Just a few thoughts on the upcoming Freshmen Orientation:
- Get a good amount of sleep the night before. You'll be up late the night of Day 1 (I've seen the schedule, you're in activities until nearly midnight, and odds are you'll stay up later) and have to be up early for college sessions and advising on Day 2. Breakfast on Day 2 starts at 6:30.
- Check the weather as you pack. July in Blacksburg can vary, though it's generally hot. Hot and humid, hot and dry, hot and windy, etc. So unless you have to wear pants or a long skirt for religious reasons, I would advise wearing shorts and a T-shirt, as well as sneakers. Clothes you'd feel comfortable literally running around in. Just trust me on this one.
- Bring an umbrella. Rain in Blacksburg tends to come quickly and with little warning aside from a thunderclap. Pass it off onto Mom or Dad during Day 1, as you'll be inside most of the day, but definitely keep one on hand. I cannot emphasize this enough
- For those of you with long hair: come to Orientation with it loose/down, and then pull it back as soon as your Hokie Passport photo has been taken. Keep a hair tie or headband ready. Like I already said, Blacksburg gets hot in July, and while Squires is air-conditioned, outside is not.
- The only head coverings allowed in your Hokie Passport photo are those worn for religious reasons (such as a head scarf or yarmulke).
- You don't need a suitcase or duffel for your overnight in the dorm. All you need is a backpack. In this backpack, you will need: something comfortable to sleep in (I vote T-shirt and gym shorts, as AJ is not air-conditioned), the essentials for hygiene, and a T-shirt, shorts, and sweatshirt for the next day.
- Why the sweatshirt? Because several of the buildings where you'll be having your college sessions are notoriously cold (McBryde and Torgerson immediately come to mind).
- This tidbit comes from what I realized no one understood at Transfer Orientation. Those two photos they told you to bring? The best ones to use are wallet-sized photos left over from school (such as your senior portrait). Or get Mom to take a simple photo of you against a solid background and print out two wallet-sized copies. These are going to go into your file in your college and your major. And make sure they're separated beforehand, so you don't have to go hunting for scissors the morning of your college session. If you want to jump the gun, go ahead and write your name and ID number on the back of both.
- I'll repeat this later, but after Orientation, be careful if you play around with your schedule. Some classes (ex: Chem Lab) are in such high demand that some of us are watching drop-add around the clock for an open section. If you drop it even for a second, you may never get it back. Even at 2 AM. I speak from experience on that.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hokies Gotta Eat
So it’ll be a while until you’re here on campus, but for those of you who may be spending a few days on either side of Orientation around Blacksburg, I wanted to throw in the Off-Campus dining opportunities.
As a freshman and on-campus resident, you’ll be eating in a dining hall or at Squires 95% of the time. Familiarize yourself with this website: Student Programs
It has everything: daily menus, upcoming special events in dining (theme dinners, when D2 goes trayless, etc), and even links to help create healthy meals.
Try to change it up in terms of where you eat. Yes, you can always eat at Shultz or Owens, but you’ll get really sick of it really fast. And places like ABP (Squires), DX, or West End can drain your dining plan pretty quickly.
Read the daily menus. Deet’s always has paninis (which are great, btw), but their soup changes daily. They also have daily coffee flavors. Owens and West End also have daily specials. Personally, when there’s Sunday Gravy at Owens, it makes my week. So learn to check the menus.
Love the on-campus dining. Remember, we have the best in the country. There’s a reason for that, and you will see why (and it’s not just the lobster at West End).
But say it’s someone’s birthday or you have a date, or heck, you just want to get off campus for a meal. Blacksburg (and Christiansburg) has a lot of great restaurants, and I thought I’d just list my favorites. This is by no means an extensive list.
Souvlaki – Greek food, subs, and salads. Get a gyro (yee-roh) or kebabs. They’re great.
Happy Wok – This place opened my freshman year and within a week had a line out the door. Cheap and tasty Chinese food.
Moe’s – They had the good sense to open during move-in last year. It’s Mexican along the same lines as Chipotle and Qdoba.
Sharkey’s – I love their sandwiches. I forget what night it is, but they have a 99-cent wing night.
More Than Coffee – Blink and you’ll walk right past this place, and that would be a shame. It’s Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food, and if you’re not feeling that adventurous, their cheese fries are great too.
Backstreet’s – Pretty much everything here is good. Get a group of friends out here and get a pizza. Can sometimes be a little slow.
