Helpful info thread for new Hokies

Colleges and Universities A-Z Virginia Tech
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<p>I was thinking that as students begin to get their acceptances and ultimately decide to come to VT, it might be helpful if older students and parents share ideas or suggestions that come to mind (for me they come very randomly :)) they can post them here....This isn't a Quick Questions Thread- chuy has that one down pat, but just a place for anything that you maybe wished you knew before or learned through experience, etc.</p>

<p>First entry.....During orientation get a Course of Study Planner or if you prefer use the electronic one that can be found online. Our son found out about it a few years back at and it has been a Godsend for him for scheduling. He heard early on that he needed to have his ducks in a row for planning out classes (esp if you are minoring or double majoring) and didn't want to rely on advisors....It was one thing that really helped him and he kind of accidently stumbled upon it, so I have posted links with more info about it. They didn't have the electronic version when he started out. He has the hard copy fold out kind that is now tattered and torn, but for a not so organized boy......well, you get the idea...it is "genius" :)</p>

<p>Planning</a> Your Pathways | University Studies/UAAC | Virginia Tech</p>

<p>Course</a> of Study Planner | University Honors | Virginia Tech</p>

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<p>During orientation you don’t ‘have’ to stay overnight in one of the dormitories. If your parent(s) have a hotel room you should consider staying there. On the other hand, I know of some freshmen who didn’t actually sleep during orientation, they spent the entire night exploring and such. If you are going to stay overnight during orientation in the dorms, BRING A FAN. Slusher Hall does not have AC, and it gets very hot inside during the summer.</p>

<p>General Tips:

  • Utilize websites like kοοfers.com and RateMyProfessors.com. Course descriptions, as a rule, do a very poor job describing a class. The aforementioned websites do a good job of telling you which professors to get/avoid and what you’ll actually do in a class. This also helps you find courses with a lower workload, useful for things like liberal arts electives.
  • When making a schedule, keep in mind that as a freshman, you’ll be living on campus. This means that an hour-long break isn’t very useful to you unless you can plan on getting breakfast/lunch because it’ll probably take you ten minutes or so to get from class to your dorm. Also, I would be wary of stacking more than three classes in a row, this isn’t high school, and you’ll probably be completely burnt out halfway through your third class. Personally, I like creating my schedule so that it’s most intense Monday and then slowly gets easier until I have one or two classes on Friday. Others have has success with scheduling every class in the morning, so they get up at 7:30 but they’re done by noon. Try experimenting to see what works for you (don’t count on waking up at the same time you did in high school though).
  • Don’t skip class. To be clear about this, you can still skip class and succeed, contrary to what you’ll probably hear. However, as a freshman you don’t really have experience with when it’s doable to skip a class. You need some time to build up this intuition. A lot of professors require you to attend class anyways.
  • Go for the Peddrew-Yates theme housing (I think it’s called the Residential Leadership Community). These dorms are 500% nicer than the rest of the freshman dorms. Other than that, most of the freshman dorms are pretty much the same. You’re sharing ~10 square yards with one other person in an old boiling hot/freezing cold dirty messy room that smells funky. It is awesome.
  • Get a memory foam pad for your bed. 1-2" thick is fine, but it makes the bed much more comfortable than the egg carton stuff that comes in most of those dorm starter kits.
  • Buy some nice, reliable headphones. Your roommate probably doesn’t want to listen to all of the things you watch/listen to on your computer.
  • Sleep with your phone next to you on your bed, and if possible, have your alarm go to vibrate before slowly increasing in volume. This allows your roommate to stay asleep while you go to class (and vice versa). Do not be like my roommate who needed to hit the snooze button five times before he could finally wake up.</p>

<p>Engineer Tips:

