<p>Do it. Apply. Why not? It's a very welcoming, beautiful place. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, can find a place here. The campus is huge, which encompasses so much diversity. You can find your place here, and if you feel that there could be a better fit for you, you can do something about it. It only takes five more people to start a new student organization (and it can be whatever you all like!). Not to mention, there are already 650+ registered student organizations to date.
If you are afraid that you might not be accepted, then I suggest that you increase your chances to the best of your ability, and apply anyway. I got in with less than stellar (trust me!) scores, extracurricular activities, etc.
I look to welcome you next semester as I (hopefully) become an Arch Society member!
P.S. If you have any questions/concerns, then just leave a comment, and I will get to you ASAP!</p>
<p>If you don’t mind me asking, could you tell us a little bit more about your UGA background, how your freshman year was, how you got involved, etc.? </p>
<p>It seems like you’ve been in Athens for some time or you’ve had a good experience so far? Please share! </p>
<p>Some of us may still need some convincing :)</p>
<p>I approve of this post! :)</p>
<p>Upsidedown, I think you should read my or the “What is UGA like” thread if you need any “convincing” </p>
<p>Go Dawgs! Good luck to those of you making finishing touches on the application.</p>
<p>Upsidedown, no problem! I am currently a 2nd-year student here at UGA. As soon as I started classes, I got a job here as a D.A. (Desk Assistant) at Russell Hall (a high-rise residence hall geared to freshmen students). So, I saw new faces all of the time. It kept me busy by knowing all of the local cuisines, shopping locations, other random destinations, the various bus routes (UGA buses and Athens Transit), etc. Being a DA opened up friendships that I would have otherwise never made. I averaged a 3.43 GPA during my first year (and that does summer courses!), so that may sound low, but it’s actually okay. I plan for it to definitely go up…right now it’s up to a 3.58 
I think that college in itself was a huge type of culture shock for me, so it was difficult to adjust at first. Freshman year wasn’t all that bad. From work, I was then told about different events going on, workshops to take, and other things to try. So, I did…some of them. They were good! Oh, and the students at the Tate Plaza (although sometimes annoying) will keep you posted with things going on and all that jazz. I plan to keep getting involved, and that is why I am applying to The Arch Society. I want to put forth the energy to keep this place as beautiful and welcoming as it has always been. Needless to say, I have had a great experience thus far, and expect to keep this momentum up! Trust me, you need NO MORE convincing to at least just apply. I do recommend taking a tour eventually, though. I took one back when I was a senior in high school, and that was the main reason I said “yes!” While walking around taking in the entirety of UGA, I became one with it. I just knew that this was the place for me. I also suggest you look at UGA’s (amazing!) website for further videos (try looking under the admissions tab, and find the prospective and/or admitted students links) and pictures for more about this great place.
If there are any more questions or anything, just let me know! I will be more than happy to answer them! As each year goes by, the harder it gets to get into UGA, so don’t waste your time or your chance to experience an amazing university such as UGA! Good luck with finishing up your applications, and I hope to see you here one day soon!</p>
<p>Thanks, OP! That was a very informative post.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I’m currently a third year honors student at UGA! I just wanted to spread the word about getting involved at UGA. I know a lot of you will figure this out on your own, but consider this a head start!</p>
<p>ACCEPTED BULLDOGS! PLEASE join ‘Groups at UGA’ on Facebook. If you have your UGA ID you can register on Facebook. Universities have groups system where students can network and set up personalized groups based on interests. TONS of student organizations and misc groups have “groups” on Facebook you can join. </p>
<p>If any of you are pre-med, look into UGA Miracle and AMSA. They’re the two biggest pre-health student organizations at Georgia and two of the biggest in the south! Within ‘Groups at UGA’ you’ll find people reselling and buying textbooks, people carpooling, people selling stuff, people looking for apartments and roommates, people advertising student organizations and clubs, people looking for jobs, people selling football tickets etc. </p>
<p>It’s a GREAT resource to get to know how things are done at UGA before stepping foot on campus as a freshman.</p>
<p>Groups at UGA:
<a href=“https://www.facebook.com/groups/groupsatuga/?bookmark_t=group[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/groups/groupsatuga/?bookmark_t=group</a></p>
<p>AMSA(I’m sure a lot of you honors students are pre-health):
<a href=“https://www.facebook.com/groups/ugaamsa/?bookmark_t=group[/url]”>https://www.facebook.com/groups/ugaamsa/?bookmark_t=group</a></p>
<p>Pre-Dental Society:
<a href=“UGA Pre-Dental Society | Facebook”>UGA Pre-Dental Society | Facebook;
<p>Pre-Pharmacy Society at UGA:
<a href=“Pre-Pharmacy Society of UGA | Facebook”>Pre-Pharmacy Society of UGA | Facebook;
<p>UGA Miracle:
<a href=“UGA Miracle”>UGA Miracle;
<p>UGA’s official Facebook page:
<a href=“Facebook”>Facebook;
<p>UGA’s official Bulldogs page:
<a href=“Georgia Bulldogs”>Georgia Bulldogs;
<p>And finally, student organizations at UGA:
[University</a> of Georgia | Center for Student Organizations](<a href=“http://stuorgs.uga.edu/]University”>http://stuorgs.uga.edu/)</p>
<p>UGA Red and Black student newspaper:
<a href=“The Red & Black”>The Red & Black;
<p>I completely agree!
