Virginia Tech
At Virginia Tech, a former military institute with its background in the sciences, students are encouraged to invent the future. Students are known as Hokies, a term that was the original rally cry when the school was known as the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute. Sports teams, also known as the Hokies, compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference, and the school mascot is the HokieBird. Virginia Tech is settled in Blacksburg, a typical college town full of restaurants, bars, and clubs. Students account for more than half the total residents in Blacksburg, and they dominate the towns public Blacksburg Transit bus system, which is free for Hokies. On campus, students can go bowling, play pool, or try out video games in the BreakZONE, sponsored by the Department of University Unions and Student Activities. There are also more than 600 clubs and organizations, including a large Greek system of approximately 65 fraternities and sororities. Freshmen must live on campus, which puts them in close proximity to the schools renowned dining facilities. Students can order steak and lobster at Virginia Techs West End Market, or grab a meal from on-campus chain restaurants including Au Bon Pain and Sbarro.
