Tell me your Va Tech horror stories (or even mildly annoying ones)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:there's the beheading incident

Cut it out. That was 2009 between two foreign Chinese students, one of who had guardianship over the other.

Same with the mass shooting incident. It was just that one time but it counts as a horror story (which OP requested).

That’s a crappy thing to even bring up in this thread. Yes, it was horrible. It was 15 years ago. I was a student at the time and wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy, but it’s not relevant to a discussion in 2022.

OP, I’m sure your daughter will be happy at either school! But VT is a wonderful place.

-Class of 2010

+1. It’s ancient history and inappropriate to bring up. Both students were mentally ill. Sadly this happens everywhere. We didn’t even tell our soon about those incidences when we toured because they are frankly irrelevant to attending the institution today. VT is a great school.

[Anonymous]

VT is a beautiful campus and DC is very happy there. However, Blacksburg is an oasis in the midst of redneck country. As soon as we drove out of town we were in Trump world. That may be a plus or minus for you, but for DC it has been an eye-opening experience. The school itself is great and DC loves it (was also accepted to Purdue but the outdoor life at VT was more appealing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cafeteria food is very good so a lot of freshmen gain weight.

How good is the food?
Do they have a lot of healthy food choice?

In all seriousness, it’s consistently rated as having some of the top dining halls. My husband and I still talk about some of the food we had there at West End – ha ha! Obviously we eat much nicer food now, but it was so good to us at the time it’s a great memory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dudes are geeks and she will have trouble finding a boyfriend or future husband. Is that good enough for you?

Are you kidding? It's one of the few schools that has more men than women (57/43). So many attractive, smart guys there.

lol

My daughter's head was on a swivel when we toured.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dudes are geeks and she will have trouble finding a boyfriend or future husband. Is that good enough for you?

Are you kidding? It's one of the few schools that has more men than women (57/43). So many attractive, smart guys there.

lol

It's generally not good for women to be at a school/department where there are more men than women. Lots of unwanted attention, resentment if attentions aren't reciprocated, harder time establishing functioning study groups due to men thinking wanting to work together means something else etc. It sucks and derails a lot of women's progress in male-dominated majors.

Oh, please. So it's super-healthy for men to attend female-dominated schools?
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VT is a beautiful campus and DC is very happy there. However, Blacksburg is an oasis in the midst of redneck country. As soon as we drove out of town we were in Trump world. That may be a plus or minus for you, but for DC it has been an eye-opening experience. The school itself is great and DC loves it (was also accepted to Purdue but the outdoor life at VT was more appealing).

We happen to be a moderately conservative family, so that doesn't bother us in the least. But surely you know that Purdue is surrounded by conservative areas too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dudes are geeks and she will have trouble finding a boyfriend or future husband. Is that good enough for you?

Are you kidding? It's one of the few schools that has more men than women (57/43). So many attractive, smart guys there.

lol

It's generally not good for women to be at a school/department where there are more men than women. Lots of unwanted attention, resentment if attentions aren't reciprocated, harder time establishing functioning study groups due to men thinking wanting to work together means something else etc. It sucks and derails a lot of women's progress in male-dominated majors.

Oh, please. So it's super-healthy for men to attend female-dominated schools?
DP

Shockingly college women tend to sexually harass and assault on a much lower rate, even when they are dominant in a school. And men tend to receive more career mentoring from faculty than women at male-dominated schools (or male-dominated majors within schools) but the reverse is not true at female-dominated schools. Lots of studies on this--you can look it up if you're interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dudes are geeks and she will have trouble finding a boyfriend or future husband. Is that good enough for you?

Are you kidding? It's one of the few schools that has more men than women (57/43). So many attractive, smart guys there.

lol

It's generally not good for women to be at a school/department where there are more men than women. Lots of unwanted attention, resentment if attentions aren't reciprocated, harder time establishing functioning study groups due to men thinking wanting to work together means something else etc. It sucks and derails a lot of women's progress in male-dominated majors.

Oh, please. So it's super-healthy for men to attend female-dominated schools?
DP

Shockingly college women tend to sexually harass and assault on a much lower rate, even when they are dominant in a school. And men tend to receive more career mentoring from faculty than women at male-dominated schools (or male-dominated majors within schools) but the reverse is not true at female-dominated schools. Lots of studies on this--you can look it up if you're interested.

