So my son applied early admission to GA Tech and got outright rejected. His stats are: ACT 34 (not superscored, just on one test), GPA 3.98, SAT 2 Math: 790, Science 710, 12 AP credits. Many extracurriculars along the lines of Technology Student Association 1st place in state, Robotics World Championships, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and Key Club. He has summer employment experience and wrote a very good essay. He does volunteer tutoring and does volunteer I.T. work for a local senior living center.
He is in state and goes to a uber-competitive high school, this is the only rationale I can see for a rejection (not even deferral?!)
Wow, I heard GT was going to be a buzz-saw this year, but he seems solidly within range. What a disappointment! I know how you feel - GT was the only place our son applied last year that he didn’t get in (boo). If it’s any consolation, our son is doing great at UF (in CS) and absolutely loves it - and UF is no easy place to be, especially in engineering. I’m actually thankful for the way things ended up going last year.
Where do you think your son will want to go now? He sounds like a wonderful student; he has what he needs for success.
Is the GPA weighted or unweighted? I had pretty much the exact same stats and was rejected as well, but I’m from Texas.
Have you tried calling and asking why they rejected you? I left a message for the lady who handles texas admissions asking if there was anything wrong with my application to improve. Hopefully I get an answer.
Will update when she calls back, most likely today.
Thank you for your reply. Wow, what a harsh year for GT! I think that is considered his weighted GPA.
I didn’t call but have considered. I’d love to hear back from you if you get an answer of some sort.
Yes, a buzz saw for sure. Thank you for your kind words. He got into UGA, which is no small feat. And was offered a Presidential Scholarship at Auburn. Ga State invited him to their Honors college. So he has some options, but ever since he was little he had aspirations of going to Tech 
Was his GPA weighted or UW? If it’s weighted it probably is a bit low, as nutty as that sounds. Also, did he have Calc 1 or its equivalent in high school?
I am so sorry to hear that your son was rejected. It looks like he still has some great options.
My twins were accepted last year EA/honors program. My daughter is attending GT while my son is a very happy UGA freshman. Both are outstanding schools with a lot to offer. If your son still feels strongly about GT- he can apply to transfer in as a sophomore. Carefully read the transfer requirements and make sure he takes the appropriate classes.
Although GT does not admit by major- they do compare students within their own cohort at their high school. So- if everyone at your son’s very competitive high school applied for the same major, have similar scores, all take part in robotics, all are in the National Honor Society/similar clubs, it can come down to GPA/essays, research within the applied for major or exceptional extracurricular activities. GT really seems to want the strengths of the application to line up with the major applied for by the student. I’m sure they didn’t have room for many,many qualified students.
Your son sounds like an outstanding young man who will do well wherever he goes!
His GPA was 3.98 weighted. I know what you’re saying about it being nutty that’s it’s not super high. He did AP Calculus AB and BC. He has 12 AP credits.
Thank you so much Tictock. I agree that a major stopping block was how competitive his high school is and how many of those kids (he estimates about 100) applied to Tech. It doesn’t seem fair to me that they only take a certain amount from each high school. It seems like it would lower the quality of the incoming freshmen.
But I’m trying to get him enthused about UGA now 
I do think he’d be very happy there. He’d just always had his heart set on Tech since he was about 7
When I toured GT I was told that those applying for the same major WERE compared to each other. From browsing here, it certainly seems that engineering and technology majors were the most difficult to get in. Due to the varying responses I’ve heard, however, I wouldn’t rely too much on that. It also seems like they have been favoring those more well-rounded students, as in those with extracurriculars that display their ability to excel in a multitude of subjects while still having one or more subjects in particular that they are extraordinary at.
reading all this, I dont think my current sophmore will even stand a chance by the time he is a senior! (would want CS)
I know on Sat a lot of kids dreams were crushed , with GT being their dream school.
I do know of successful transfer. So always keep in that mind.
^it is sad how competitive it is getting out there:(.
Sometimes it just happens. If his guidance counselor has looked over his app, don’t worry. It’s just bad luck and a lot of competition.
My S withdrew his app today. Deferred, business/finance, 35ACT, 4.1GPA, 9 APs (all 4s & 5s), super competitive HS in suburban Atl. Had already receive acceptances to excellent business programs (UGA Honors, Indiana Honors and Kelley direct admit, Villanova-direct business, SMU Honors and direct business). GT not a top contender, but I have a feeling GT is making decisions differently this year and based on the huge number they deferred, they aren’t confident in their new process just yet.We asked him to apply to GT & UGA to have in state (HOPE & Zell) options. Merit at the other schools will not completely make up the difference, but still reasonably affordable.
That’s rough. His test scores are almost identical to mine. I guess the GPA could be a factor. What major did he apply for?
So sorry to hear about your son’s result. My child has 34 ACT as well, but OOS. With a 4.0 and currently 1/250 in class rank. But definitely doesn’t go to a competitive high school. Our district is very culturally diverse, basically an inner circle urban public school. Essays were about the diversity as being a strength in school and as a model of how society should be in general. We could have moved to a different, less diverse suburb,(we are white) but we chose this route long ago because it was important to us. One thing that my child has that is extraordinary, is leadership in all the EC’s. Captain of varsity swimming, Co-captiain (with one other person) of the robotics team, captain of varsity tennis, and president of class. Being in charge of all these, showing such leadership, all while keeping grades very high is no small feat. maybe they saw that? I feel like we just won the lottery with being accepted to Tech, especially seeing all these kids with super grades and scores being denied. I bet your son will succeed where he chooses to go. And don’t forget, excelling at a different school and transferring in is also an option. Good luck!
It’s hard to understand the decision process, but it makes sense to me that they are trying to create a more diverse class. I wouldn’t want to attend a university where everyone came from the same few high schools (certainly possible to find enough qualified applicants to fill the freshman class in suburban Atl high schools). But that’s not what they want, nor would it be a great learning environment for my student. I know it’s disappointing, but we have to encourage our kids to look at other great options and know that they can be just as successful there.
He applied for ME