Hundreds of new students get a jump-start on college
Hundreds of new students are taking advantage of Virginia Tech Summer Academy. The program is open to new first-year and transfer students to help transition more seamlessly into the college experience.
In its third year, the academy has 352 students enrolled – a growth of almost 50 percent from last year when 238 students participated and almost triple the number from the first year of the program when 126 students participated. Out of this year’s group,
- 66 are transfer students,
- 105 are out-of-state students, and
- 65 are student-athletes.
Summer Academy students moved onto campus over the weekend and will take part in the program over the next six weeks, getting acclimated to Virginia Tech and university life ahead of the fall semester.
Students take a specialized track of courses, which are each capped at 24 students to allow for optimal interaction among students and faculty members. Course tracks allow students to earn credit toward their major or fulfill general education requirements.
- Students are participating in 19 different course tracks.
- The most popular track is “Business Information Systems,” which is being offered in two sections to keep the class sizes small.
- The “Healthy Minds and Bodies” track attracted interest from students this year as a new Summer Academy offering. It will introduce students to holistic strategies for developing healthy minds and bodies – even introducing students to wellness practices such as yoga and Tai Chi.
In addition to course work, students learn about campus resources, participate in academic and personal success workshops, and take advantage of social activities that expose students to fun both on-campus and in the surrounding community.
Virginia Tech Summer Academy allows students to get outside the classroom:
“Summer Academy students get a unique introduction to the academic components of the university through small class sizes – promoting interaction among students and faculty members – in addition to workshops showcasing the university’s academic support units and resources,” said Michael Herndon, director of the Office of Summer and Winter Sessions. “In addition, participants get a head start on making friends and getting acclimated to the community with program activities and interaction with their peer mentors.”
Virginia Tech Summer Academy runs during the university’s second summer session and is only open to first-year students, either freshmen or transfer students.
Program alumni from the previous two years have demonstrated academic success, with more than 70 percent earning a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
