<p>My son has been accepted to both Ga Tech and Oglethorpe. At this time, Oglethorpe is giving him a larger scholarship amount, and as we are oos ( we live in FL) this is a consideration. Oglethorpe has a dual degree option for engineering majors, working along with Ga Tech. Would this be a better option? Ga Tech is the school he has always wanted to go to, but we are trying to figure out what would be best for his education. That is the priority before cost. Any insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Personally, I'm not a big fan of the dual degree programs for a few reasons. First, the dual-degree programs tend to take longer than a typical Tech degree (5 to 6 years instead of 4 to 5 years). At the shorter end of their length (5 years), students often have a very difficult time at Tech because the major courses (which are normally spread over 4 or 5 years) are jammed together in the last two years. Since major courses tend to be the most difficult and time consuming, students really suffer having them together like that. That format also leads to a substantially lower GPA for dual-degree students (remember, his Oglethorpe GPA won't count at Tech - only the GPA that comes from Tech counts). </p>
<p>In addition, you have to worry about whether or not your student will have time for internships. Tech has a great internship / co-op department that can get him placed in a well paying job in his major starting in his freshman year. That's the biggest value Tech gives to it's students, and these days, a good internship is a requirement to hire at most companies. As a recruiting manager for a Fortune 100 company, I can tell you that unless he has 1 to 2 semesters of actual internship experience in his major field, he is absolutely at the "bottom of the barrel" when it comes to full time hiring, even with a 4.0 GPA (in actuality, experience is much more important than GPA unless he wants to apply for grad school). If your son goes to Oglethorpe, he won't have those internship opportunities until his 3rd year. If he plans to finish in 5 years, then he won't have an opportunity to intern at Tech at all. If he finishes Tech without an internship, he'll likely graduate and make the same money he would have with a UCF degree, even with a 3.0 or higher GPA (if he graduates with no experience and a GPA below 3.0, he'll be moving back home with you). </p>
<p>Another issue with dual-degree students is that they often have a difficult time adjusting to Tech. At Tech, nearly all students live on campus their freshman year, then either move off campus or into a fraternity house. If he waits until his 3rd or 4th year to start attending Tech, it's going to be more difficult to make friends. Many of the dual degree students I knew would live on campus during the week then head back to their old school during the weekends to see their friends.</p>
<p>The additional degree that comes from the other school is usually pretty worthless. It's typically something like a B.S. Math that's added to a B.S. Electrical Engineering or a B.S. Chemistry added to a B.S. Chemical Engineering. Companies and grad schools don't care about the second degree - just the degree in the field for which they are hiring. The only way I could see a second degree being useful is if it's in a substantially different field (e.g. a business degree and an engineering degree). </p>
<p>I've spent a combined 10 years in degrees at Tech (BS, MS, PhD), have degrees from other major schools outside of Tech, worked in industry for a while, served as a college recruiter for a Fortune 100 company for 4 years, and am on staff as an instructor at Tech. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.</p>
<p>By the second degree being worthless, I mean only from a job perspective. If you want to be hired as an Electrical Engineer, the company won't weigh your B.S. Math into the equation, for instance. They just care that you have a BSEE.</p>
<p>From a personal stand point, it's of course a good thing to be proud of your success and to connect yourself to another school (particularly if you like that other school).</p>
<p>And my comment about social interaction - sometimes people like to start out at smaller school (where there's more interaction with faculty, other students, etc.) make friends then, move to a large school. My only concern is that people then sometimes fall back to the old set of friends and use them as a reason to not interact with people at the new school (which is the same reason I will not let my kids live at home while in college). In my opinion, it's especially important in the engineering and CS fields to make friends with people at Tech and in your major in order to get through classes. I couldn't imagine trying to "go it alone" studying for some of my finals and working on major projects.</p>
<p>G.P. Burdell,
Thanks for some fresh insight. My son is really set on Ga. Tech. We are going to a Connect with Tech session soon and hopefully it will remain top on his list. I have seen some other posts regarding Connect with Tech that didn't sound so promising, but we are keeping it positive.</p>
<p>Good luck. CwT is really hit and miss, for obvious reasons. Your son is matched to one other student, and if your son and that student don't "match" well in terms of personality and interests, then it's not so great. Alternatively, if they match well, it usually goes well. </p>
<p>I would just have him focus on the quality of the facilities, courses, etc. and not so much on the people. It's a big school, and there are lots of people, so I'm sure there are plenty that he'll get along with, even if he doesn't get along with his CwT host.</p>
<p>I don't know about Oglethorpe, but I have known people in the Dual Degree program who just are not ready for Tech when they get there. There is something strengthening about going through the Tech experience with your classmates as freshment.</p>
<p>I agree with Burdell, go directly to Tech. Your son will need to get acquainted with the Tech way of life and difficulty of classes. A common thing I hear - "I used to think I was smart, until I came to GaTech!"</p>
<p>SCMom62
You bring up a good point. The fact that it is known to be so brutal could be why I am hesitating on the decision. However, my son isn't hesitating at all. Hope that is a good sign. Thanks to all who have responded so far- great advice and insight!</p>
<p>I would suggest Ga Tech. It is the #4 engineering school in the county and is well known for both academics and sports. The alumni network is superb. and Many graduate/law schools have sister programs for the students. If cost is an issue. May I suggest having your son attend a 2 year college here in Georgia called Georgia Perimeter. There, he can join the RETP program which ensures admission to tech after a series of classes are completed. This option may be cheaper, and he will not lose anytime. RETP graduates are usually further along in their program than students that begin at the same time at tech. But if he has a scholarship, then it may be just as well to go straight to tech. Bottom line, tech rocks!!!. The name speaks for itself in business and industry. and will prepare him for any future plans he may have. (hint hint, law school!!!)</p>