Reviewing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia

Reviewing Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia so recently after the horrific tragedy that left students dead and a university in shock can be a challenge. After all it is difficult to totally put out of your mind the fact that lives were lots here and an entire student body had to endure shock, anguish and the disruption of what they thought would be the happiest four years of their lives. It is interesting enough that when the spotlight fell upon Virginia Tech , Blacksburg Virginia it showed to the world a school that is truly distinguished by more than the terror unleashed by one unbalanced individual.

Once Upon a Time in Blacksburg, VA. If you really think about it part of the reason that there really is such a school as Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia is the fact that the Union was reestablished as a result of the Civil War. In 1862 the Congress of the U. S. passed a land grand act which allotted land to be used for colleges. Only after the successful conclusion of the Civil War for the Union was it possible for that grant to take meaning and shape with the founding of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1872. This school would become over time the Virginia Tech of today. Though the school was officially established to help educate people who worked with their hands and with equipment, folks in the area saw it as a college and sent their offspring there for an education .

Today Virginia Tech is both a large undergraduate school with some 17, 000 students enrolled and a well respected graduate school where research is a respected and nationally known aspect of the curriculum. With a total today of 24,000 full time students Virginia Tech is proud to claim for itself the distinction of having "the largest full time student population in Virginia. Not bad for a little land grant institution for the farm hands.

Solid Academics Indeed a review of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA shows a highly diversified educational program. While the word Tech in its title is by no means a misnomer, there is more at Virginia Tech, then just an engineering school. In total, in fact, the University distinguishes 7 separate undergraduate colleges under the Virginia Tech umbrella. Yes the science and engineering schools do take in about half of the undergraduates, but there are also more than 3,000 students enrolled in each of the liberal arts and business schools. When a school offers some 60 majors as does Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, one can hardly think of this as a one dimensional technical school

You can definitely find what you want in terms of subject matter at Virginia Tech and when you get down to the business of studying you will find that you are at a college that, despite its considerable size, is still able to offer a good student to faculty ration at 16:1. Academics are also enhanced by the diversity of the student population at Virginia Tech where approximately 12% of the student body are people of color. While Virginia Tech has a very large component of in state students, young people do come to Virginia Tech for their education from around the nation and around the world. The quality of the student body definitely adds substantially to the quality of the educational product offered by Virginia Tech, Blacksburg,VA

Environment When the horrible events of the campus killings poured out over the national airwaves and people saw pictures of Virginia Tech their eyes were naturally focused on the people and not on the background . During those sad and traumatizing days the full beauty of the Virginia Tech campus was shrouded by fear and loss.

For anyone reviewing Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia today there is a very different view. This is a magnificent campus . It is big and broad and wide open. The main campus at Virginia Tech is comprised of 100 buildings. While there may be other colleges that offer large complexes of academic and dwelling facilities, not many can also say that their campus is spread over 2,600 acres making it a large school on a large chunk of land. Even with 17,000 other undergraduates and another 7,000 graduates loping about the campus, this may be a small town but it is not an urban campus by any means.

The town of Blacksburg which plays host to Virginia Tech is the largest "town" in the state with 41,000 people . Blacksburg has long past with its founding in 1798. In the intervening years it has kept its relatively small size and of course its mountain surroundings lend it constant scenic beauty. If you come to Blacksburg you are definitely coming to a rural area, but Blacksburg is a welcoming community to college students. No skyscrapers here, but plenty of open land for recreation .

Big Time College Athletics and All the Trimmings. Perhaps the biggest draw for students beyond academics is the big time sports program that exists here. Oh sure Virginia Tech, like any school of its size is filled with groups, clubs and organizations to meet your every out of class interest. But what unites the undergrads here, as well as the community at large is the presence of College Football and Basketball.

Virginia Tech belongs to the Atlantic Coast Conference. This means that even in seasons when the school team might not be at the top of its form , students here can still see great teams like Duke, North Carolina and Boston College come to town and offer competition. But the good thing is that it is seldom the case that the team is out of the running. More often than not, on the gridiron and in the gymnasium Virginia Tech is qualifying for post season play and in the meantime giving the school something to rally around.

You'll find it all academics, environment and big time sports at Virginia Tech