CALS insights: Overview

Virginia Tech consists of seven colleges for undergraduate students. Freshman and transfer students can pick and choose from more than 70 majors 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 may be a good fit for you. 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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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

CALS insights: Catherine's story

By Catherine, a junior in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Major: Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise

Classes are in full swing and the Hokies have another win under their belt! What could be better than spending a victory Sunday preparing for the school week!

As a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), I am connected with a wide variety of science and agricultural communities. I was attracted to CALS because of the human nutrition, foods and exercise major in preparation for dental school, but the college has a wide variety of options. From agriculture to biochemistry to dairy science, there are a wide variety of options in CALS.

The clubs and organizations associated with majors and other interests in the college are endless, so there are lots of opportunities to meet students with similar interests outside of class. In addition, CALS has wonderful scholarship opportunities for students. The advisors and professional staff are great at helping students figure out their future career goals and build their academic schedule to be one of the most enriching experiences you can have.

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From accounting to wood science, we offer more than 70 majors

Virginia Tech is a comprehensive, innovative research university with the largest full-time student population in Virginia.

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:

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Coming to a school near you

Our assistant directors and admissions advisors, all 15 of them, are traveling to a school or college fair near you! Ok, I can't promise that, but I'd like to think so. To find out whether a representative from Virginia Tech will be visiting your school, please touch base with your guidance counselor.

If we don't make it to your school, think about visiting us during our Open House, which is a one-day even held October 17, October 18, November 14, and November 15. Come see the beauty of our campus, learn more about our programs of study, and meet some of our current students. Also, you can get more info about financial aid. Consider Open House as a one-stop shop for discovering whether Virginia Tech is the right fit for you.

If you can't make it to Open House, check out our schedule for daily information sessions and tours of campus.

More information regarding Virginia Tech:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

www.thisisthefuture.com

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LET'S GO...HOKIES!

To many, Virginia Tech is known for high quality education, award-winning faculty, nationally ranked academic programs, quality students, cutting edge technology and research, a beautiful campus, a friendly atmosphere, a bizarre color combo of maroon and orange, and the list goes on and on. However, we also have a sport that many students, alumni, faculty, and staff alike enjoy immensely and that is... football.

This weekend, Virginia Tech takes on Nebraska at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. Kick off is at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday (September 19) and we are rooting for our Hokies!

Experiencing a game at Lane Stadium is hard to put into words. You really need to experience it first-hand. Our football team enters the field to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" booming, fans, young and old, jumping up and down, and the united roaring voice of "LET'S GO....HOKIES!" Real Clear Sports ranked Virginia Tech as No. 1 in the Top 10 College Football Entrances. In addition to having a great entrance, a poll by USA Today listed Lane Stadium as one of the top 10 great places to watch college football.

We hope you will visit us. Maybe you can take in a football game during your visit. For we believe that if you visit our campus, you will love it as much as we do. And, you'll see first hand that maroon and orange really do complement one another!

More info:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

www.thisisthefuture.com

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Come and see for yourself

By Jonathan Schramm

Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions

I’m lucky enough to have an office that overlooks the Drillfield, arguably Virginia Tech's most recognizable landmark. Not only is it at the geographic center of campus, it's the center of activity too (the Drillfield, not my office; although, it too can get pretty busy). There's so much activity in fact that it can sometimes overload the senses.

I can see the sun dipping behind clouds, and hear birds and crickets chirping, and smell the fresh-cut grass. I watch students with their books walking to their classes, while others run. Our marching band, The Marching Virginians, practices its signature songs, horns and drums alerting my ears to their presence. The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets shouts over the noise in unison. People throw Frisbees and kick balls. All the while a bicycle, or the occasional car, encircles the scene.

College campuses are places of learning of course, but many of them are also quite beautiful. I would rank Virginia Tech high atop that list, with its buildings of gray-stone (PDF 1006KB) and stately trees, its duck pond and horticulture gardens. I can see why so many students choose to apply to VT after they've visited our campus. It makes sense really. You can look at all the high-gloss pictures you want to, and read all about academics and student life, but until you're actually here to take it all in, you never really know...

So come visit us! We’ve got three tours a day, and two information sessions. Some departments run their own special sessions, so check that list out too. See you when you get here!

How to get in

Our application process is simple. Really, I promise it is. Typically students who get As and Bs and have a strong high school curriculum are competitive applicants. Your SAT scores and GPA are taken into consideration, but we review each applicant holistically. The bottom line: there are several criteria that come into play when reviewing each individual application. Our admissions directors and advisors do read each individual application that is submitted to Virginia Tech – that means that a crew of 14 admissions directors and advisors read each and every one of the 21,201 applications we received for the fall 2009.

Follow the 4 steps outlined below and applying to Virginia Tech should go off without a hitch. Just make sure you meet the application deadlines.

Deadlines:

Early Decision Deadline - November 1

Early Decision Notification - December 15

Regular Decision Deadline – January 15

Regular Decision Notification – By April 1

1.) Apply online. Our application is straightforward (we do not use the Common Application). We do have essay options, but an essay is NOT REQUIRED. There is a $50 application fee. You will need to set up a free account using an email address and a password in order to apply online.

