I hate Virginia Tech.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Virginia Tech
1

<p>I am getting out of here as soon as possible.</p>

<p>The parking is awful - don't bother bringing your car.</p>

<p>The dorms are hot, small and usually don't have AC.</p>

<p>The police will pull you over for anything and EVERYTHING. Also, if you get caught with any alcohol (even a minor alcohol charge, aka drinking 1 beer in your dorm with a friend)....They will call your parents and recommend you for suspension.</p>

<p>Most of the majors here suck, unless you're going for engineering.</p>

<p>The school has literally no diversity, I see maybe 1-2 black people per day. Not to mention everyone stays in their own little group.</p>

<p>You will NOT get any financial aid here, or very little. Even with amazing stats and a high EFC. I was top 5% of my class, 2340 SAT, 4.2 GPA and they paid about 1k. </p>

<p>Stay away from this school, it's not worth it. For those of you who disagree with me, and still like it - admit that these things that I said are at least true.</p>

2

<p>Parking is bad, dorms are mediocre, I’ve never had a problem with the police despite drinking very often while underage, there are several excellent majors (especially CAUS) outside of engineering, I have no idea what you’re talking about with lack of diversity (a quarter of the school is not white) and I’ve recieved a pretty good amount of aid via grants and scholarships.</p>

<p>edit: And parking will be much better once the garage opens, and many of the dorms are currently being renovated.</p>

3

<p>I plan on bringing my car freshman year. Worst come to worst I can just leave it in the parking garage for when I need it.</p>

4

<p>Meh, you can’t expect a school with so many people to have too many parking spots. :stuck_out_tongue: I just got accepted from my waitlist after appeal, but I can’t decide between here and James Madison. Right now I’m leaning more towards JMU, honestly.</p>

<p>My only complaints are the bad weather (my older brother goes there, says it gets awfully windy/rainy and the weather is pretty unpredictable) and how small the town is (he said that there wasn’t too much to do, town is a little run down and very tiny)</p>

<p>Who knows. But all colleges have their negatives!</p>

5

<p>VTHokie is not a Virginia Tech student and is simply spamming/flaming our boards.</p>

<p>A Virginia Tech student would first of all know that (1) 74% of our school identifies as white which is actually solid diversity. (2) What does the color of your skin have to do with anything, what ignorance.</p>

<p>Parking is terrible, take the bus. The dorms aren’t that bad and there are quality programs everywhere except in the liberal arts. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.</p>

<p>Purplequeue, apparently you aren’t aware that Harrisonburg is less populated and more run down than Blacksburg is, since, you know, Blacksburg isn’t really run down. Plus there is little cooperation between JMU and the town. Blacksburg embraces the school, Harrisonburg does not. If you care so much about the winters, I suggest you look further south than the state of virginia. I think you should actually visit VT and see for yourself. I’d honestly much rather have the national recognition of a VT degree.</p>

6

<p>I did visit Virginia Tech, and I do like it. I said that those are my only two negatives about the school, no need to be so hostile.</p>

7

<p>Weather in Blacksburg and Harrisonburg not that different. My daughter is at JMU and my granddaughter and nephew are VT students. Those at VT are overall, happier.</p>

8

<p>Parking: going around town you dont need your car… find a friend who’s a local. good people find good friends. use your car for out of town stuff only (not including christiansburg, wal mart, etc)</p>

<p>which hall did you get into? when did you apply for em? did you do a lot of research before choosing which one you wanna get into?</p>

<p>sounds like you’ve got rotten luck. security’s tightened the last few years, def true. but i haven’t heard that happening with any of my friends.</p>

<p>life sciences, architecture, engineering are fine… what are you in?</p>

<p>true, we don’t have as many blacks as they do in, say, DC, baltimore, georgia (atlanta, etc) and esp not new york. but there’s def a lot. who are you hanging out with? are you counting the asians as whites? i know the color can fool you from a distance, but really…</p>

