<p>Aside from all the discussion about rankings, can someone speak to the general feel for the two campuses? ie social makeup, competitiveness, what it would be like to be there as an oos student from the opposite coast, political leanings, greek scene, friendliness? It is hard to get a real feeling for some of these issues from guidebooks. The schools my son is considering are all over the map (geographically) and we will not be able to visit them all. Any personal perspectives would be welcome.</p>
<p>I can’t really speak for GT since I’ve never been there. The stereotype, fair or not, is that it is a relatively depressing place to be. It is more competitive between students, and located in a major city, with the pros and cons that come attached to that.</p>
<p>VT is in a small college town where literally everything revolves around the college. I loved it, some people used to a faster paced lifestyle may get bored. Academics are very collaborative (the idea that someone would tank someone else’s project/assignment/etc is foreign to me; at VT they would gain nothing for doing it.) I didn’t go Greek but there is a pretty active Greek scene and the people in it seem to have fun. Politically the area is conservative but campus really isn’t. Engineers tend to lean a little conservative but I certainly don’t and I (nor anyone I knew) had an issue with it. Pretty much everyone that visits campus comments on how friendly the students are. The social makeup is kind of diverse; there are a lot of OOS students.</p>
<p>Thanks, chuy. We are actually looking for places where the Greek scene does NOT dominate. How easy/hard was it for you to socialize with others, not having joined a frat? Do students tend to move off campus or not? How dominant is the STEM focus of the school? To be honest, I had not been recommending tech institutes in the beginning because I want my son to be around students with many varied interests. But, as financial and admission realities start to take hold, we are looking at all possibilities. I know that there is not just one type of student, but how would you describe the majority at VT (eg preppy, etc?) Also, what other places would you deem comparable to VT- ie where else would VT students have applied (nationally- not just in VA)?</p>
<p>It wasnt hard at all to not be in the Greek system. I honestly don’t know what the percentage breakdown was for greek/nongreek, but I’d be surprised if half of campus joined a fraternity. People that did it seemed to like it, people that didn’t had no problems finding friends/things to do.</p>
<p>Most students move off campus before Junior year. There’s an initiative now to have a residential college where the same people live in the same building for all 4 years but it is nice to move off campus and get your own bedroom after a couple years. There are several student housing complexes around and a good bus system that runs to campus and the housing areas of town.</p>
<p>I was an engineering student so I’m not sure how the STEM focus looks from the outside. Somebody else will have to comment.</p>
<p>It’s hard to pin down a big student body with any particular adjectives. The folks from Northen Virginia tend to be more preppy, the folks from southwest Virginia are a bit more salt-of-the-earth, the Virginia beach people like to party a lot, but I’m really generalizing here. The one thing is people that go to VT tend to really, really like VT, when it comes to campus pride, or sports or whatever. Is that a function of VT attracting a certain type of student or is there something different once you get there? Probably a bit of both.</p>
<p>Peers… Kind of depends on the program. I think there’s a big crossover between PSU applicants and VT.</p>
<p>Thanks, chuy. That really does help. Having never been South of DC myself, the PSU reference helps VT feel a bit less foreign to me. (Though it will not likely mean anything to my west coast- born kid!)</p>
<p>I’m on the west coast now actually, a little north of LA. I’m not really sure what would be analogous west to east.</p>
<p>hi mommeleh,</p>
<p>chuy is such a great resource for these kinds of questions. We don’t have a great number of current students who post on this board (maybe too busy studying? :)) so his thoughts and advice is always helpful. I have a 4th year kid there now. As far as the greek factor, I would say that VT is a school where its emphasis is pretty minimal, at least as far as what we could tell. Being a large uni, there are so many other options for kids to engage in socially, I don’t think anyone who doesn’t participate with a frat would feel left out.</p>
<p>The kids there seem to be very down to earth overall from what I can tell. When you sit in one of the dining halls, you’ll see an array: athletic looking kids, studious looking kids (OK I’ll say it…nerdy looking- but how we love those nerdy ones!), higher percentage of caucasian students than minorities, but that seems to be improving in last four years. Hoodies, tshirts, jeans, flip flops, sneakers…probably 90% wearing something maroon and orange or with a VT logo on it. One thing is they all seem to be very content. Very friendly as well. My son thinks most of the girls there are all beautiful (many “out of his league” as he says :)) To me VT gives a student pretty much what most of us would think of as a typical college experience: great school spirit, small town/big state uni vibe, and solid academics.</p>
<p>VT has developed into a pretty well-rounded academic institution. Not that it is losing its technical flair, but there are a lot of kids from in and out of state that are going there for its sciences and agricultural science and environmental/natural resource programs. I think that factor is what really sets it apart from GT. I have heard a lot of engineering kids cross apply to Clemson OOS and of course chuy mentioned Penn State. </p>
