Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Top Questions

The worst thing about Virginia Tech is the amount of people. Sometimes, it is nice to be surrounded by so many happy students, but it is difficult to realize that you are just one of 30,000 people in a small(ish) area.

The cold weather. Walking on the drill field when it is 20 degrees outside and 30 mph winds is just miserable.

Maybe the lack of diversity (probably not the best word?), don't get me wrong there's a good amount of people from different backgrounds here, myself included, but everyone seems to act the same and be interested in the same things and there are those rare different people that seem to actually be interesting. Which has actually made it hard for me to make friends because I can't find people with some of the same interests as me.

The largness of the student body and the parties, but the parties will be found at any school.

The worst thing about my school is the weather. Although this school is considered to be in the south, does not mean it is warm here. Blacksburg can experience very unpredictable weather becuase we are located in the mountains. One day the temperatures can be in the 70s and the next day we are getting 6 inches of snow. The worst part of the weather is the wind. In certain places on campus it can feel as though you are walking through a wind tunnel. When the weather is nice, Blacksburg is one of the prettiest places to be.

The worst thing about Virginia Tech is probably the weather. Located in the mountain of Blacksburg, Virginia, this university has very rough winters of snow and wind. The main quad of campus, the drillfield, is a treacherous place to cross on a windy snowy day. The drillfield separates freshmen dorms from the classrooms, so it was a frequent obstacle for me to cross.

How far away Walmart is.

Communicating within and outside of your major and ethinicity can be difficult because attending a large school can easily make a person feel out of place.

The worst thing I believe about Virginia Tech is just that it gets pretty cold in the winter. I've never really enjoyed cold weather so being in a place where it snows quite a bit and drops below freezing for large parts of the winter is not something I particularly like.

The long food lines in the dining halls. We have to time when to get food or we will wait in line for a while.

Parking. We are not a driving school- students walk, bike, and bus around campus.

The worst thing about my school is that most of the kids at my university are from the Virginia area. I live in Connecticut and when I go home I am far away from all the friends I have at school. I guess that is what trains are for.

Virginia Tech football takes precedence over classroom learning. Professors cancel class on gamedays and parking for commuter students on campus becomes a nightmare.

The worst thing is probably the fact that once you get into the upper-class classes it is like impossible to get a class taht u want because they use some weird priority system that doesn't make any sense; I myself had to force-add 4 classes that are reqired classes that I registered for a secoond after the course request opened.

Too many students for the amount of space in the dining halls, and classrooms are something overbooked.

As a transfer student it was difficult to fit it and make friends. After being at the school for a year I still don't have many close friends.

My school experiences Antarctica weather. It gets below freezing in the winters with high wind chills. Luckily Virginia Tech buildings are close by to each other that it is still bearable to go to class.

I think that school security could be a lot better. The security system of the campus seems disorganized in that information relayed to students and faculty are delayed. Campus dormitry were only locked at night and so that gave anyone access to living headquarters. The campus could be lighted better at night since it is a large campus and gets dark earlier in the winter months.

The "country feel" of it

The worst thing about my school would be the work load. While it is completely manageable, it is extremley easy to drop the ball and become behind and very frustrated. Many teachers feel that their classes are the only classes you are taking, and therefore you should be able to do all that they ask in a short amount of time. This can be very frustrating. I find that my advisor has become a great utility of mine. He helps me with any and all questions that I have about my major and what my classes are like.

I think that the worst thing about Virginia Tech is its size; for someone shy like me, it is extremely hard to make friends and adjust in a place where you can see new faces every day of your four years. Also, despite many efforts on behalf of the administration and professors, sometimes students get the feeling that they are "just a number" among the thousands of other undergraduates here. Also, many of the professors (particularly in the hard sciences) are more interested in their pet research projects than in teaching effectively, which can undermine student efforts.

The worst thing for me about my school is the engineering program. I am just starting out and there are tons of people with the aspiration to be engineers. There for they must weed out the undedicated students. Which calls for lots of tedious work that seems pointless in my mind. As soon as the classes can be broken down smaller i know i will enjoy my program so much. But besides that my school is great. I am working hard and plan for great success in the mechanical engineering program.

