<p>I agree with skipsmom on her recommendation … only in that everything that you mention really points toward GA Tech. Even though I am here in California, I actually have multiple friends who are GA Tech alumni (parent types of college kids + older). They still retain a strong affiliation with the school after decades from graduation.</p>
<p>When you mention your interest in Math and Science, I think it’s telling of your interests, and GA Tech certainly compares well to many schools for those interests. The IE program is solid, although in the current economy, the IE degree may not necessarily guarantee a job right off the bat. Perhaps in 4 years, it will be different – hopefully so. In the real world, the use of “industrial engineering” has a nebulous definition, depending on the specific industry. For instance, within say the Medical Devices industry, the term has been somewhat supplanted by the term “systems engineering”, which BTW, is not to be confused with how “systems engineering” is used by computer/software firms. In other cases, there’s a tendency to identify IE in an “operations research” way, which back a few years ago was “industrial engineering” largely within manufacturing settings.</p>
<p>One of my good adult friends has an undergrad degree in IE and an MBA. It has served him well, and I think that there is a clear pattern developing by technology industries, especially computer/software/electronics, to wanting to see that combination of technical and business prowess. Here in the SF Bay Area/Silicon Valley, I see a lot of very accomplished executives who first started out as engineers before segueing into business management (e.g., getting an MBA).</p>
<p>Oh, about your recognized “weakness” (writing), the good news is that you are aware of this – and the next thing you can do is to challenge yourself to improve in this area. Communications (e.g., verbal/written communications) is actually a skill – the more you practice it, the better you will become at it. To me, learning how to communicate, along with practicing your critical thinking abilities, is almost more important than the content of what you actually study. Especially with IE or any other engineering disciplines, so much of the specific knowledge you learn can become outmoded rapidly these days. Later in life, you may find that it’s your critical analysis skills that will be far more important to you. </p>
<p>Good luck… and if you do choose GA Tech, limit your visits to The Varsity! ;-)</p>