My transfer story: Brianne shares her transfer experience

By Brianne, a senior in the College of Architecture + Design
Major: Interior Design

I have had an overall positive experience as a transfer student at Virginia Tech. I found the first semester to be the most difficult -- making friends, finding opportunities to get involved on campus, balancing school work, and adjusting to the Hokie lifestyle.

VT is significantly larger than the school that I transferred from, which was quite the adjustment not only socially but also academically. I quickly learned that this was a place that I had to work for myself -- I had to make the most of my time here. I found several activities to get involved with including club sports, organizations within my major, and transfer orientation. These activities helped me to quickly make friends with similar interests as well as helped me to learn what it means to be a Hokie. I was able to find my niche at the university through getting involved in these organizations.


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My transfer story: Erika shares her transfer experience

By Erika, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences

Major: sociology

Minor: psychology

I transferred from Richard Bland College of William and Mary, which is a junior college designed to prepare one for a four-year university. My time spent at Richard Bland College was extremely helpful in my transition from high school to a university setting/curriculum, as well as on my pocket!

I definitely do not regret attending junior college after high school, nor do I regret transferring to Virginia Tech. I decided to apply to Virginia Tech as well as many other in state universities because Richard Bland College had a partnership for guaranteed admission if one graduated with and associates degree and had a 3.0 GPA.

I had always dreamed of coming to Virginia Tech but did not have the grades right out of high school, so this was the perfect opportunity for me. I knew I wanted to attend Virginia Tech because I had heard so many great things about their friendliness and school-spirited atmosphere, along with their educational opportunities at hand.

A few basics: shelter, food, and transportation

Each year, Virginia Tech welcomes nearly 1,000 transfer students to campus. About one half of our transfer students come from the Virginia Community College System, the other half transfer from other four-year or two-year schools. In order to be considered as a transfer student, you should have attempted 12 or more credit hours at another college or university after you graduated from high school.

Once you transfer to VT, you're a Hokie. As a transfer student, you have access to plenty at Virginia Tech. For starters, Virginia Tech offers a great education with award-winning faculty, research opportunities, a beautiful campus, more than 600 clubs and organizations, and great food. Not to mention, the opportunity to be a Hokie! (Wait, I may have already mentioned the Hokie deal, but it's a big deal -- worth multiple mentions. If you become a Hokie, you'll get what I mean!)

Now for the nitty-gritty…

Shelter

I’m going to be real with you here. When it comes to living on campus, housing for transfer students it is limited. On the flip side, there are many off campus housing options. To learn more, visit our off campus housing website.

Nom Nom Nom

As for the food, that's another story. There is no limit there! The food is good, it wins awards, and there's plenty of it! Really, the bottom line is that you need a dining plan. Read more...

Transportation & Parking

If you do land a dorm, then you can get a resident parking permit. That doesn't mean that you will score a parking space directly in front of the buildings you frequent for classes each day. That simply means that your parking permit will have a big "R" on it to indicate that you are a "resident student." If you live off campus, the same deal applies -- no reserved parking. Or shall I say, no desirable reserved parking. Instead, your parking permit will have a big "C" on it for "commuter student." Minus the fact that areas of campus can be hilly, this is a bike and pedestrian friendly campus. Oh, and with Blacksburg Transit (the bus that gets you around campus and the Town of Blacksburg), you might not even need your car. Should you choose to go green and not bring your car to campus, consider participating in the FREE Bike, Bus, & Walk (BB&W) program.

To learn more about transportation and parking at Virginia Tech, visit www.facilities.vt.edu/tcs.

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The university at a glance

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech is rich in tradition, beauty, and history. Even with more than 30,000 full-time students, Virginia Tech has a 16:1 student to faculty ratio. Our main campus consists of more than 125 buildings, 2,600 acres, and an airport. Virginia Tech is ranked 42nd in university research in the United States.

As far as transfer students go, last year 2,788 students applied to Virginia Tech, 1,359 were offered admission and 925 accepted our offer of admission.

