Written by Heather Priestley
Virginia Tech students have strong school spirit and value the education their university provides. In fact, many Tech students have such a great time as undergraduates that they stay at Tech for graduate work. Tech's academics have been improving each year, and admissions into the University is becoming more selective. Each freshman class has come in with higher high school GPAs and SAT scores. The rural setting of Blacksburg, Virginia is enjoyable for some students and frustrating for others. Even though Tech is home to more than 20,000 undergraduates, Blacksburg is still a small town. The area surrounding the town provides all kinds of outdoor activities. Even the drive to Virginia Tech down Route 81 is enjoyable. For students who come from more urban settings, Virginia Tech's small downtown and limited number of restaurants can be exasperating. However, even city students can appreciate how easy it is to walk from campus to town and how safe the town is. It is a friendly town and school, and that makes it easy to meet people.
Tech offers hundreds of student organizations, and more are created every year. These groups organize activities and allow students a bridge between social and academic worlds. When it comes to nightlife, students have all kinds of options. Downtown offers a number of bars and clubs, while parties can be found at Greek houses and apartment complexes. Virginia Tech is a large school, so some students end up feeling lost in the crowd, but there are benefits to being a large school. Tech has many resources and can offer all kinds of opportunities to students. Opportunities come in the form of professors who are very involved in their fields, internships, jobs found by the Career Center, and classes that use the latest technology. Students who have the best experiences at Tech find a major that they love and then get involved. Virginia Tech has a lot to offer its students,
as long as students make the effort to take advantage of all that is available.