<p>Also agree that in principle there is nothing wrong with a large intro class for most subjects. One of the most dynamic classes I took as an undergrad was ECON 201 Microeconomics. People literally lined up to take that class from this professor. What I learned in that class was not impacted by being taught in a large auditorium. </p>
<p>You might also consider what is the magic number for a class being large or too large and why that is. Some might consider 50 to 60 people too large for class discussions, but that was not the case for my daughter last semester. Very dynamic and engaging class and it was not an Honors class.</p>
<p>@kasmokia - did you get your early award letter from UGA and no aid other than HOPE?</p>
<p>If you like all of the schools the same, I think its fine to let the cost drive your decision. You will have loans for med school, so you should go the cheapest route for undergrad. I think all the schools are great choices and will help you reach your ultimate goal of med school.</p>
<p>I think each person will have to make the best of their college years and its up to you to determine what you will and will not do. If a student wants to party, they will find a party. If a student wants to have close contact with their professors, they can drive that, no matter the size of the school. So ultimately its up to you to make the best use of the resources available no matter which school you choose.</p>
<p>Thanks a bunch! Everyone here was so helpful and very polite and encouraging! </p>
<p>gamomof3: yes I did receive my early financial aid statement and did not receive anything except HOPE. (Is this weird? cause I was auto-admitted into the honors program and thought for sure I would at least get the Charter Scholarship… I don’t want to sound arrogant but I read somewhere that the top two percent of applicant were automatically accepted into the honors program and the Charter Scholarship was for the top 6%…)</p>
<p>I really do not want to sound ignorant, but I get the feeling that the price of UGA and even the Honors program is basically paying for the right to party. For example, the notorious partiers at my HS were accepted into the honors and I feel my academic interests are superior (geez that is awfully egotistical). By that I mean I actually want to do something in college besides get drunk and do drugs. I know this is incredibly incorrect but that is somehow my perception of UGA.</p>
<p>On a related note, getting to know my professors is something I value in a college. I seek the opportunity to get to know a professor and be able to discuss a wide range of topics (not just ones pertaining to class) . Which do you think is a more suitable environment for this, Emory or UGA honors? I realize that every college may have this opportunity but I am a rather shy person and can’t see myself approaching a professor in a large environment (I even hate raising my hand to answer/ask a question in classes where Im not at ease). </p>
<p>Initially I though UGA honors would be the perfect blend between a large university (with plenty of opportunities for research and internships and etc) and small class sizes where I would be able to get to know professors. I guess this misperception stems from my lack of information about UGA honors. Do I only take some “honors classes” where curriculum is more rigorous and classes are smaller and take other general classes? or are all my classes limited to a certain number ? </p>
<p>BTW does anyone know when CURO decisions are released? or has anyone heard anything about people getting accepted? Not that I am expecting admissions, its just that it would be a tipping factor in favor of UGA. and on that note… Is Curo only for freshman? Is it the only opportunity freshmen have in partaking in undergrad research? </p>
<p>Sorry for asking so many questions and writing a book here… Its just I have 7 days to put a deposit down and I still have no idea where to go…!!!</p>
<p>Great questions. There’s always that perception of UGA as just a party school – and the party scene is very active, especially downtown on weekends – but there’s plenty to do other than partying/drinking. If you search around the UGA forum you should find plenty of threads on the [non-partying] social life @ UGA.</p>
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<p>Generally, most Honors classes are introductory classes you can take in place of the 200 or 300-person lectures. If you check out the [Honors</a> course offerings for next semester here](<a href=“http://asg.citp.uga.edu/HonorsCourses/courseSched.php]Honors”>http://asg.citp.uga.edu/HonorsCourses/courseSched.php), you’ll notice that most of the courses are 1000 or 2000-level, meaning they are introductory courses. The advantage of taking Honors intro. courses is that they’re generally limited to 30 people, and more importantly, the Honors professors usually try to make the classes more discussion-based so you can actively participate.</p>
