
From what I’ve gathered from your post, I think you’d fit in well with Galileo (considering what I’ve heard about it). If you’re willing to put yourself out there and meet people with a wider range of majors and interests, however, I think the RLC could be very good for you.</p>

<p>Some advice from an honors student… The unofficial motto of University Honors is “Make Yourself Interesting.” Honors looks for students that take full advantage of their education and seek novel ways to expand their knowledge. Honors sends out invitations to apply to students with a 3.60 or better at the end of each academic year. Take all components of the application seriously, as admission to honors (and honors housing) is competitive.</p>

<p>Also, regarding your recommendation dilemma: I would advise getting involved with undergraduate research if you’re interested in that, because research advisers can be great sources of recommendation letters. Also, you could try going to office hours to speak with professors.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response, it is very helpful. I suppose no one else knows anything about the WING program then? I did a search and I didn’t find any info.</p>

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<p>I think the WING is mostly for students anxious about the transition to college life. I’ve never known anyone in it, but here’s a link with some information:
[The</a> Wing | Communities | Living-Learning Communities | Housing & Residence Life | DSA | Virginia Tech](<a href=“http://www.housing.vt.edu/llc/communities/wing.php]The”>http://www.housing.vt.edu/llc/communities/wing.php)</p>

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<p>I have another question. My brother is suggesting that I stay away from VT cafeteria food. Considering that VT is one of the best colleges for food, this sounds utterly ridiculous to most of you. His point, as I understand it, is that I would get the freshman fifteen and become really fat. True enough, I want to lose weight, so he says that I should just buy noodles or groceries from Kroger for my comestible needs. Do you think this is a good idea? Since I’m forced to buy a meal plan anyway, what would I do with it? Also, does Lee Hall have a kitchen besides microwaves? Thanks. :)</p>

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<p>[site:talk.collegeconfidential.com</a> galileo <a href=“Virginia Tech - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/&lt;/a&gt; - Google Search](<a href=“site:talk.collegeconfidential.com galileo http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/]site:talk.collegeconfidential.com - Google Search”>site:talk.collegeconfidential.com galileo http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/ - Google Search)</p>

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<p>I’ve mentioned in the initial post that I’ve already done a search on Galileo, and I already knew about the mixed opinions: some hated it, some loved it, some only really know about it from friends. I simply wanted to know if anyone knew a few more details about people in Galileo and other things about VT, mostly out of curiosity. Thanks anyway.</p>

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<p>As far as food goes, the best advice is to watch your portions. It’s easy to over eat at dining halls because you may feel obligated to eat as much as possible (get as much bang for your buck) so just be mindful about how much you’re eating. I’d also recommend avoiding foods with a lot of sugar (e.g. smoothies, sweets, etc.) because you’re not going to have any energy after the sugar rush is over–which leads to more eating.</p>

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<p>How did you already get assigned housing? I just talked to VT today, and they told me that dorms do not get assigned until 7/31.</p>

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<p>I have not officially been assigned housing yet, but Susan has told me that Galileo members will live in the sixth or seventh floors of Lee Hall.</p>

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<p>Good point. :slight_smile: My son told me last night that he specifically wanted the smallest plan…he is worried that he will overeat and get fat! I told him that as long as he keeps up his running, and continues his workouts, he’ll be fine. But I agree…no need to make it tempting!</p>

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<p>Thanks for answering. Now I have one more thing to ask: according to my financial aid overview, the average need for a college student (tuition, dorm, textbooks, living expenses, etc.) is $23,900. My FAFSA report gave me an EFC of 0 which resulted in VT awarding me $16,800 in grants and loans. I later won the Presidential Campus Enrichment Grant giving me a total of $21,600. There’s still a deficit of $2,300, but my brother has told me that VT inflates the average need and that I am pretty much already set. I will also scrimp by renting textbooks from chegg.com and buying a laptop from HP along with an external tablet instead of relying on the VT bookstore, along with some general fiscal responsibility during the school year. It’s a bit risky, but I’ll be saving money which (ideally) I’ll use to pay off my loans after graduation.</p>

<p>So, for all you current VT students, how much money are you spending each year? Do you have a job or work study? Are your parents sending you money, or are you more-or-less financially independent? Are you keeping up with the tuition increases? I would like to hear your experiences. Thanks!</p>

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<p>This is a bump post.</p>