<p>Hope this mom’s perspective helps a bit. Good luck as you and your son move forward with looking!</p>
<p>Hi Mommeleh - my experience at VT is very dated but on my few visits back I haven’t seen any changes in the general atmosphere or feel of the school:
- While engineering has the biggest impact on the reputation of the school it is by no means dominant in number or type of students. A potential engineering student will interact with business students, architects, liberal arts and farm science/agriculture students. Since there are so many non-engineers VT does not suffer from the imbalance in male/female of a STEM dominant school.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Greeks do not dominate the social scene. While some people really want to go Greek my guess is that it’s fairly small compared to the student population. It’s easy to meet people from your dorm and do things.</p></li>
<li><p>While VT is in southwestern Virginia the student body is not particularly southern. Yes, you will meet a lot of people from southern Virginia and West Virginia but also a lot from Northern Virginia (very different vibe from the rest of the state) and a lot from Pennsylvannia and NJ. CA and the West Coast is represented but not as much as the region from NY south to GA.</p></li>
<li><p>Students tend to be down-to-earth and I’ve never heard of anyone competing against each-other. The school is not preppy at all - - Virginians like to assign that adjective to UVA. In general everyone is friendly. One thing that has changed since I attended is that the school goes football crazy on game days. All the parking lots are filled with tailgaters (many alumni come back for games). Unfortunately, in that environment there will be a lot of opportunites for underage drinking.</p></li>
<li><p>It’s hard to say which schools are comparable in terms of student bodies. Many kids apply all over depending upon their potential major (engineering will be different from business versus liberal arts versus architecture). Obviously, a lot of Virginians wind up choosing VT regardless of acceptances elsewhere because it’s a lot cheaper in-state.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you KandKsmom and ChrisTKD. Your responses are definitely helping me get a better feel for the school. KandK, YES, we do love those nerdy ones 
To hear that students seem content is, perhaps, the greatest endorsement. And while some would say that I shouldn’t be concerned with what kids wear, I think my son would be much more comfortable in an environment where kids are more laid back about that sort of thing. Basically, i just want him to fit in. ChrisTKD, thank you for your perspective, as well. “Down to earth and friendly” sounds pretty good to me. A little drinking at football games doesn’t concern me. If it were a predominant feature of the college culture, i would be more worried. I hear the campus is gorgeous. We will definitely have to put VT on our list.</p>
<p>Here are some random pictures from around campus that I took a while back. [Pictures</a> by aroundVT - Photobucket](<a href=“http://s807.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/yy359/aroundVT/]Pictures”>http://s807.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/yy359/aroundVT/)</p>
<p>Very pretty!</p>
<p>“And not to beat a dead horse but seriously, they run the triple option. Like all the time.”</p>
<p>LMAO!!! I about fell out of my chair reading that. Thats something nobody can argue. VT football is WAY more entertaining than GT. VT football is something special</p>
<p>Posts #47 and #48 are spot on along with everything Chuy says. Much respect to what he does on this forum for fellow and prospective Hokies. I agree with everything he says. I think the whole “go where your son is comfortable” argument is perfect. If he already expressed a love of what he saw in VT then he should go there. As I will attest along with everybody else that you will NOT succeed where you are not happy. So if the VT atmosphere gets him hot then he should go there. If GT is where he’s comfortable go there. </p>
<p>Although I would like to share this as it may be relevant. I’m from Richmond VA and grew up seeing VT EVERYWHERE. I had no desire to go there or anywhere else in the dam state for that matter. I wanted out and away. Due to financial inabilities I couldn’t afford the OOS schools I got into so I caved and got “stuck” with VT. I was beyond mad and quite frankly ****ed. However, I went to the Freshman Orientation and saw the campus. I saw the girls 
I felt the community. I felt the Hokie spirit. And said well maybe I can make this work. Sure enough I can’t express how much I loved being there. I haven’t been there at all this year because I’m going to Peru for 2 years on a mission trip but I stopped by the other week to say bye to my friends and walk the campus one last time. I cried my eyes out. My mom and I were actually talking earlier today because she’s moving to a different house as soon I leave to Peru and is worried that I won’t feel right coming home in 2 years. I told her not to worry because Richmond isn’t home anymore. Blacksburg is home. Virginia Tech IS my home. And it kills me not to be there now or for the coming 2 years. I thank god every day that I got “stuck” with VT. It has truly changed my life and I am better for having gone there. I could go into a long list of why I loved it but the previous posters have done a valiant job of that and explaining the culture there. </p>
<p>Even if your son has hesitations about VT initially it WILL become home for your son if he decides to go there and buys into the culture and spirit of being a Hokie. I can’t emphasize that enough. I’ll let a new’s article about the VT shooting describe what I and every other Hokie feels on a daily basis:</p>
<p>“Everytime I tell someone I attend Tech, they ask me what a Hokie is. But how do you explain that to someone?
