I got into the challenge program and I also got admitted for the summer session. Which one should I do? (CS major if that helps)
Why not both?
@Hokuhoku2018 I can only do one because they’re at the same time
My daughter got accepted into Challenge as well. The biggest difference explained at the Georgia Tech Black Student admitted event that ignite was basically a actual summer term with the full costs of going to GT along with keeping the credit for the classes taken. Challenge has a $500 fee (but noted some fee waivers are available) and that you would take classes over 5 weeks (classes won’t count) but would get you ready for the fall semester. Lots of group studying and activities with other Challenge students. Most of the Challege students do better in the fall after going through the rigor of the summer than freshmen who start fall semester. They also have some monetary awards for the top students in Challenge. And they did note that you could not do both programs at the same time. We will know by the end of the week if my daughter is going to GT or Howard and if she chooses GT will be going to Challenge this summer. 3 Classes taken at Challenge are Calculus, Computer Science course and Chemistry. If you do choose ignite, know your GPA will count towards Zell Miller/Hope.
Summer Ignite classes include GT 1000 which is an easy one credit seminar class in resume writing and career services sort of things. GT 1000 is required to get any GT degree, and the Ignite students take that along with other classes listed here. Some Ignite students are living on campus, and others live at home. So the costs are different depending on which program you select.
Summer Challenge at GT is limited to 100 students and they all study chemistry, calculus, computer programming, and English.
This explains the five week course of study:
http://omed.gatech.edu/challenge-courses-and-activities
It sounds like Challenge would be good for a student who feels weak, or not exposed to
very much calculus in high school. , so has not taken AB Calculus
or BC Calculus or concurrent enrolled in calculus in a college during high school and also wants to
get a head start on computer programming, and also feels weak in chemistry, as well, or wants to review chemistry.
It sounds like a very good program to help get ready for Georgia Tech. Its covering material that some students
had in high school, and others may have missed out on, if their high school did not offer calculus.
I took BC my junior year and I did very well. But as far as a more beneficial experience which one is better?
It depends if you want to go to summer school, and have a compressed schedule for your first classes at GaTech. Be careful not to load up too much in the summer. As I understand it, one program is a review program with no credits the other program is summer school. Summer school counts for your GPA and your Zell Miller scholarship. If you get a low GPA in the first summer, you lose your scholarship, assuming you are a GA resident. Summer classes are challenging but the way I read it, they are suggesting you get English 1 or 2 over with and GT 1000 which may be pretty easy to pass in the summer. If you add some hard technical classes, it will be a lot of work to pass in the summer, and since you are paying $2500 for the summer credits, you want to get your money’s worth out of that.
Remember, the semester is a LOT longer than the summer, so its much easier than summer school, but you will take about four to five classes during a semester. I don’t know if the @2500 is a discount off the usual summer school price, but look that up. Any GT student can take summer school to get ahead or retake a class they fail during the semester, but summer is very compressed, and very very stressful in my opinion, IF you take a very challenging class. If you take English 1 or 2 ,and already understand how to write, well, it will not be too hard. Choose carefully! Remember GT 1000 is a one credit class, and not very hard. Its required, and it just introduces you to GT’s way of recruiting and interviewing and writing resumes. One health class is required for all GT degrees, if you can take
that with English over the summer, but my understanding is, GT structures the special summer programs so you must take one science or intro engineering class. Study the rules carefully and call if you don’t understand the pros and cons.