<p>Once you get into major level courses (3000/4000 level), you’ll notice fewer Honors courses offered. That’s because most non-Honors major courses are small anyways – in my experience, they’re 30 people or fewer. In short, small Honors class sizes make it easy to interact with your professor in introductory-level courses, and non-Honors major courses are usually small enough that you can easily approach/talk to your professor, anyways.</p>
<p>To graduate with Honors, you’re required to take 9 honors classes. It might sound like a lot at first, but it’s really not; you’ll probably find that you prefer Honors courses over non-Honors anyways. I didn’t really know what to expect my first semester so I “only” took two Honors courses – this semester, I’m taking three and planning to take two more next semester. I just think the atmosphere of a 20 or 30-person Honors class is a lot more personal than large lectures, and for subjects of interest, this is definitely a good thing.</p>
<p>Wow – lot of writing about course selections but I hope it’s clear and helpful.</p>
<p>Kasmokia: Yes, the top 2% of EA students were offered auto admission to Honors. The Charter scholarship has different criteria that aren’t as transparent. There are only 200-250 Charter scholarships available each year, so obviously not every Honors student will receive one. If you search back on this forum from Dec through maybe February, there was a discussion about this matter.</p>
<p>So I wouldn’t be insulted that you didn’t receive a Charter.</p>
<p>As far as the notorious partiers at your school making Honors, well you will have to wait and see how long they stay in Honors. My daughter knew at least 2 students this past year that were dropped from Honors after the first semester. Part of college is learning how to balance your academic life and your social life without your parents telling you what to do.</p>
<p>Check out the link i posted earlier ot the one Jabalf just posted on the Honors courses. A lot will depend on which intro classes you need to take based on your major and the number of AP credits you are entering with. It is also possible to petition to have an upper level course receive an Honors designation (professor has to sign off on it, etc) to help get your 9 classes in.</p>
<p>You sound like a very together student and I am sure you will do well at your chosen school. It is good that you recognize your shyness. Don’t let it hold you back. That is probably one of my biggest regrets from my undergraduate days. I wish I had sought out my professors more actively. Fortunately I was able to rectify that in grad school. </p>
<p>Duke really is the better school of the three for Med School admissions. I can’t perform a cost-benefit analysis for you since everyone values money differently, so let’s look at the two in-state options.</p>
<p>As far as GPA, there’s a major misconception that Tech has a lower GPA than UGA. Tech’s average GPA is lower than UGA’s, but that’s only because Tech has a large number of “low GPA” majors and UGA has a large number of “high GPA” majors. However, if you look at the same major across both schools, they are very close.</p>
<p>So what does this mean? If you’re a Biology major at both schools, your GPA should be fairly consistent. However, at Tech, Biology is one of the higher GPA majors so you’re more likely to graduate higher in the class than at UGA. For example, a 3.4 GPA at GT would be High Honors whereas it would be no honors at UGA. When Med Schools receive your GPA, which do you think they view more favorably based on school profile and rigor?</p>
<p>One of the interesting things is that you’re considering two different majors at GT and UGA, which complicates things a bit. First, I would consider BME vs. Bio. They’re very different majors - don’t just choose the one that seems like the “pre-med” major. If you choose BME, UGA is out. If you choose Bio, then compare GT Biology vs. UGA Biology. I wouldn’t worry so much about GPA - BME is actually one of the higher GPA engineering majors, so the transition from science to engineering might cost you a 0.1 GPA point or so, if I had to guess. However, the advantage is that if you don’t head to Med School (either because you can’t get in or because you change your mind), BME is a very high paying degree, whereas Bio is not. So the engineering degree gives you a safety net. However, BME and Bio are very different majors, and you need to consider which interests you more before just jumping into one.</p>
<p>As far as research, GT has much, much more research funding available than UGA, both as a whole and on a per student basis (undergraduates at GT are 1/2 the size of the undergraduates at UGA). Much of the medical research is conducted in Biomedical Engineering (even if you’re not a BME major, there’s so much research that you’ll have plenty of opportunity as a Bio major there), which is joint with Emory’s Medical school and is ranked #2 in the world. There really are some exciting opportunities and ground breaking research in that department (which has brand new world-class labs) and you can start as a freshman. In your first week you can schedule meetings with faculty and pick their brains about research ideas and be in a lab the next day (and be paid to be in the lab). </p>
