From Troy to Blacksburg

As the Fall semester begins, many of the students on college campuses around the country begin a transitional phase of their lives.  This change could involve the move from home to school, school to school, even country to country. As a sophomore transfer student, my transition was more significant than some may perceive. Last Fall I kicked off my college career in Troy, New York at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a small engineering school just outside of Albany.  Life was great and times were good as I found my first semester away from home to be something new and exciting compared to my years in high school.  My lacrosse teams fall season, what we referred to as "Fall ball", came and went as my teammates and I adjusted to the speed of the college game. But come mid-October as the leaves began to turn and the weather cooled down I started to take note of the experiences of all my friends from back home.  Pictures of football games, tailgates, student-run events, and the like flooded my means of social media. Posts cluttered with "I love my school!" and "My school > your school!" were abundant. While reading through all the spirit-filled notes, jealousy crept its way into my thoughts. I knew that in choosing RPI I had the opportunity to pursue a world renowned degree in engineering and play the sport that I loved at a very high level. But, to me, the cons seemed to outweigh the pros.  Very often I found that my teammates and I spent most of our downtime either doing homework or creating new jokes about the nerd-infested population of our school.  Once those jokes led to realization and the lack of school spirit slapped me in the face I felt the need to take action.  Over Winter break I began filling out applications to a couple schools closer to home that had more of a community feel than I felt during my time in Troy.  The winter months in Upstate New York were harsh and having practices outside made me much more aware of the seemingly sub-polar conditions.  Lacrosse season was eventful, albeit cold, and I enjoyed all the time that  I spent with my teammates, but I knew that what I was looking for in a college was a little more than I had seen thus far.  As the spring came to an end I regretted leaving the good friends I'd made at RPI but I knew that better roads lie ahead.  What I've experienced of Blacksburg so far this fall and during the Summer semester I spent taking classes has me overjoyed and filled with anticipation of what is to come. The sense of pride that pumps through the veins of Blacksburg is absolutely breathtaking, and it seems that every corner of the town oozes orange and maroon. Given all of the differences between what I had come to know at Rensselaer and what I will come to know at Virginia Tech, I could not be more excited to work my way into Hokie Nation.