  • I don’t know if they’re still requiring tablet PCs, but if they are, do not buy a tablet PC. They are about a grand more than a comparable ‘normal’ laptop. Instead, get a separate tablet (e.g. [Bamboo</a> Pen](<a href=“http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/bamboo_pen.php]Bamboo”>http://www.wacom.com/bamboo/bamboo_pen.php)) they are much cheaper and more versatile. The only exception is if you plan on doing a lot of digital art, in that case the tablet may be worthwhile to you.
  • During orientation they’ll comment a couple of times about how you should definitely, definitely NEVER EVER change your EngE section or Math sections. Feel free to change these, just make sure that you’re ready to immediately add the new section after dropping the old one. There’s no sense going to an 8AM EngE 1024 class when there’s seats free in the 10AM lecture.
  • Speaking of EngE 1024, it’s pretty awful. It’s not particularly difficult, but the material is pretty boring and irrelevant, and the school is teaching it mostly because it’s required by the accreditation board. Just power through it and it should be an easy A. Second semester I recommend EngE 1104 if possible for your major, it’s a bit better.
  • Math emporium is where you’ll be spending a lot of your formative math courses. This is where you’ll be taking many of your quizes/tests, and you can also easily get help on most math courses. A lot of people really dislike it, I don’t see the big deal (although I suppose 500 27" iMacs is kind of a waste of money). The thing to remember here is to get your tests done well before the deadline, especially if you need help, because the place gets crowded.
  • Math 1114 in Linear Algebra and it is entirely online. You can literally finish the entire course in three weeks or so, which I recommend if you’re up for it. Since it’s online, each section is identical, the “scheduled time” is meaningless. This means that if your 1114 class is scheduled for 11AM on TR, and there’s another class you want to add that’s also at that time, definitely move 1114 around. You don’t want to miss out because you didn’t realize that it’s completely online.
  • For Chemistry, get Trivedi. He is a pimp. Don’t get the $200 chemistry book, Trivedi uses his (better) $60 DVD. You can probably find some copies on Craigslist near the end of semesters.
  • Chang for Physics.</p>

<p>If I think of anything else no one else mentions then I’ll post them as well.</p>

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<p>Two really great posts!</p>

<p>Few things to add before I come back later and write a bunch of stuff on my own:</p>

<p>-Big ups to the course of studies planner. You’ll sometimes see it referred to as the pathways planner or COSP; it’s all the same. SPEND THE TIME AND DO THIS!
-I’d add ratevtteachers.com to the professor ratings. k00fers (replace the 0s with os) is getting better with ratings, too.
-The advice about class skipping is good. Freshman year quite a few classes take attendance and give pop quizzes/in class stuff. Later on it won’t always be the case but show up to class and get the mostly free points.
-The empo has a FREE tutoring lab with a bunch of Math majors who sit around in a room helping students with 1000-2000 level classes. They’re very helpful and are great with helping you out on the weirdly formatted empo quizzes. Check the empo website to find out when the lab’s available.
-Also about the empo: just do a lot of problems in empo math classes. Once you’ve learned the tricks (and the material, hopefully) you should ace every empo test you take.</p>

<p>-I don’t think Chang is teaching intro Physics any more.</p>

<p>I’ll leave some more notes later regarding bus advice, maybe a little food advice, finding extra curriculars, and Honors.</p>

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<p>For incoming parents: </p>

<p>When you can, find out when Family Day (aka Parent’s weekend) is. If you are planning on seeing your student that weekend, look into reserving hotel rooms asap. They go quickly. Some in the VT area are also mandatory 2 night stays, which for some is not necessary. We found the Quality Inn in Christiansburg has one night offers for special weekends. </p>

<p>Also, football related stuff:</p>

<p>–(this is kind of a no brainer, but to a newbie who at first didn’t understand the rabid fanbase of VT football…), if you are planning on attending any home football games, make reservations as soon as you find out the possible dates you will be going. Also, if you are driving up for a day game and are planning on using 81- Leave early. It is amazing to see all of the cars on that road. We learned the hard way the first year and missed part of the game.</p>

<p>–It is a long walk to the dorms from the non season ticket holder parking lot areas. Be prepared for it if you are carrying your new freshman forgotten items and love gifts from home :)</p>

<p>–The Outback Steakhouse in Christiansburg has call ahead seating. Great for planning ahead and not having to wait hours for game day dinner.</p>

<p>–Sometime go to a Thursday night game if you can. Totally different environment than Saturdays. Awesome times!</p>

<p>This and that:</p>

<p>Plan for any kind of weather when you go to see your student…Seriously, it can change in a few hours from warm to cool to windy to rainy. I have been caught several times there wishing I had brought something for warmer or for colder days/nights.</p>

<p>:)</p>

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<p>One more tip that I thought of:</p>

<p>Textbooks: These things can cost a pretty penny quite quickly if you’re not careful. You’ve probably heard horror stories about how much some people have had to pay for their textbooks, but you can avoid that if you’re careful.