<p>really? idk why, i didn’t even submit my FAFSA but they offered me 5k…</p>

<p>i’m an international. i love bburg! hahaaa ;)</p>

9

<p>GoTechGo - Just because I dislike your school does not mean that I don’t go there. I am giving my honest opinion. </p>

<p>Jazz, I sent in my deposit a week or so after I was accepted. I was placed in Pritchard. I did a lot of research about Virginia Tech and it seemed like the best school to go to because of the great education oportunities and how everyone raved about how happy they were here.</p>

<p>I transfered into engineering from a Psychology major. The department was awful, and although engineering is good the only thing the teachers seem to care about is their research. It’s extremely hard, but I am good at managing time. It sucks going from a 3.9 unweighted GPA in high school to a 3.0 in college. Really makes transfering out of here difficult.</p>

<p>I am black, and honestly I feel like many of the people at this school are extremely racist. I have friends, but it’s difficult when so many people look down on you because of your color. </p>

<p>As for other negatives…
-The school gets VERY busy during peak hours for dining halls. Even at 1:30 I sometimes have trouble finding spaces to eat.

  • Same with the gym.
  • It takes forever to drive around campus, and don’t even think about driving any where when a foot ball game is going down.
  • Blacksburg is so tiny, if you’re under 21 it’s very difficult to find something to do. the town itself is small and isolated.
  • The winters are very cold, and the summers are very hot. This is a problem when your dorms are very tiny and don’t have AC.
  • Schiffert, the health/doctor center, is awful. they diagnosed me with the flu and when i went to the REAL doctor it turned out to be a lot worse. they also tried to give me medicine that i had written down that i was allergic to.
  • you barely learn anything in the big classes. at virginia tech, you are nothing more than a number.
  • the school is HUGE and yet there is only one library on campus.</p>

<p>the list goes on and on… not to mention the shooting that happened… i feel very unsafe here.</p>

10

<p>vthokie,</p>

<p>I am sorry that you are unhappy and I wish you the best with your attempt at transferring. No school is perfect and obviously Tech hasn’t met your criteria for being a place that you want to continue your education. </p>

<p>I don’t think it is a bad thing that negatives and positives of schools are shared. Just the opposite. It is important that students who frequent these boards read both the good and bad points about their perspective schools. However, they need to also keep in mind that the opinions given are just that: individual opinions. </p>

<p>Regarding your points I will chime in from what I have heard from my kid there:</p>

<ul>
<li>My son’s roommate and best friend is black. He absolutely loves VT. Both guys hang out with friends that are African American, white, Asian. He is involved himself in many clubs and groups at the school and couldn’t be happier. We have a great relationship with him and never once has he expressed that there is a racist attitude from anyone- quite the opposite actually.</li>
</ul>

<p>*Dining halls: yes, they get crowded and yes, son has complained about his not being able to get a seat.</p>

<p>*Bburg is small. But nothing to do? Mine is pretty busy with his major, but has had a ball going to games, going to Squires Center to shoot pool, bike. Never a complaint.</p>

<p>*The weather: Yes, he has said that Jan-Feb. months are cold, windy and kind of dreary at times. But, he told us just the other day, the spring is fantastic and has chased the winter doldrums away. Fall is glorious as well. </p>

<ul>
<li>Can’t share your feelings about the lack of attention in classes. Son has had a few big classes, but got there early, sat in the front and has done great. He went to several meetings with Professors to get clarification on material, and has said they are more than willing to help- if you make the time to ask and give them time to meet with you.<br></li>
</ul>

<p>*Unsafe ? Never once heard this from him. My son applied the fall after of the shootings. Didn’t deter him then, and he is out and about all over campus. I hope he uses common sense and takes the normal precautionary measures, but he is a cautious kid by nature and
has just told his sister that he really wants her to come to VT. Don’t think he would recommend it so highly to her if he were anxious about safety. </p>

<p>Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Please know that by offering rebuttals to your points, I am not trying to belittle anything you have to say. Just offer others another perspective. Good luck to you in the future.</p>

