Not for VT, no. Other schools, SRAR and otherwise, might request.
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Anyone here thinking of going to Hokie Focus?
My daughter also got a renewable non-resident $3K scholars award. Hers requires keeping a 3.0 and taking 30 credits/year. It got pulled mid-way through this year (freshman year) because it was also based on financial need, and my employer pays a large chunk of the tuition (think it took VT a while to figure this out). The financial aid office was able to find a different fund to pull it from though that didnāt include need, so it got reinstated. Was very happy about that! DD is super happy at Tech, in the College of Engineering.
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Thanks so much for the great info. Glad to hear she is happy at Tech and that she got her scholarship reinstated!
So my son was accepted into Orion LLC and West Ambler Residential College. Anyone know anything about either of those? Basically from what I can tell is that Orion besides being science focused requires a 1 credit course that has some extra homework. West Ambler does not have that requirement but still has live in faculty and some optional sessions you can attend. It also has a two year housing contract, so guaranteed on campus housing for two years (or if thatās bad, youāre forced to be on campus for two years).
Anyone have experience with either of those?
What dorm is Orion LLC located in? West AJ has air conditioning, which is appealing to many.
My daughter was not officially a part of the West AJ residential college program, but she did live in West AJ dorm and was invited, as a resident of the dorm, to partake in any of the residential college activities (according to her there were gatherings during the year where they usually had pizza or some other food - some were indoors and some were outside - she didnāt participate, so I canāt comment on the details of the gatherings.) I also know that the Residential College divides the West AJ dorm up into different āHousesā (think Harry Potter). As a dorm resident, my daughter was technically assigned to a āHouseā, but she didnāt participate. I donāt think anyone in her hallway was part of the LLC. Itās a big dorm and Iām guessing they donāt get 800+ applicants to the LLC.
Hereās a link to more info on the Residential Colleges:
Residential College at West Ambler Johnston | Living-Learning Programs | Virginia Tech (vt.edu)
Your son should consider the 2-year commitment of living on campus because they are serious about that. It can be good because being in an LLC is one of the only ways to remain on campus after freshman year, but if your son suddenly wants to move off campus with friends, itās very hard to break the housing contract (my daughter has friends who were unable to break theirs).
Your son can always try to get a room assignment in West AJ during the room selection process and still be able participate in the residential college program without the 2 year room commitment. I donāt believe they allow participation in any of the non-residential college LLCās (like Orion), just because someone is a resident in the participating dorm, so if he wants an LLC thatās focused on his area of study, heāll have to commit to the 2 years.
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Thanks! Mainly he was interested in the LLCās to be guaranteed housing with AC, and also to give a little structure to meeting people. The appeal of West AJ was what appears to be a good location, and the activities appear to be optional, so if he decides it isnāt for him, he doesnāt have to do them. Orion would put him with other kids into science, which is appealing, but they have a required extra course - only 1 credit, but some people report itās an annoying amount of busy work and itās required.
The 2 year commitment is initially appealing because then he doesnāt need to worry about where to live his sophomore year, but how common is it that kids want to move off campus? When I went to school, everyone tried to get rooms on campus because it was more convenient - but Iāve been reading about some kids wanting off campus, I didnāt think about that.
Currently, VT has very few housing options for students past freshman year (they have plans for additional dorms but I donāt know when theyāll be completed). As a result, probably 95%+ of sophomores and up, live off campus. Exceptions to having to move off campus are LLCās and those students who are RAās.
So, if your son thinks that heāll want to stay on campus, the LLC is way to guarantee that. The caveat being if he meets friends outside of LLC who move off campus and heās unable to break his 2 year contract.
West AJ is in an excellent location! My daughter loved being able to easily walk across the street to football games in Lane Stadium, soccer, basketball, softball & baseball games. If your son brings a car, itās also one of the closest dorms to student parking. Itās also right next to West End, which is one of most popular dining halls. The rooms are on the smaller side but itās worth the trade off for the A/C!
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To add to that, the pressure that the students feel to find off campus housing for sophomore year in the fall of freshman year is very real. I imagine its similar at many large schools who donāt guarantee housing past freshman year. Youāll move your kid into their freshman dorm mid-August and four weeks later they are talking about looking at apartments and having to sign a lease NOW for fall of sophomore year. Its a bit crazy, and stressful for kids who are only a few weeks into navigating life at college. The friends they make early on - and the lease they might sign with them - can change over the course of freshman year. However, there is plenty of off campus housing and the students do figure it out.
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They do figure it out. Typically, the complexes that are the newest, with the fanciest amenities and closest to campus are the most popular and get filled up first, but there are more than enough options around town. A lot of the āpressureā comes from the students themselves who think they have to have the newest and best complexes. The complexes themselves add to the perceived pressure by offering rent ādealsā.
My daughter (sophomore) lives in an older but still popular complex and itās not sold out for 2023/2024. Management tried to pressure them into re-signing by a certain date in October but none of them did and there are still options there. Thereās no harm in taking your time other than possibly not getting into the newest (and most expensive), or if they want to live as group of five +, it can harder to find space.
I will also say that my older daughter graduated from another large college in 2017, and we were signing leases in November of each year - so it wasnāt a surprise to me.
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I was very recently at VT for a tour. In the information session it was suggested they are slightly ahead of schedule reading for the EA round and although a date was not specified it was said "we always release decisions on Fridays at 5 and we didnāt release them this past Friday (2/3) and it could be VERY VERY soon. Take that for what you will but I interpret it that weāll hear 2/10.
Also - relating to the dorm/apartment conversation. The students we talked to that lived off campus (most of them) didnāt imply it was any kind of an issue finding a place.
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Interesting. So the person actually used the adverb āveryā twice?
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Could be interesting if both VT and UVA EA release at 5pm on 2/10
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ā¦and with emphasis, hence the all caps?? 
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Wow, thatās a huge possibility! Dean J said on her blog it may be closer to Feb 15, though, but UVA releases decisions on Fridaysā¦so yeahā¦this Friday as well, maybe!
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Yes, twice and with emphasis. Also encouraged people to follow the admissions instagram as theyāll post there about an hour before they post to any other social media.
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While that sounds great and Iām hopeful they are in fact ahead of schedule, when did you go for this tour if they said they didnāt release 2/3 which was this past Friday?
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Part of their tour group yesterday.
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I was at the same tour, and I can verify that they said this. The campus looked pretty nice and the location was what I liked (mountainous, hilly, lots of opprotunity for hiking). It was a bit too big for my liking though, and we toured at a not-so-great time (winter, not many people walking around). Iām a prospective CS student from NoVA fyi. Even with high stats I have a feeling that admissions into VT Engineering are going to be brutal for me and others, especially considering the high amount of apps they get.
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Good luck with your decision! We were at U-Tenn the day before which admittedly is a little bit smaller (20%?) but the buildings are MUCH closer together so made going from one building to the next much easier. But less green space. Agree that visiting on a Saturday isnāt fair for getting a sense of the student vibe on campus. If admitted will definitely need to go back for the admitted student day before making a final decision.
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