On-campus summer program gives incoming engineering students a head start on college life

Bree Manning and York Seaton started their first year of classes as Hokies this fall alongside thousands of other students. Unlike most of their peers, these students had already spent a month building the skills and confidence needed to succeed at Virginia Tech.

Manning and Seaton participated in the Student Transition Engineering Program (STEP), a four-week summer program that gives some incoming College of Engineering students the opportunity to live and learn on the Blacksburg campus before their first semester begins.

STEP is one of many summer programs supported by Virginia Tech Conference and Guest Services, part of Housing Services. Its amenities, lodging, spaces, and services are available to both public and university users. 

STEP students take noncredit courses in chemistry, mathematics, and engineering fundamentals, supplemented by academic coaching, professional development, and activities designed to give them a trial run at college life.

Manning, a general engineering student from North Carolina who hopes to pursue industrial and systems engineering, learned something about her study habits through the program. 

“I realized that I have no study habits, which is good to know now so I can go into this year and build them,” Manning said.

Seaton, a general engineering student from Norfolk who plans to pursue biomedical engineering, had a similar realization.

“I had to get back into how I usually study, how I usually get work done,” Seaton said. “After I got it down, made a few critiques, my grades went up.”

The lessons weren't limited to academics. 

STEP participants lived in Eggleston Hall, ate meals on campus, and had access to university facilities. Between classes and activities, they practiced routines that would soon become everyday life.

“It was nice that the program was on campus because our lives were on campus,” Manning said, pointing out that living on campus offered practical lessons: “If you think you can get to class in 10 minutes, plan for 15."

Seaton appreciated that STEP students stayed close to the university experience, which made it easy to learn landmarks and resources like the library, the Drillfield, and Blacksburg Transit. “You truly experience some of what college life is like,” he said. 

For STEP, the team coordinates on-campus housing, dining, scheduling, and other logistics. That support makes campus itself part of the experience for university departments and external organizations bringing groups to Virginia Tech. 

“We welcome hundreds of campers, conference attendees, and scholars to Virginia Tech each summer, but STEP is special because these students are getting a preview of the place they are about to call home,” said Nickie Smith, director of Housing Services. “They aren't just visiting campus. They're learning how to live here.”

By the end of the four weeks, Manning and Seaton had studied, explored campus, lived independently, and made new friends. 

“It is really fun because you get to learn more about your college life without having parents being like, ‘You have to wake up right now,’ or, ‘Have you done your homework?’” Manning said.

As the semester begins, residence hall life, campus walks, and study sessions aren't practice anymore.

Virginia Tech departments and external organizations interested in creating their own camp, conference, or workshop on campus can contact Conference and Guest Services to begin planning for summer 2027.