VA Tech - how to make it seem less imposing

[Anonymous]

I would also look at JMU…similar social vibe to VT and similar kids but half the size

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would also look at JMU…similar social vibe to VT and similar kids but half the size

Hmmm but if they didn’t like the VT campus with the beautiful trees, duck pond, nature, ETC they’re sure not going to like JMU campus, which has hardly any of that in the middle of Harrisonburg. That being said JMU is a fantastic school.

[Anonymous]

We have great schools in Va. But you have to pick what you can live with for four years.
JMU - divided by a highway
WM- in bizarre colonial town

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's funny how people come away with different impressions. OP, I agree with others that part of the issue is just the season. It is beautiful in the spring and fall. Redbud trees all over the place in spring, and gorgeous foliage in the fall. And trees? They're everywhere. But of course, in the winter, the leaves are down. We loved the bluestone buildings and Gothic architecture - reminded us of Hogwarts. The drillfield is full of students during warmer weather. In short, it may not be the school for your daughter and that's fine! But both of my kids fell in love with it immediately, after visiting in the fall and again in the spring. GL!

Gorgeous! I grew up in NoVA and loved the nature. We’d go tubing and hike, it’s just such beautiful country. I loved the sky at Lane Stadium in the Fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's funny how people come away with different impressions. OP, I agree with others that part of the issue is just the season. It is beautiful in the spring and fall. Redbud trees all over the place in spring, and gorgeous foliage in the fall. And trees? They're everywhere. But of course, in the winter, the leaves are down. We loved the bluestone buildings and Gothic architecture - reminded us of Hogwarts. The drillfield is full of students during warmer weather. In short, it may not be the school for your daughter and that's fine! But both of my kids fell in love with it immediately, after visiting in the fall and again in the spring. GL!

Gorgeous! I grew up in NoVA and loved the nature. We’d go tubing and hike, it’s just such beautiful country. I loved the sky at Lane Stadium in the Fall.

And yet very few students pictured (for a school of 30,000+), and everyone pictured walks alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also look at JMU…similar social vibe to VT and similar kids but half the size

Hmmm but if they didn’t like the VT campus with the beautiful trees, duck pond, nature, ETC they’re sure not going to like JMU campus, which has hardly any of that in the middle of Harrisonburg. That being said JMU is a fantastic school.

I think both campuses have very pretty areas…love the JMU quad and the arboretum. Both schools in fairly remote areas with small downtowns

[Anonymous]

Part of the problem is the set up: pull into the vast suburban mall type parking lot and then follow a sidewalk for a barren 20 minutes to get to a standalone rather boring admin building. My kids kept on their list because everyone they know who goes there loves it. But my kids found other better fit colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We visited VA Tech last weekend for the spring open house. We are trying to sort through our feelings because our reactions kind of took us by surprise and we all still want you to keep it in the running for our dd. But we all came away feeling like it seemed a little cold and off-putting. The drill field was so vast , the limestone buildings were all the same, there were few trees or natural landmarks to differentiate and help us find our way, it just seemed a little severe. There were no meandering paths or benches or trees to make everything come down to a human scale. Everybody love love loves their experience there so did we not get the right experience? What parts of the campus and the experience make it warmer and friendlier and more relatable? We will be keeping it on our list but want to make our visit next time more inclusive of places that give us a better sense of the community. Thanks!

Is this your kid's view as well? If so, you are fortunate that there is more than one school out there. Keep looking and evaluating.

[Anonymous]

DS considered VT but also got the vast overwhelming feeling. Even through he liked the architecture he thought it was cold somehow. He fell in love with Villanova - similar architecture, but somehow appears "warmer" - maybe since the buildings are smaller and it is scaled down?

He toured a few other larger schools and had the same feeling of them being a bit overwhelming/did not see many people talking to each other as they walked to classes, yet saw that with the smaller schools. After the third large school tour we crossed those off and focused on the 4-10K range.

[Anonymous]

I had the same reaction to VT. Too big, too vast, hated that the kids all move off campus a bus ride away. That bus station! Not what I envision for a college experience. And who cares if the food is good if you're eating ramen noodles in your off campus apartment after first year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't pick a school based on a reaction to the campus based on one visit. At a big school, a student simply needs to find a smaller group to be part of, for example through clubs. Go see the duck pond. The campus is big but your student won't need to be in all parts of the campus. My son had a great experience at Virginia Tech. I would not write off Virginia Tech based on some initial impressions of the campus or vibe.

You don't pick a school based on one visit but sometimes you can rule one out based on one visit.

[Anonymous]

While I think it’s a wonderful school it wasn’t for my DD either. It felt old and she didn’t want to spend 4 years there. We went twice and it just wasn’t for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's funny how people come away with different impressions. OP, I agree with others that part of the issue is just the season. It is beautiful in the spring and fall. Redbud trees all over the place in spring, and gorgeous foliage in the fall. And trees? They're everywhere. But of course, in the winter, the leaves are down. We loved the bluestone buildings and Gothic architecture - reminded us of Hogwarts. The drillfield is full of students during warmer weather. In short, it may not be the school for your daughter and that's fine! But both of my kids fell in love with it immediately, after visiting in the fall and again in the spring. GL!

Gorgeous! I grew up in NoVA and loved the nature. We’d go tubing and hike, it’s just such beautiful country. I loved the sky at Lane Stadium in the Fall.

And yet very few students pictured (for a school of 30,000+), and everyone pictured walks alone.

That's what you gathered from a few random pictures? Good grief. Were you unable to walk from class to class by yourself while in college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also look at JMU…similar social vibe to VT and similar kids but half the size

Hmmm but if they didn’t like the VT campus with the beautiful trees, duck pond, nature, ETC they’re sure not going to like JMU campus, which has hardly any of that in the middle of Harrisonburg. That being said JMU is a fantastic school.

DP. What? JMU is a lovely campus and also has a beautiful arboretum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have great schools in Va. But you have to pick what you can live with for four years.
JMU - divided by a highway
WM- in bizarre colonial town

The highway is a complete non-issue. But I agree about W&M. Both my kids had a feeling of utter discomfort bordering on revulsion when we visited. Different strokes!