The Georgia Institute of Technology

My degree is in the Liberal Arts College - International Affairs and French. To get a B.S., I have still had to take 2 math classes, 2 lab sciences, and 2 computer classes, and these have SUCKED, but you just have to get through it to get the more well-rounded degree.

If I could do it again, I would major in MANAGEMENT. I did not have any respect for this major at first, but all the MGT majors that are graduating with me have great jobs lined up. Plus, the College of MGT takes amazing care of its students. In MGT, you learn A LOT about business and gain a lot of useful skills such as accounting, marketing, IT, entrepreneurship, etc. Plus, a lot of engineering majors end up abandoning the trade and going into business anyways.

I am in-state, so I have the HOPE Scholarship (maintaining a 3.0 or higher). GT has been ridiculously cheap and interviewing for a job or internship has been a lot easier since I am already in Atlanta (instead of in Athens or somewhere else far away).

Georgia Tech is a sink or swim school, but it teaches you about the real world. GT is very well-respected but it does not hold your hand and coddle you like private universities. If you are willing to work and you want to succeed, you will. Sometimes students get screwed over, but you have to adjust your attitude and grow from the experience. GT doesn't ever give you a break. Even the "easy" classes are harder than most classes at other schools. My best advice is to put your nose to the grindstone and just get through GT as quickly as possible.

I wish that I had been more engaged in my classes. I kind of just sat back, did the minimum and made a B or a C without really learning the material (but I am not an engineering major). It is easy to fall through the cracks at GT, but I am OK with this because I was able to slip by and focus on things other than academics. If you want to be that kid who is always raising her hand and answering all the questions, you can definitely be that here too.

My best advice is : GO GREEK!! It will help you make friends, do better in classes, give you something to do, etc. It made my college experience so much better!! I can't imagine how alone I would have been in college if I were not Greek.

Also, find a couple extracurricular things like philanthropic organizations and other clubs to get involved in - but don't over commit yourself.

Overall, GT has been really difficult, but the real world is difficult. People graduating from easier schools have no idea how hard it is out there and have a rude awakening. I am graduating in a week and I have a great job lined up, so in the end it was totally worth it! Plus, forever I will know that my hardest days are behind me and that I worked hard for and earned my degree.

4th Year Female -- Class 2009

Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: C

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...

1st Year Female -- Class 2013

Great, great education, with much room for creativity and to expand your mind, but with a price. You will be studying all the time, and still not get the grade you want.

3rd Year Male -- Class 2008

Scholastic Success: A+, Collaboration/Competitive: F