First year student here-I have to say, I was a little hesitant about attending UGA (it was not my number one pick), but I am 100% IN LOVE with the school now. </p>
<p>The knowledge I have acquired, vast amount of friendships I have made, organizations I have become involved in, and experiences that I have had made this first semester amazing. SO much better than high school-on all levels.</p>
<p>UGA is one big bulldawg community and you should at least consider becoming a part of it. I cannot express to you how proud I am to be attending this fantastic institution.</p>
<p>lol it feels like UGA’s PR team is on this forum or something xD I would apply but I am a sucker for cold weathers.</p>
<p>King, nice post! Those are all amazing ways to gain more information about them. Personally, I use the “Groups” of Facebook religiously…it really helps you to stay connected!
Stallwart, definitely not lol UGA has some cold-ish winters, but I have to admit Georgia has some weird weather haha
If anyone has anything else, then I’m sure this team of UGA Bulldawgs here can definitely help you out! :)</p>
<p>It does feel like a PR team haha, what can we say? UGA doesn’t top the charts for most satisfied students for nothing!</p>
<p>Stallwart, I was actually the exact same way. I had a hard decision to make between UMish, UNC-CP, GT(honors) or Florida(yikes). I’m big on skiing and snowboarding, so UMish’s weather was a giveaway for me. I loved the campus and everything about the school. The academics were top notch, the football was great, the traditions deep and the students awesome.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I chose to go to UGA. Just like anna, UGA was actually not my first choice, and mind you, three years ago UGA was not anywhere it is now. I’m really happy about the direction UGA is headed in in terms of student life and academics. The people I’ve met, the things I’ve done and the experience I’ve had could not be replicated anywhere else.</p>
<p>I really do believe that we will become the next UNC-CP of the South(now that a certain someone is retiring.) We just have to beat Florida to the spot!</p>
<p>Going back to the weather, it’s really a mixed back at UGA. Anyone that lives in Georgia knows. You get the nice hot days, but you also get unusually colder days. Because of Atlanta’s proximity to Atlanta, things can get pretty chilly during the winter. Now, it’s no Colorado or Michigan, but it’s nice. You still get to have bonfires, wear your winter clothes and do all that good stuff. I would still apply if your stats are in the ballpark.</p>
<p>King - I have to ask my DS was just accepted into UGA(Honors) and GT. What was it that made you chose UGA over GT?</p>
<p>Well MichiganGeorgia, it comes down to your major. You should pay attention to how a school’s specific programs fare. I majored in pre-med chemistry. For me it was really between UGA honors v Michigan. What set UGA honors apart from GT honors were pretty much the same things that set every other school apart. It had a lot to do with the students more than it did the school. It was also what the specific honors programs offered me in comparison to GT’s.</p>
<p>In terms of curriculum, UGA’s pre-health curriculum is phenomenal. Our pre-med committee is staffed by an actual MD(Dr. Langford). A pre-med committee guides pre-health(pre-pharmacy, pre-med, pre-dental, pre-vet) students and basically help them apply when the time comes. From UGA Miracle, to Camp Kesem(a free college student run summer camp for kids whose parents have had cancer), the standard pre-med AMSA club, volunteering at Athens Regional and St. Marys, the difficulty of the science courses at UGA and the research opportunities. It was a good school for what I wanted to do.</p>
<p>UGA honors students are really one of a kind. I felt that they were simply more well rounded than any other student body. UGA has produced more Fullbright scholars than GT and Emory combined. UGA has also produced more Rhodes scholars than GT and Emory combined. The students do great things, and they’re awesome people. They didn’t get a 1500/1600 SAT score and a 4.2 GPA because they sat around studying all day. They did well because they’re a bright bunch. The same guys I go hiking with are the same guys that tutor organic chemistry with me. At GT, you have more of a “study, study, study” mentality. I didn’t like that environment. I love my friends who go to Georgia Tech, but we do it better in the Classic city.</p>