Bogen’s – This place is a great date restaurant or somewhere to go with your parents. It’s a little pricey, but has great American food. And all the entrees are named after locations at Tech.
El Gran Rodeo – Not to be confused with El Rod’s. This place is in Christiansburg. Great Mexican food.
Blacksburg also has the following chains (OK, Moe’s is a chain too): Jimmy John’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Macado’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell TCBY, Starbucks (2), and Subway (2). In Christiansburg, there’s Applebee’s, Taco Bell, Jimmy John’s, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, IHOP, Texas Steakhouse, Cici’s, 2 more Subways, Red Robin…and that’s just what’s right off 460.
Want to order pizza? I personally think Firehouse is the best. There’s also Gumby’s, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s.
So go find somewhere to eat. I’m still mourning the loss of Boston Beanery.
As a freshman and on-campus resident, you’ll be eating in a dining hall or at Squires 95% of the time. Familiarize yourself with this website: Student Programs
It has everything: daily menus, upcoming special events in dining (theme dinners, when D2 goes trayless, etc), and even links to help create healthy meals.
Try to change it up in terms of where you eat. Yes, you can always eat at Shultz or Owens, but you’ll get really sick of it really fast. And places like ABP (Squires), DX, or West End can drain your dining plan pretty quickly.
Read the daily menus. Deet’s always has paninis (which are great, btw), but their soup changes daily. They also have daily coffee flavors. Owens and West End also have daily specials. Personally, when there’s Sunday Gravy at Owens, it makes my week. So learn to check the menus.
Love the on-campus dining. Remember, we have the best in the country. There’s a reason for that, and you will see why (and it’s not just the lobster at West End).
But say it’s someone’s birthday or you have a date, or heck, you just want to get off campus for a meal. Blacksburg (and Christiansburg) has a lot of great restaurants, and I thought I’d just list my favorites. This is by no means an extensive list.
Souvlaki – Greek food, subs, and salads. Get a gyro (yee-roh) or kebabs. They’re great.
Happy Wok – This place opened my freshman year and within a week had a line out the door. Cheap and tasty Chinese food.
Moe’s – They had the good sense to open during move-in last year. It’s Mexican along the same lines as Chipotle and Qdoba.
Sharkey’s – I love their sandwiches. I forget what night it is, but they have a 99-cent wing night.
More Than Coffee – Blink and you’ll walk right past this place, and that would be a shame. It’s Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food, and if you’re not feeling that adventurous, their cheese fries are great too.
Backstreet’s – Pretty much everything here is good. Get a group of friends out here and get a pizza. Can sometimes be a little slow.
Bogen’s – This place is a great date restaurant or somewhere to go with your parents. It’s a little pricey, but has great American food. And all the entrees are named after locations at Tech.
El Gran Rodeo – Not to be confused with El Rod’s. This place is in Christiansburg. Great Mexican food.
Blacksburg also has the following chains (OK, Moe’s is a chain too): Jimmy John’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Macado’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell TCBY, Starbucks (2), and Subway (2). In Christiansburg, there’s Applebee’s, Taco Bell, Jimmy John’s, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, IHOP, Texas Steakhouse, Cici’s, 2 more Subways, Red Robin…and that’s just what’s right off 460.
Want to order pizza? I personally think Firehouse is the best. There’s also Gumby’s, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s.
So go find somewhere to eat. I’m still mourning the loss of Boston Beanery.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Just a Few Updates
At the request of some people in the College of Science Dean's Office, I'm putting a few things in:
1) How to Check Your VT E-mail: If you haven't already done so, check your VT e-mail. Hopefully, you've already created your PID. Go to webmail.vt.edu and enter you PID and password.
2) Are your dual-enrollment or AP credits in? The best way to find out is to log on to HokieSPA, look under the Grades Menu at Transfer and Other Credit (AP will show up on here as well).
3) Lastly, if you e-mail anyone at the university, be sure to include your full name and ID number until you arrive. After you're situated at Tech, be sure to keep including your full name, though you can drop the ID.
1) How to Check Your VT E-mail: If you haven't already done so, check your VT e-mail. Hopefully, you've already created your PID. Go to webmail.vt.edu and enter you PID and password.
2) Are your dual-enrollment or AP credits in? The best way to find out is to log on to HokieSPA, look under the Grades Menu at Transfer and Other Credit (AP will show up on here as well).
