Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

McKenna

Know yourself and your limits. Going into college, I really didn't know who I was. I considered myself to be strong, independent, intelligent, and a great person in general. What I actually am is ignorant, arrogant, proud, dependent, and emotional. These may come off as quite negative, but college taught me to explore who I am. I thought I was capable of taking multiple difficult classes at the same time, but I didn't know my limits. Through finding my limits, I now know more about myself and what kind of a job I'm more suited for!

McKenna

Know yourself and your limits. Going into college, I really didn't know who I was. I considered myself to be strong, independent, intelligent, and a great person in general. What I actually am is ignorant, arrogant, proud, dependent, and emotional. These may come off as quite negative, but college taught me to explore who I am. I thought I was capable of taking multiple difficult classes at the same time, but I didn't know my limits. Through finding my limits, I now know more about myself and what kind of a job I'm more suited for!

William

I wish I had known the rigors of being a college student; how difficult it can be to be out on your own without anyone forcing you to study, go to class, etc. You really have to be very disciplined.

Peter

I wish I had learned how to ask for help. This may seem rudimentary, but I have found that there have been many circumstance where the knowledge and experience on the proper way to ask for assistance would be crucial. It was dificult for me at the beginning of college to swallow my pride and seek further teaching. Once I learned mastered the skill of asking, my coursework became drastically easier. I wish I had more experience and knowledge on how to ask for help.

Riley

I wish I had known how large class sizes can be.

Allison

I wish that I would have done more research about the majors and the required coursework for each major. Virginia Tech offers so many great majors that I wish I hadn't just boxed myself into one. I wish I had taken a more rounded look at career possibilities and left my options open.

Whitney

I wish I had known how many opportunitites there are. I worked part-time while attending school and I feel like I missed out on the chance to join the various clubs and organizations at school.

caroline

To be honest, I wish I had known what it was really like to live on your own in such a huge community. Virginia Tech is a great school, but if you are the type to enjoy a closer knit group of friends, VT may seem too huge for your liking. Also, I am at a cross roads as I want to be a nurse now and VT doesn't offer nursing as a major. Make sure you have researched your major before choosing a school or you will have to trasnfer, which is a hassle.

Jessica

I wish I had known how crazy Blacksburg weather can be. Most of the dorms are not airconditioned and it's still really hot in the fall, and then again late spring. I also have pretty bad allergies, so having to keep my window open all the time so that my room was not a sauna resulted in me getting sick often. The weather can be really crazy and nothing like you expect it to be in the mountains of Virginia.

Heather

n/a

Natalie

Before I arrived at Virginia Tech, I wish I would have known the ways in which college professors are different than high school teachers, especially when it comes to grading assignments and outlining a class syllabus. It was difficult to realize that professors won't be running after you to turn in homework, so you have to keep your priorities very organized. I also wish I had known that there were so many responsibilities, such as creating my own schedule and keeping track of my graduation requirements throughout the year.

Erin

Virginia Tech does an extremely great job with all of its orientation programs and whatnot, in giving incoming students all the information they could possibly need to be happy and healthy Hokies. I felt that I was told everything I could possibly want or need to know and so much more about Virginia Tech. Freshmen at Virginia Tech are pretty much expert Hokies by the time they arrive on campus because they have been fed so much information.

Samantha

Prior to attending college I wish I had know a little more about the various clubs and activities that Virginia Tech has to offer. The first couple of weeks were very stressful and between juggling classes and meeting new people it was hard to also find clubs to get involved in. Since adjusting to college life I have learned about many clubs that I would have liked to join and will hopefully join next year, it would however have been helpful to have this information before hand so I could get involved sooner.

Jessica

Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, I wish I had known that when a professor sets a date for an assignment, he/she really means that it is due that day/time and will very rarely accept any late work.

John

I wish I had known that college isn't some scary daunting thing, everyone is learning how to go about it together, its a blast.

Terik

I wish I had know before coming to college, that studying for test and exams in college is a lot different that studying for exams in high school. Back in high school, I could study the night before or maybe two nights before the test and I would recieve a good grade. In college, I tried doing the same style of studying and I did not have the same success. I realized that I needed to study several days before the exam and it is better to study in groups of people, rather than by yourself.

Jeynalynn

I wish that I had known that this school was literally in the middle of nowhere. Students would have to be involved in sports or sororities, fraternities, clubs or other organizations to stay busy when getting away from academics.

