VT - what is is like currently?

[Anonymous]

Putting aside all the stats stuff for a minute, will weigh in on current atmosphere. DC is a freshman from a DC a private. Not a top 3. VT is home for her—She adores it. Engineering major. She has made a nice group of friends. The calc class is very challenging but she is holding her own. She is in a living learning community for women engineering majors called Hypatia. Access to mentor resources, speakers, help with resume, practice sessions with employment fair, etc. highly recommend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Putting aside all the stats stuff for a minute, will weigh in on current atmosphere. DC is a freshman from a DC a private. Not a top 3. VT is home for her—She adores it. Engineering major. She has made a nice group of friends. The calc class is very challenging but she is holding her own. She is in a living learning community for women engineering majors called Hypatia. Access to mentor resources, speakers, help with resume, practice sessions with employment fair, etc. highly recommend.

My DC is applying to VT from a DC private as well. All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

[Anonymous]

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tech is a really weird school right now. There is just no telling if kids are going to get in so it's hard to get excited about it. A place like UVA or W&M, you kind of know based on you stats if you will have a shot. With Tech, it a total crapshoot. I know kids who were WL there but got into UVA and i know kids who got into Tech who would never have been competitive for UVA (and they didn't even bother to apply). Just no telling really. That said, it's a good school. Alot of people do stick with their HS groups from what my kids say though.

This is just silly. I also know plenty of people who did/did not get accepted to UVA, W&M, and VT. There is often no apparent rhyme or reason, but I think a lot of parents like to think their kid was so "high-stats" that they *should* have been accepted. Well, they're competing with thousands of other equally qualified students, so no - they're not entitled to get into any school. VT is no different than the other schools in that regard. And there is plenty there to get excited about.

I’m the pp you responded to, my kid didn’t apply to Tech so no horse in this race. I know several kids from my kids class who are middle of the pack kids, maybe top 30-40%, who got in and I know several top students, top 10%, who were waitlisted. I’m not making it up. Granted those lower level kids are not engineering majors. My pre med dd was told by her counselor that the Tech rep told all pre meds to apply to the human development major and they would get in.

I remember my Dd running into a friend who attended VT during thanksgiving break at the good store and she said she hated it, because kids couldn’t seem to break out of the high school cliques. She ended up transferring. Only one person of course but have heard that many times in her group of friends. There were about 40 kids from my kids class that attended, second only to JMU who had over 50. UVA by contrast had about 12 from their class attend. Like I said, it’s a weird school. My kid didn’t want to go to a school with so many of her classmates, wanted to meet new people, so she didn’t apply.

As you said, you don’t have a kid at VT so all of the above is simply anecdotal. Especially the part about kids only hanging out with high school friends. That has not been my daughter’s experience at all - or that of anyone else we know with kids there. None of my daughter’s friends are from her high school - in fact, she almost never sees anyone from her HS days. Her group of friends are from all over VA and OOS. One of the reasons she chose VT (among many) is because of all the chances to meet new people. She loves the school and would never dream of transferring - oh, and she was also accepted at UVA but had no interest in W&M. Aren’t we lucky to have so many choices here in VA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

it is a very large school so your kid will probably not have trouble meeting new people. I know a kid who is from OOS and he is absolutely thriving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Putting aside all the stats stuff for a minute, will weigh in on current atmosphere. DC is a freshman from a DC a private. Not a top 3. VT is home for her—She adores it. Engineering major. She has made a nice group of friends. The calc class is very challenging but she is holding her own. She is in a living learning community for women engineering majors called Hypatia. Access to mentor resources, speakers, help with resume, practice sessions with employment fair, etc. highly recommend.

My DC is applying to VT from a DC private as well. All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

All the talk about “high school cliques” sounds absolutely made up. One of the benefits of attending a large school is to get away from high school cliques. Which is exactly what most people do at VT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

it is a very large school so your kid will probably not have trouble meeting new people. I know a kid who is from OOS and he is absolutely thriving.

+2
Most of my kid’s friends are from OOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, this doesn’t sound anything like my child’s experience. He is currently a freshman there and VT was the most popular school for applicants from his high school last year. It’s become incredibly competitive to get in *because* so many high-stats kids are applying (and not just for engineering). The only kids from his school who were accepted last admission cycle were at the top of the class. It’s no wonder to me that some high-stats kids are being rejected - they’re competing with other, equally talented kids! VT can’t take them all.

My kid is having the time of his life there. Challenging academics plus tons of social activities is exactly what he was looking for. It’s my younger daughter’s top choice too.

If anything, VT seems to be the most popular university in VA.

A lot of that is probably self selection; many more kids have the stats for VT vs UVA or W&M

Correct. It’s safety for those who will get into UVA and W&M and there is a whole broad swath of people who apply for whom it will be a reach or a match. And it’s a much bigger school than the other two.

Except that it’s not a safety at all. Plenty of high stats kids are rejected (and plenty accepted, as well). The point being, it’s a competitive school and anyone considering it a “safety” in any way clearly hasn’t done their homework. My own kid got into all three - VT, UVA, and WM. Chose VT (non-engineering).

