The Georgia Institute of Technology

The Good:
Challenging classes
All classes taught by faculty (mostly very knowledgeable/Experienced)
Atlanta
Highly diverse
Great facilities (Labs/Student Center/Gym)
High profile sports teams
The Bad:
Large classes
Construction
Busy professors
Amount of work in a class not corresponding to the number of credits
Poor communication between administration and students
Crime
Overall, I've enjoyed my time here and have no regrets about choosing it. While not every single aspect has been outstanding, the opportunity to take classes and learn from such great professors outweighs most of the inconveniences above. Don't underestimate the advantage of living in Atlanta too - so many fun and exciting things to do just a short distance from campus...

The one major caution that I would have is that you absolutely must be highly responsible and self motivated to succeed here: if you don't hit the ground running and take responsibility for your success from day one, you are almost guaranteed to not succeed. If you are confused, get help. If you struggle consistently in a subject, make smart friends taking the class and work with them. Overall, just make sure that you are doing your best to stay on top of your work and you will be fine.Oh, and one more thing: classes get harder as you advance through the school, so make sure you get good grades over your first few years and get alot of credits out of the way so you can spend your last year and a half or so taking fewer classes and focusing on the increased workload...

3rd Year Male -- Class 2010

Surrounding City: A+, Faculty Accessibility: C

I would recommend to anyone coming to tech to look into rushing. Most students that apply to tech would not generally think about joining a fraternity or sorority, and most students that go greek at this school would never have done it if it wasn't tech. It's just an easy way to meet a lot of people very quickly. You will find a place where you can meet some people you will be friends with for the rest of you life.

1st Year Male -- Class 2012

Surrounding City: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: D+

Georgia Tech is one big lesson in life experience. What you put into it is exactly what you will get out of it. Sure, the academics are outstanding and the name recognition will give you respect throughout your industry, but if you open yourself up to the education you are receiving not just inside but outside the classroom, you will succeed on more levels of life than you expected. Here are some examples of the hidden secondary education offered at this institution:

Situation 1) The classes are extremely hard, of an overwhelmingly large size, and the professor is difficult to understand.

Pitfalls: Stop attending lecture, bitch to your TA, be in a bad mood and half-ass your assignments because the professor isn't doing his job so why should you!

Life lesson: Don't victimize yourself. You will find that if you take the time to visit the professor during his office hours or make an appointment, he is always willing to accomodate and help an eager student. Homework becomes monumentally easier and more efficient this way. Take action. Don't expect success to come to you as it did in high school.

Situation 2) Everyone around you is a nerdy, ugly, arrogant prick. You have no social life and your workload is overbearing.

Pitfalls: Lock yourself in your dorm room and be miserable. Feel sorry for yourself. Become engrossed with your studies and perpetually frustrated at their difficulty level.

Life lesson: HAVE FUN once in a while. Get a hobby. Join a club. Take action (there's a running theme here). There is PLENTY to do on and off campus (Atlanta is amazing). Social life sucks at Tech if you don't know where to look. Some people say that you have to be in a frat/sorority to have any social life. Those people are wrong. If you dedicate yourself to developing your social skills (again..secondary education here) you will find a niche with people just like you. Trust me. This school is big enough. If all else fails, hell..do what I do sometimes. Go to random Home Park parties. No one cares if you don't know anyone. You will find a collection of all the random people you see around campus wasted at Home Park parties. It's pretty awesome. Join the band if you are a musically inclined incoming freshman who doesn't want to rush. It's a great way to meet people and get started socially.Ok I guess that's pretty much what I wanted to say. You will encounter a number of miserable complainers on campus, but that's because they have not learned to rise above the adversity thrown their way. Don't fall into this trap. Tech is an invaluable experience because it teaches you how to learn, how to time manage, how to be happy, and how to take action to make your life what you want it to be. After college, you will no longer be amidst 10,000 of your equals in 3 square miles, and you will have to be able to cope to be happy. This institution is true preparation for the real world, and I absolutely loved it.

4th Year Male -- Class 2007

Surrounding City: A+, Individual Value: C-