I think you can approach a review of a college in a couple of different ways, as a student most…read moreobviously, maybe also as an employee and/or professor or as a parent. I'm coming at this as merely a visitor. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality at VA Tech asked me to accompany her on a campus visit last week, her first time back since her graduation roughly a quarter century ago. She's always spoken very fondly of her time here and just unfortunately hasn't had the opportunity to return until now. Just for context, I went to NYU, which doesn't really have a campus - Washington Square Park is the closest comp to that, but one of the bigger selling points of that school is that NYC is your campus and you're not really cordoned off in your own little world. Pros and cons to both scenarios. I preferred to be dropped in the middle of a chaotic city but I can see the appeal of this type of college living as well. We spent roughly a day here, arriving by car late Tuesday morning and leaving the following day after checking out of The Inn at VA Tech. We were blessed with sunny skies but it was pretty toasty during our visit, in the 90s during the afternoon. For our main tour/walk, we went from The Inn down Perry Street, curving around Stanger Street until we hit the vaunted Drillfield and then visited the Duck Pond. Then we walked up West Campus Drive and down Washington before cutting back into the campus again to see some of her old dorms (I think Newman was one?) before hitting up the University Bookstore and walking into the downtown area for lunch. Especially with the nicer weather, the Drillfield was a great optic - just a gorgeous, lush lawn, and a cool homage (at least in name) to VA Tech's military background. The imposing structure of Burruss Hall was a cool sight right next to it, and right behind a very classy tribute to the VA Tech shooting - we were both wondering as we walked around if we'd see something acknowledging that tragedy from 2007. Initially we thought it was literally just a small kiosk, until turning around and realizing it was a much larger setup with an acknowledgment of each specific victim. My chum graduated several years before that shooting occurred but was obviously/understandably impacted by it in her own way, so that was a nice moment. She was a little disappointed (probably the right word) at how many new buildings had been erected since she'd graduated in 2001. On one hand, that's literally a generation ago so it's not surprising that there have been significant changes in the interim. But it WAS striking how many areas were just flat-out unrecognizable and new to her, particularly in the Perry Street section. I'm assuming that the student population has expanded significantly to accommodate all of the new buildings, but it's just not the same college she left. Not a negative, but probably not a positive either - is what it is. My two cents as a humble outsider is that everything just seems very monotonous - pretty much all of the buildings are constructed of this Hokie Stone, a specific time of rock that's mined nearby, I believe. A couple of buildings composed of that would have been pretty cool; it's got an old school gothic vibe to a certain extent, but after seeing the same building over and over again, I'd politely suggest a little more variety. Again, this school has its roots as a military institute so you definitely got that impression from the architecture as well, but to me it came up short compared to, say, their ACC rival Duke's campus and its buildings, or West Point. Definitely a cool experience to see this, especially through the lens of my top-tier chum and her formative years here. Go Hokies.

Driving over the mountains north of VT, this marker points out the amazing history of this world…read morerenowned education institution. It is on the side of a busy road but there is a wide breakdown lane if you're interested in risking your life to see and read the marker like me. As it says, this is FIVE MILES from the university so please don't merge it. The marker reads, "Five miles south lies the main campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, founded in 1872 as a land-grant college specializing in agriculture and mechanical arts. The land-grant college system initiated scientific agricultural and industrial instruction in the Commonwealth. Over the next century, Virginia Tech became nationally recognized as a comprehensive research university with a broad range of scientific, technological, business, and liberal arts instruction. The 3,000-acre campus includes the site of Draper's Meadow, where Shawnee Indians attacked settlers on 30 July 1755 at the beginning of the French and Indian War." This is marker number I-2-a and was erected by the Department of Historic Resources in 1998. [Review 19579 overall - 1417 in Virginia - 550 of 2023.]

What a great organization they do world renowned research and the people are so friendly it's like…read morea family

I absolutely adore this school. Good are the days of the party reputation. These educators want…read morethese kids to succeed. We attended the first Quest session for the Fall 26 semester. There was so much effort that went into this event. The campus itself is extremely clean and the students and educators are very helpful. I can't wait to visit again.

I liked Radford! Nestled in the New River Valley, the campus is pretty and clean. I attended 2…read moresemesters in the early 90s. Eclipsed in terms of both campus size and number of students by nearby Virginia Tech, this university fills a niche as a solid liberal arts college. As an Alabama resident, the tuition was steep; but that's the case anywhere. Radford has about 10,500 students. The professors were good, the gym was nice [ I liked the 2nd floor running track inside the gym]; the tennis courts were nice, and the nearby New River was a really pretty area to jog and walk in and is super close to the university. Fun fact about the New River "Interestingly, the New River flows primarily from south to north. Only a handful of rivers in the world have this unique feature, including the Nile." I used Radford's health services, library and don't recall using any of the dining facilities. I lived off campus in nearby Christiansburg so I can't comment on the dorms/residence halls. One thing this region does right is clearing show. There's a lot of snow here, ya'll. Although the area is hilly, you could count on all roads and sidewalks being cleared of snow in the blink of an eye here! The commute from Christiansburg to Radford was always pleasant and pretty.

This is one of the two universities you need to tour if you're in the Lexington area. (The other…read moreone is VMI, and it's right next door.) Washington and Lee University is a historic campus, and it's worth a visit if you're into southern history. Washington and Lee was founded in 1749 and named after George Washington and Robert E. Lee. At this liberal arts school, you'll want to check out the University Chapel & Museum, where you'll see the 500 seat chapel, the Lee family mausoleum, and Lee's office when he was president of the university from 1865 to 1870. Also check out the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, which houses the 4th largest collection of ceramics in the U.S. I love walking around university campuses when I'm in a new area, and I'm glad I explored this one.

Washington and Lee University is beautiful. It's a small, extremely exclusive, private university…read morenestled lovingly into the old town of Lexington. It's original buildings were designated National Historical Landmarks in the 1930s and Lee Chapel is the resting place of Robert E. Lee who is entombed within. This university is immaculately kept, with expansion of any kind thoughtfully completed in order to seamlessly blend in with the historical feel. I spent a summer here at a program during high school 20 years ago and absolutely loved it. It's small and cozy and home-y and the small town of Lexington has plenty of shops and restaurants within a 5 minute walk of the school. Visiting this summer I easily found my way around like old times, after 20 years not much has changed. It's still beautiful, I saw a few updates, but essentially felt like I had stepped back in time.

Went there many years ago and I loved it so much. Made some of the best memories of my life…read more I had great teachers and it's a truly beautiful campus, known as "the Campus Beautiful"

Are you looking at colleges and wondering if this campus is the right one for you? Or your child? I…read morecame here for work and wanted to give my observations on the campus layout and the area in regards to safety. First off, Roanoke Virginia is a very historic town and the people here are super friendly very inviting and quick to lend a hand when it's needed! The campus is spread out but the buildings are easy to find and labeled well. There are campus maps periodically spread out through the walking paths at the campus itself. There's lots of student interaction on campus I myself got lost looking for the building I was heading to for a conference and stopped someone who quickly pointed me in the right direction. The buildings are clean and updated when it comes to the historic buildings, and lots of new construction buildings on campus as well! As a town, Roanoke is easy to navigate the streets are well maintained and the area is well lit at night. I had zero concern for walking downtown out of my hotel and the quaintness of the entire city is extraordinary.

Began my academic career here and taught for 3 years. A great small liberal arts school with…read morefantastic teachers who will know you... Whether you like it or not. Salem is becoming a better "college" town. Near Roanoke which is great and the Blue Ridge parkway.. Appalachian trail... Tons of outdoors