The Georgia Institute of Technology

A lot of things to say about Georgia Tech. First and foremost, Georgia Tech is absolutely NOT for everyone. It is a a very specialized school, not only in the quality of the programs it offers, but also the in the type of atmosphere and environment.

First, the Good and who/why you should attend:

1) Georgia Tech is an excellent engineering school. If you are a Georgia resident, then it's an even better deal, as you'll be paying relatively low in-state tuition for one of the best engineering schools in the nation (currently ranked 4th in engineering overall), and the world, too. The quality of the education and preparation is pretty good, and so I hear, prepares you well for the real world.

2) Georgia Tech also has a very good business program as well, though it is much less advertised/well-known, and often scorned upon by fellow engineering students. Other Students will make fun of management students, and especially those that switch from engineering to management ("hopping on the M-train, as it's known), despite the college's high ranking and very good percentage in getting graduates jobs. It's kinda funny, actually. Management gets a bad rep because of its large percentage of frat dudes, sorority chicks, and athletes, but the program itself is actually very good. In fact, if it weren't for the on-campus culture, I think a lot more people would switch to management.

3) If you are nerdy, into math/science, and one of those people that just really love school, then this is also the place for you. There is a great culture of academically oriented students here. A LOT of people here are nerdy and odd, and into engineering/math/science type stuff. If you're into research, this is also a great place, though if you haven't done research before, it's a million times more boring than they make it out to be on TV or on the media. I've done it, trust me, it's boring, but there are plenty of grad students, profs, and some undergrads that do like doing research. GT is in fact a premier research institution.

4) GT is in the heart of Atlanta. Most students unfortunately don't go out in Atlanta much, but it is a big city with a lot to offer. I would say the best attractions Atlanta really has is the restaurants (so many good ones) and good nightlife, too. And of course you got stuff like the Georgia Aquarium, home of the Hawks, Braves, and Thrashers, World of Coke, and stuff like that.

4) For being a really good engineering university, it's also neat that it has D1 athletics. The athletic programs here may not be the best thing ever, but they are competitive and still Division 1 afterall.

Now, the BAD
1) GRADES. GT is hard, and not many ppl will tell you different. And don't think I'm dumb either. I was a very good student in high school. To give you a picture, I was unweighted 4.0 all throughout high school, ranked number 1 in my school, took plenty of AP classes, and got 5s on my AP exams in Physics, Calc 1 and Calc 2, all while being very involved. I was never satisfied with SATs, but I did get a 1400 on those with a 760 in Math (don't really care about English or writing, lol) and perfect scored the math section on the ACT. And, I didn't really try at all either. Studying was something that the "other" kids did. I barely studied, more like maybe skim some material for a few minutes before a test. My high school was not shitty, and I was respected as one of the best students there, so I promise you I'm not dumb. However, most ppl at GT were just like me in high school, especially the people in the college of engineering. In my freshman class, 25% of the students had unweighted 4.0s, and the average SAT was a 1310. And the most recent freshman class (2010) was even smarter, with (I believe) an average 1350 SAT and about a 1/3 had unweighted 4.0s. In other words, people here are smart, and really, comparable to other elite schools in the nation like MIT or Stanford. HOWEVER, GT is a motherfucker when it comes to grades. Places like MIT and Harvard must recognize that everyone at the school is smart, so even if you're middle of the class, you're still (relatively speaking) doing very well. This reflects in their grades and overall grade point average. AT MIT for example (as a former professor told me), they basically give everyone As and some Bs (they got mad at him for giving a couple student Cs!!). HUGE contrast to Tech (I was like WOW when the prof told me that). GT is the opposite. They actually get mad at professors for giving too many As, and a lot of classes have SET GPAs (meaning even if everyone does really well, the class will get curved DOWN). In other words, your GPA is fucked. It's ridiculously competitive. Me, a former unweighted 4.0 guy, am hanging on with a 3.0. Another reason this sucks is for jobs and grad schools. Employers and schools don't really know or care that the grade distribution at tech sucks for the academic population. So getting a job or getting into grad school is much more difficult. A 3.0 here is really like a 3.8-4.0 at a place like UGA or UF, but people either don't know or don't give a fuck. A 3.0 is still a 3.0, and a 4.0 even at an average school still looks a lot better. This is one of the biggest problems I, and most of the student body, have with Tech.

2) Read above. DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU WANT TO GO TO MED SCHOOL. The rule is you basically want to keep AT LEAST above a 3.5, which is extremely difficult here, even for the gifted. You will get fucked over or have to work incredibly hard even for a worse GPA than if at another school. You'd be much better off with a 4.0 from UGA or wherever.