11

<p>VThokie…you might want to consider transferring to VCU. Their engineering department is growing. Lots of money going to new buildings and such for engineering. Much money into new dorms, too. And there is a great amount of diversity. Not certain if you would feel more safe as you are talking inner city Richmond. But if one feels unsafe in Blacksburg, possibly might feel unsafe any where.</p>

<p>As far as the weather…any place in Virginia is going to be HOT in the summer and fairly cold in the winter. However, we have relatives that live in Radford (20 minutes from VT campus) and I find the summers delightful. No where near as hot and humid as it is here in the beach area of VA. Good luck. Hope you find what you are seeking.</p>

12

<p>The real question (IMHO) is why you, being a URM with a 99+ percentile SAT score and a top 5% GPA, chose VTech. Not to be overly judgmental, but based on that profile you could’ve gone almost anywhere you wanted. I’m not trying to be hostile. I’m just trying to understand.</p>

13

<p>I was wondering that too! hahaa i went there because: 1, i totally love the place. 2, cost. and 3, i got the added bonus of meeting old friends since i lived there for 4 years. i was there too when the shooting happened. one of my friends died, and just the day before, i was grilling shish kebabs at the annual International Street Festival with him (it’s going on TODAY!!). it was terrible, but i’ve never felt unsafe, and the community is amazing. that’s why i’m going to VT :)</p>

<p>Lol, i’m sorry, i’ve heard Pritchard is the worst dorm because it used to be all-boys, i think?</p>

<p>I do hope you find a good transfer. Sounds like you’re not the big-university type at all though lol. looking for a small college or at least much smaller classes, with attentive professors, a big black population (?), maybe a warmer climate… can you afford a private university’s tuition?</p>

14

<p>I would just like to make the statement that I think it was poorly out of taste to use the shooting as a reason not going, or not wanting to continue to go to the school. Saying you won’t go there because of that is like saying you won’t go outside because you’re afraid you’ll fall and hurt yourself. Something like the shooting could have happened annywhere, it just happened to occur at Virginia Tech.</p>

15

<p>techgirl14</p>

<p>I have to agree with you. If you take the time to think about it logically using the shooting as a reason is incorrect because of the shooting Tech is keenly aware of the what ifs compared to other schools. It is their tragedy that actually makes the school safer. Our DD will be class of 14 and I feel safer with her there than at any other university. Alot of safety regs were put into place so that tragic day would never be repeated again.</p>

<p>I think kids get caught up in the frenzy of acceptances and rankings without ever stopping to look at the school itself.</p>

<p>Not every college is a fit from a personal standpoint. You may be a “fit” academically and the campus maybe gorgeous, but other things come into play that if you and your parents don’t discuss openly and honestly before sending in the deposit can come back and bite you in the arse.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>CLASS SIZE. For example go to UMD and as a freshman you could have classes with 200 people. Tech the number is “supposedly 1/4” the size. Thus, if you want to be a number Tech is not a place you should go.</p></li>
<li><p>WEATHER. Let’s be honest it gets down right cold there in the winter. If you don’t like snow, than maybe you should re-think your decision,</p></li>
<li><p>TOWN. Blacksburg may be the hub of the county, but if you come from Fairfax you will think you have been time warped to Mayberry USA. It is not like Fairfax or PW county where you have umpteen movie theatres and restaurants to choose from within a 2 mile radii.</p></li>
<li><p>SPORTS. Let’s be honest ACC schools are very active when it comes to vocalizing their opinion of other ACC teams. If you can’t get into BBALL or Football than you will be missing a huge camaraderie time of your life.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I have said earlier for our DD it is the perfect fit, we were military and her last hs before moving here 18 mos ago had a graduation class of 300. Our DS went to UMD because he didn’t want the whole school to say Bless you when he sneezed. He wanted to be a number and that is why UMD is a good fit for him. He likes riding the Metro and going into DC when nothing is happening on campus over the weekend. It would drive him insane how small the campus is compared to UMD. Our DD on the other hand would transfer out of UMD after the 1st semester because she is someone who likes the home town feel, and the thought she could possibly know everyone in her dorm. </p>

