How many Virginia Tech students does it take to change a light bulb? Three: One to change the bulb, and two to discuss how they did it as well as a U.Va. student.
Painted on a large poster at last year's Virginia Tech vs. U.Va. game in Blacksburg: "Save a collar, pop a Wahoo."
Throughout Virginia, this rivalry is notorious. But what happens when a Hokie ventures into Cavalier country, or when a Wahoo ends up at Tech?
Transferring can be difficult enough, but when the school you switch to is your former school's rival, things can become even more complicated.
Katie Jensen, a former University student, is now a junior at Virginia Tech, having just transferred this semester.
"I wasn't happy at U.Va., at least I didn't think I was," Jensen said. "I'm a lot less happy now."
Jensen was hoping the academics would be less stressful for her at Tech and, though she said the classes seem easier, said she is not enjoying her time spent as a Hokie so far.
She cited some of the differences between the two schools, saying she definitely prefers the University's social life.
"People [at Tech] follow the crowd more -- pretty much like clones, which is a strong way of saying it, but that's kind of how I feel," Jensen said. "There weren't as many social norms at U.Va. -- you could be creative and do what you wanted and people wouldn't look at you funny."
Third-year College student Steve Robillard, who transferred from Tech in the fall of 2004, found the same to be true during his one year in Blacksburg.
"I'm not bashing Virginia Tech, I really did like it, but it just seemed like there was an overwhelming homogenous crowd of people that just wanted to go to football games and just live a very 'college' life," Robillard said. "There wasn't a very artistic scene there, and that's more or less what I'm into."
Yet third-year Nursing student Ashley Jacob, who just transferred to the University this semester, is finding that she would rather be back at Virginia Tech.
"Tech's more my type of school -- I miss it so much," Jacob said. "The people at Tech are more down-to-earth ... here it seems like everyone's in a fraternity or a sorority. Everyone dresses up all the time -- I feel guilty when I'm walking around in a T-shirt and shorts."
Jacob transferred to the University solely for the Nursing program because Virginia Tech does not have one. Originally a biology major at Tech and interested in going to dental school, she wanted a backup plan and the safety that the Nursing School would provide in case her plans didn't work out.
"I would love to go back to Tech -- I'd go in a heartbeat, but I know that I can't because of the Nursing school," she said.
Sara Breakiron, now a junior at Virginia Tech, originally transferred to the University from Tech for reasons similar to Jacob's: Interested in psychology, Breakiron said she thought the program here was a better choice.
"I liked [the psychology program], but coming to U.Va. made me realize that I didn't want to major in psychology," Breakiron said. "The reason why I transferred became not applicable."
After spending about a month at the University, Breakiron said she knew this wasn't the place for her, and she ended up transferring back to Tech the following semester.
"One day I wore my pajamas to class and people were staring at me," she said. "There's so much of a difference in environment that even if I had stayed with psychology, I wouldn't have stayed at U.Va."
Breakiron also said that, in addition to transferring in general being difficult, her housing situation didn't help her much either.
"I lived in Hereford, which is impossible to meet anybody," Breakiron said. "That's not the place you should put transfer students -- I made maybe one friend there."
Breakiron mentioned that the layout of the University seemed to be a problem in general and was far from what she was used to at Virginia Tech.
"I feel like housing's all over the place and it doesn't really foster unity," she said. "At Virginia Tech, one side of the campus is residential and the other side is academic -- there aren't any roads running through any of it."
Jacob agreed with Breakiron, mentioning the advantages of the way Virginia Tech's campus is designed.
"At Tech, everything's so close together that you get that big community feeling -- you never feel like you're in this huge school," Jacob said. "Here I just feel like a little ant in this whole big place."
Breakiron, who returned to Virginia Tech after one semester at the University, recalled a conversation with a friend at Tech before her semester at the University began.
"My friend was like, 'Is it bad that I hope you're miserable and hate it there and want to come back?'" Breakiron said. "I called her a month later like, 'You jinxed me.'"
But Breakiron doesn't regret her initial choice to transfer, and now that she is happily back at Virginia Tech, said she can look back on her time here as a learning experience.
"I think if I hadn't transferred, I would've always wondered if I would have liked it at U.Va.," she said. "I think I needed to go there to see that it's just not for me."
Jacob is still having a difficult time adjusting -- in particular, she cited her experience at the recent home football game against Western Michigan University.
"It wasn't a Tech game -- I didn't like it at all," she said. "People were like, 'You're just not used to it,' but I was like, 'No, this is not football to me.' There was just such a social aspect, it wasn't like they cared about the football game at all."
Robillard agreed the University's football games are quite different from Virginia Tech's.
"Tech football games are rowdy and drunk," he said. "U.Va. football games are drunk and rowdy too, but there's also this traditional sense of camaraderie that you don't get at a Tech game. I've gotten into fights at a Tech game and I'm a lover, not a fighter."
Jacob mentioned that, concerning the University and Virginia Tech opposition, Tech seemed to be more fervent in the rivalry.
"I think Tech definitely has more of a hate for U.Va. than U.Va. does for Tech," she said.
Jensen also noticed that Virginia Tech seems to overemphasize the animosity between the two schools.
"I didn't really care about the rivalry, but they're all about it," she said. "Every day I get some comment about how U.Va. sucks."
For now, Jensen said she will wait out the semester to see how she feels about staying at Virginia Tech or returning to the University.
"I think I'd always wonder if I hadn't" transferred, Jensen said. "I don't regret it, but I don't know if I'm going to stay here."
Robillard, who is more than satisfied with his decision to transfer to the University, said he continues to be impressed by the diversity of students' endeavors here.
"My roommate speaks Chinese and French -- I mean, you can't beat that," he said. "You can't beat that experience of having somebody who's lived in China as your roommate. At Tech it was like, somebody that lived in Pulaski [Va.] and they spoke redneck."
He added that though the University may be stressful occasionally, his experiences have been very rewarding.
"I've actually felt overwhelmed from time to time by the studies here," Robillard said. "But it's good to be around people that challenge you."
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