Corps center
It is during the intensive first week of training that the bonds are formed in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.
Related: Corp prepares for an intense year
The freshman cadets are forbidden from speaking unless granted permission by the ever-present and often domineering Cadres, or upperclassmen of the corps.
They are forbidden from keeping clocks in their rooms to prevent them from knowing what time they are being roused from their beds in the often still dark morning. They endure hours of physical training in the blazing August sun, and run countless drills over daunting obstacle courses.
Virginia Tech's oldest tradition begins weeks before most students leave the beach. A record number of 293 freshman cadets begin their hardest year of physical training and enter their chosen paths as members of the corps of cadets.
"My goal all my life has been to be a Marine Corps pilot," said freshman cadet Jason Schnitker, a general engineering major. "I feel Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets, specifically Raider Company, is the best preparation for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School."
This year the corps has seen the largest increase in enrollment since 2002. The number of cadets has grown so much that they too are feeling the pressure of lack of beds. Some residence halls have three cadets in each room.
There has also been a sharp rise in the number of women in the corps.
"There has been about a five percent increase in our female numbers, and I'm really excited about it," said Maj. Rewa Mariger, head of corps recruitment.
"We are trying to show them that the corps and ROTC are not all-male programs."
One of the new female faces in the corps is Mehta, a freshman in general engineering.
"I wanted to be a part of the corps because there is no other way to become a better leader than to join ROTC," Mehta said. "We learn to work together as a class and learn how to lead our country."
The corps has also established itself as one of the top senior military colleges in the United States, holding the highest scores from leadership development assessment camps that all military colleges attend, according to Mariger.
"I think that the word is starting to get out there that we're one of the best senior military colleges to attend," Mariger said. "Applications have steadily been rising as we've gotten the word out more and more."
While Mariger attributes the steady growth of the program to the achievement of the cadets, Lt. Col. Bill Stringer credits the growth to an increase in active recruitment.
Stringer is retired from the Marine Corps, and he serves as a deputy commandant and leads the first battalion.
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