Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Top Questions

I never really knew any stereotypes about students at VT except for them being quite close-knit and down-to-earth. From what I've noticed, this is very accurate since 4/16.

Some people tend to think of Virginia tech students as "farmers" with the negative stereotypes, usually perpetuated by UVA students, including that we are dumb hillbillies who care about nothing but football. The positive stereotypes typically involve the devotion of the students to the school, football team, and town or the success of the engineering program. After four years of countless football games and nights out on the town, I became convinced that the “dumb hillbilly” stereotype was far from true. I found the students at Virginia Tech incredibly knowledgeable, and for the first time in my academic career I had some difficulty. The “hillbilly” part of the insult was closer to legitimate, as Virginia Tech was very secluded from any major cities and located in a very agriculture area of the state. Because of this, the “farmer” stereotype seems accurate, as well as the loyalty stereotypes. The isolation breeds student loyalty and Virginia Tech fans are some of the most passionate I have ever seen. There is a definite change in mood on campus depending on the outcome of any big game.

Being the large school that it is, Virginia Tech houses a melting pot of students, which therefore can lead to many stereotypes of groups and types of people. Of course there are the jocks, geeks, frat kids and so on; however to focus on those "sects" of people would be to only scratch the surface. Virginia Tech has a bond and pride that is unlike any college elsewhere and it derives from a far deeper connection. Students at Virginia Tech have faced many difficult and trying events that have left scars and caused deep wounds. The April 14 shootings, and most recently the killing of Officer Crouse have given Virginia Tech a dark mark that leaves upcoming students to think twice about entering into the "violent" school. In light of all these events there has not been a rift in the student body, but quite the oppostie, a deep sense of unity. These events have brought the school closer together in a way that can be felt it immediately as a person steps onto campus. This unity has given our large campus an incredible "homey" feeling. Fueled by a generally welcoming student body that is caring towards one another. When a fellow hokie walks by with their marron and orange, whether on campus or off, it is commonplace to yell, "Let's Go!" and hear the, "HOKIES" echoed back in response. I've never been to a place so proud for what they stand for, even in the midst of incredible adversity.

Tech is known as a party school but not one of the worst. The majority of the campus is made up of white students and as a student of color, it can be annoying at times. Sometimes I think about why I chose this school and wonder why diversity wasn't a part that I looked in to. It would be really nice if this campus was more diverse!

There are many stereotypes regarding the student-body at Virginia Tech. Many people feel that the students at Virginia Tech (as well as some of the faculty) are born and bred in Blacksburg, Virginia and are "rednecks" or hunters. While you can find students at Virginia Tech that did grow up in Blacksburg, and do hunt frequently, this is far from being able to describe the majority of the students at Virginia Tech. During my four years there, I met VERY few people who could be described as such. Another stereotype about the student-body at Virginia Tech is that there is a lack of diversity. Many people say that there are not many African American students at Virginia Tech aside from the athletes. While there are African American students at Virginia Tech, there is a very low percentage. Most of Virginia Tech's little diversity comes from it's Asian/Asian-American students.

One existing stereotype is that those who attend Virginia Tech were unsuccessful in gaining acceptance to another Virginia school- the University of Virginia. This is false. The truth is that those who go to UVA are just jealous of us Hokies down in Blacksburg. We are just as smart as they are, and have the better football team. We are not a school of "UVA rejects." As a big engineering school, a lot of students are hardworking and very busy engineers. Some may stereotype these students as geeks, no-lifers, video-gamers, or go as far as to tack all Asians as engineers. Again, false. On the contrary, engineers are extremely smart, involved, not as socially awkward as one would think, and definitely not all Asian. As there are at any university, stereotypes unfortunately exist. You have to look at the bigger picture; whether or not we ever wanted to go to UVA, or whether we're engineers or not, we're all Hokies. All stereotypes aside, we band together like no other community, embodying daily "Hokies Respect" and our motto, "Ut Prosim" (That I May Serve) to form one of the strongest community bonds in the nation. We ARE Virginia Tech.

One existing stereotype is that those who attend Virginia Tech were unsuccessful in gaining acceptance to another Virginia school- the University of Virginia. This is false. The truth is that those who go to UVA are just jealous of us Hokies down in Blacksburg. We are just as smart as they are, and have the better football team. We are not a school of "UVA rejects." As a big engineering school, a lot of students are hardworking and very busy engineers. Some may stereotype these students as geeks, no-lifers, video-gamers, or go as far as to tack all Asians as engineers. Again, false. On the contrary, engineers are extremely smart, involved, not as socially awkward as one would think, and definitely not all Asian. As there are at any university, stereotypes unfortunately exist. You have to look at the bigger picture; whether or not we ever wanted to go to UVA, or whether we're engineers or not, we're all Hokies. All stereotypes aside, we band together like no other community, embodying daily "Hokies Respect" and our motto, "Ut Prosim" (That I May Serve) to form one of the strongest community bonds in the nation. We ARE Virginia Tech.

Tech has a huge Greek community, so if you want to be part of the Frat Guy / Sorority Girl crowd, you'll have quite the selection to choose from. Obviously Tech has plenty of jocks, but there are different levels of athletes. The football and basketball players are kind of in a league of their own - aside from on the field/court, you won't see them much except at West End, the more expensive dining hall. There's plenty of room for other athletes, though. There are tons of intramural and club sports: crew, soccer, volleyball, basketball, water polo, any sport you could imagine. Unlike high school, everyone at Tech has a bit of geek in them - especially during finals. With it being such a large school with so many departments, the thousands of students are really diverse. One of my favorite things about Tech is the fact that anybody and everybody can find a place to fit in. Whether you're into sports, community service, math, poetry - whatever you're passionate about, you'll find others that share your interests.

One existing stereotype is that those who attend Virginia Tech were unsuccessful in gaining acceptance to another Virginia school- the University of Virginia. This is false. The truth is that those who go to UVA are just jealous of us Hokies down in Blacksburg. We are just as smart as they are, and have the better football team. We are not a school of "UVA rejects." As a big engineering school, a lot of students are hardworking and very busy engineers. Some may stereotype these students as geeks, no-lifers, video-gamers, or go as far as to tack all Asians as engineers. Again, false. On the contrary, engineers are extremely smart, involved, not as socially awkward as one would think, and definitely not all Asian. As there are at any university, stereotypes unfortunately exist. You have to look at the bigger picture; whether or not we ever wanted to go to UVA, or whether we're engineers or not, we're all Hokies. All stereotypes aside, we band together like no other community, embodying daily "Hokies Respect" and our motto, "Ut Prosim" (That I May Serve) to form one of the strongest community bonds in the nation. We ARE Virginia Tech.

Being in the southern part of the state of Virginia, often times prospective students think that Virginia Tech is a typical Southern School, that all the students are from down south, have incredibly conservative ideals, and are better at fishing, hunting, and driving pickups than most people. When I came to Virginia Tech I was surprised at how many people came from the North! I have tons of friends from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and many other Northeastern states like Massachusetts. You are going to have the stereotypical southerners because the school is technically located in the south, but our campus is also very diverse.