How do you tell someone that has never been to Blacksburg that a Hokie is not a turkey, that it’s not really even a bird. A Hokie is a state of mind. It’s a sense of community. It’s a feeling of pride.
It stretches from our football fields to our classrooms, from our undergraduate programs to our graduate studies, from Greek life to res life, and, physically, from War Memorial Chapel to Lane Stadium and back to the Duck Pond.
Being a Hokie is about consistently being No. 1 in collegiate Relay For Life. It’s about Hokie Camp and the Ring Dance and SGA and the No. 1 Panhellenic Council in the nation. Being a Hokie is about an unconditional love for our little town tucked away in a deep valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”</p>
<p>Good Luck in picking a college and if yall pick VT you won’t regret it</p>
<p>Great pictures,chuy. And I thought the triple option thing was hilarious too!
And GoOakland, Great post and thanks for sharing your story. It brought tears to my eyes. Good luck on your mission trip to Peru!</p>
<p>GoOakland, what a dear post. Best wishes to you on your mission trip. Do great things!</p>
<p>Just remember what a friend of mine once told me, “a Hokie may leave Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, but Virginia Tech never leaves a Hokie”.</p>
<p>So…I know this thread is about 5 or 6 months old now but I wish I found it sooner. I’m guessing the general consensus is that vt is along the same lines as gt in terms of academics yet it costs a fair amount less. I got accepted to both and was leaning toward vt but soooooooo many ppl think gt is a better school so I assumed by the time I graduate I would have this great job waiting for me and I’d make tons of money. Looks like I’d get the same thing, better social activities, only be in college for 4 years (rather than the standard 5 years gt requires), and be in substantially less debt than I will be after I graduate from gt…Living in atlanta is gonna be awesome but now I’m thinking is it really worth it? I start at gt this fall</p>
<p>Lesson #1 - it’s always worthwhile to solicit opinions/information from other people in order to make a fully informed decision. But, you have to be careful about letting other people’s opinions sway you from your own preference. You are the only one qualified to make the decision on which school would best suit you.</p>
<p>Yes, GT is considered a very good engineering school and you shouldn’t have any worries about getting a well respected engineering degree from that school. DS chose VT over GT mainly because he preferred the more suburban/rural environment over downtown Atlanta. The cost difference was also a factor. Personally, I don’t think the extra cost for GT is worth it. However, there are those who stress that the quality and depth of research at GT is better than at VT. If so, that might be of interest more to a grad student or Phd candidate.</p>
<p>There’s no point in beating yourself up over the decision. You can go to GT and make the best of it. If it turns out not to be all that you expected and you are worried about the debt you could transfer to VT after one year. On the other hand, if you really are getting cold feet you could inquire whether VT would still take you. That would be a long shot at this point but perhaps still possible.</p>
<p>ChrisTKD makes several very good points. You have to gather information and at some point shut out the noise and decide what is best for you personally. I hold the belief that there is no ‘one and only perfect school’ for each student. You couldn’t have made a poor choice either way.</p>
<p>I do want to point out that there are many students at VT that take over 4 years to graduate for any number of reasons. This is not exclusive to GT. I wouldn’t let that sit in your mind as a hard and fast figure that GT is 5yrs and VT is 4yrs. It is very dependent on the student.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you!!</p>
<p>I am a VT Grad so I may be biased vs NC STATE. I think VT is the better school. But compared to GT? Hey, that is a pretty damn strong engineering school. VT has its areas of strength. Some years the industrial and systems engineering dept is tied around 3rd or 4th with Stanford or Berkeley. But overall I would say its quite a stretch to say its equal to GT which is a truly great Engineering school. </p>
<p>If its the OOS tuition that makes the difference then look at the VT Honors program that might waive the OOS tuition. That could be a game changer.</p>