Julia

Being able to budget my time between playing Division 1 soccer and the rigors of academic life, I wish I would have been able to schedule my courses differently to take advantage of free time that I had and time when we were traveling or playing games. I aslo wish I could have chosen my dorm situation differently and was able to arrange who I was rooming with to again help with my scheduling and studies. I underestimated the difficulty my course load was and wish I could have adjusted my fall semester better.

Emily

Before I came to school, I wish I would have realized how much freedom I was going to have. Moving from high school to college is a huge adjustment, and my parents weren't there to make sure I woke up in time for class or finished my homework. Learning to be responsible for yourself is an irreplacable habit that will greatly affect how your first year at college will go.

Tim

I wish I had better study skills for tests because they are a lot harder than in high school.

Thomas

I wish i had known that grades are primarily based on exam grades. I came from a small private high school with a lot of homework, but in the big school environment it is hard for professors to grade homework.

Kyle

How to be more outgoing. I came into school thinking everyone would just be social and come up and talk to me, and some did, but not as many as I expected. I was afraid of just going up to random people and talking, but after a few months I learned that they don't mind at all and most people are always open to new friends and will talk back. So I wish I had known that being outgoing and talking to random people was not a bad thing at all.

Ashley

I wish that I had known how easy it was for me to make the college transition. During the summer after my senior year of high school I was really nervous about all of the aspects of college life and I wish I would have known that I had the skills to succeed in college so that I didn't needlessly worry so much.

Colin

I wish I would have known how to manage my time better while participating in wrestling. I did not know how much time the sport itself took up. It is alot different than other D-I sports on campus, considering we often put in multiple workouts a day. There is no comparison to it either, considering you have to mentally prepare yourself for an actual battle every day in the practice room. Sleep, nutrition, and time management are the keys to success when participating in college sports. I know this now, I wish I had implemented it sooner.

Sadah

I wish that I knew that I had to take travel expenses into consideration. I didn't realize that it was going to cost so much just to go home. I don't desire to go home often, but when I need to go home for breaks it is a bit difficult to find the money. It's okay to go away to school; I feel that it is a learning experience since you are on your own. However, travel, and even personal expenses have to be considered when going away.

Joshua

How much time school work required.

nathaniel

I wish i would have known the major that was for me...Also the resources availble to me at school....

Matt

I wish I would have been prepared for how large the campus is. Walking times between buildings can sometimes be twenty minutes.

Amanda

How expensive everything really is.

Jacob

To try harder in high school because a lot of the material is used in college.

Kelly

How science orietned all of the classes are

Hannah

I wish I had known that joining a sorority could be a wonderful way to make friends and that it's worth the time to give it a shot. I also wish I knew more about the scholarships that were available to freshmen so that I could have applied to some of them.

Kellin

I wish I had known how much harder the school work load is and how to manage my time a little better. Also that you have to put in a lot more time and you have to go the extra mile to get the grades you want to get. You might have to do more than just what your professor tells you that you should do and its important to get help when you need it.

Nadiah

I wish I knew the size of the dorm rooms, since the furniture took up so much room!

Stephen

How little self expression there is here. I got a much more artsy feel when I visited. I also wish I knew there was a significantly diminished music scene here as well. I also wish I knew what I wanted to pursue academically because I am now having second thoughts on my major.

Courtney

I wish I had known that academics would be more challenging than high school. Other than that, I was pleasantly surprised by everything else.

Arielle

The people are very cliquesh. I don't recommend transferring in. Weekends revolve around drinking, but there are many other activities students can get involved with. Almost everyone is from northern VA.

Mengbai

That taking summer classes is a good thing.

Dustin

I wish I had known more about the teachers and their teaching style that way I could have adjusted easier.

Sharifa

How much I should mentally prepare myself for a culture shock and the crazy weather.

Katie

I wish I had realized that my best years were not already behind me. They did not end when I graduated from high school but rather began when I started at Tech.

Erica

I wish I would have known about all of the degree options.

Ryan

I wish I had known more about the weather and really how cold it really gets there.

Levi

The parking situation

Joshua

To be honest, I was slightly scared to go to college because I was not sure how well I would be able to interact and socialize with the others around me. The truth is, Virginia Tech is a great place to be and I have more friends than I had ever imagined. We form study groups on the week nights to study and work on upcoming classes, but we also have plenty of time to do all of the other activities on campus. I play soccer there and I still find time to do everything else. You really should go!

Heather

Nada

Megan

I wish I knew how great it was so I could have stayed for 5 years instead of 4.

Matthew

More about the cor of cadets and how it makes college affordable.

Stephen

More about greek life

Kaitlin

been more aware of just how large the campus was