NOTE: It is a good idea to keep the email address you use to set up this account throughout the application process. We do communicate with you primarily through email. So, please add us to your "safe" list and please read what we send you. Yeah, I know some of it is boring and even repetitive at times, but the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (admiss@vt.edu) tries to only send you important info.

2.) Once your application is complete and you have submitted it, you will receive three emails. First, you will receive a verification email within 24 hours.

3.) Soon after you receive the verification email you will receive a second, very important email from "Virginia Tech Guest Management Service [PleaseDoNotReply@vt.edu]" with the subject line "Virginia Tech Guest Account Invitation." In order to continue the application process and view your application status page, you have to set up your guest account within 48 hours of receiving the invitation email. So, please follow the instructions in this particular email. You will need to use an email address and create a password. Below is a sample email. For more info about this process, check out the Virginia Tech Guest Access FAQs. (click on the image below to enlarge it)

4.) After you set up your guest account, you will receive a third email from the "VT Undergraduate Admissions" (admiss@vt.edu) with the subject line "Virginia Tech Status Page and Application Number." Please save this email for future reference. (click on the image below to enlarge it)

Like I said earlier, the notification deadline for regular decision is April 1. However, we try to get the word out before April 1. Rest assured that you will receive a decision letter via snail mail no later than April 1 and you might even receive an email prior to April 1.

More info:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

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VT at a glance: admissions, research, student life, football, and much more...

Here's an attempt to provide you with an overview of Virginia Tech. 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 inuniversity research in the United States.

In case you haven't seen it, you should check out our freshman snapshot. This will give you the skinny on the people we admitted last year. Now, please DON'T BE ALARMED when you see the average GPA was 3.94. Frankly, our review of grades is based on the letter and/or numeric grades provided to us by your school, not necessarily the GPA. The average GPA is a reflection of weighted and unweighted grades as reported by high schools. As a result, please keep in mind that GPAs of admitted studentsvary widely. In short, competitive freshman applicants usually have A/B+ grades and strong SAT or ACT scores.

Ok, now that we got that GPA business out of the way, let me tell you a little more about Virginia Tech. In general, we offer more than 70 majors and minors within seven colleges. We also offer research opportunities for undergraduates.

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).

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.html

More information regarding Virginia Tech:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

www.thisisthefuture.com

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Greetings from Assistant Director J

By Jonathan Schramm,

Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions

Greetings all! Now that we here in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions finally find ourselves with a moment to breathe, having worked diligently to bring in our largest, most qualified class EVER, we've thought about it, and decided that it's high time we set some time aside to blog about Virginia Tech. We like talking about it so much, why not write about it too?

I've volunteered (or did someone volunteer me? I can't remember? Anyway…) to discuss the admissions side of things. Some of our outstanding Hokie Ambassadors will be commenting on the student side, so you'll be hearing

about VT from multiple points of view. While I'm sure their entries will be a little more thrilling than mine, as someone who – among other "duties as assigned" – actually goes out and recruits students and reviews their applications when they come in, I hope I can provide you with unique insights into the inner-workings of admissions at Virginia Tech.

We'll start with the recruitment cycle and end right around the time decisions go out. Along the way we'll discuss everything from campus visits to application deadlines, from high school curriculum to standardized tests— and many other relevant topics. Now, I'll try to respond to as many comments as possible (for individual inquiries, please contact the office directly)

and will likely turn a few into blog posts of their own.

As is often the case with projects of this sort, this is, and will likely remain, a work in progress, but hopefully our words will help calm some nerves, dispel some rumors, and answer any questions you may have about this wonderful university that is Virginia Tech. I'm guessing we'll probably have some fun along the way too…

Well. Thanks for stopping by, and as always… GO HOKIES!

More information regarding Virginia Tech:

www.inventyourfuture.vt.edu

www.thisisthefuture.com

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Virginia Tech has come alive!

By Zachery Kennedy

President, Hokie Ambassadors

Classes are back in session and campus is bustling with activity. Freshmen are quickly adjusting to college life and upperclassmen are glad to be back on campus to reunite with their friends. Downtown restaurants and retail shops are busy with customers. Virginia Tech has yet again come alive!

The big buzz on campus is football and whether the Hokies will take home a win this coming Saturday against Alabama in Atlanta. I’m excited for this season, more pumped than I have been in years past. This may just be the year we go all the way!

There are many aspects that make Virginia Tech the best university in the country:

• the food here is amazing,
• classes are demanding,
• professors are experts in their fields,
• the campus is beautiful, and
• the energy amongst the student body is unrivaled.

If you are looking for a fun and challenging four years, I think Virginia Tech will fit your bill.

I have not once regretted my decision to come here. Virginia Tech is one big Hokie community, a community that you will always remain a part of. Burnt Orange and Chicago Maroon will soon become your favorite colors (trust me!)

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