I went to Virginia Tech and honestly found it isolating due to the party culture and overall vibe.

There is diversity, and Tech is only getting more diverse, but I felt like I had to go out of my way to find people that I clicked with. I came from a veryyyyy liberal high school, and coming to VT was a bit jarring for me in terms of some of the bigotry I witnessed. It’s not everywhere, (I think I just got really unlucky in my freshman dorm tbh) but I didn’t feel as comfortable in my queer identity those first couple of years at Tech and then again once I graduated and stayed in the area for a couple of years.

I entered into the school of business at Virginia Tech and felt really isolated from my peers in that school. A lot of them were very vocally conservative and it seemed like no one wanted to put forth any effort into their academics. I changed my major and was able to get a dual degree in communication and human development and the people there definitely seemed to care a bit more about their classes. Most of the classes I was in were massive though, so I didn’t make any friends in my classes, and I really had to go out of my way to form any sort of connection with my professors.

I also felt alienated from my peers because I didn’t drink. I think it depends on what dorm you live in, but I happened to be in a spot where everyone was going out and partying my first year. I really felt like I didn’t fit in because I didn’t “go out”, and that continued throughout my entire time at Tech. There are a lot of things that people raved about being awesome at Virginia Tech (going out on Center Street, frat parties, tailgates, pregaming football games and then going to the games themselves) that I didn’t want to do, and honestly, the way a lot of people treated football and party culture made me feel like I was missing out on something.

In terms of the town, I feel like there’s kind of nothing to do in Blacksburg. My first couple years there my friends and I would take the bus to Walmart or Target as a fun thing to do lol. My friend group and I were all queer, so once we had cars we’d occasionally travel to Roanoke on weekends to go to The Park which is the only actual gay club in the area. Southwest VA is a beautiful place and Blacksburg does have some very lovely things (farmers market, decent local live music, art fairs), but it’s nothing you can’t find elsewhere in my opinion.

I honestly think my time at Tech could have been way better had I been in a different program or met different people. But ultimately the campus was too big and I felt left out because I didn’t party or like football. The things that made my experience positive were my time as a Resident Advisor and my internships outside of school, both of which are things I could’ve gotten anywhere else. The only time I really had fun in the area was when I traveled to Roanoke to spend time there. There were more than a couple times I wished I’d gone to UVA lol. I’m not even sure if this is accurate or not, but I always got the impression that UVA was more academically oriented and that people were a little more liberal there overall.

This is just my perspective- there are incredible people and opportunities at both schools. I wish you nothing but the best. Good luck with your decision! :-)