<p>One thing that is different about GT research compared to UGA is that Tech has an incubator institute attached to the school. This means that many research ideas and breakthroughs found at Tech are then commercialized and sold. Tech has many programs that connect research to venture capitalists, managers, and major corporations quickly. Imagine the impression when you say something like “you know that new medical imaging breakthrough system that hospitals are clambering to buy? I’m the inventor and a patent holder on the technology.”</p>
<p>While CURO is interesting at UGA, GT has a similar program called UROP, has several undergraduate journals for publication, and has a mentoring process for senior students to assist underclassmen in how to conduct valuable research. At Tech, you will have the opportunity to publish at first tier journals as an undergraduate, which is how you separate yourself and get into the best Med programs. As a whole, you will see that GT and UGA take very different approaches to research. </p>
<p>At far as the class size debate, GT also has an honors program with capacity controlled classes. You do not need to apply for it (they use your freshman application) you simply need to indicate interest.</p>
<p>Two additions to some of the excellent comments by jablalf, jenmarie and somewhereinga. A friend’s financial package at Emory has been reduced each year to the point that they (he and his parents) are having a hard time paying for it now- so you can’t count on the finances staying the same anywhere. The second point, my sister was an honor graduate from Duke-she was flat out denied admission to Duke Med and had to work for two years before she got admitted to another school- so don’t think that Duke will be a direct ticket to medical school and chances are that your GPA will be quite a bit lower there.</p>
<p>Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thanks again for all the helpful advice and support! I know this thread has proven very useful when discussing college with my parents and I greatly appreciate all the contributors. Hopefully the OP wont mind me hijacking his/her thread. </p>
<p>A small update for those of you who would like to hear: I think will put a deposit at both UGA and Emory to buy more time for my final choice. GT is pretty much out of the running since I feel their academics are strongly suited towards hard science majors. Although I feel I would be most at home there, I would like to opportunity to experience different things and grow in more than just the academic arena. Many of the friends I hang out with are going there and I would like the opportunity to broaden my outlook.</p>
<p>As for UGA and Emory, my parents have told me that the financial situation may play a bigger role than I initially thought. Currently Emory is 16k ( 8k paid by parents, 4k loans, 4k work study, the rest Emory Grant) which is a “better deal” for the education than 13k for UGA. I received around 5k in outside scholarships recently but Emory caps off at a certain amount before they start to withdraw from their grant. For example, getting 20k outside scholarship (impossible for me lol) would mean than my parents still pay 8k but Emory’s grant towards me decreases. This does not apply for me at UGA, so potentially the costs could be 0 (if i can get enough outside scholarships, knock on wood haha). While this may not seem important now, I must consider next year and the year after. My brother will be graduating next year and no longer counted as a dependent, so my EFC will definitely rise. Also my mother expects more $ this year so Emory’s financials may increase more than we can handle. </p>
<p>I am leaning more towards UGA honors over Emory because I feel like I can grow as a person there and establish myself and eventually find who I am. I feel as though my entire life my parents and peers have been pressuring me into what I “should do” instead of what I really want to do and it is only now when I am on the brink of a huge decision do they let me choose. I do not mean this in a bad way, I just feel I lost something along the way…Hopefully, I can throw myself out there and meet plenty of new people and change my personality for the better(idk if personality is the right word). Also, I get this feeling that UGA will be more like the real world in the sense that you will deal with all kinds of people (idk how to explain it, and hopefully that didnt sound condescending). At Emory, I feel that the students are in this “pre-professional bubble” so to say. And I mean that in the sense that they are so set on becoming a doctor or lawyer or business person that they live in a sort of different environment that does not transfer its applicability to “the real world”. I definitely value growth as an individual and I know that it is not learned in a classroom. </p>
<p>I think much of my problem stems from the fact that I really have no idea what I want to do in life. I have many interests but not really any passions. I came into the college application process thinking i would pick a college and then pick a profession based on what that college excels at. For example, if I picked GT, I would major in Biomedical engineering since GT is amazing at that. But now the more I think about it, I feel I kinda got it backwards…</p>
