Kid #3 is thinking about applying to Tech. Kid #3 likes applied math–and foreign language/culture–but doesn’t want to be an engineer. She’s taken and succeeded in courses like Graph Theory, Diffy Q and enjoys math modeling. GT eliminated its applied math major. Does this take it off the table? And I really don’t know how applied math is different from ISYE. Anyone familiar with GT’s math program that can explain.
If GT doesn’t have an applied math major and their foreign languages are not strong, why consider it at all? Majors should be a top priority.
Because knowing the school, and I have another kid that goes there, this doesn’t make sense. It’s a tech school and applied math is just a cousin of engineering/data science (both of which are Tech strengths). I’m wondering why the program was eliminated. I guess I can have kid call the math department and ask. If it was moved into the CS Program, I don’t think kid would have a chance of getting in—b/c CS is so competitive (and she doesn’t have enough CS experience). She probably presents a more favorable profile if she applied to engineering as ISYE. It makes a difference where it went.
I just checked GT’s website. Applied math is a concentration within the math major. So it’s still offered. Their foreign languages, however, are weak.
We’ve considered GT for my son who also wanted to major in applied math, and ultimately decided against it. It seems that their math program is somewhat one-sided, more CS-oriented, and not too strong compared to other top state schools. Also it didn’t help that their EA deadline is earlier that anybody else’s, and some types of merit aid you can only get if you apply EA.
My son studies applied math at Georgia Tech. Math is a fantastic major at GaTech in my opinion. He has gotten full funding this summer to attend and present a poster at the Young Mathematicians Conference at Ohio State, and also had a great time working for a professor for two years in applied math/Graph theory. GaTech offers a Mathematics REU that is largely applied math, over the summer, which I also highly recommend. Georgia Tech is ranked 2 in combinatorics/graph theory after MIT. Its truly really good in applied math and pretty easy to take CS and math together, if a student selects the computer science theory thread, but I would not hesitate to major in math, as it will be applied at Georgia Tech, as thats the focus there.
My sense is international studies and foreign languages are good at Georgia Tech. I know students who have studied both Japanese and Chinese and both classes were well taught. GaTech also has a large study abroad/work abroad in Germany so I think their German language classes are also strong. Finally, Georgia Tech has a campus in France, so I am pretty sure the French language classes are also strong, although many technical classes are taught in English at Georgia Tech Lorraine.
@Skrunch ISYE is an engineering/statistics major. Math majors take more actual math classes, and less engineering and statistics than ISYE. ISYE is ranked number 1 in the nation, at Georgia Tech, and it focuses on manufacturing mathematics, and other applied math that is statistics heavy, so sort of a “big data” degree, with more engineering classes. See my other message above. My son is a math minor/theoretical CS major. He pretty much has a double major, and will get a PhD in mathematics we believe, but need to see where he gets in.
Also consider theoretical CS degree, but it will have quite a bit of programming, which may be useful for an applied math major.
Georgia Tech math IS applied math, is why they collapsed the two majors, in my opinion. Georgia Tech is pretty much the best applied math program your student can get, aside from Courant Institute NYU, Brown or Princeton applied math, so you cannot go wrong at Georgia Tech ! NYU is ridiculously expensive and right in Manhattan, so much more difficult for some student to adjust to that environment.
Brown and Princeton, good luck getting in. Georgia Tech is the sweet spot for top applied math, as far as cost and ease of admissions.