It's funny you should say that. =)
The tour did NOT do the campus food justice. There are limited dining options at the vet school - but Virginia Tech campus food consistently ranks top 5 nationwide (in the Princeton Review). West End would be the dining center closest to the vet school, and it houses a chop shop (their specialty is a London Broil, but not being a red meat-eater, I go for their salmon
😉 ), extensive soup & salad bar, pasta place, sandwich shop (amazing!), and "diner" fair, along with a dessert place for ice cream, shakes, cake and cookies. Each section has rotating daily specials to help prevent the place from getting boring.
Across the street from West End is Dietrick, the main dining facility; it houses Deet's Place coffee shop and DX "express" food (but it's high quality; they have sushi! =) ). But the main attraction is D2. It has limited hours but it's an all-you-can-eat buffet place. They've got chinese food, made-to-order hot and cold sandwiches, vegan/vegetarian options (all delicious), pasta, and - of course - desserts. For major holidays they host themed "feasts" which usually cost more, but man they do NOT let a student down; Thanksgiving has butternut squash specials, candied yams, roasted turkey, honey-glazed ham, gravy, apple cider - if it's a Thanksgiving tradition, it's in their cafeteria.
We're also getting a new dining center next year with the commonwealth of Virginia's first Jamba Juice, made-to-order bagels, etc... You can read about it in the campus newspaper:
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/16822/tech-breaks-ground-on-new-dining-center Unfortunately it's clear on the opposite side of campus from the vet school, so not a great place for us to snag a quick bite to eat. But still.
😉
As far as food in Blacksburg is concerned:
Gillie's is an AMAZING vegetarian place, *highly* recommend it. El Rodeo's is only good for drinks; if you want good Mexican you'll want to go to El Mariachi, which is further out towards Christiansburg. Jimmy John's makes incredible sandwiches, they deliver to most of the town, and they are NOT kidding when they say they're fast; my record with them is 5 minutes submitted order to knock on the door. =) The Cellar has pretty good food but amazing beer menus. Sharkey's is pretty standard food but incredibly happy hour deals ($3 Long Islands! Hell yes!) and I've run in to 2nd and 3rd year vet students there before, so I guess it's been popular with them?
Anyway. =) All of this to say I'm disappointed with the way my town presented itself on the food front, if you came away disappointed!
EDIT:
Ohh no, just saw the schpiel about not being proud to be a Hokie! Now I'm REALLY sorry we didn't represent ourselves well!
I think the culture is a little different for the vet students, who seem more focused on surviving than anything else; but I'll tell you what, speaking for the undergraduate community here: we are stark raving mad to be Hokies.
😉 There is nothing this campus won't do for me, and I'm dead positive about that. Community service? Virginia Tech has hosted the biggest collegiate Relay for Life two years in a row. The Big Event - a massive community service effort concentrated in one day of team-based service - turns 11 this year. Research opportunities? Everywhere. Even the business school gets involved with research. Not as applicable to veterinary students, perhaps, but Greek Life? Oak Lane hosts some of the biggest names in the IFC and the NPH - and it's expanding! On the flipside, not being a member in a greek-letter organization by no means impedes your ability to participate in/enjoy stereotypically "Greek" things - such as Homecoming or the Midwinter's Ball. Extracirriculars? Our intramural sports program covers everything from flag football to bowling. The Break Zone! in the student center comes complete with bowling alleys, billiards, darts, and Dance Dance Revolution if that's your thing. Its next-door neighbor, Venture Out, hosts whitewater rafting, horseback riding, trail hikes, camping, kayaking, etc - everything to help you truly appreciate the Appalachian Mountains. <3 Fitness? There are two gyms on the VT campus, and the nicest one is right up the hill from the vet school; McComas (the nice one) just had a massive renovation. It's got multiple basketball courts, ridiculous numbers of treadmills/step machines/ellipticals/etc etc with a fully-stoked weight room and even a cycling room. Fitness passes will get you in to weekly classes in everything from Guts, Butts, and Thighs (my personal favorite) to Zumba to Sunrise Yoga. And there's a pool. Student Organizations? Other than the orgs directly affiliated with the vet school, there are HUNDREDS of student orgs on campus - covering everything from competitive Pokemon tournaments (I'm so serious) to Skydiving. To my knowledge, all of them allow graduate-level membership. And if there's something you want to see get started, you need only 3 members, a single piece of paperwork, and $0 to start up a recognized student organization.
-phew-
Sorry, I'm absolutely psychotic about this place.
😉 Let me know if you have any other questions, I could talk about my undergraduate home forever. <3
. But that's more a personal problem.
I mean, he was nice, but not quite my type. We remained friendly though and are FB friends to this day, haha.
