I like Gothic and Classical architecture, provided it is used consistently. However, a colleague who graduated from VT describes it as “prison architecture”. To each his own.

Anonymous wrote:Too medieval? lol. Don’t go to Princeton

No worries. She doesn't have the grades/test scores to go there, nor do we have the money. Hence, tours of in state universities.

Too medieval? lol. Don’t go to Princeton

Anonymous wrote:VT’s architecture isn’t for everyone but it is a beautiful campus and the collegiate gothic has a charm.

Slusher is probably one of the ugliest campus buildings anywhere. Soviet brutalism at its best…

Yes, I think Slusher has been due to be demolished for a long time. Luckily, it's the only dorm that looks like that. The gothic architecture everywhere else is beautiful.

Anonymous wrote:Same as above. Traditional hall dorm on the drillfield and loved the location and met lots of people in the dorm. Not the newest, but was perfectly fine for a year. Five minute walk to classes, dining hall, library.

+2
The drillfield area is so picturesque, as well as central to everything.

VT’s architecture isn’t for everyone but it is a beautiful campus and the collegiate gothic has a charm.

Slusher is probably one of the ugliest campus buildings anywhere. Soviet brutalism at its best…

Same as above. Traditional hall dorm on the drillfield and loved the location and met lots of people in the dorm. Not the newest, but was perfectly fine for a year. Five minute walk to classes, dining hall, library.

Anonymous wrote:Question for the Tech parents.. If your kid had to choose between CID (shared bathrooms) and Cochrane (suite) housing, which would your child recommend and why?

We already know that CID is the newest dorm, near the library, Squires and downtown. Cochrane is near the stadium and has an attached dining hall. Any other factors to consider?

I’m sorry I can’t directly answer your question - my DC wanted to have a view and be in the center of campus, so chose one of the traditional hall-style dorms right on the drillfield. DC enjoyed the shared bathrooms as that was a good way to make/see friends on the same hall. I don’t think you could go wrong with either dorm your child is considering.

Question for the Tech parents.. If your kid had to choose between CID (shared bathrooms) and Cochrane (suite) housing, which would your child recommend and why?

We already know that CID is the newest dorm, near the library, Squires and downtown. Cochrane is near the stadium and has an attached dining hall. Any other factors to consider?

VT is a great school that offers something for everyone. My DC has been so happy there.

DC lived on campus for two years (LLC) and moved off for junior year to a much-cheaper shared apartment—less than $500/mo. Is it luxurious? No. Is it comfortable? Yes.

Food costs are also much less living off-campus. Apartments within walking distance are more expensive, but Blacksburg has a great free bus system so even if they are a few miles away they can get to school on time.

I think it’s a great idea to start in the dorms and then move out after freshman or sophomore year for more independence.

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Anonymous wrote:We are down here right now too- and wow it’s a pretty campus!

really? I think the entire campus is dreary and depressing, but this is the farthest North we’ve visited. Dorms are the absolute worst we’ve seen too.

DP. Couldn’t disagree more. We loved the campus - and the dorms.

i honestly wish we hadn’t visited so many beautiful schools with bright and open dorms and a student population that lives outside. We might think VT was a beautiful campus also.

Curious what campuses? We've been to a lot of campuses with strong engineering programs, and it seems like they are often in a newer part of campus where there is a lot of ugly brutalist buildings or looks like an office park. The humanities were in the historical parts of campus or the central quad, while engineering was newer and further away from everything.

My daughter was actually wowed by VT. We went in the fall where the foliage around the town and the drive up was stunning as well.

DP. Same here. My daughter fell in love with VT, much more so than any other campus we visited.

Just coming back from there and my DS loved the campus as well.

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Anonymous wrote:Living off campus is kind of a pain and expensive. Like someone said a lot of kids take the bus and it’s not always reliable. My daughter would have preferred staying on campus for convenience but it wasn’t an option.
The housing is tight in Blacksburg.

Housing isn’t tight in Blacksburg. There are many apartment and townhome complexes available. My DC lives in an adorable townhouse community and takes the bus to and from campus - only about 1.5 miles away. I do agree that off-campus housing in Blacksburg is very expensive! Not sure why that is, but we pay almost $1,000/mo for her room + private bathroom.

Because supply and demand…housing is tight so they raise prices. If there was an excess of housing you wouldn’t be paying premium prices. We are over $1k for a 4x4.

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Anonymous wrote:We are down here right now too- and wow it’s a pretty campus!

really? I think the entire campus is dreary and depressing, but this is the farthest North we’ve visited. Dorms are the absolute worst we’ve seen too.

DP. Couldn’t disagree more. We loved the campus - and the dorms.

i honestly wish we hadn’t visited so many beautiful schools with bright and open dorms and a student population that lives outside. We might think VT was a beautiful campus also.

Curious what campuses? We've been to a lot of campuses with strong engineering programs, and it seems like they are often in a newer part of campus where there is a lot of ugly brutalist buildings or looks like an office park. The humanities were in the historical parts of campus or the central quad, while engineering was newer and further away from everything.

My daughter was actually wowed by VT. We went in the fall where the foliage around the town and the drive up was stunning as well.

DP. Same here. My daughter fell in love with VT, much more so than any other campus we visited.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are down here right now too- and wow it’s a pretty campus!

really? I think the entire campus is dreary and depressing, but this is the farthest North we’ve visited. Dorms are the absolute worst we’ve seen too.

DP. Couldn’t disagree more. We loved the campus - and the dorms.

Not trying to troll, but we've visited VT, JMU, GMU, VCU, UMW, CNU, and WM...and my kid liked the VT campus least. Said it was far too big and far too medieval.

Oh, that’s so funny! It does remind me of Hogwarts. Medieval is a good description. But we like the gothic architecture.