<p>Anyways my doctor put it in an interesting way today. he said “there are 4 areas you can go into. Sales, Services, Manufacturing, and spiritual. But Spiritual doesn’t make much money. So you gotta decide whether you want to sell, help people, build things, or find meaning”. I had never thought about it in that way before…</p>
<p>Oh well, too much writing/ranting/stream of consciousness for tonight/morning. Thanks for listening…</p>
<p>I guess that’s an interesting way to think about careers. </p>
<p>I don’t really understand your financial situation, but…go to whatever school is going to be cheapest in the end. Debt sucks. You don’t want your beginning salary to be going to paying off debt longer than it needs to. This is especially important if you go on to professional school where you’ll have to shell out even more money and rack up even more debt. </p>
<p>I have no experience with Emory, but UGA probably is less homogeneous than Emory. There are definitely a lot of people from different walks of life at UGA. But I think that at either school, you’ll have the opportunity to learn “real world” skills. I don’t know the area, but perhaps being at Emory and in Atlanta might give you a skewed view (especially if you already live in Atlanta) of what the rest of Georgia looks like or what places are like outside of a city. If you’ve never experienced life out of Atlanta/the suburbs, UGA would help you see other things if you get yourself off campus.</p>
<p>Kasmokia: Congrats on the outside scholarship. That will come in handy. Having 2 kids in college for only next year does complicate your situation. I don’t know if Emory would be able to give you a “firm” projection of what your financial aid package would look like for the last 3 years. </p>
<p>I personally don’t consider the Emory package “better” than your UGA package (see below for more details on UGA costs). Emory has given you a lot of aid and I am not knocking that by any means, but at the end of the day between you and your parents you are paying for $16,000/year for the first year (your parents are paying $8,000, $4,000 in loans will have to be paid back, and lastly you will be working for that $4,000 in work study money). And that doesn’t include the eventual interest expense on the student loans.</p>
<p>Another point to consider is the $4,000 work study from Emory. That will translate into a lot of hours. I am not sure exactly how many weeks there are in a semester at Emory, but if you go with 15 weeks at $8.00/hour you’d have to work over 16 hours a week to make that much money. I am not sure how guaranteed you are to even get a work study position, etc. And work study money is money that you receive as you work the hours. It can’t be used to pay the tuition bill in August.</p>
<p>Check out the UGA link for fall semester costs. </p>
<p>By my rough estimation of assuming you’d live in Myers (most expensive dorm) and have the 7 day meal plan, the bottom line would be $11,182. That does not include personal day to day living expenses or books. If you shop wisely for books, you can seriously reduce your costs there from the original sticker price. Once you subtract out your $5,000 scholarship, you are now looking at $6,182 per year.</p>
<p>Graduating debt free is not something to take lightly especially if you are considering medical school.</p>
<p>I think you will thrive wherever you choose to go to school and wish the best for you.</p>
<p>It’s actually fairly common for students to put down a deposit and fail to matriculate, and I’ve never heard of it having negative repercussions. A common example is when a student is wait listed at a more preferred school.</p>
<p>I misread. Is the OP admitted to both schools? If so, it doesn’t make sense to send in a deposit to both. However, it is perfectly ethical to submit a deposit to a school then later inform them that you do not intend to matriculate in the event of a wait list.</p>
<p>I hate saying this, but Georgia is nothing but overprivileged, hard-partying entitled white kids who think way too highly of their abilities. At least the kids at Duke are intelligent.
With that said, Georgia is good bang for your buck (or least it was until they started making changes to HOPE). If you want a good education in the state of Georgia, and you want to eventually attend medical school, I would say Georgia Tech is your best bet. It is by far the best school in the state.</p>
<p>“Georgia is nothing but overprivileged, hard-partying entitled white kids who think way too highly of their abilities. At least the kids at Duke are intelligent.”</p>
<p>Such sweeping, stereotyped generalizations! Give me a break! On what facts or evidence do you base such statements? Or are these merely your opinions, unencumbered by inconvenient things like facts?</p>
<p>"I would say Georgia Tech is your best bet. It is by far the best school in the state. " </p>
<p>You turned 21 last week and another post says you’re a “recent Georgia grad?” WHY did you not go to the “best school in the state?”</p>
sorry UGA, maybe for grad school haha</p>