Because we are a university, learning is obviously important to us. To back that up, we have amazing educational facilities, top-notch technology, research opportunities for students, and award-winning faculty. While these are all key pieces of your college experience, we truly believe that learning is not just reserved for inside the classroom. We have more than 600 student clubs and organizations. Oh, and our motto, Ut Prosim (That I may serve), allows one the occasional privilege to do some community service (not like when you toilet papered the gym in high school and had to give up your weekend to undo your artwork – this is the good, fun kind of community service).

Now if you are into sports, you should check out recreation and intramural sports. Also, you really need to experience a football game at Lane Stadium. Once you do, the Metallica song, Enter Sandman, will never ever hold the same meaning for you again. Speaking of football, Virginia Tech plays Nebraska on Saturday. So, Let's Go... HOKIES!

More information regarding Virginia Tech:

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Personal reflections from a recent graduate

By Tyler Murphy

2009 Graduate

Admissions Advisor

Transferring to Virginia Tech was an easy transition for me. I understand that experiences are different for each individual, but if sharing my experiences helps you decide, then my decision to come to VT was one of the best decisions I made during my college career.

As a transfer student coming in from the Virginia Community College System, I was given the opportunity to take part in an on-site review option VT does throughout the state. When I found out that a VT admissions director was visiting my community college, I made an appointment with them and was told right then whether or not I was accepted. All I had to do was bring a transcript, my completed application, and non-refundable $50 application fee to the appointment.

Once I was offered admission, I participated in the summer transfer orientation day where an advisor sat down with me and helped me understand what classes would/would not transfer and what courses I still needed to take in order to graduate.

I loved the feeling I got being on campus and knowing I was a HOKIE. Regardless of the fact that I did not have the dorm experience here as a freshman, I was still able to create lifelong friendships by participating in the many different clubs and intramural sports offered to the student body. Even though my time here was shorter than those who come in as freshman, I found a home and a family here at VT.

Who is a transfer student?

This year approximately 1,000 transfer students accepted Virginia Tech's offer of admission and became Hokies. To be considered a transfer student at Virginia Tech, you need to have graduated from high school and completed 12 or more credits at another college or university.

About the university

Even with more than 30,000 full-time students, Virginia Tech has a 16:1 student to faculty ratio. Our main campus consists of more than 125 buildings, 2,600 acres, and an airport. Virginia Tech is ranked 42nd in university research in the United States. We offer more than 70 majors and minors within seven colleges. We also offer research opportunities for undergraduates.

Student Life

In addition, we truly believe that learning is not just reserved for inside the classroom. We have more than 600 student clubs and organizations. Oh, and our motto, Ut Prosim (That I may serve), allows one the occasional privilege to do some community service (not like when you toilet papered the gym in high school and had to give up your weekend to undo your artwork – this is the good, fun kind of community service).

Food

In addition to great students and academics, our campus has great food. Award-winning food in fact! The Princeton Review's Best 371 Colleges ranked Tech third in the nation in its "Best Campus Food" category.

Sports

Now if you are into sports, you should check out recreation and intramural sports. Also, you really need to experience a football game at Lane Stadium. Once you do, the Metallica song, Enter Sandman, will hold a new meaning for you! Check out this year's football schedule:

www.hokiesports.com/football/schedule/

More information:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

www.thisisthefuture.com

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Introducing Virginia Tech's Transfer Blog

Welcome to Virginia Tech's blog about all things transfer. If you are thinking about transferring to Virginia Tech you should consider following this blog. Here, we will discuss details about how to transfer to our university and what it is like to be a transfer student at Virginia Tech.

Our goal for this blog is to provide you with an inside look at the transfer admissions process. Admissions staff members will provide information regarding the policy and procedure side of things, while current transfer students will give some insight into what it's like to be a transfer student at Virginia Tech.

We hope you will ask questions and comment on our posts throughout the year. Most of all, we hope this blog helps make your transition to Virginia Tech as a transfer student a smooth one.

More information:

http://www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu/

http://www.thisisthefuture.com/

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