I love Virginia Tech. The best part of being a Hokie is the community- Hokie Nation. Hokies are all over and all supportive of our school, and each other. We help not only one another, but our community, nation, and world. Virginia Tech is an extremely close-knit group of people who carry and live out our motto Ut Prosim- That I May Serve- both on campus and everywhere in the world. This is the most supportive group of people I have encountered and I am proud and blessed to be able to be a Hokie.
The only thing I'd change about Virginia Tech is how the school handles lower-level math courses. There is a separate, easy-to-get-to off-campus building called the math Emporium, pr the "Empo." The Empo is filled with 537 Mac computers, and that's where students go to do their self-taught calculus courses. For those who are mathematically inclined, it's a piece of cake. For others- like me- it just really sucks having to go off campus and try to teach yourself business calculus. Not fun, But, it's really easy to find help, so it isn't always as terrible as some make it to be.
Virginia Tech has around 28,000 undergrads- which seems like an incredibly large number- but it has never felt like that to me at all. It's the perfect size. Lane Stadium fills up quickly with thousands of Hokie fans, there are always new people to meet, but you'll get involved and start meeting everybody and then campus will feel like the perfect size.
When I tell people I go to Virginia Tech, they're usually impressed- unless they have anything to do with the University of Virginia. Then I'm just a lowly rival. Otherwise, Virginia Tech has an excellent reputation for being a great school full of good, smart people.
Personally, most of my time spent on campus is in my room, but that's just because I live in a really nice upperclassmen dorm. Otherwise, I can be found in the student center hanging out or doing homework, the gym having fun in fitness classes, or in the dining halls eating Tech's award-winning food. Unlike many other schools, Virginia Tech's dining hall food is in the top 5 in the nation. Yes- it is good.
Blacksburg, VA is very much a college town. Aside from Tech and a couple surrounding neighborhoods, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. But no fear- downtown Blacksburg is practically attached to campus, Christiansburg with shopping and lots of restaurants is 10 minutes away, and Roanoke is a mere 50 minutes away. All of these places are accessible through the Blacksburg bus system. You can also bring your own car-even as a freshman- if you'd like. Blacksburg itself is made up of primarily Virginia Tech students. There is a lot to do; restaurants and unique shopping on the downtown mall, the Lyric movie theater, a Farmer's market for fresh fruit, and lots of hiking and amazing outdoor activities.
The biggest controversy on campus was the shooting of a Tech police officer. This event, unfortunately, gained a lot of unwanted publicity for Tech, especially after the April 16, 2007 shootings. Again though, all Hokies rallied together- both at school in Blacksburg and around the nation- to heal and respect our fallen officer and Hokies. In spite of all this, Virginia Tech has the most school pride of any school I have ever experienced. Orange and Maroon- a ghastly color combination to some but beloved to us- is what you'll see nearly every Hokie dressed in every day. I have never experienced a lack of school spirit at Tech.
Virginia Tech was founded as a military school back in 1872. Throughout the years, Tech has kept its military background and it continues to be a big part of who we are. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is the main military presence on campus. Cadets wear uniforms everyday and live a strict military lifestyle, while getting a top-notch education. They attend the same courses as civilians and everything and are always around. This is a really unique aspect of Tech. Plus, it's always nice to see men in uniform on a daily basis.
The most frequent student complaints are about the difficulty of finding a parking spot on campus (true but not impossible) and of Blacksburg's cold, windy weather. It is fondly called "Bleaksburg" during the winter months, but that has never distracted from campus's beauty or the students' love for Tech.