My daughter has no desire to attend an all women's school, or a coed school with a majority of women.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dudes are geeks and she will have trouble finding a boyfriend or future husband. Is that good enough for you?

Are you kidding? It's one of the few schools that has more men than women (57/43). So many attractive, smart guys there.

lol

It's generally not good for women to be at a school/department where there are more men than women. Lots of unwanted attention, resentment if attentions aren't reciprocated, harder time establishing functioning study groups due to men thinking wanting to work together means something else etc. It sucks and derails a lot of women's progress in male-dominated majors.

Oh, please. So it's super-healthy for men to attend female-dominated schools?
DP

Shockingly college women tend to sexually harass and assault on a much lower rate, even when they are dominant in a school. And men tend to receive more career mentoring from faculty than women at male-dominated schools (or male-dominated majors within schools) but the reverse is not true at female-dominated schools. Lots of studies on this--you can look it up if you're interested.

My daughter has no desire to attend an all women's school, or a coed school with a majority of women.
DP

Just pointing out research that women in male-dominated schools tend to experience worse outcomes than men in female dominated schools. Both men and women tend to do better on social and academic measures in schools with equal or with slight female dominance (under 60-40 split). This doesn't have to influence what your DD wants of course. But the idea that a woman going to a male dominated school is going to be the 'belle of the ball' surrounded by wanted attentions from attractive men is kind of naive. Most women experience it as a negative.

[Anonymous]

I didn’t go and don’t have a kid there. The kids I who have gone seem very happy. The alums are loyal and loved their time there. All that said— I might pause before sending an OOS kid. UVA and W& M are small schools and getting in, even in state is brutal. VT is not the flagship, of course. But in some ways, it’s the de facto flagship.

Here’s what I mean. The top 10% or so of the class— very high achieving in NOVA— gets into W&M/UVA/VT Engineering. A very sizable piece of the next quarter of the class— which is still very high achieving— goes to VT for everything from Business info systems to elementary education. VT is so much bigger than UVA/WM that it take a lot of kids from each HS. So while it’s not the flagship, the do take the majority of the higher performing VA kids.

When I look at my DD’s friends, here’s what I see. She’s headed to WM. One friend is headed to UVA, 2 are going to JUM, 1 to GMU and at least 10 to VT, for everything from engineering to history. All of them smart, accomplished, multiple AP, etc. kids. Many have been together since K-6 and they are already making plans to put down deposits on apartments in fall 2022 to live together sophomore year.

I think it would be hard for an OOS kid to make friends in a large environment where 2/3 of the kids came with not one, but a group of high school besties unless they are very extroverted.

My opinion will be unpopular among UVA alums. But, Purdue is hot in this area, and I also know kids who are attending and very happy. And the do we’ll be women with learning living communities for engineering students and such. If your kid has started down that road and feels good about it and is making plans, I stick with what is working. I’d also get some opinions from other OOS parents. The instate kids will have had a different social experience than the OOS ones.

[Anonymous]

She will have to reconcile herself to the fact that she may meet a very successful STEM student, marry, and live an affluent life in Loudon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She will have to reconcile herself to the fact that she may meet a very successful STEM student, marry, and live an affluent life in Loudon.

And in time, she will lean to spell Loudoun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the dudes are geeks and she will have trouble finding a boyfriend or future husband. Is that good enough for you?

Are you kidding? It's one of the few schools that has more men than women (57/43). So many attractive, smart guys there.

lol

It's generally not good for women to be at a school/department where there are more men than women. Lots of unwanted attention, resentment if attentions aren't reciprocated, harder time establishing functioning study groups due to men thinking wanting to work together means something else etc. It sucks and derails a lot of women's progress in male-dominated majors.

Oh, please. So it's super-healthy for men to attend female-dominated schools?
DP

Shockingly college women tend to sexually harass and assault on a much lower rate, even when they are dominant in a school. And men tend to receive more career mentoring from faculty than women at male-dominated schools (or male-dominated majors within schools) but the reverse is not true at female-dominated schools. Lots of studies on this--you can look it up if you're interested.

My daughter has no desire to attend an all women's school, or a coed school with a majority of women.
DP

Just pointing out research that women in male-dominated schools tend to experience worse outcomes than men in female dominated schools. Both men and women tend to do better on social and academic measures in schools with equal or with slight female dominance (under 60-40 split). This doesn't have to influence what your DD wants of course. But the idea that a woman going to a male dominated school is going to be the 'belle of the ball' surrounded by wanted attentions from attractive men is kind of naive. Most women experience it as a negative.