<p>Different strokes for different folks. VTechHokie isn’t wrong for transferring. They found out that the fit and the image did not match. I think it is important that they express their negatives regarding the school. It helps parents and future students gain a different perspective than what the ambassadors and the school is selling. I would as a parent prefer to hear the negs because it grounds you to the fact that not everyone gets on their knees and praises Tech like a God.</p>

<p>I have to say I chuckled about the 1-2 black students. I guess we must have met them all. Our Tour guide was a cute black girl. The Army ROTC cadet at orientation in Burress was black. The cashier (a student for sure) was also black.</p>

<p>I must also be honest I get upset with the racial, be it black, white, Asian or native american comments because IMHO we will never get past racism until we no longer use descriptors such as color. Why can’t we say things like “the 6’2 guy” or “that really short girl with an accent”? Why must it be about skin color? Skin color is nothing more than a DNA marker that determines the amt of pigmentation in your skin. NOTHING MORE OR LESS.</p>

<p>I will also state that the complaints you have given can be found on every other large university forum/thread.</p>

<p>Does it have a basis? Of course it does! However, it also needs to be placed into perspective that it occurs everywhere. I am sorry Tech isn’t your match, and I am glad that you shared your story to enlighten future students of your experience. Best of luck at your next school.</p>

16

<p>I would second the point to check into VCU. I understand their engineering department is a sleeper.</p>

17

<p>Coming to Virginia Tech is one of the worst mistakes I could have every made in my life. As mentioned, DO NOT BRING YOUR CAR. I have received four parking tickets due to ambiguous parking signs. In addition, the school’s customer services are absolutely horrid! After being “helped” I try so hard not to run over anyone while driving. </p>

<p>Hokie Spirit? You’ve got to be kidding me. Unless you are in the College of Architecture or Engineering, DO NOT COME TO VIRGINIA TECH. I should have applied to transfer out of here this spring. </p>

<p>As far as I know, Virginia Tech is only known for their sports-which I hardly care; I don’t even know the rules of foot ball-and engineering. Oh, I forgot to mention, their fattening food. If you don’t workout, you will gain fifteen to twenty pounds. Why not just go to an academically better school with ****ty food, eat a little less, and spend more time on studying instead? </p>

<p>I despise staying here. I am graduating a year early by staying here during this summer, and I plan on moving back to Northern Virginia or Baltimore afterwards. </p>

<p>Again, DO NOT come to Virginia Tech. Especially for your freshman year. Just attend a community college for a year and finish up your CLE the first year, and then transfer with a 4.0. I’ve seen a LOT of transfer students who have already done that.</p>

18

<p>Sorry it didn’t work out for you. Hope all goes well with your summer classes and that you can find happiness wherever you end up. </p>

<p>However, I will say to anyone reading this thread, this student’s sentiments are, without question, very rare. I could easily ask a great number of current/former Hokies about his/her experiences in Blacksburg and most would say, “Coming to Virginia Tech is the one of the best decisions I have made so far in my life”. I have one there right now that would say just that. In fact, let’s see, there are probably around 66K that would say it this Saturday at Lane Stadium. But, to each his own I guess.</p>

19

<p>Graduating soon is a ■■■■■. Only 1 post??? s/he doesn’t give any valid reason for hating VT except tickets and fatty food, lol.</p>

20

<p>In a school this large, there are bound to be those freshmen that have not made the right choice and are right in transfering. So I do want to share my daughter’s negative experience so far as a freshman:</p>

<ol>
<li>She lives in a dorm that needs to be updated and is always hot.</li>
</ol>

<p>hmmm - can’t think of anything else. Everything else has been great:</p>

<p>great friends
loves her classes
weather will never be an issue because its better than where she is from
nice roommate
excellent mentors
great networking opportunities so far - (hard to believe as a freshman but its true)
loves the food
loves the recreational sports
loves the football games
loves the mountains
not a partier but still finds plenty to do
lots of volunteer/service opportunities</p>

<p>She couldn’t be happier.</p>