@HelicoptahMom Here’s some spots to consider:
The Cellar
622 North
Mellow Mushroom
Cabo Fish Taco
Not all might have outdoor dining but some like 622 are adhering strictly to 50% indoor capacity with ample spacing between tables. Preston’s at Inn at Virginia Tech has decent food too.
Check the local weather for your visit. Spring can be windy in Blacksburg and it get’s chilly at night, so what looks like a good outdoor option might not be so once you get there.
Thank you for the great tips! We are staying at the Inn so that seems like a good option. Appreciate your help!
@HelicoptahMom They would love the business. Have been at close to skeleton crew since the pandemic. Have stayed there consistently since our kid was enrolled in 2018. If your kid commits, sign up for their parent’s club. Short term perks are ok, long term you have a chance to sign up for graduation reservations and Blacksburg area is no picnic to try and reserve rooms for your kid’s “walk”.
Inn at Virginia Tech is a nice place to stay. Maybe better for breakfast than dinner since you will be staying there. Some of the restaurants in town would probably be better for lunch or dinner and give you a better feel for Blacksburg. Blacksburg Tavern would be my pick. Cabo Fish Taco also popular, depending on what kind of food you’re in the mood for. Have a great visit!
Everyone is so helpful! Thanks for all the suggestions.
Computer Engineering in VT, Purdue, UIUC and Rutgers - similar costs - all are OOS - Which one to choose? Any advice/experiences?
I would say Rutgers would be lower on the list for me than the other three, even though it’s a very solid school.
Between the other three, they are all strong, and great schools. If prestige is your main goal, you could go by each schools Comp Sci ranking with the sites (US News, Niche, etc), but as a software developer who now manages teams, I can tell you on a resume I would see those three as the same ballpark. So really, you should pick the one that calls to you and not worry about it. Great choices btw!
My daughter is choosing between VT, Purdue, RPI and WPI
Thanks @HankCT. I forgot to mention UT Dallas (CS) which is also OOS but my S was offered in-state tuition along with some scholarship. Rutgers is almost out of the contest. Just weighing between UIUC/Purdue/VT with UT Dallas being a dark horse when prestige is not the driver
Has anyone in state gotten off the waitlist yet?
After our visit last week, my DD decided VT was not the right fit for her.She declined her offer to the College of Science on Friday. Good luck to all those still waiting!
Any specific reasons? Or, was it a just a feeling of “it doesn’t fit me” after visiting the campus?
I’m curious too. We are in the car on our way home. My son is trying to decide between VT and another school.
Hi wondering what your decision was, we are from NJ, between VT and U Colorado, but just got into PSU. aerospace engineering. wonder if you committed to VT and what you liked about it over other schools
Hi, We were almost committing to VT but just got into PSU. It is half the distance for us too. aerospace engineering or if not then mechanical. What do you like about PSU over VT besides distance. Having a hard time decideing. We haven’t seen PSU yet (expect when I went to visit some friends way back when)
I’m happy to answer any general CU questions you may have. We live 15 minutes from the campus and my oldest son is a sophomore there in business. He’s actually applied to transfer to VT.
As you parents may know, you can sometimes tell your child’s reaction soon after they are on the campus. I think the lack of a personal tour guide was an issue. Even though they have apps that guide people it’s not the same. It made it hard for her to see her herself there in her major. It’s clearly an amazing school and she was thrilled to be accepted, but something was missing in a personal way once on campus.
Hi @collegehelp_1 My son is still deciding between Purdue and VT. Tough call. I still think he is aligning close accepting VT but he is taking his time. Good luck.
@collegehelp_1 to answer your query on what he liked. He was comparing purdue vs VT for Aerospace and Chemical engineering. From academic course perspective it is very close and similar, just that the sequence of course was slightly different. Both campuses are great but VT definitely had edge due to better social life/Vibe/dining option. VT also close to NJ compared to Purdue that’s another advantage. We are not giving too much into the rankings but obviously Purdue scores higher on the ranking and that’s where my son is still in dilemma.
My son is not STEM/engineering so his criteria for decision making are likely different , but he said he weighed the alumni connections, pre-law opportunities, ranking (both US and global), school spirit, Greek life/social life, college town and other factors and decided on PSU. I will say the lack of a real tour at VT vs a very good tour guide at PSU might have helped solidify that, but he was already leaning that way before we got to campus.
Yes I am also caught up in rankings, VT #13 overall engineering but aerospace not ranked. Still not sure what that means for the program. He was looking at UMD #10 aero and Embry Riddle #8 aero. but he too likes the feeling of VT more. Is the aero as good at VT? My son has two friends at VT, one who chose it over Purdue Honors program due to the good feeling he got. He loves it. Started as aero, but thinking to go mechanical for more broad options. The other is aero and loves it, on rocketry club, started own business as a sophomore, rows crew. They both seem very happy