Our last team meeting, everyone stayed midtown and I stayed at the Fairfield Inn Vimings. We have strict budgets this year - $106 was better than $300.
I would check the Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, or Intercontinental websites or if brand doesn’t matter, an Expedia type. But once you find one there (on Expedia) you might go to the hotel website. I prefer direct booking. You can put in Georgia Tech or Georgia Institute of Technology. Then sort hotels for distance. MARTA will be cheaper but you have to get to the station. There’s one inside the terminal and others enroute. I’d have a car - especially if driving off hours - so you can get a feel for the wider area.
Sometimes you’ll find the Marriott Emory cheap or Courtyard Tucker. Sometimes Buckhead is cheap but has parking fees. If you are flying and not driving the airport can be reasonable but then you have transport but can take the train to Ga Tech.
Sometimes Perimeter is cheap.
Atlanta can be Uber pricey or reasonable. Depends on the day and area.
Regarding the business minor - I still believe is good to have it, and I honestly suggested him to consider it. Maybe he will not use it - but, the way I see the market nowadays, the broader the education, the better. If he will ever want to switch (to Project management, to risk management ), he has the base and can start building on it. He will also have the degree to put his foot in that area.
There seem to be many hotels under $200 within a mile of Georgia Tech. Gets you near the school so you can check out the local vibe and not having to worry about an Uber once you get there. Good luck finding a hotel.
Atlanta car rental is easy. Train from the terminal right to the car rental station. But yeah at off times the roads are mobbed. You’ll see the sights from Marta
You might get an airport hotel. Usually the Hyatt Place are cheap or even Country Inn. Make sure it has a free airport shuttle. You’d go back to the terminal to MARTA most likely. Not sure your budget but I prefer the Renaissance at the airport. Took my son because he could sit and watch the runway for hours…when he was a kid and that was his thing.
If possible, I’d stay near campus to get a feel for the area.
Barring that, either stay near the airport so you can easily take MARTA (mass transit) directly to GTech (or Uber for about $40) or stay in a less expensive area of Atlanta where there are still fun things to do. In that case I suggest the Vinings area near the Braves stadium. It is about 10-15 min from GTech, straight up I-75. As long as there is not a baseball game or big event, there should be affordable hotels. The Braves stadium entertainment area (Truist Park) is a lot of fun… with restaurants and shops. Without surge pricing, an Uber from that area to Tech will be $15-$20.
If you have questions about any hotel/area you are considering, I live in Atlanta and will do my best to help.
Edit: A note about Uber/taxi from the airport… taxi rates are set from the airport to downtown at about $35-40. So if Uber is more than that, I’d take a taxi. Watch the signs because taxis are in a different pickup area than Ubers. This would only apply if MARTA doesn’t make sense for where you are staying. MARTA is $2.50 one-way.
You have to remember breadth comes at the expense of depth. The business classes literally crowd out advanced engineering classes. He’ll have to consider how his application will look in a pool. Most entry level jobs are looking at technical qualifications.
You mentioned you liked both of these schools but your child had a clear preference for the vibe of one of them. I think that will probably be the case here after the Georgia Tech visit.
Some breadth is required, however. It is also generally helpful to have some knowledge of economics and sociology of work. But that does not require the volume of courses needed for a second major or minor in business.
Just used Marta to get from airport to GTech. Have your wits about you. Admittedly we were on it late, but Atlanta is a big city which brings a certain requirement to be very aware of your surroundings.
The area around the airport isn’t the nicest. So while there are hotels I would not hesitate staying in, it’s not an area for walking and the dining options are not that plentiful. It’s not a big deal if you have a car, but if someone is relying on Uber it’s not as easy when you aren’t familiar… especially for someone who does not travel to unfamiliar urban areas regularly.
It also depends who is traveling on your college visit (mom/daughter, mom/son, etc) and your level of comfort traveling that way. I’m the one who did all the college visits with our D. But my D and I have traveled together extensively to cities in the US and Europe. As two women we are always aware of our surroundings and careful about where we go at night. Knock on wood, we’ve never had a major issue. I treasure those trips and the little mishaps like missing a stop on the Metro in Paris or getting on the wrong MTA in NYC. And I usually let her figure it out. She gained confidence from those adventures… and traveled on her own a bit in Czech last year and did fine. This summer she’ll be in Kenya… I’m nervous about that, but I digress.
I share the above because each family needs to evaluate their comfort levels and experience when traveling, especially on a short timeline which naturally adds stress. Best wishes for safe travels and nice weather (unfortunately I think Atlanta will have a rainy weekend).
Thank you DramaMama - I am looking at the Georgian Terrace - 20 min walking to the student Center according to Google. A bit pricy but not crazy …
At this moment it looks like husband will go with him as I have another commitment with my daughter and she doesn’t want to “lend” me to her brother …
Yes, I also have a daughter, in Junior year now - so as soon as we will put my son into college, will start all over again - Lord help me . She wants pharmacy, although I am trying to sell her the biomedical engineering. Physics is what stays in her way. She said, I will gladly pursue an engineering degree if I don’t have to take Physics again. Whatever she wants …
I am happy I documented my (and my son’s) journey for this process. It is interesting how we started and where we will going to end.
Soon, I will open another thread for my daughter
Happy Easter for the ones who celebrate. Ours is next week …
We stayed at the Element Atlanta Midtown, which is across the street from the Georgian Terrace, for a visit about a month ago. We felt it was a short walk to campus and worked out great (and you go past The Varsity if you want to grab a hot dog or burger). The MARTA station is also right in the same block
In what year? 1980s/1990s? I’m more interested in how her children would have done - although irrelevant as she didn’t attend. My feedback is for those applying in the last 5 years or so with alumni parents.
