Web sites worthy of your browser's bookmark
Not so fast…
Each room on campus is equipped with the latest VT-Net CD (also available to faculty/staff and the rest of the student body). Pop this CD in your laptop and install it before going online, no exceptions. This CD will include all the required software updates and, most importantly, all the antivirus software that you will need.
Your assigned PID/password will be essential to access multiple Web sites within Tech's computer system. The first of these, Webmail (webmail.vt.edu), will allow you to check your Tech e-mail account. Professors will use this e-mail address to contact you, so you should plan on checking it often.
For a discounted price, students can purchase the Microsoft Office Suite from the software distribution center, located in Torgersen Bridge. For classes, you'll frequently need Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and I'd also recommend routing your e-mail to Outlook or another client for additional space.
Easy and detailed instructions for re-routing your e-mail can be found through a simple search at www.answers.vt.edu. Having Outlook setup will allow easier access to your e-mail, an easy way to back-up your e-mail, and unlike the Webmail system, it will not automatically delete your e-mails after a few months.
One vital thing that you will want to do within your first few weeks at Tech is sit down and spend 15 minutes browsing around your Hokie SPA account (www.hokiespa.vt.edu). You may have used the site already to look at admissions information or transferred credits, but those are only a few of the things you can find there.
Hokie SPA's financial aid information page is very helpful. You can view your award information, check for holds on your account, examine loan information and also receive details on all costs added to your tuition bill.
All course scheduling information is located here, including course request every semester, drop/add classes, and also your unofficial transcript with midterm/final grades. Midterm grades are available your freshman year only and are given on a satisfactory or unsatisfactory scale. Through this Web site you can also easily request official transcripts. For $7 per transcript, the University Registrar's office will send a sealed official transcript to your house, your room, or even to graduate schools and future employers.
Even as early as your first semester, you will probably want to look at the degree information section. If you have courses that you want to transfer and receive credit for at Virginia Tech, after submitting those transcripts, you can view the detailed information here to make sure it is correct. Though you can't officially apply for a degree until after your sophomore year, the Degree Audit Report System can be used to make sure the classes you enroll in will put you on the right track to graduate.
For individual classes, probably 90 to 95 percent of professors use Blackboard (learn.vt.edu) online course information system. The level of use will vary teacher-by-teacher, anywhere from simply posting grades, to posting class notes, syllabus information, and additional reading, to posting the PowerPoint presentations that they used during their lectures.
One cool thing that you probably don't know about yet is Filebox (filebox.vt.edu). After signing up for this free service, you will receive a 30 MB online storage bin for documents, media clips, or even for creating a Web site.
While thumb drives have become extremely common in the last few years, this site, accessible from any computer in the world, easily provides a way to simply upload a file to your account and access it later from anywhere.
Finally, if you still have questions, and you can't find the answers online, contact the computer support center, 4Help (computing.vt.edu). Here you will find links to common questions as well as phone numbers to the support team who will even come around to your room to assess your problem.
