Engineering has few electives and defined course sequencing. So it’s easier to switch out than in. However something to keep in mind is that some universities have GPA requirements to switch schools. That can be a bummer because unhappy engineering students often have a low GPA.
CloseToTheEdge. I believe you went over…
LOL
LOL.
I have lived about a half hour from Columbus for 20 years but lived almost all my life before that in NYC.
However, I spent most every summer in Atlanta because my dad and other family were (and still are) there.
They’re both large cities. Atlanta has far more traffic and I mean that in the worst possible way. We call Columbus’ rush hour “rush minute”. Columbus has twice as many people as Atlanta. It’s not “a college town” by any measure. They’re both state capitals, they both have lots of industry and tech, they’re both in the dense NE US population corridor. For weather IMO Atlanta wins, unless you have to be there in the summer.
As for the football focus, as an outsider (and non-football fan) I have long puzzled over that intense fandom. Columbus doesn’t have a pro team for people to fixate on, their loyalty in that area is split between the 3 pro teams within a 3 hour drive. OSU’s team being national champions hasn’t hurt but I don’t think I hear more about them than I did before. I’ve decided it’s due to the fact that OSU is SO huge that every single person in this state either went there themselves or has close family members and friends who did. There is no one in this state that I know who doesn’t own at least one item of Buckeye clothing, including me and as I said, I don’t care about football at all.
Their alumni are intense.
“It also has a sense of history (lacking throughout Ohio)”
Just another silly generalized comment from posters who clearly are not aware of areas away from their current locations.
Lived in Ohio for many years- owned zero pieces of Buckeye clothing, knew nobody who cared a fig about OSU sports. Like anywhere else- you can live in Boston with neighbors and friends who are crazed Patriot’s fans and live or die by the Celtics, or you can live in Boston and see these teams as excuses for parades and traffic jams when they win something-or-other.
How silly do we want to make this discussion?
Interesting, @blossom. No trick or treaters in Buckeye gear? No scarlet & grey days at work or in restaurants on game days or anything like that? I feel surrounded by it and I don’t live in Columbus!
I suppose silly is in the eye of the beholder but school spirit - and community support - is important to some when choosing a college.
I put GT way up there on my personal engineering ranking. I would choose OSU But let the poor kid live on campus.
The part where tOSu is feels like it’s all about the university and its football team (you can treat that as school spirit or annoying crowds :p). Atlanta isn’t about its colleges, although it has many, and where GTech is doesn’t “feel” the same in relation to the city as where tOSu is in relation to its city. All in all, it’s subjective, which is why OP should do an overnight visit.
(Honestly, I don’t like Columbus the city very much, and Columbus-tOSU-town not much either; Atlanta is not pedestrian-friendly nor car-friendly but it seems more student-friendly. Again: totally subjective.)
Well, maybe Ga Tech can offer a bit more excitement. They had a small explosion in one of their labs today! Oops. No one injured.
A campus population larger than most cities will do that!
I would take Ohio State over Georgia Tech. This will give her flexibility going forward as you could save the money for post-undergrad.(law, grad., medicine, mba).
In addition to the free tuition, Ohio State has a D1 hockey team. My daughter has one gripe about the school she’ll attend next fall - they have D3 hockey.
Oh-Hi_O!
I agree with others, if money is not an issue then go with the heart if the student can make the grades. Recruiters like the fact that the elite schools screen students and winnow out the non-performers. They know when they visit a school like Georgia Tech there will be a list of students that will be a pleasure to interview. If the student has managed a 3.5 GPA, then when it comes to internships, work co-ops, and job recruiting(or grad school) they will be in a good position. If they have been the victim, for example, of the curve or just plain not enough studying, then I suspect they’re going to have to work quite a bit harder; little fish in the big sea.
If the regular school’s engineering program has certification, I hear that they teach from the same books. There are benefits with each school. The student has a greater chance of having a decent GPA at the non-elite school. If that happens, they have a great chance of being included in the interviewing process when companies come to recruit at the non-elite school. While non-elite schools will not have all the big companies recruiting, if the student is deserving, I would expect the school to help the student get an interview. It’s in their best interest to place their top students. In the end it is up to the student to land the position, but it may be a little bit more work on the students part; perhaps that is not all bad.
You obviously need to be sure that the university is a good fit for the student. Four years from now, however, most of it will come down to what the student has contributed to the education process. From a longer term perspective, I have seen people from the elite schools who have been very successful and I have seen absolute train-wrecks. I have seen the same from the lower rated school in about the same proportion. You just have to really look at the whole package and if it comes close to a tie, go with the money IMO.
@StewyGriffin, Original Poster (OP) here. Appreciate your feedback. It looks so simple when you write it that way, and I wish it truly is that simple. She knows that once she decides, she has to be committed and has to do everything she can to make it work. Her options are not just between Georgia Tech and OSU any longer. There is also UIUC Urbana-Champaign that offered a scholarship and some other non-ranked schools.
I know it’s not always simple. We have a situation in our family with a similar circumstance. If you know how to send private messages I would discuss.
Make sure you know the grade requirements for retaining her scholarship. Some may be too high in tougher fields. (It looks like it might be 3.4? Is it the Eminence?)
UIUC Urbana-Champaign - That’s a great option too! Yes, always check the GPA requirement for keeping a scholarship, especially in STEM majors.
So what are the costs for each option now?