3) Lastly, if you e-mail anyone at the university, be sure to include your full name and ID number until you arrive. After you're situated at Tech, be sure to keep including your full name, though you can drop the ID.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Enriching Your Freshman Year
Hey Future Hokies,
Orientation is still a few weeks away, but we're nearly ready for you to be here. With that being said, I thought I'd let you know about a few programs that VT offers to incoming freshmen, as well as all students, that can help you adjust to college life and have a successful semester.
Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence
All of the following programs can be found on the Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence's website. Check it out in order to sign up for these.
The first of these is Hokies 101, a four week no-credit program that focuses on adjusting time management and study skills to meet the demands of college. It meets the first several weeks of classes.
Another option is UNIV 1004, a 3-credit course about college success skills. If you're in the WING program, you'll be in a class very similar to this one (UNIV 1704). While it won't count towards graduation requirements, it will again cover the all-important time management and study skills, as well as university resources and exploring majors if you're currently undecided or considering changing your major.
Say it's a little later in the semester, end of September, early October, and you're seeing that your grades haven't been so hot. Don't sweat it, CAEE provides another four-week program, Get on Track, that covers everything that Hokies 101 did, as well as the issues of keeping motivated and avoiding procrastination.
In addition to these programs, CAEE offers free tutoring for a lot of lower level courses. In the past, tutors have been offered for nearly all 1000-level math classes, common sciences like Chemistry and Geology, and popular Core Curriculum classes such as Economics.
Theme Housing is Still Open
Have you applied to live in theme housing? As of right now, nearly all of the theme housing options have extended their deadlines: both Engineering theme housings, MOSAIC (multi-cultural awareness), the WING (first-year experience), BLSC (life science), the WORLD (mostly international students, but anyone is welcome), and Honors (by invitation only). The WELL, which is a healthy lifestyle theme housing, is accepting applications as well, but now on a wait-list basis. I lived in the WING and will personally pimp it out to whoever asks.
Earth Sustainability
Finally, and you've probably received an e-mail about this, the Earth Sustainability program is
still open. This is an interdisciplinary four-semester program that will fulfill all Core Curriculum requirements while focusing on sustainable development of the Earth's natural resources. If you're into "going green" or think you might want to go into a career related to the environment, this is definitely a program worth considering.
You should e-mail your intended major's advisor before you sign up for it though. Some major requirements for the Core Curriculum may prohibit you from going into Earth Sustainability. Also, if you're thinking of doing a pre-health track (med, pharmacy, vet, etc), you should probably skip it. You've got too many other requirements to fill. I'm not sure about pre-law...so if you're interested in that, contact one of Tech's pre-law advisors as well as your major advisor before signing up.
Well, that's all I've got for you now. Later this month I'll post about Orientation and eating in the area, in case you'll have time while you're down here to sample one of the many restaurants around Tech.
Orientation is still a few weeks away, but we're nearly ready for you to be here. With that being said, I thought I'd let you know about a few programs that VT offers to incoming freshmen, as well as all students, that can help you adjust to college life and have a successful semester.
Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence
All of the following programs can be found on the Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence's website. Check it out in order to sign up for these.
The first of these is Hokies 101, a four week no-credit program that focuses on adjusting time management and study skills to meet the demands of college. It meets the first several weeks of classes.
Another option is UNIV 1004, a 3-credit course about college success skills. If you're in the WING program, you'll be in a class very similar to this one (UNIV 1704). While it won't count towards graduation requirements, it will again cover the all-important time management and study skills, as well as university resources and exploring majors if you're currently undecided or considering changing your major.
Say it's a little later in the semester, end of September, early October, and you're seeing that your grades haven't been so hot. Don't sweat it, CAEE provides another four-week program, Get on Track, that covers everything that Hokies 101 did, as well as the issues of keeping motivated and avoiding procrastination.
In addition to these programs, CAEE offers free tutoring for a lot of lower level courses. In the past, tutors have been offered for nearly all 1000-level math classes, common sciences like Chemistry and Geology, and popular Core Curriculum classes such as Economics.
Theme Housing is Still Open
Have you applied to live in theme housing? As of right now, nearly all of the theme housing options have extended their deadlines: both Engineering theme housings, MOSAIC (multi-cultural awareness), the WING (first-year experience), BLSC (life science), the WORLD (mostly international students, but anyone is welcome), and Honors (by invitation only). The WELL, which is a healthy lifestyle theme housing, is accepting applications as well, but now on a wait-list basis. I lived in the WING and will personally pimp it out to whoever asks.
