<p>I'm from NJ and have recently been looking into VT. If any out of staters on here would be willing to answer a few questions and share their experince Id really appreciate it.
A few of my major questions:
Will I feel like a minority? Is the southern culture/rural campus hard to adapt to? </p>
<p>Thanks everyone :)</p>
<p>There are a decent amount of out of state students, especially Maryland and NJ. Since VA itself is such a big state, there’s a lot of variety in the type of student depending on what group of people you’re around. A lot of students you’ll meet will be from Northern VA and the Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Hampton Roads area, both of which are really big areas in VA. Most students are all adapting to the college town feel, so that’ll just be a personal preference. NoVA and 757 aren’t really southern/rural either, so most students will also be getting used to the southwest VA environment. One of my really good friends I met at Tech was from NJ, but it rarely ever came up except when talking about traveling home and stuff like that. Let me know if you have any other specific questions!</p>
I’m from New England and did not know anyone going into my first year at Tech. For me, it wasn’t hard to adapt at all. There is a huge diversity at Tech, and from what I’ve seen, VA itself is really diverse. 30% of students are out of state, so you aren’t alone!
Also, if you haven’t heard of it, VT has a great program called Summer Academy that allows incoming students to start classes during the second summer session instead of the fall. It’s a great way to transition to VT, especially if you won’t be knowing anyone. You can find more information here: http://www.vtsa.edm.vt.edu/index.html
I did it before my freshmen year and can’t recommend it enough!
My d is concerned about finding transportation to an airport to fly home for breaks. Any comments about this are welcomed.
I would bet that catching a ride to the airport in Roanoke would not be a problem. Almost everyone leaving campus for break will pass within 3 miles of the airport.
There’s a y bus that runs from VT to the Roanoke Airport (all days except Sunday). http://www.smartwaybus.com/schedule.htm
Thanks for the info. Still waiting to hear back (Regular Decision).
Plenty of OOS kids… Mine is from Texas, and he has friends from all over. One big suggestion… GO TO HOKIE CAMP. My son wasn’t too sure about it, but he ended up meeting kids who are still his best friends 2 years later. The very last session seems to have lots of OOS kids, probably because it is just before school starts and you don’t have to make 2 trips… He met kids from NJ, NY, CT, etc. he would tell you it’s the best thing he ever did… 
Thanks for the tip on Hokie Camp:) I found the link and it looks awesome! So far, still haven’t heard from VT but in at a few other EA schools. It’s going to be a tough wait through April…
Blacksburg itself has a trace of “old hippie” vibe. There’s a lot of great music and fabulous outdoor activities in the area.
Glad to hear there are activities and music available. With it being a state school, do many students leave on the weekend to travel and go home? We are a few states away so this won’t be an option for my d. Hopefully, there’s enough happening on campus to give the kids reasons to stay.
Blacksburg is in a lowly populated part of the state. Most students love over 3 or 4 hours from campus and will have the same experience.
@mybstnw Students are always around during the semester. Many generally stay on weekends, especially since many in state students are from Northern VA (4 hours away) and Hampton Roads (5 hours away). VT is also big on football on weekends in the fall, so the campus is very active when there is a home game.
Agree. Most kids, even instate students , stay on weekends. My instate kid was 5 hours away so coming home just for a weekend wasn’t an option. There were kids from California, NJ, Md. RI, a guy from South America , etc. on his freshman hall.
thanks for all of your comments. We are from the midwest and my D is seriously considering VT if she gets back an acceptance this spring.
Blacksburg and VT are great! (and I don’t even have any kids at Tech). I have a kid who spends lots of weekend there with a BF, and another kid who lives in town and commutes to another 4 year school.
The student body is diverse and very welcoming and down to earth. As others have said: NoVA (DC suburbs) is obviously not the South, and neither is Hampton Roads (the 757 ie Va Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake etc).
The closest city with a decent amount of students is Richmond, and that is 3 hrs away. NoVA and Hampton Roads are 4-5+. All the many, many dozens of kids I know generally come home only once a term other than Holiday breaks.