3) If you're not a nerd, and you're a normal high schooler looking for an awesome college experience, this is not the place. If you're a dude, there's like 30% girls (I know, shitty). If you're a girl, a lot of the guys here are indeed very weird/nerdy. Tech has pretty horrible parties. It's seriously BAD and pathetic; just not a party school AT ALL. Nothing compared to big state schools like UGA or UF. Interestingly enough, GT is still a huge drinking school though, lol. A lot of binge drinking. Mostly, small groups of individuals who drink together in their apartments or whatever. But very crappy parties. If you do happen to come here though, and you are looking for the party experience, then definitely join a frat/sorority. It will make partying and meeting other people (and attractive members of the opposite sex) much easier. Frat dudes tend to be pretty cool, and there are a lot of hot chicks in most of the sororities. You'll inevitably have a pretty good time. Frats tend to get a bad rap sometimes for their stereotypes, but join the right one, and it's a pretty good deal.

4) Tech is a specialized school, so if you're not looking to do engineering, business, or like computer science, I would go elsewhere. It sucks for ppl that find out that they don't really like engineering, and maybe want to do Econ, or something like that, which Tech's programs aren't all that great for.

Overall, Georgia Tech is regarded as a great institution for engineering. When I visited the school, and looked at all the propaganda, it seemed like an incredible college. I mean, it does have great academics, division 1 athletics, sororities and frats like other schools, and in the middle of a great city. Unfortunately, they don't tell you any of the bad stuff. A lot students, including myself, got disappointed along the way. The way I see it, if I could go back, I would have tried harder to get into elite schools with "names" (like MIT, Stanford, or Ivy Leauge schools- where even a 2.0 is irrelevant if you're at Harvard) and really tried to go to one of those. Otherwise, I would have gone to UF. GT feels like an elite school (it's very hard, everyone here is very smart, the curriculum is intense, the social life isn't great), but it has less of a name and gives much worse grades. At least at MIT, you might be depressed, but you're at MIT. Overall, I probably would have gone to another school. Either go to a real "elite" college, or go to a good college with a great college experience.

But some people do like it here, though I would say a lot don't too. I have a buddy who is about to graduate after 3 years with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a 4.0 GPA who has already gotten accepted into grad school at MIT(as a note, this is absolutely insane, and something I've never heard of. There are some 4.0s, but I've NEVER heard of a 4.0 in 3 years in engineering-INSANE). So, miracles are possible I guess for people like my friend who are extremely brilliant, but in general, GT isn't a good place to go if you want to go to a good grad school. GL and hope this was helpful!

2nd Year Male -- Class 2012

Surrounding City: A+, Social Life: F

Looking at both Stanford and Georgia Tech for graduate school and reading each school's undergraduate student reviews out of curiosity, I am surprised that Georgia Tech seems to rank so much lower than Stanford as far as student satisfaction is concerned. While my four years at Georgia Tech have not been perfect, I definitely do not regret choosing Georgia Tech for my undergraduate education. Maybe I was lucky--it surely played some part--but ultimately I think you get out of your education what you put into it. A good friend of mine once said, "Life would not be worth living if it was not hard," and I think that high school students should understand that it is not possible for even the most gifted people to accomplish anything of note without hard work.

My Regrets
I have had some regrets relating to college. I decided on Georgia Tech early in my senior year, and I regret not at least looking at other schools. I have sometimes wondered how my life would have turned out and if I would be facing the same dilema I am today with respect to choosing a graduate school if I had gone to another school, but I believe that professionally at least I could not have asked for anything more in a college. In that respect, I am lucky that I liked engineering as a profession. I imagine Georgia Tech would have been much more challenging and less enjoyable otherwise. In general, I would suggest to prospective students that especially with the Co-op program at Georgia Tech, the professional experience here is second to none.

Another regret relates to my social life. I had a tough time adjusting to college life and did not make many friends my first two years here. However, I blame myself more than the school, and it demonstrates a valuable lesson: A social life is something you have to go out and find. Many reviews here mention those students who lock themselves in their dorms all the time. I was one of those students and look at those two years as valuable time lost. If you choose to go to Georgia Tech, do not let that happen to you even if it seems easier. Having said this, I had a 4.0 my first two years and was not unhappy at the time, so it is possible to be successful without friends. In fact, my GPA has actually gone down after I decided to become more extroverted and get a social life. Even still, I do not find it particularly challenging to find a balance between social life and work.

