Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Majors: Political Science and Arabic double major
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
I’m in a sorority, I [have a leadership position] in the Arabic Language Club, and I’m in the Coalition for Refugee Resettlement (CRR).
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Fairfax County, Virginia with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: No
Majors: Political Science and Arabic double major
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m in a sorority, I [have a leadership position] in the Arabic Language Club, and I’m in the Coalition for Refugee Resettlement (CRR).
Have any of your extracurricular activities had a particularly big impact on your experience?
CRR is one of my favorite things that I’ve gotten involved in at Tech. We go to Roanoke to tutor and mentor refugees. A lot of people don’t realize that Roanoke [has a large refugee population], so there’s a really large population of people that need English tutoring and stuff like that.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
For Political Science, it’s mostly papers and readings. For Arabic, we have a lot of weekly coursework whereas in Political Science we do not. For Arabic, we have a lot of drills and writing assignments. It’s also a lot of studying vocabulary and stuff like that to learn the language. For both majors, we have both exams and essays that are the major assignments.
Is there anything you feel your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
Arabic is a pretty small department and it’s a pretty new major, but the professors are amazing and they are so helpful. Because it’s such a small department, everybody knows each other. Even though Tech is really big, you get really close to your professors in that department.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
For Political Science, most of the classes I’ve been in are big lecture halls and the classes are lecture-style. For Arabic, most of the classes are about twenty people or less and are very discussion-based. With Political Science, I tend to work by myself on the essays, but with Arabic, I tend to work with other people because you want to practice your speaking when learning another language.
How accessible are your professors?
For Arabic, they are very accessible because it’s such a small department. I think because the professors know you, it’s much less intimidating to walk into their office. With Political Science, it’s a much bigger department and the professors tend to be really busy and are not as accessible. If I have a problem in a Political Science class, I would email the professor ahead of time before going to office hours or just talk with them after class.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Definitely. I’ve seen professors who start the semester saying that we’re majoring in politics, which means you should be open to different sides and that’s the point of it. But, on the other hand, I’ve had professors who are biased in their teaching, so it depends on the professor. That can cause people who agree with their views to speak up more.
Why did you pick your combination of majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I went in as an International Relations major, which is very similar to the Political Science major but requires you to have 12 credits of a language. I switched to Political Science because it requires fewer credits and I wanted to double major in a language rather than just minor. I picked Arabic because I want to work with immigrants and refugees or do some government work.
What has been your favorite part of the academics at Virginia Tech?
I really like what I’m learning in both of my majors. I feel like I’m learning important information and I enjoy doing my homework and learning from the professors.
Reasons to Attend
1) My favorite part about Tech is how Blacksburg kind of is Virginia Tech. I love that because everyone’s a Hokie and there’s so much school spirit.
2) The number of clubs and organizations. There’s an opportunity for everybody.
3) The campus is so beautiful.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) People might not like the small town aspect. People may prefer a city.
2) People may want a smaller school.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Pritchard Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: I live off-campus in an apartment with three roommates.
How was transitioning from your hometown in Fairfax County, VA to Blacksburg, VA in terms of location?
Blacksburg has a much slower pace than my hometown, but I like it a lot because I feel like the people are nicer down here than around D.C.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I feel very safe. I feel like people are pretty relaxed about locking their cars and stuff like that because it’s so safe. I also think the security officers are very nice.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
I like to hang out with friends and go to parties. If I’m going to a party, it’s a fraternity party at an off-campus house that my friends bring me to. I tend to only go out on Friday and Saturday nights.
What is the impact of Greek life on the weekend options at Virginia Tech?
Joining Greek life has been one of the best decisions I’ve made because You don’t only become involved in the sorority you join, you become involved in Greek life as a whole which allows you to be involved in a tone of philanthropy and social events. [About 19% of the undergraduate population is involved in Greek life.]
What is an alternative to going to a party or a bar that you like for a weekend option or a night out?
Especially when it’s warm, I like going hiking or going to Christiansburg, VA to shop. Also, sometimes homework needs to be done over the weekends.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Virginia Tech? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I think the weekend options are really good. I’ve always had fun.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
My roommate freshman year is one of my best friends, and then also the girls I met in my sorority. My roommate freshman year also joined my sorority.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
I like it. There’s an option for anyone, whether you like to go to big parties or stay in with a few friends. One con of the social scene is that the parties tend to be majority female and it’s difficult for guys to get in because usually fraternities are the ones hosting the party. The fraternities don’t want to have other guys come to the parties because they are liable for other male’s actions.
How do you like the size of Virginia Tech in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How was transitioning to a school with [about 29,500 students?]?
Well, I think it feels much smaller than it is. I feel like it doesn’t feel like it’s about 29,000 students because there’s always a connection to anybody you meet on campus because it’s such a small community. I like the size.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I think it depends on the event. Obviously, there are certain events that are just Greek life, but there are also some events that are open to everyone that are about half Greek life and half not. It’s less common for people in Greek life to have really close friends who are not in Greek life because those tend to be the people you are around all the time. Especially if you go through recruitment together freshman year, people become very close.
How would you describe the student body?
I think it’s pretty laid back. People are pretty relaxed going to class, they usually wear sweatpants, a t-shirt, or a sweatshirt.
Careers
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
I’ve used a lot of Excel, Stata, and JMP.
In what ways do you feel your academic experience at Virginia Tech has prepared you for life after college?
I feel that taking Arabic definitely is going to be important after college because it’s spoken in so many other areas of the world and also in the industries I’m interested in, like national security. Then also, Political Science makes you much more aware of the world around you.