What is housing like at VT? What happens if you don’t get a spot on campus? Is it difficult to find off campus? TIA!
Freshmen are guaranteed on campus housing. Word to the wise - submit your housing contract ASAP after you get an offer, as that will impact when your residence hall selection time is scheduled. If you apply and are accepted into an LLC you also get priority re: room selection (within the res hall that your LLC is in).
Thank you for that info. Does she indicate interest in a LLC on her initial application? I think the initial application asks about Honors, but I wasn’t sure about the others. Where a student lives can have a big impact on student life, I wonder if this had an impact on other student’s readiness to accept - the unknown of how that will play out, LLC or not, housing, etc. Would be interested to hear if anyone has opinions/feedback on this. Thank you!
I’m pretty sure you apply into the LLC’s after acceptance.
I wouldn’t overthink the dorm thing. Kids all seem to say that their on campus life is what they make of it. In our son’s case, he spends about 50% of his free time in a different residence hall, and the rest of the time the kids from the other dorm hang in his room. Standard res hall setup, and a lot of the kids on his hall keep their doors open except if studying or sleeping.
Off-campus housing for later years if needed is plentiful and reasonably priced.
o.k. thanks for the info. One more question, since a descent amount of students live off campus, do those students typically have cars? I would imagine parking is limited. Is there local mass transit? What’s the primary mode of transit for students?
Yes, they do have cars. Yes, parking on campus stinks. So, many use the Blacksburg Bus, many ride bikes or walk.
Thank you - I knew there were various forms of mass transit - I just wasn’t sure how much the student actually used it. My D would prefer not to have a car at college so I was just curious if it was a “driving” campus. Thanks again.
@STEMGirl19 My son did not have a car his first year off campus. Used Blackburg bus and his bike. He took a car his Junior/Senior year for ease of getting home, grocery shopping, etc. but still took bus to campus 75% of the time due to horrible parking.
Daughter is sophomore and she had no problem finding affordable off campus housing. She does have a car but only uses to come home for break. Rides bike to campus almost 100% though I suspect will take bus more when snow comes. Blacksburg busses are great. No car needed.
I’d also add that some of the LLC’s or Residential Colleges guarantee/require a second year on campus. I know West AJ is like that.
Freshman parent here…D is in CoE, living in Hypatia- female engineering LLC. Lee hall houses the science AND engineering LLCs for male and female students. It was a separate application (with essay) after acceptance, and possibly even AFTER submitting housing deposit(?). Galileo (engineering Male LLC) had a waitlist when she applied to Hypatia.
This dorm is old and small and not airconditioned, but she survived. There were three days in around parents weekend with no need for the fans, then three cold days, and now the heat cranks so hot she cracks the window again.
The only way to stay next year would be to be a mentor or RA. West AJ does have a two-year commitment; it is also newer and air conditioned.
That all being said, we were pretty surprised to learn that “all 700” kids who entered the lottery for rooms on campus got a room last year. 700. I did not leavenoff a zero. There are 9400 beds. There are roughly 6500 freshman, then 2 yr LLcs, and the Corp of Cadets who live in Cadet housing all 4 years, and that leaves very few spots on campus.
Good news is the the BT bus is very good, and goes to Target and Walmart in Cburg, as well as around Blacksburg and to all the major housing communities.
I recommend looking at reviews online, Yelp, ApartmentRatings, Google reviews, and importantly, check the subreddit for VT. Some of the big apartment complexes have very specific problems, some are louder and more for partiers, some are quieter, or cleaner, or more convenient, or less expensive, or safer…whatever your issue is, you will find be well served to check out the reviews first.