VT non engineering is not even in the same universe as W&M or UVA in regards to academics

Looks like someone's kid didn't get into VT.

This ^^. Sensing a lot of sour grapes on this thread. My kid was accepted to all of the above schools and chose VT. Never been happier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

it is a very large school so your kid will probably not have trouble meeting new people. I know a kid who is from OOS and he is absolutely thriving.

+2
Most of my kid’s friends are from OOS.

+1

I attended back in the late 80s/early 90s from a Fairfax Co HS. I didn't hang out with anyone from my high school and rarely saw them. My best college roommate was from NJ. My dorm mates were from VA Beach, Richmond, other parts of the state and some out of state. I also became very close with a few girls from other Fairfax Co high schools--not near mine. This was great because we would meet up in the summer or catch a ride back on holidays. Now as the only one still in the DC area, they come back to visit their parents on holidays and we always spend a night or day out together.

What I loved about Tech was that it was a big school so you had anonymity and choices. At that time, greek life wasn't a huge deal. You still hung out with your friends and went to parties whether you were part of the greek system or not.

I was ready for a new start in college and I got that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

We have a freshman there now. Graduated from an FCPS high school. Knows kids from high school and still meets up with them and is in a club with one but has an entirely different friend group with kids from both in state and pretty much every other state. In an LLC which has been amazing. The clique thing has not been our kid's experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

it is a very large school so your kid will probably not have trouble meeting new people. I know a kid who is from OOS and he is absolutely thriving.

+2
Most of my kid’s friends are from OOS.

+1

I attended back in the late 80s/early 90s from a Fairfax Co HS. I didn't hang out with anyone from my high school and rarely saw them. My best college roommate was from NJ. My dorm mates were from VA Beach, Richmond, other parts of the state and some out of state. I also became very close with a few girls from other Fairfax Co high schools--not near mine. This was great because we would meet up in the summer or catch a ride back on holidays. Now as the only one still in the DC area, they come back to visit their parents on holidays and we always spend a night or day out together.

What I loved about Tech was that it was a big school so you had anonymity and choices. At that time, greek life wasn't a huge deal. You still hung out with your friends and went to parties whether you were part of the greek system or not.

I was ready for a new start in college and I got that.

Same, could have written this post. We're lucky to have great state schools in VA, and while I won't force it, hope my own kids end up at one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

it is a very large school so your kid will probably not have trouble meeting new people. I know a kid who is from OOS and he is absolutely thriving.

+2
Most of my kid’s friends are from OOS.

+1

I attended back in the late 80s/early 90s from a Fairfax Co HS. I didn't hang out with anyone from my high school and rarely saw them. My best college roommate was from NJ. My dorm mates were from VA Beach, Richmond, other parts of the state and some out of state. I also became very close with a few girls from other Fairfax Co high schools--not near mine. This was great because we would meet up in the summer or catch a ride back on holidays. Now as the only one still in the DC area, they come back to visit their parents on holidays and we always spend a night or day out together.

What I loved about Tech was that it was a big school so you had anonymity and choices. At that time, greek life wasn't a huge deal. You still hung out with your friends and went to parties whether you were part of the greek system or not.

I was ready for a new start in college and I got that.

+100
Now there are far more OOS kids as VT has become a national university. And the Greek system is still not overwhelming - less than 20% of the students go Greek. My daughter is so involved in other things that I doubt she’s going to rush. She’s having a blast - as well as working hard in classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

We have a freshman there now. Graduated from an FCPS high school. Knows kids from high school and still meets up with them and is in a club with one but has an entirely different friend group with kids from both in state and pretty much every other state. In an LLC which has been amazing. The clique thing has not been our kid's experience.

Same experience here. I think my daughter has barely seen anyone she went to high school with. As the PP said, it is very much a fresh start.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All the talk here of high school cliques is a bit disconcerting. Is it hard for kids that didn’t go to a FCPS high school to make friends? Are the high school friend groups excited to expand their group of friends to include new people? It sounds sort of awful.

+1. My kid would be bummed.

it is a very large school so your kid will probably not have trouble meeting new people. I know a kid who is from OOS and he is absolutely thriving.

+2
Most of my kid’s friends are from OOS.

+1

I attended back in the late 80s/early 90s from a Fairfax Co HS. I didn't hang out with anyone from my high school and rarely saw them. My best college roommate was from NJ. My dorm mates were from VA Beach, Richmond, other parts of the state and some out of state. I also became very close with a few girls from other Fairfax Co high schools--not near mine. This was great because we would meet up in the summer or catch a ride back on holidays. Now as the only one still in the DC area, they come back to visit their parents on holidays and we always spend a night or day out together.

What I loved about Tech was that it was a big school so you had anonymity and choices. At that time, greek life wasn't a huge deal. You still hung out with your friends and went to parties whether you were part of the greek system or not.

I was ready for a new start in college and I got that.

Same, could have written this post. We're lucky to have great state schools in VA, and while I won't force it, hope my own kids end up at one of them.

100% agree. - DP

[Anonymous]

Thank you to the parents who've shared their current students' experiences.