  • First of all, many classes don’t actually use the textbook or only use it in a very limited capacity, even if it’s technically “required”. Sometimes a course may require a textbook but the actual professor doesn’t use it (for example, the physics textbook is required for the introductory engineering physics course but Chang straight-up tells you that you don’t need it). Unless you know that a textbook is used in a class, wait at least until the first day of class before you start buying anything.
  • You may be able to find the textbook for free online, especially on websites like Google Books. If you know that the textbook isn’t used much, then you may also be able to find it at the library or borrow a friend’s.
  • If you do determine that you really need to buy the book, look online first. Most of the time you can get used or international editions quite inexpensively. Also check craigslist, a lot of students sell their used textbooks at the start of the semester. The campus bookstore is nearly always the most expensive option, I personally don’t buy much at all from there.</p>
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<p>Bumping this for any new Hokies today.</p>

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<p>First off here are some pictures of campus: [Pictures</a> by aroundVT - Photobucket](<a href=“http://s807.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/yy359/aroundVT/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ32]Pictures”>http://s807.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/yy359/aroundVT/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ32)</p>

<p>Second here’s the Quick Questions thread KandK referenced since it is kind of buried on the forums by now: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/936791-newest-now-faq-quick-question-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/virginia-tech/936791-newest-now-faq-quick-question-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Third here’s stuff for engineers.</p>

<p>I majored in engineering and graduated so no matter how you feel halfway through your sophomore year yes, it is possible. Unless you’re in ESM in which case you’ll need someone else to reassure you because despite them graduating a class each year I’m not entirely convinced. All kidding aside, it has been done, it is being done, and it can be done. So don’t get discouraged.</p>

<p>CHANG FOR PHYSICS doesn’t hold anymore since I think he stopped teaching it. Hopefully I’m wrong, but even if not the teachers seem better than they used to be in physics, but avoid Slawney, especially for the second physics class. Go to ratevtteachers and k o o f e r s .com and you can get a decent idea of how good a professor is. Also, try to schedule good professors instead of good class times. You don’t want to do something crazy like have all your classes on Tuesday/Thursday or something, but if it comes down to either having a good professor at 9:30 or a bad one at noon? Suck it up. A good professor makes a big difference.</p>

<p>Don’t get too intimidated by the math empo. If you’re unfamiliar with what it is go to the quick questions thread; theres a write up there. It’s kind of weird at first, but the bulk of the classes that are ‘taught’ there aren’t that difficult once you get over not having a professor.</p>

<p>Get involved with research as early as you can. When you know what major you’re going in to email a few professors in it and ask if they have any openings for undergraduate research. You’ll be unpaid and you’ll be lucky to get credit for it, but it looks fantastic on a resume. Plus you get to start building a relationship with some of your future professors, which can be big. Very, very big in some cases…</p>

<p>Get Trivedi’s DVD whether you have him as a professor or not. I never did have him, but I used his DVD and I learned more from it than everything else I did in the class combined. It is fantastic and all professors ought to use it. </p>

<p>Yes ENGE classes are dumb. Just do all your work and you’ll get a good grade and be done with it. Classes get interesting, and harder, later.</p>

<p>And fourthly tips for everyone. I’m going to repeat some things other people said but that is because they’re right.</p>

<p>Definitely don’t skip any classes your first couple months. After that you can get a bit of a feel for which classes you absolutely need to go to and which ones you can occasionally skip. Your freshman year you’re probably not going to have any classes you can regularly skip. These do come up later on, but err on the side of attending. I’ll say this though; if you’ve got a choice between some fantastic once in a lifetime opportunity or going to class and you don’t have some big project/test that day? Skip the class. You know what I remember about my Sophomore History class? Not a whole lot. You know what I remember about watching the Yankees play the Hokies? Well, I remember watching the Yankees play the Hokies. So there you go.</p>

<p>Get a memory foam mattress. On overstock they cost the same for the biggest and smallest size, so get the biggest one and double it over. It makes the beds actually comfortable. </p>

<p>Class scheduling varies from person to person, but try to avoid having more than 3 Tuesday/Thursday classes. Even 3 is rough. MWF classes are shorter so having 3 there isn’t so bad. Also try to avoid really late classes. Being done early is better than sleeping in. Avoid 8ams if you know you’ll sleep through them though. Back to back classes aren’t bad, but three in a row is rough. Three Tuesday/Thursday classes in a row is suicide, MWF classes are actually pretty doable.</p>

<p>Try to feel out early on if you and your roommate are going to get along well. If you are then great, go party with them, have a blast. If not then just try and keep the relationship respectful between the two of you. Your roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend, they DO have to be the person that is in the same room as you for a good part of the day.</p>

<p>Stay out of your dorm room as much as possible. Hang out around campus, study at the library, eat at the dining hall instead of bringing it back to the room, just be doing something other than sitting around in your room. This isn’t because being in your room is bad, it is because being somewhere else is almost always better. That isn’t to say never be in your room, just be sure to make an effort (and to make a habit) to do things outside of it.</p>

<p>Explore Blacksburg. The food on campus is great, but off campus is also great. I could name a dozen restaurants that you need to check out, but Slouvakis, Rivermill and Sycamore Deli are three of the best. The Lyric is a great (and cheap) place to see a movie. The Cascades aren’t in Blacksburg but are still a great place to go on a hike. Blacksburg is a very nice place, and the later you start getting out into it the more you’ll miss out on.</p>