Earth Sustainability
Finally, and you've probably received an e-mail about this, the Earth Sustainability program is
still open. This is an interdisciplinary four-semester program that will fulfill all Core Curriculum requirements while focusing on sustainable development of the Earth's natural resources. If you're into "going green" or think you might want to go into a career related to the environment, this is definitely a program worth considering.
You should e-mail your intended major's advisor before you sign up for it though. Some major requirements for the Core Curriculum may prohibit you from going into Earth Sustainability. Also, if you're thinking of doing a pre-health track (med, pharmacy, vet, etc), you should probably skip it. You've got too many other requirements to fill. I'm not sure about pre-law...so if you're interested in that, contact one of Tech's pre-law advisors as well as your major advisor before signing up.
Well, that's all I've got for you now. Later this month I'll post about Orientation and eating in the area, in case you'll have time while you're down here to sample one of the many restaurants around Tech.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Some Early FAQ's
I just thought I'd get some early, and common, FAQ's out of the way. These FAQ's are coming from my e-mails (I'm a student contact for College of Science freshmen) and some things I thought of when I was a new freshman at Tech.
1) What dining plan should I choose?
Well, that really depends. What I did was the first semester, I had a Mega Flex plan (commonly referred to as "the big plan") and ended up with a LOT of money left over. While I generally do eat three meals a day and get snacks or late night ice cream/coffee from Deets from time to time, I found I normally at breakfast in my room or on my way to class. So I wasn't buying breakfast every morning.
If you're really committed to eating a full, big breakfast every morning (i.e. you're a cadet or an athlete, or heck, just really love D2 breakfast--you'll see what that's like at Orientation), a Mega Flex plan is for you. If you're like me and tend to shovel a bowl of cereal or a granola bar/pop tart down your throat on your way to class, stick to the Major Flex plan (the "normal plan").
If you're still not sure where you stand, you can do what I did: see how it goes with the Mega Flex. If you end up having a lot left over, switch to the Major Flex for the spring semester. Your leftover money will roll over into the spring semester.
2) Do I have to go to Orientation?
Orientation is very strongly suggested and encouraged. I personally think that unless you're going to be out of the country for the entire month of July or traveling to Blacksburg will be
very difficult, you should go to Orientation.
If you absolutely positively cannot go, make sure to contact your college's Dean's Office in order to make arrangements for class registration.
3) When do I sign up for football tickets? Can I get season tickets?
I'll answer the second question first: Freshmen cannot get season student tickets to football games. This is a privilege reserved for returning students. You will get an e-mail near the end of your freshman year about ordering season tickets for the following football season.
That being said, football tickets at Virginia Tech are given out as the result of a lottery. I'll discuss this again in August, close to the date of the first lottery. It does not matter when you sign up for the lottery, as long as you do it within the time window given (generally two days). The dates for the lottery will be posted later in the summer, most likely in August.
If your family is planning to come down for a football game, you may order tickets through www.hokietickets.com.
I'll address the ticket situation later on this summer, especially what to do if you don't get a ticket.
4) What kind of laptop should I pick?
The type of laptop you use during your college career is going to be a personal choice. Department and college-specific requirements are here under the "Getting Ready" tab.
If your department doesn't have a specific requirement, pick the system (Mac or PC) that you're most comfortable with. Personally, I used a Mac through all of middle and high school, so I'm acclimated to the system, and all I ever use my laptop for anyway is to check my e-mail, write papers, and blog.
You'll be able to pick up the required software for your computer during move-in, on Torgerson Bridge (that archway over Alumni Mall, accessible through both Torgerson Hall and Newman Library).
5) When do I find out where I'm living and who my roommate is?
Freshmen housing assignments are posted on HokieSPA July 31st. Generally they go up in the mid to late afternoon. If you end up meeting someone at Orientation who you'd want to live with, you both can contact the housing department and request to be roommates.
Freshmen will be living in nearly every dorm, except for New Res East, Payne, and Harper. When your housing assignment is posted, they will give you a map of your dorm and the dimensions of your room.
That's all for right now. I'll post more as the e-mails come in.
Have a great summer everyone!
1) What dining plan should I choose?
Well, that really depends. What I did was the first semester, I had a Mega Flex plan (commonly referred to as "the big plan") and ended up with a LOT of money left over. While I generally do eat three meals a day and get snacks or late night ice cream/coffee from Deets from time to time, I found I normally at breakfast in my room or on my way to class. So I wasn't buying breakfast every morning.
