How to make Virginia Tech your home

Virginia Tech can be a confusing place. All the buildings look pretty much the same (Hokie stone everywhere), and it’s easy to get lost while walking to class. It can also take a long time to learn the names of certain dorms, academic buildings, and dining halls. The constant new construction doesn’t make it any easier. Even as a junior, it still took me half an hour to figure out where the New Classroom Building is on the first day of classes (creative name, huh?).

But for new freshmen, and even those who have been here a while but still need time to adjust (like me), don’t worry. There are so many great things to do to help get adjusted (or re-adjusted) to life at Tech!

Spend time on campus

Freshman don’t really have a choice about this, but it really helps to get out around campus and explore. Tech is a big campus, with lots of people. Exploring campus, and even getting lost from time to time, can help you get more comfortable and will help you make sure don’t get lost on the way to class.

Go to the dining halls

Tech dining was ranked #1 Best College Food in the country! Our dining halls aren’t the typical college dining hall with gross food and an overworked cereal bar. We have so many different options, including national chains on our meal plan (Jamba Juice, Qdoba, Au Bon Pain, Bruegger’s Bagels, and Chick-fil-A) and great locally grown food in our dining halls! The two new food trucks make campus eating even more exciting. The Grillfield (named after our campuses large attraction, the Drillfield) will serve Latin-fusion food options, and the Periodic Table (because science) will serve Asian-fusion meals! With so many cool options, why wouldn’t you want to eat on campus!

Get involved

Whether you are a freshman, or just want to find new ways to spend your time, getting involved in one or many of the hundreds of organizations can be fun and fulfilling! With so many options, it’s easy to find something that fits your interests and schedule. Gobblerfest is the easiest way to find out about and sign up for organizations. This year Gobblerfest is September 2, from 4 – 8pm on the Drillfield. There will be carnival rides, free giveaways, food and booths for plenty of organizations to learn more about your opportunities.

Explore Blacksburg

Blacksburg may not seem like much at first sight, but it has plenty of hidden gems. Catch a movie at the Lyric, go to dinner at Cabo Fish Taco, or get some late night (giant) pizza at Benny’s! Not only are there plenty of fun things in town to do, but there are also many cool hikes in the area. The easiest is the Cascades, which leads to a waterfall. If you go when it’s still warm out, plenty of people swim in the pool of the waterfall. But it’s also cool to go in the winter when the waterfall has frozen!

Go to sporting events

Even if you aren’t a huge sports fan, going to Tech sports events really helps to make you feel at home in this large community. Cheering with thousands of your peers for our Hokies is an awesome bonding experience, and is the perfect example of Hokie Nation. While football games are the most popular, basketball, soccer and lacrosse games are popular too. If you want to play sports rather than watch them, there are club sports and intramural teams too.

No matter what your interests are, there is so much to explore and try out at Virginia Tech. There is a group of people for everyone, and even if you have a bit of a hard time getting used to life in Blacksburg, I’m willing to bet you will find something that makes you love it here and will help make Virginia Tech your home!