If you are new to Virginia Tech, welcome! I know I was super excited to start my first year and there were definitely a few lessons I quickly learned. Here are some things I wish people had told me.
1. Blacksburg weather is crazy.
Be prepared to get rained on at least once your first week at Tech. Maybe it has already downpoured on you when you least expect it (like when I moved in my freshman year). It could be 50 and cloudy in the morning, and 70 and sunny by the afternoon. Be prepared for anything and always have an umbrella on hand.
2. You will walk everywhere.
If you live on campus, expect to get your steps in for the day. I was logging over 10,000 steps a day my first week at Tech, and you will definitely feel it. So don’t feel bad for missing a day at the gym—your legs will be quite toned after walking all over campus.
3. Dining halls will be perpetually busy.
The beginning of the year is the busiest time for dining halls. Even with so many great options, if you show up to any dining hall at a typical meal time, you will wait forever for your food. I started eating dinner at 5 pm just to avoid the crowds. (Another alternative is to try the fabulous new food trucks: The Periodic Table and The Grillfield.)
4. Your dorm will soon become home.
I definitely speak from experience—I had one of the smallest rooms on my hall and lived in a not-so-favored dorm. But by the second month of school, I saw my little box of a room as a cozy, inviting place to come home to after class.
5. You may get run over by a biker.
I still do not understand how bikers manage to weave through the thousands of students that cross the Drillfield between classes. It definitely took a bit of time to master dodging these bikers that speed through the crowds on their own race to class—but trust me you will.
6. Your “first week friends” may become your forever friends.
Everyone says to be wary of first week friends—that hoard of people you find yourself a part of and then never talk to after the second week of school. However, some of these friends might (and will stick). I was lucky enough to meet my friend group the first week of school and we have been friends ever since. Just give the people you meet your first week a chance and you never know what may happen!
I hope these lessons are helpful and good luck!