Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Top Questions

What's the most frustrating thing about your school?

Kristin

I think the my major, Biology, really focused on going to graduate or medical school and didn't leave open the possibility of going to straight to work after graduation. So I felt a bit left out and lost when that was my plan.

Michelle

The minority pool is extremely small, and sometimes there is racism even though its not direct you can tell people look at you differently because they more than likely were raised around people who only looked like them. This applies to all races, so people tend to stick close to that race mostly. It's not like its that way all around campus but if you paid close attention or were directly in the line of fire you'd notice.

Daniel

The amount of parking available for students on or around campus is abysmal. Many of my friends have had major issues finding parking quickly in order to get to classes quickly.

Rachael

Tech has a required curriculum for all engineering majors, which is extremely helpful, but they often do not have enough class sections to accomodate everyone. Despite the fact that students complete a course request before they are allowed to sign up for classes, space inevitably runs out and the unlucky students who do not get all of their desired classes must wait until the following semester, thus setting them back and requiring them to either take an extra heavy courseload the following semester or push classes off a semester once again. It's as if faculty ignores the course requests.

Kyle

Occasionally, particularly in larger, lecture-style classes, it is frustrating to get in contact with the professor. This style of class usually has teaching assistants that answer most quesions, but sometimes the professor's advice is necessary but hard to obtain.

Sara

The travel from home to school for classes. But it is financially the best decision.

Ryan

Getting tickets to sporting events can be hit or miss at times, and it does not depend on seniority. It's a lot of luck sometimes.

caroline

The school is so huge that it is really hard to find your niche. This sounds like it would be the opposite becuase there is "something for everyone". However, because VT is so big, you really have to search for somewhere you fit in well. The basic interests of a Tech student include football, partying, and some sort of science/math major. I wish I had really understood how involved you have to get on your own to really enjoy all aspects of this school. If you enjoy jumping right into a group, VT may be too big for you.

Jessica

For me, the most frustrating thing about Virginia Tech is how expensive it is for me as an out-of-state student, and how much I love it. If I were not so happy here, then it would be easy for me to transfer somewhere in state and significantly lower the cost of my education. I'm sure it is much cheaper than some schools, but for my family right now it is near impossible which is very frustrating.

Tricia

There are a lot of students so sometimes it is hard to make good friends because you see so many people every day. You have to go out of your way to meet people.

Theresa

The most frustrating thing about my school is the financial aid office. I often find myself having to contact them every semester to organize and resolve issues with financial aid. However, the issues are always eventually resolved in time.

Catherine

The university cares more about money than the students so they hire researchers who cannot teach.

Hannah

The most frustrating thing about our school is that even though we were close to essential stores, I wish there had been a better mall closer by!

Heather

It can be really difficult to get the classes you want, because they let in to many stuedents. The fore add process to get the classes you need but didn't get is really nerve racking. My counsler was awesome in helping with the process though.

Ashley

There are so many students here that sometimes you feel like your one out of a million

Rachel

I'm having trouble dealing with the lack of people who take schoolwork seriously. I come from a high school that had a very competitive atmosphere and I really miss it. I feel like most of my fellow freshman are not as excited to take new courses and learn as they are to be away from home and party.

Victoria

The most frsutrating thing about my school is that course request for the next semester is done by seniority based on credits, which is fine, but before even the seniors all honors kids get to select their classes.

Dustin

The most frustrating thing is the cost of tuition and living expenses. I am not a resident in Virginia therefore I pay out of state tuition and my student loans pile up every semester. I have a job on campus which provides me with money for the rent and bill payments. During the past 2 summers I have had internships with two great companies and each of them paid well but I had grants revoked from me due to the money I made from the internships.

Le'Toya

Some classes are only offered once a year so if you get behind your graduation is pushed back an entire year.

Sadah

The most frustrating thing about my school is its location. It has been difficult adjusting from a suburban environment to a rural one. It is not as easy to get in a car and go hang out with friends somewhere because everything is either far away or it is not there at all.

Sarah

The parking situation on campus is difficult for people who live off-campus because with all the new construction going on around our campus, commuter parking is disappearing. However, they are fixing this situation by providing more buses in the surrounding apartment complexes to make it easier on students.

Kelly

The unreliability of the bus system.

Laura

Course request, and getting classes in your schedule

Kristina

The freezing cold spring semester. Make sure you bring lots of warm clothes.

Eric

Not being able to get all the classes you would like

Dalena

The cost

Brett

The most frustrating thing is that there is so much to do at Tech you don't have enough time to do it all in four years! I wish that I could keep learning and obtaining degrees, but that is not practical. From football, to intermurals, the Cascades, hiking, on campus events. There is so much to do, but only four years to do it!

Molly

math empo

sabrina

there is not enough to do outside of school because there is a few bars and we live in the moutains.

Maia

some of the teachers are research orriented so they will not help you outside of the class room.

Haley

Some of the courses are harder then you feel like they should be. There are some courses where professors seem to believe that they should make the course very difficult, when the same information could be presented in a less cryptic way.

Ellen

The most frustrating thing about Virginia Tech is that it is located in a small town and is far away from everything. This is nice sometimes, except for when I need to do things for my computer or shop for clothes (especially winter clothes), I have to drive 45 minutes or sometimes longer.

Ryan

Nothing

Jessica

The Math Emporium is the most frustrating thing about Virginia Tech. However, typically only first year students have to take classes at the Math empo because the classes offered there are lower level math classes(Calculus and below) The course is all online except for the quizes and tests which have to be taken at the math emporium off campus. You have deadlines to meet like any other class but it is all self paced and you have to be very organized about it. My advice is to take AP Calculus AB and BC in high school.

Emily

The amount of extracuriculars is so great and each one is so appealing that the amount of schoolwork is frustrating because it keeps you from wanting to do the schoolwork/studying.

T'Nora

That they accept so many students but they arent expanding. The land isnt getting any bigger, nor are they accepting a more diverse crowd. This is creating more issues ranging from discrimination all the way to not being guaranteed housing or a meal plan.

Bradley

The fact that classes require large amounts of studying.

Theodore

The studies, blanced with working on other things too much... tried to do too many things in one semester.

Patrick

The freezing temperatures in the winter can get annoying.

Brandon

The cost of school! The cost of college is a huge load on my family. My family being split I have 4 other siblings and having to put them all through college is going to be a huge dent in my parents bank account. Getting even the tiniest amount of scholarship money would greatly take some pressure off my parents.