Final farewells at Virginia Tech?

Current and prospective students of Virginia Tech struggle with the decision of whether to stay put or go to another college in the fall.

By Patrik Jonsson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the April 30, 2007 edition

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BLACKSBURG, Va. - A week before the school year officially ends here at Virginia Tech, hundreds of students and their parents packed milk crates full of dorm paraphernalia into family wagons for an early exit from this grieving campus.

After the worst shooting massacre in US history took place on campus two weeks ago many people are asking: How many students will return when school begins again in the fall?

At the homes of prospective and current students it's a question that promises to spark heated discussions this spring and summer on topics ranging from campus safety to young people's expectations of the "college experience."

Their decisions will be a testament to how quickly Virginia Tech is able to reestablish its vibrancy. The outpouring of global support may bolster the orange-and-maroon army of students, some experts say.

"What will be going through the minds of students and families who think about Virginia Tech in terms of transfers and enrollment will be a conscious decision about, 'Do I want to be part of all that?' " says Don Munce, director of the National Research Center for College and University Admissions in Lee's Summit, Mo. "Families will be coming down on both sides."

As of last week, only five students cited the shootings as the reason for declining acceptance to the school. But experts say that although May 1 is the deadline to enroll for the 2007-08 academic year, the final admission tallies won't be known until later this summer. Virginia Tech sent out 12,858 acceptance letters this year, anticipating a freshman class of 5,000.

Parents will have significant say in their child's decision and sometimes their concerns differ from their children's. Safety issues top the list among parents with children who will soon head off to college for the first time, while parents who have children currently in college cite financial pressures as their main concern, according to a 2006 study by College Parents of America in Alexandria, Va..

"There will be caution from parents, and more parents will be accompanying their kids on campus visits," says Jim Boyle, president of College Parents of America. "But I've also heard a lot of parents speculate that Virginia Tech is probably going to be the safest college campus in America next year."

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