Virginia Tech is located in Blacksburg, and its main campus spans over 2,600 acres. Many people also call it "VT," but most commonly it is referred to as Virginia Tech. The school has a 1,700 acre agriculture farm for research and a site in Switzerland for study abroad programs. The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has over 30,000 students and this number includes undergrad and post graduate students. The school's official colors are Chicago Maroon and Burnt Orange. The Mascot is the Hokie Bird and the 21 Varsity Athletic teams are often referred to as the Hokies.

In 1872, Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College was started by the General Assembly. They had previously purchased a small Methodist school, Preston and Olin Institute, and formed it into the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College with the addition of new programs of study. In 1896, "Polytechnic Institute" was added to the end of the college's name and by 1944, the college had completely omitted the "Agricultural and Mechanical College" and the school was officially Virginia Polytechnic Institute. After one school president wanted to change the name to Virginia State University, the school decided to add "State University" to the end of its name making the school's formal name Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

When they added "Polytechnic Institute," the school needed a new cheer. A $5 prize contest was held and student, O.M. Stull wrote a cheer that goes: "Old Hokie, Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, Hy. Techs, Techs, V.P. I. Sola-Rex, Sola-Rah. Polytechs- Vir-gin-ia. Rae, Ri, V.P.I.." The Hokie is actually nothing more than a word! Initially the school's uniforms were black and grey but after careful searching, a committee decided that the colors should be Chicago maroon and burnt orange because that color combination had not been used by any other college. Also, the school athletic teams were once referred to as "Gobblers," and they even had a turkey that would gobble on demand! Because of a legend that the athletes were referred to as Gobblers because they supposedly gobbled down their food, the football coach in the 1980's decided to start calling them the Hokies. The HokieBird was formed and started showing up at football game day in 1987 and has been the mascot ever since. The HokieBird looks a lot like a turkey because it just evolved from the former Fighting Gobbler mascot.

Virginia Tech offers more degrees than any other university in the state. The Schools and Colleges are: the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the college of Architecture and Urban Studies, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Pamplin College of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Natural Resources and Environment, the College of Science, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute. Students have a choice of around 65 bachelor's degree programs and through the Graduate School, students may achieve one of 145 master's and doctoral degrees.

There has always been a military influence in the university. At one point, and until 1932, the male students at were mandated to join the Corps of Cadets and participate for four years. From 1932 to 1964, the rule was changed and only a two year participation was required. After 1964, the mandate was dropped and it became completely voluntary to join the cadets.

The school spends a lot of money on research and is known nationwide for their research institutes. Virginia Tech's Research Institutes are: Fralin Life Science Institute, the Transportation Institute, The Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute, Institute for creativity, Arts and Technology, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Bioinformatics Institute, and the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment.

As a former member of the Big East, the Virginia Tech Hokies participate in 21 Varsity Sports as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. These sports include: baseball, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's cross country, women's lacrosse, men's and women's diving, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's tennis, wrestling, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball, and men's and women's swimming. Football games are played in Lane Stadium and basketball games are played in Cassell Coliseum. Lane Stadium has a capacity for over 66,000 fans and Cassell Coliseum can hold close to 10,000 people. Lane Stadium has been said to be louder than most other football stadiums in the country, although it is smaller than most. The Hokies' Lane Stadium has been voted to have the best in home field advantage because of the severity of noise that the home fans can create! The football team has played in a bowl game day for the past 16 years and has won a conference championship seven times. Three conference championships were won as part of the Big East, and four are from being a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia Tech has not won a national title in any of their varsity sports, but randomly has a national championship has been won in bass fishing! Every year, they play the University of Virginia in the Commonwealth Cup.

In the past, the main rivalry is the Virginia Military Institute. On Thanksgiving Day, a rivalry game was always played between the two schools and it quickly became known as the "Military Classic of the South." This game was played in Roanoke, and this rivalry continued until the 1970's. Now, the major rivalry is the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Most of the football games played between these two teams have been won by Virginia Tech. Grab the cutest maroon and orange dresses or a top from SidelineSweetie.com and rest assured you will look gorgeous yelling Go Hokies!