Thursday, October 29, 2009

Meeting a great Hokie

By Erika, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
Major: sociology
Minor: psychology

I have had many outstanding experiences here at Virginia Tech. So far the most memorable is when I got Frank Beamer's autograph.

This summer my family came down to help me move into my new apartment (of course they came down early to spend extra time with me!). The morning of the move we went to grab some breakfast at Famous Anthony’s, which is amazing by the way. While waiting for our food, my mom says, “Is that the coach for VT?” I was in complete shock that she even knew VT's football coach and I preceded to say, “Oh my god, yes it is!”

After contemplating if we should go over and talk to him, or leave him be because he is a normal person and probably just wants to eat his breakfast in peace, my grandmother got up and walked over to his table. She introduced herself and told Coach Beamer that I was a student at VT. By the end of it all, my entire family was at his table talking to him. He and his wife are wonderful people. Coach Beamer gave us all personal autographs. It was so awesome. I now have his autograph framed on my desk to remind me of the day I met one of the greatest HOKIES ever.

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Unlock the transfer process on October 30

We are offering our first-ever Transfer Visit Days in October and November. Don't miss the first of three on Friday (Oct. 30). On Friday, the following three colleges will be meeting with students to discuss transferring into the majors they offer:

What are Transfer Visit Days?
Transfer Visit Days were designed for potential Hokies to come and see what they need to do to transfer to Virginia Tech. Here's the deal: each college will hold an information session on a specific Transfer Visit Day. Therefore, you need to determine which college your intended major is in and pick the Transfer Visit Day when that college is holding its information session.

In order to participate in this free event, simply register online. Make sure you register for the date when the college that offers your intended major is holding its information session.


  • 1:30 p.m. - Admissions Information Session
  • 2:30 p.m. - Student-led Campus Tour
  • 3:30 p.m. - College Information Session
Questions? E-mail transfervisit@vt.edu

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Deadlines, Deadlines, Deadlines

The application deadline for transfer students is February 15. Remember to submit your transcripts from all previous colleges. We can accept unofficial transcripts during the application review process, but you still need to send us official transcripts as soon as possible. The University Registrar must have official transcripts in order to give you credit for the coursework you have completed.

You will be notified by May 1 of our admission decision. However, we try to get offers out as soon as possible. We do what we call a modified rolling admission. So, if you get your application to us (with your transcripts) in January, there's a good chance you will hear from us before May 1. We do this because we realize that you have to make plans and we want to let you know our decision as soon as possible so you can make the appropriate plans to continue your education.

Each year we receive about 3,000 applications for approximately 1,000 spots. The most important factors we look at for admission are:
  1. Substantial progress toward prerequisite courses - especially English and math and the science for your intended major.
  2. GPA - we consider applicants with a 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or better, but the most competitive applicants have a 3.0 or better. Check out our articulation agreements with the Virginia Community College System.
  3. Applicants are in good standing with the colleges and universities they have attended.
If you are interested in scholarships and financial aid, you must complete the FAFSA (be sure to have it sent to Virginia Tech - code: 003754). The deadline for the FAFSA and General Scholarship Application is March 1. A lot of our scholarships at VT require the FAFSA. So, you will need to fill it out even if you think you won't qualify for aid.

Good luck with your application!

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College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Overview

Virginia Tech consists of seven colleges for undergraduate students. Transfer students can pick and choose from more than 70 programs of study from these seven colleges.

If you are interested in biotechnology, communities, the economy, the environment, food, or health, then the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) may be a good fit for you. Learn more

On November 6, CALS is participating in our first-ever Transfer Visit Days. If you are planning on transferring to VT and majoring in one of the programs offered by the CALS, then consider registering for this free event. Learn more

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences consists of 12 undergraduate majors:
  • Agriculture and Applied Economics
  • Agriculture Sciences
  • Agriculture Technology
  • Animal and Poultry Sciences
  • Biochemistry
  • Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences
  • Dairy Science
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Food Science and Technology
  • Horticulture
  • Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise
  • Life Sciences Undecided

At Virginia Tech, undergraduate students have access to research opportunities. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences features the Virginia Agriculture Experiment Station. Learn more

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Invent Your Future

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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Friday, October 16, 2009

Get the skinny on the transfer process for your major

Do you want to learn about the transfer process for your intended major? If so, you should come to one of our first-ever Transfer Visit Days in October or November.

Here's the deal: each college will hold an information session on a specific Transfer Visit Day. Therefore, you need to determine which college your intended major is in and pick the Transfer Visit Day when that college is holding its information session.

In order to participate in this free event, simply register online. Make sure you register for the date when the college that offers your intended major is holding its information session.


  • 1:30 p.m. - Admissions Information Session
  • 2:30 p.m. - Student-led Campus Tour
  • 3:30 p.m. - College Information Session
Questions? E-mail transfervisit@vt.edu

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Transfer Musings

By Jonathan Schramm
Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions

There's no denying that the bulk of the work we assistant directors do in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions centers around recruiting high school seniors, and reviewing their applications once they arrive. But we get applications from lots of other students too: non-degree students, international students, and transfer students.

