Ga tech

Hi!
I recently got into Ga tech which at first was very exciting. However, now after giving it much thought I would like to go pre-law. Would it be an ignorant decision to attend ga tech with intentions of going pre-law?

No. It might actually be an advantage. If you choose one of the science or engineering colleges, and decide to become a lawyer, you will have the technical background for subjects like IP and patent law. If you choose one of the humanities options, you will still get an excellent liberal arts education.

Realistically, the job market for lawyers is not very good so the excellent education you would receive at GT will give you a viable alternative path.

My son (class of 2018) would love to attend Ga tech. He is an IB student, 1410 on SAT and 32 on ACT. Lots of AP classes, service hours, chemistry award, varsity soccer player and may be NMF (1460 on PSAT/SI 217. What are his chances? Anyone know?

@amyandscott : Is your son in-state or OOS?

@tammytamtam123 : To follow up on what @TooOld4School said, majoring in a science or engineering is not an impediment to getting into law school, nor does it prevent you from practicing other types of law besides IP or patent law. One of our local judges got his degree from Purdue in mechanical engineering before attending law school; and one of the justices on our state supreme court also received an undergraduate degree in engineering, and worked as an engineer, before going to law school. The main thing you need to be a good lawyer is an inquiring and analytical mind, along with some good “people skills.”

You will get a good education at Georgia Tech to prepare you for whatever course you choose.

OOS. Sadly. He is an IB student with lots of AP credits, 34 on ACT and 1410 on SAT.

@amyandscott: It will be important for your son to have a very competitive GPA in addition to high standardized test scores. If you look at the Georgia Tech Common Data Set, it reveals under Part C7 that GPA and the rigor of your high school record are “very important” academic factors considered for freshman admission, whereas standardized test scores and your application essay(s) are “important” academic factors considered for freshman admission. Extracurricular activities are considered as “very important” non-academic factors. When I attended an Open House at Georgia Tech this past February, the Admissions Director, Rick Clark, echoed these points of emphasis — and primarily that GPA means more than standardized test scores to the Georgia Tech Admissions Office.

And, on the subject of the Common Data Set, here is a link to a blog from Rick Clark at Georgia Tech’s Admissions Office, which discusses (about halfway into the article) how to read and interpret some of the information in the CDS: http://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2017/06/07/kitchen-bars-and-common-data-sets/

Generally, I have found Rick Clark’s blogs to be helpful; here is another one that shows his professional perspective: http://pwp.gatech.edu/admission-blog/2017/05/16/admission-its-not-fair/. His thoughts on how “mission drives admission” are good; and when your son is writing his application essay(s), he should consider what Georgia Tech’s mission is, and how he sees himself fulfilling or fitting in with that mission in the event that he is admitted.

Your son’s ACT score is very competitive in my opinion. By way of comparison, our OOS high school usually has 5-10 students who apply, and 1-2 students who are admitted, each year to Georgia Tech; and, with the exception of the rare D-1 athlete, most of our admitted students have ACT scores of 31-35, an average SAT of 1450, and weighted GPAs of 3.95+. (Although in more recent years the test scores and GPAs from our students have been trending higher.) These successful applicants also were involved in extracurricular activities that showed commitment over time (no “drive-by” ECs). Most of these kids were “unhooked” in admissions parlance (i.e., not a recruited D-1 athlete, or a URM, first-generation college student, etc.).

I don’t know whether your son’s high school has Naviance or any similar program that gives information about how students at the high school have done in applying to colleges and universities; if so, you might peruse that data. I would try to meet with a guidance counselor at your son’s school early in the Fall semester, either separately or with your son (he should meet with the guidance counselor also at some point) to discuss his application strategies for Georgia Tech. If any former students from your son’s school have been admitted to Georgia Tech recently, the guidance counselor may be able to give some insight into how and why such student(s) were successful.

Good luck to your son.