In 1872, Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College was established in Montgomery County and its first student, Addison Caldwell, enrolled on the 1st of October of the same year, after hiking 28 miles from his home. Nowadays, there is a statue on campus commemorating his journey to enroll in the university, and every year the students re-enact his journey.Show more
During the presidency of John McLaren McBryde between 1891 and 1907, there were several reforms implemented, such as the organisation of the academic programmes into traditional four-year programmes, the foundation of the graduate department, and the renaming to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute.
In 1923, the participation compulsory policy in the Corps of Cadets was changed from 4 years to 2 years, and 8 years later the university began teaching classes at the now Old Dominion University. In 1944, the name was officially changed to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. In 1953 the university became the first white university to admit a black undergraduate, which was severely radical at the time, as Virginia still enforced racial segregation. Despite some problems, as well as some issues during the Vietnam War (there were several protests during that period), the university never stopped flourishing and developing its academic quality.
The college was expanded in 2001 with the addition of a 326 acre land next to the main campus, and in 2007 a osteopathic medical school was built.
Academics at Virginia Tech
Nowadays, Virginia Tech offers 116 bachelor’s degree programmes, distributed through its seven undergraduate colleges (Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts & Human Sciences, Architecture & Urban Studies, Agriculture & Life Sciences, Science, Veterinary Medicine, Intercollege, Natural Resources & Environment). In addition, it is also offers 160 master’s and doctoral degree programmes through the Graduate School. Additionally, there is a partnership with Carilion Clinic, for research purposes.
Student Life at Virginia Tech
According to The Princeton Review, Virginia Tech is one of the best colleges in terms of student life, as it is in the top 20 of every category (Happiest Students, Best Quality of Life, Love for College, Town-Gown Relations, Alumni Network, Race/Class Interaction, Best Food). Over 9,300 of the 32,000 students live on campus, in the residential halls, and more than 1,000 cadets reside on the campus (2018). Furthermore, there are 25 fraternities and 13 sororities, as well as over 700 student organisations on campus. There is as well a very strong sporting spirit, and a big support for the athletics teams (baseball, football, basketball, soccer, softball), which have big successes year after year.
What About You?
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