Journey to Here - Part 6

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Acceptance letters came out in June. I got in to both schools and my parents and I decided it was time to actually visit Virginia Tech – this mysterious place that I was so drawn to. We made a couple of VERY short days of the drive down and a tour. Driving through the main entrance to the school felt more like coming home to me than anything ever has. The VT pruned bush, the football stadium soaring in front of us, the Hokie bird prints painted on the road.. everything. The school is set in the middle of agriculture- farmlands, cows, horses and was peaceful like you wouldn’t believe.

We (somehow) found our way through the giant (compared to RPI) campus to Burruss and the office of admissions and got on a tour. It was summer break so the campus was pretty empty, but I was loving it. Everyone that we passed was so welcoming- they said “Hi” and held the doors for you!

My decision was made. I signed that acceptance letter as soon as I got home and got registered for orientation. About a month later my dad and I made the crazy 12 hour drive again to sign up for classes and meet professors. It turned out to be worthless since no one could tell me what classes I needed to take as a transfer student into this program – especially since I came with architecture class history that could possibly be applied to the interiors coursework. They told me to just meet with someone in the School of Architecture when I came down for move in.

In mid-August (about another month later!) my dad and I made the drive AGAIN. We left on a Tuesday after work and drove to Hagerstown, MD where we stayed overnight. We got up very early on Wednesday and completed the drive down I-81 to exit 118B and Blacksburg, arriving around 10:30 AM. There was a mad dash to unload all of my stuff from my dad’s work van and then he was gone by 11 AM, needing to get back to NY for work the next day.

If ever there was a time that I should have felt along and abandoned this was it. I was in a new state, in yucky old dorm with no clue what classes I would be taking in 5 days. But I didn’t. My roommate came and she, her mom and her friends that were also on our floor were awesome. They took me right in, brought me out to eat with them and everything was perfect.

Rommate and me.. not twins, I swear!

I had an appointment on Friday with school staff to review my transfer credits and place me in classes. I got there with my transcripts and portfolio and was told that none of it was any good, that they had no record of reviewing my information and that I should not have been admitted as a transfer student- they only accept about 50 students into that program per year. Not only was the last two years of my life a waste, class work-wise, but that I didn’t belong at this school in that program.