<p>What did it for me(partially in retrospect) is all the perks of UGA’s honors program. Early registration is a huge thing. At a school the size of UGA, you do NOT want to be late to register for classes. Honors students are able to register early and for honors courses which are usually a lot smaller and more interactive than the larger lecture hall classes. That’s a good deal if you’re a STEM major. Your intro science classes will be huge weed out classes. You also get housed in Myers Hall which was cool. Myers is the honors only residence hall. They’re also building a replacement for Bolton not too fat from Myers. I think it’ll be done in a year or so.</p>
<p>CURO(Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities) is one of the greatest assets to any honors student. CURO pairs you up with senior faculty who are use to working with undergrads on research. I did research in microbiology and pharmacology. I’ve presented two posters. I’ve also done a summer of research at Vanderbilt. Without CURO, I would have not been able to break into research as quickly as I did. At GT, research is a littler harder to come by. Actually, it was through my CURO PI that I got to work in the College of Pharmacy’s pharmacology labs.</p>
<p>The coolest thing about UGA in my opinion is the study abroad program. We’re big on that. I’m actually going to be spending the next semester at Oxford University in the UK. Honors students love studying abroad. UGA has facilities all around the world. You can study abroad for a year, six months, a Maymester, a summer whatever! My girlfriend actually had a few Emory students when she studied abroad last summer(also at UGA).</p>
<p>So for me, I weighed the two schools and UGA came out first. If your daughter has any idea what she wants to major in, then that’s where you should start. I love UGA, but I wouldn’t recommend it over GT for any computer science, engineering, physics or math majors. UGA has had engineering majors since 05, and the College of Engineering was created this summer. Already we’re a ranked program, but GT is GT. They’re both great schools. If your daughter is considering engineering then it’s a no brainer even compared to OOS schools. The price tag of GT and the quality of education is a giveaway. GT was actually ranked number 1 for best returns on investment, UGA came 4th. So just do some digging based on major. Overall rankings usually don’t do a school justice.</p>
<p>I hope that helped!(I know it was a bit biased haha)
Once you go red and black you never go back.</p>
<p>Here is a link to UGA’s study abroad and honors website in case you’re interested:
[University</a> of Georgia - Office of International Education](<a href=“http://international.uga.edu/education_abroad/]University”>http://international.uga.edu/education_abroad/)
[Welcome</a> to the University of Georgia Honors Program](<a href=“http://honors.uga.edu/]Welcome”>http://honors.uga.edu/)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Really thorough response, King. I’m sure that will help them out a lot!</p>
<p>King - Thank you for taking the time to write such a clear and thoughtful post! I’m sure your words and advice will be of use to many other potential UGA (Honors) students as well.</p>
<p>Agree, great post King.</p>
<p>King thank you. - Current thought is Biomedical engineering so sounds like GT would be better. It does sound like UGA has an awesome honors program though.</p>
<p>Great post king. My kids are all UGA honors students, and they’ve loved their experience.</p>
<p>Any advice for a kid from California? My DD fell in love with the darn dog when she was 7 and wants “big boy football”. Will she fit in /adapt to the South? What should we be sure to do when we visit Presidents Day Weekend 2013? Will she even get in with a 3.7, 27 ACT and 2 AP’s?</p>
<p>Those stats are decent. I’d say there’s a chance. AP course load is a little weak along with the ACT score. Out-Of-State applicants usually have to be more competitive as UGA is a flagship school. Plenty of representation from the west coast though.</p>
<p>She will adapt just fine. We’re pretty open around here. OOS students are actually looked up to by Georgia residents. It’s cool to have someone from a different state choose your flagship school.</p>
<p>I highly recommend a campus tour. If possible try visiting sites relating to your daughter’s major. For example, visit the pharmacy school if her interests are in pharmacy. Tour the UGA-GHSU Medical campus if she’s interested in medicine. Tour the journalism school and speak to people there if she’s interested. Visit the golf course if she enjoys golf. Most importantly, DON’T WALK UNDER THE ARCH! (UGA tradition) </p>
<p>Speak to students and faculty. Do your homework and bring up specific questions if you have them. I’d recommend eating at one of the highly acclaimed Athens restaurants, but that’s just because I’m a foodie.</p>
<p>Good luck!
Go Dawgs</p>
<p>Awesome honest post king.</p>