<p>As a first time parent I am slightly overwhelmed with this process. Here are my questions...orientation: are the students automatically given a dorm room for the night? Is it in their chosen hall (Hypatia) or just wherever. Have you chosen dining plans yet? Which tablet are you getting for your child? Do you need to buy a printer or is it better to coordinate that with a roommate ?? Thanks all!!!</p>
<p>Here is my thoughts from past years / son:</p>
<p>Orientation: Kids are automatically given a dorm (usually Slusher, girl / boys by floor). All kids are in same dorm and no, it is not your “assigned” dorm you will have for the year.
Dining Plans: My son, who does eat a lot, used the Premium Flex his Freshman year and I still floated a few more $ to him. You can always try a lower plan then add to it if needed.
Tablet: Can only say aviod the Fijitsu. While it hasn’t broken, it is cheaply made and my son hates it (he is a Senior - ME major)
Printer: I bought one, but then his roommate had one too. Best to coordinate with the roommate to save cost.</p>
<p>Good Luck, I know it can be overwhelming. I have 1 year left with DS1 and starting with DS2 as a freshman somewhere else…couldn’t they have made it easy on me?</p>
<p>I believe the default choice on the meal plan is a good option. VT will let the student know when their balance is running low. You can then add an extra amount if needed.</p>
<p>I believe last year the orientation dorm was Lee (in prior years it was Slusher). Bring a fan because while BB is normally cool it can be a bit hot in the summer. Sons 1 and 2 decided not to sleep in the dorm overnight, They stayed with us in the air conditioned hotel.</p>
<p>The “best” computer is subjective and you may want to decide that at orientation after discussion with students with similar majors. There will be quite a few people touting their choices.</p>
<p>Sure its easy to share a printer with a roommate. You can always buy a cheap one at the last minute from Walmart.</p>
<p>I am confused. Is having your own printer a requirement? How many pages an engineering major would have to print out, on average? Is printing at a local Kinko / Office Depot store at 10c / page can be considered an alternative?</p>
<p>You have to print out a decent amount of stuff. You can print at the campus library for pretty cheap (it’s what I did for my last year after my printer broke) but it is inconvenient, especially if you’re putting something off till the last minute.</p>
<p>Son just finished freshman year… Middle meal plan was good, he found himself usually eating breakfast in his room anyway. We put a little extra money in fall semester, spring I think he ended up with $3 left. We got the Lenovo computer, I believe the higher priced version. Husband is a computer guy, so he did a lot of research on the various options and felt it was worth it to spend a little more since they use it SO MUCH and for all 4 years. So far, it was a good choice… We coordinated with his roommate on printer, TV, fridge and microwave, and that worked very well… Yes, having a printer in their room is a HUGE benefit. Good luck, VT is a great place and my son has the best year of his life!</p>
<p>This year I hear orientation will be in West AJ, one of the nicest dorms on campus with AC. I saw that VT posted a video about 9 Things to Know Before Going to Orientation on Facebook. Should probably check that out. And I definitely agree on coordinating with the roommate on the printer! </p>
<p>Wow - that is awesome about West AJ. It will definitely cut down on the complaints about how hot the dorm is during orientation. (even though they will face it once they move it) </p>
<p>WAJ being a good dorm now makes me feel old.</p>
<p>Yup, crazy. Talk about old, I graduated in 1989 from VT and my son is a senior there now. That makes you feel really, really old.</p>
<p>My DD1 bought a Lenova tablet as a freshman. she’s entering her senior year and still loves the thing. Had one repoir last year which was covered by the extended warranty. The package that we bought from the bookstore/computer store included a printer and it was good for the first year. Noticed it was covered in dust when we visited this April. </p>
<p>We got her the mid level meal plan and I’m pretty sure she had enough money left at the end of the year to enjoy a lobster dinner at West End. She had breakfast in her room daily, so there was additional expense for food not reflected in the cost of the meal plan. We didn’t mind as it was important to us that she ate breakfast.</p>
<p>Best wishes to your daughter. VT is a great school and Hypatia is a great program. DD2 turned it down and is attending UTA. I now appreciate VT even more after experiencing orientation at UTA.</p>
<p>DS is entering this year as well. Here’s what he’s decided so far:
- Lenovo tablet – most expensive one just to get the better processor and hard drive (not capacity, but more reliable technology). Purchasing from the bookstore if only so it is easy to deal with any repair issues and he can get a loaner.
- Figure out the printer with the room-mate; I had one of my own in the dark ages 24 years ago, and it was a godsend even then to be able to print whatever I needed whenever I needed it.
- He insists he wants the minimum meal plan, and he’ll let us know if/when he needs $ added; he doesn’t want to end up with a bunch of $ left over at the end, and since adding is easy, that approach seems to make sense…</p>
<p>Ailinsh1, your advice seems solid! My daughter will be at VT this fall. Son went elsewhere and never used all the meals we had paid for. Having his own printer made a difference often enough to be worth the cost, which was under $150. I haven’t looked at the specific tablet offerings at VT yet, but I agree that purchasing from the bookstore sounds worthwhile, since a loaner can be provided if repair takes time, and the warranty coverage looks very good. I hope people will keep their tips coming!</p>
<p>We did not go with the Lenova. The other one seemed better for engineering and my daughter preferred the swivel screen. We also chose the default meal plan after speaking with someone from the food dept. if you have money left in the food account you lose it. However if you have money in your flex addition account it rolls over year to year. I’d rather start low and add on then go big and end up losing some $$.</p>