It's this last group I'd like to discuss today, as they represent a pretty large chunk of our student body. You probably didn't know that each year 15 to 20 percent of incoming students enter Virginia Tech as transfers. While some of them hail from other four-year universities, many of them come to us from the Virginia Community College System (check out our articulation agreements). Now, we don't like to say that there's a back door into Virginia Tech, but if there were one, transferring from one of Virginia's many community colleges would be it.

When it comes to transfers, we typically have fewer applicants and we don't take SAT or ACT scores into consideration, nor do we heavily weight the high school transcript, grades, courses, etc. All we consider is a student's current college grade point average and the transferability of their college curriculum. With proper advising, students can be competitive to transfer to VT with even one year of college course work under their belts.

So, keep that in mind when you're thinking of ways to become a Hokie! We've got tons of majors to choose from, and some have different transfer qualifications than others, so make sure to talk to one of us assistant directors before you apply.

Here's some more information about transferring to VT www.admiss.vt.edu/apply/transfer/.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Become a Hokie, transfer to VT

We hope you will consider transferring to Virginia Tech. Those who do transfer are instant Hokies and have access to the same undergraduate programs and experiences as students who started at VT straight out of high school.

Virginia Tech has more than 70 majors and minors within seven colleges. From biology to interior design, we have a program for you. Seriously, if you can’t find the perfect fit, create one with interdisciplinary studies. To see more our undergraduate majors, visit www.admiss.vt.edu/majors. Below is more information regarding each of our colleges.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: A place where you can study biotechnology, the environment, food production and product development, business, animal or human health, or community development, just to mention a few of the options.

College of Architecture and Urban Studies: In its 2008 report, DesignIntelligence, the only national college-ranking survey focused exclusively on design-related programs, ranked the School of Architecture + Design undergraduate architecture program #1.

Pamplin College of Business: It is ranked in the top 50 undergraduate business schools by U.S. News and World Report and in the top 10 percent of accredited business programs.

College of Engineering: It is the state’s largest engineering college, and sixth largest nationally for undergraduate degrees awarded. America’s Best Colleges 2008 survey released by U.S. News & World Report ranked the Virginia Tech College of Engineering’s undergraduate program 14th in the nation among all accredited engineering schools that offer doctorates, and eighth among those at public universities. Six of the college’s undergrad­uate engineering programs were ranked among the top 20 of their peer programs.

College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences: Our alumni are making their marks in the worlds of business, industry, entertainment, education, government, and research.

College of Natural Resources: Our programs are ranked among the best in the country and address both the technical and human elements of natural resources and instill in students a sense of stewardship and land-use ethics.

College of Science: The progress being made in the sciences today was only a dream a short while ago, and the departments within the College of Science are on the cutting edge of research and scholarship.

More information regarding Virginia Tech:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

www.thisisthefuture.com

Become a fan! www.facebook.com/vtadmissions

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Come one, come all! Visit us during our October Open House

Want to learn more about Virginia Tech and what we have to offer? Join us for our October Open House on October 17. This one-day event is a chance for all you students out there who are thinking about transferring to Virginia Tech to tour our beautiful campus, and to learn more about our majors, financial aid and scholarships, university honors, and much more.

Consider this program a one-stop shop to see if Virginia Tech is right for you. You can register online for this free, one-day event. Once you register, just show up with your ticket. It's that simple. We believe that if you can visit our campus and see for yourself how great it is, you will want to be a Hokie!

At Open House you can expect to:
  • get academic information, including a university overview and individual department specifics
  • find out about our amazing array of dining options (from vegetarian to steak to lobster, we have excellent food!)
  • hear more about financial aid and scholarship opportunities
  • enjoy a student-led tour of our beautiful campus
  • discover university honors, study abroad programs, co-op and internship opportunities and more

View the tentative schedule

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Friday, October 2, 2009

Unlocking the transfer guide

If you want to transfer to Virginia Tech, it is best to visit a course guide. This will help you determine which classes you should take at the college in which you are currently enrolled.

Transferring from the Virginia Community College System?
If you are transferring from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), you can check out 2009-2010 Transfer Guide. This guide contains the recommended courses for each Virginia Tech undergraduate degree program.

What do do:
  1. Visit the transfer guide, click on "Entering VCCS 2009-2010 Virginia Tech Transferable Courses"
  2. Then, click on the major that interests you.
  3. Once you select the major that interests you, you can see the VCCS course number and the corresponding VT course number for each major.

Transferring from a 4-year institution or non-Virginia 2-year college?
If you have graduated from high school and are attempting, or have attempted more than 12 credit hours at another college or university (including a community college that is not in the Commonwealth of Virginia), please take the following steps to ensure that the classes you are taking will count towards your intended major at Virginia Tech.
  1. Visit the transfer equivalency database,
  2. Select the state in which your college is located and then the college you are attending from the drop down menus.
  3. Then, select "Find Courses"
  4. Now you can select the courses are enrolled in at your current college and see what the transfer equivalents are at Virginia Tech.

Articulation Agreements:
Articulation agreements have been created with Richard Bland College and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). In short, this means that if you take certain courses and maintain a high GPA at Richard Bland College or at a Virginia Community College, you have guaranteed admission at Virginia Tech. To learn more and view the checklists, visit http://www.admiss.vt.edu/apply/transfer/articulation.php.


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