Its large size is also a negative, in that it can sometimes be difficult to connect with professors or stand out of the crowd.

The focus on research rather than the educational value of students.

The worst thing about Virginia Tech is the freezing weather in the winter. Because of the continous wind chill, it is always cold in the winter. The windchill mainly affects students walking across the drillfield getting to class.

The worst thing about my school is the Math Emporium. While it is a great place to study 24/7 the classes that are self taught there are not always the best. Incoming freshman take a 2 part math sequence in the fall and spring and these classes are only offered as self taugh, which is not always the best way for people to learn.

The worst thing about my college is that sometimes when you are having a bad day you do not have the comfort of your family or your room and you have to go back to your dorm room. Sometimes all I want to do is get a hug from my parents. I have always been close with my family, but I think that not seeing them all the time is definitely the hardest thing.

The registration process for classes each semester is very flawed and needs to be addressed by University officials

Campus feels really big at first, but after a while it's easy to get used to. Walking across the drillfield in the cold can get pretty miserable when it takes about fifteen minutes to get to class from most of the dorms.

Sometimes the amount of students can be overwhelming, especially in dining halls during peak hours and in large lecture halls with 200+ students. Although this can get annoying, it can actually be a good thing when it comes to Virginia Tech's sense of community, especially during football season.

Many people refuse to even look into going to our school since the massacre in April 2007, however, since then the community has become even closer and we want more potential students to acknowledge all of our accomplishments and know that our campus truly is safe.

The worst thing I would consider at my school would be the diversity because there is a small diversity factor at my school. There is more majority than minority depsite the effort by the board of vistors to increase the diversity on campus. As the years go on, there has been an increase but not enough to see the difference. The diversity factor would help to attract more individuals that may be capable of doing outstanding for the tye of institution I attend (research- based). Diversity has been a big issue at my school and could change the university itself.

The parking. There are a lot of students that go here, and not nearly enough parking spots on campus.

Large class sizes. It's hard to get to know any professors on a one-on-one basis.

The multitude of people. Personally, I feel comfortable talking to strangers so it's easy for me to find friendships, but for most people at a large school it's hard for them to find their place if they don't try with effort to join school clubs/organizations/sports teams.

The weather condition of the school .

The cold in the winter.

The worst thing about our school is the parking. It is difficult for students who live off campus and have to find parking. I know that they are building a parking garage in the main commuter lot which will be a great help. At least Virginia Tech is aware of teh parking situation and they are being proactive!

its in the middle of nowhere; very rural

The great food that it has is making me very fat.

The worst thing about my school is its? reputation as an unsafe school. Ever since the tragedy of April 16th, when unfortunate events occur there are highlighted more than other schools. College is a place where different types of people come together so there is bound to be crimes of some sort. The media should pay equal attention to all schools instead of putting Virginia Tech under a constant microscope because it is unfair to us and students at other colleges.

For me the country setting is sometimes the worst part because Blacksburg is a very small city with not much to do or places to shop. It can be inconvenient sometimes. Also the weather is pretty terrible most of the year.

The dorm rooms are slightly smaller for my taste.

Shopping! There are plenty of stores around town and a mall in the next town over. Also about 30 minutes away in Roanoke is a much bigger mall and quite a few great shops downtown. However, if you're from anywhere with a decent mall you know it's impossible to find anything you want for the prices you're used to paying! No Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus, or Forever 21! However, so many people are from Richmond and DC that there are frequent fun roadtrips to go shopping with friends! Plus, brand names aren't a big deal at VT.

The worste thing about my school was the April 16th tragedy that resulted in the loss of 31 Hokies.

Parking is annoying, but you don't really need a car on campus. Getting to Tech from Northern Virginia without a car means you have limited choices. You have to be smart about getting food -- things close early in Blacksburg. Don't go to tech if you're afraid of school spirit -- I had none in High school but now can't stop raving about Tech.

Living in on campus sorority houses. They are "on-campus" so you have to get a meal plan. But they're away from EVERYTHING on campus and you have to drive or take a bus everywhere.

The cold weather is by far the worst thing about campus. It is always windy, rainy, and snowy.

The parking situation.

The student to teacher ratio. There are simply too many students in the classrooms.