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<p>I’ve also taken some pictures from around campus. If you get curious you can look at them in addition to chuy’s.</p>

<p>[Virginia</a> Tech Campus - a set on Flickr](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/vtpics/sets/72157626173509231/]Virginia”>Virginia Tech Campus | Flickr)</p>

<p>Check out the map if you want to get your barrings: [Flickr:</a> Explore photos from VT Pictures’ Virginia Tech Campus set on the map](<a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■/photos/vtpics/sets/72157626173509231/map/]Flickr:”>Flickr: Explore photos from VT Pictures' Virginia Tech Campus set on the map)</p>

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<p>If you live in Virginia, I’ve found JCPenney to have the best prices on VT sweatshirts, t-shirts, etc. Especially with their sales and coupons, you can save a ton on new attire/gifts. Also check out SteinMart- they occasionally have some interesting Tech stuff, too. A&N stores used to be in the mix, but since they folded, Penneys is my VT shopping spot!</p>

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<p>aaaand Chuy makes us look like a bum again :-p</p>

<p>Another tip for everyone: Given the choice between 3x50 minute math classes and 2x75 minute math classes, take the 3x50. At least personally, I have a pretty hard time sticking with it for 75 minutes. This probably applies to other types of classes, but the 3x50 vs 2x75 seems to appear in math the most.</p>

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<p>Ditto to what everyone else has said especially chuy and ymon. Their points are spot on.</p>

<p>I don’t think anyone’s brought this up yet but if they have I’m sorry. Get a real nice jacket. It can get cold as crap down here and the winds can be ferocious crossing the drill field. I’d highly reccomend something that blocks the wind while keeping you warm.</p>

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<p>I have two questions about scheduling:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I’ve been around hanging on k00fers to see what my fall semester could look like in the future, and since the only Honors Linear Algebra option is MW, it has to be on that day. The way it’s looking right now, I’ll be having 4 classes on MW, and 3 on F. I’ve heard that Linear Algebra is a joke class anyways, so would that be okay to take 4 classes MW instead of putting 3 onto TR?</p></li>
<li><p>Right now I’m in my 5th year of German, and I consider myself fully fluent, and so does my teacher. I need advice on whether I should take a 2000 level German class, or jump right into a 3000 level German. And, if anyone has experience with upper level German classes, what are they like? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you very much, and see you guys in fall!</p>

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<ol>
<li><p>I don’t have any experience with Honors Linear Algebra, but regular Linear Algebra is indeed a very easy class (it’s also completely online, you can finish it before the end of September). I’m guessing that the honors version goes into more abstract concepts like Rank-Nullity Theory, Markov Chains, etc. but you shouldn’t have any problems. I think that you could probably manage taking 4 classes on MW, especially if you have a break or two somewhere in there. Three classes on TR could get old quick.</p></li>
<li><p>[Placement</a> level](<a href=“http://www.fll.vt.edu/equivalencies.html]Placement”>http://www.fll.vt.edu/equivalencies.html)
Feel free to email a professor or your adviser at VT and let them know about your situation. I’m sure they’ll be glad to help.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>1) Unless Honors is different you can take Linear Algrebra on whatever day of the week you want. There is no actual class meeting time except for the first week.</p>

<p>Overall though, 4 classes on a MW is rough but not too bad. Like ymon said, 4 on a MW can be more manageable than 3 on TR.</p>

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<p>I believe in Honors Linear Algebra they have an actual professor and lecture. It’s not completely online like the normal class.</p>

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<p>ymon is correct. It’s been said before, but Honors classes are not necessarily harder than regular classes. In some senses, they’re easier. Sure you’ll have basically no curve on tests (Diffeq’s class average was above a 90%) but the other students are generally much more motivated and, in my experience, help each other out much more.</p>

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<p>I know many of you guys reccomend to get a bamboo tablet instead of their requirement, but a current student who is a sophmore in computer science tells me that the teachers hate you and will not help you out of class if you do not have the tablet required. Is this true???</p>

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<p>I’ve never had to use the tablet in any of my CS classes. None of the professors even had a tablet, they all had MacBook Pros or ThinkPads.</p>

<p>You’ll be fine.</p>

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<p>Will the teacher know if i don’t have a tablet. Do they check? Sorry for all these questions, but I don’t want my teacher to hate me and not help me.</p>

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<p>I’ve never heard of any professors caring, and a decent number of people on here have gone without a tablet. I went without one for the last 2 years of school and no one noticed/cared.</p>