If you're really committed to eating a full, big breakfast every morning (i.e. you're a cadet or an athlete, or heck, just really love D2 breakfast--you'll see what that's like at Orientation), a Mega Flex plan is for you. If you're like me and tend to shovel a bowl of cereal or a granola bar/pop tart down your throat on your way to class, stick to the Major Flex plan (the "normal plan").
If you're still not sure where you stand, you can do what I did: see how it goes with the Mega Flex. If you end up having a lot left over, switch to the Major Flex for the spring semester. Your leftover money will roll over into the spring semester.
2) Do I have to go to Orientation?
Orientation is very strongly suggested and encouraged. I personally think that unless you're going to be out of the country for the entire month of July or traveling to Blacksburg will be
very difficult, you should go to Orientation.
If you absolutely positively cannot go, make sure to contact your college's Dean's Office in order to make arrangements for class registration.
3) When do I sign up for football tickets? Can I get season tickets?
I'll answer the second question first: Freshmen cannot get season student tickets to football games. This is a privilege reserved for returning students. You will get an e-mail near the end of your freshman year about ordering season tickets for the following football season.
That being said, football tickets at Virginia Tech are given out as the result of a lottery. I'll discuss this again in August, close to the date of the first lottery. It does not matter when you sign up for the lottery, as long as you do it within the time window given (generally two days). The dates for the lottery will be posted later in the summer, most likely in August.
If your family is planning to come down for a football game, you may order tickets through www.hokietickets.com.
I'll address the ticket situation later on this summer, especially what to do if you don't get a ticket.
4) What kind of laptop should I pick?
The type of laptop you use during your college career is going to be a personal choice. Department and college-specific requirements are here under the "Getting Ready" tab.
If your department doesn't have a specific requirement, pick the system (Mac or PC) that you're most comfortable with. Personally, I used a Mac through all of middle and high school, so I'm acclimated to the system, and all I ever use my laptop for anyway is to check my e-mail, write papers, and blog.
You'll be able to pick up the required software for your computer during move-in, on Torgerson Bridge (that archway over Alumni Mall, accessible through both Torgerson Hall and Newman Library).
5) When do I find out where I'm living and who my roommate is?
Freshmen housing assignments are posted on HokieSPA July 31st. Generally they go up in the mid to late afternoon. If you end up meeting someone at Orientation who you'd want to live with, you both can contact the housing department and request to be roommates.
Freshmen will be living in nearly every dorm, except for New Res East, Payne, and Harper. When your housing assignment is posted, they will give you a map of your dorm and the dimensions of your room.
That's all for right now. I'll post more as the e-mails come in.
Have a great summer everyone!
Welcome!
Welcome future Hokies!
This blog is meant to help you through your first year at Tech. While right now it's June and most of you are still in high school, I thought I would start things off well.
This blog will be fairly inactive until later in the summer, mostly because nothing major will happen until then (sorry guys).
I'll be making posts related to the following:
- Hokie Sports/Wellness (including football/basketball ticket lottery days, important games you should know about, and keeping yourself healthy)
- Dorm Life (making friends, the housing process, the RA is not out to get you, etc)
- Classes + Academics (study tips, resources for tutoring, course request, etc)
- Everything else from clubs and Greek life (which I admittedly know nothing about--will bring in a guest blogger for that) to vacations and preparing for the all-important career.
This will be geared more towards the College of Science, as that's what I'm most familiar with, though I will try to make it for Hokies as a whole.
Look for posts to start up in the beginning of July.
This blog is meant to help you through your first year at Tech. While right now it's June and most of you are still in high school, I thought I would start things off well.
This blog will be fairly inactive until later in the summer, mostly because nothing major will happen until then (sorry guys).
I'll be making posts related to the following:
- Hokie Sports/Wellness (including football/basketball ticket lottery days, important games you should know about, and keeping yourself healthy)
- Dorm Life (making friends, the housing process, the RA is not out to get you, etc)
- Classes + Academics (study tips, resources for tutoring, course request, etc)
- Everything else from clubs and Greek life (which I admittedly know nothing about--will bring in a guest blogger for that) to vacations and preparing for the all-important career.
This will be geared more towards the College of Science, as that's what I'm most familiar with, though I will try to make it for Hokies as a whole.
Look for posts to start up in the beginning of July.
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