Good grief. No one said that. A good balance of men and women makes a school far more interesting and engaging for most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go and don’t have a kid there. The kids I who have gone seem very happy. The alums are loyal and loved their time there. All that said— I might pause before sending an OOS kid. UVA and W& M are small schools and getting in, even in state is brutal. VT is not the flagship, of course. But in some ways, it’s the de facto flagship.

Here’s what I mean. The top 10% or so of the class— very high achieving in NOVA— gets into W&M/UVA/VT Engineering. A very sizable piece of the next quarter of the class— which is still very high achieving— goes to VT for everything from Business info systems to elementary education. VT is so much bigger than UVA/WM that it take a lot of kids from each HS. So while it’s not the flagship, the do take the majority of the higher performing VA kids.

When I look at my DD’s friends, here’s what I see. She’s headed to WM. One friend is headed to UVA, 2 are going to JUM, 1 to GMU and at least 10 to VT, for everything from engineering to history. All of them smart, accomplished, multiple AP, etc. kids. Many have been together since K-6 and they are already making plans to put down deposits on apartments in fall 2022 to live together sophomore year.

I think it would be hard for an OOS kid to make friends in a large environment where 2/3 of the kids came with not one, but a group of high school besties unless they are very extroverted.

My opinion will be unpopular among UVA alums. But, Purdue is hot in this area, and I also know kids who are attending and very happy. And the do we’ll be women with learning living communities for engineering students and such. If your kid has started down that road and feels good about it and is making plans, I stick with what is working. I’d also get some opinions from other OOS parents. The instate kids will have had a different social experience than the OOS ones.

I disagree with a lot of this. In my experience, the kids who attend VT (or UVA, JMU, etc) who happen to have gone to the same HS are *not* planning on living together in college. I have three older kids who have all gone through this. While some of their good friends may also be attending the same college, they’re all of the mindset that they should live with new people to enlarge their circle of friends. All of them currently live with kids who came from OOS. Several have gone home with their OOS friends for holidays, etc. OOS kids are not at some kind of social disadvantage here! That’s just silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t go and don’t have a kid there. The kids I who have gone seem very happy. The alums are loyal and loved their time there. All that said— I might pause before sending an OOS kid. UVA and W& M are small schools and getting in, even in state is brutal. VT is not the flagship, of course. But in some ways, it’s the de facto flagship.

Here’s what I mean. The top 10% or so of the class— very high achieving in NOVA— gets into W&M/UVA/VT Engineering. A very sizable piece of the next quarter of the class— which is still very high achieving— goes to VT for everything from Business info systems to elementary education. VT is so much bigger than UVA/WM that it take a lot of kids from each HS. So while it’s not the flagship, the do take the majority of the higher performing VA kids.

When I look at my DD’s friends, here’s what I see. She’s headed to WM. One friend is headed to UVA, 2 are going to JUM, 1 to GMU and at least 10 to VT, for everything from engineering to history. All of them smart, accomplished, multiple AP, etc. kids. Many have been together since K-6 and they are already making plans to put down deposits on apartments in fall 2022 to live together sophomore year.

I think it would be hard for an OOS kid to make friends in a large environment where 2/3 of the kids came with not one, but a group of high school besties unless they are very extroverted.

My opinion will be unpopular among UVA alums. But, Purdue is hot in this area, and I also know kids who are attending and very happy. And the do we’ll be women with learning living communities for engineering students and such. If your kid has started down that road and feels good about it and is making plans, I stick with what is working. I’d also get some opinions from other OOS parents. The instate kids will have had a different social experience than the OOS ones.

I disagree with a lot of this. In my experience, the kids who attend VT (or UVA, JMU, etc) who happen to have gone to the same HS are *not* planning on living together in college. I have three older kids who have all gone through this. While some of their good friends may also be attending the same college, they’re all of the mindset that they should live with new people to enlarge their circle of friends. All of them currently live with kids who came from OOS. Several have gone home with their OOS friends for holidays, etc. OOS kids are not at some kind of social disadvantage here! That’s just silly.

+1

A large number of kids from my high school went to VT but most of us decided to room with other people. All my best friends from college were from activities I got involved in, not the neighborhood I grew up in. Many from out of state.