Greek Life
I noticed a lot of people commenting on Greek vs. Non-Greek life. There is definitely a distinction between Greeks and Non-Greeks, but Greek parties I have attended are open to all students (ie, I did not have to know someone, although I cannot speak to all of their parties). I would recommend to prospective students to rush sororities or fraternities, even if you think Greek life is not for you. As an introvert entering college, I shyed away from fraternities my first two years because of my preconceived notion that Greeks are only looking for the "popular, cool-type" of student, but in actuallity, they are looking for all kinds of students. You have nothing to lose, and you will not be in my shoes regretting that you did not get out and at least try it while you had the chance.

Safety
Georgia Tech's campus proper is very safe. There are problems with theft, but I think all college campuses have problems with theft. I personally think Georgia Tech's police do an excellent job keeping the campus safe. However, the same cannot be said for areas off campus, although no one that I have heard of has had any trouble in Atlanta.

Atlanta
I like Atlanta because it is a big city that has a lot to offer. However, it has a number of downsides that make me dislike it more than I like it. Public transportation is not good, meaning that you have to have a car to get around. Fortunately for students, usually if you do not have a car a friend will, but those without them have a lot tougher time. A friend of mine who got a co-op job in Atlanta but did not have a car had to commute almost two hours because the public transportation is that bad. One of the things that really bugs me is that there are very few accessible areas right off campus without a car.

Study Abroad
From what I understand, Georgia Tech is one of the leading colleges in the country encouraging students to study abroad. They now have an option for your degree called International Plan that encourages studying abroad. I spent a summer at Georgia Tech's satellite campus in France, and that was the best summer of my life. I did not enter college even considering studying abroad, but Georgia Tech pushes it so well that I decided to do it. Therefore, I would recommend Georgia Tech even if you do not think right now you want to study abroad; in two years you might change your mind.

Co-op Program
What I liked most about Georgia Tech when I was in high school was the co-op program. I liked the idea of getting real-world work experience as I was getting my degree in order to reinforce my choice of major or figure out early that I did not like it. I also have come to like the co-op program because it let me meet people in other parts of the country. I met students from universities all over the country with my first co-op job in the federal government. My second co-op job now is so much fun I easily put in 100 hours per week at work, and the people I work with are some of my best friends.

The Ratio
For those who do not know, Georgia Tech is about 70% male/30% female. This is definitely a downside to Georgia Tech. I have had zero luck in getting a girl friend, and while most of this is probably my fault, the ratio does not help matters. Girls too, should take note, because most girls here are equally as sick of the excess testosterone present on campus.

Diversity
Some Stanford students criticized Stanford's claims of diversity because most ethnic groups tend to stick together. In some ways that can be true at Georgia Tech, but it is not true in general. Perhaps I was lucky, but I was paired up with a Lebanese roommate my third year who had a lot of international friends, and through him I met a lot of international students myself. In fact, I think probably half of my friends are international students. All people are welcome to join ethnic organizations (my Lebanese friend was an officer in the Pakistani student Association, although I should warn he was one of only two people in the organization that was not Pakistani), and these provide excellent opportunities to meet people of different cultures and learn more not only about them but also about yourself. My roommate and I lost a lot of sleep that semester having deep converstations sometimes even about touchy subjects like politics and religion, and I am a different and arguably better person because of it.

Campus Dining
I never had a meal plan on campus, but I did eat in the dining halls and hear from many students who do. The scoop is this: Brittain (East Campus) Dining Hall sucks, and Woodruff (West Campus) Dining Hall is decent (I personally like it). In general, people suggest that the food is the same after a while. I would not suggest a meal plan if you live on East Campus.

Work Load
I had many sleepless nights over my four years, but again I blame myself over the school. Students have to work to succeed at Georgia Tech, but this will be true at any school. Frankly, if you are getting a degree without working hard, I would suggest you ask yourself, "What good will this degree do for my career?"

Moreover, in my electrical engineering program, I did not think there was an especially inordinate amount of "busy work." There was some of course, but it would be impossible to get a degree without it. Perhaps students in other majors would disagree, but for what it is worth, I do not hear complaints about busy work from my friends either.

Overall QualityIn my opinion, if you enter a technical field like science or engineering, you will get about the same level of education no matter which school you choose. In these fields, the material will be the same wherever you go. Therefore, you should choose a school based on the intangibles, like the outlying city, extra-curricular activities, campus aesthetics, and what others will think about your education (ie, the school's reputation). Because of this, I tried to give information on Georgia Tech's intangibles. Try to take comfort in the fact that you will never know if you made the "right" choice. All you can do is make the best out of the choice that you do make.

4th Year Male -- Class 2012

Education Quality: A+, Innovation: C