<p>I've been looking into alternatives to U. of Georgia since i dont think ill get into there (3.4 GPA w/ honors/ap classes and 1200 SAT), so I've looked into U. of Tennessee and U. of Kentucky. I've already applied at Georgia Southern but i dont really want to go there. I may have trouble paying for Tennessee and Kentucky, so I looked into this mysterious "Third" big research university in Georgia, Georgia State University (with UGA and Tech being first 2, and the even more elusive GA Medical College as 4th).</p>
<p>Anyway from what I've seen, GA State is a research university in the heart of downtown Atlanta. It has some housing (the 1.5 mile away GSU village) and a few other buildings witha whooping 4,500 rooms. But Im worried. </p>
<p>If i dont go to UGA, I may end of going to GA State. What is it like here? Is it a prestigious school? Will I meet other people like me (frat Abercrombie/Pacsun athlete/party-studying balancing but doesnt play D1 sports or quite play a violin guys/girls)? Is there a coll social scene? Is it a good school for a Biology/Pre-Dentistry degree?</p>
<p>If anybody can give me any suggestions of any other large (15k+), public, prestigious U's, go ahead. </p>
<p>My best friend goes to Georgia State. It's more of a business school, not so much of a biology school, although they do have good programs in both. She lives at home and commutes to college, although I do know people that are staying in the dorms. It's literally right next to the Ga Tech campus. It's definitely a good school, and I would imagine that your "type" of person goes there.</p>
<p>No, it is not "right next to" the Georgia Tech campus. Both GT and GSU are in downtown Atlanta, although GT is closer to Midtown, which is really the lively commercial/entertainment area of Atlanta. I believe that one of the GSU dorms created by way of the 1996 Olympics Village project is near GT.</p>
<p>Yes, GSU is a quite urban and is a "commuter school" in large part. Very diverse student body. By the way, GSU does offer graduate studies in biology. As for the undergraduate scene, it is what you make of it. For top Georgia high schoolers (particularly in the sciences), GSU is a distant choice behind UGA and GT but those two campuses are terribly popular regardless of the offerings at GSU. Recently there has been concern about personal safety at GSU [several recent robberies, some at gunpoint]. Downtown Atlanta is fairly empty after rush hour, as it is mostly government offices and businesses related to government.</p>
<p>If your heart is set on moving to Georgia, investigate West Georgia, an increasingly popular school with suburban Atlantans. There is also Georgia College & State University, a public liberal arts college in Milledgeville, in the heart of Georgia and very rural.</p>
<p>To clarify, it is the large dorm facility (built to house the Olympic athletes in 1996) that is officially the major GSU dorm space. It is across the street from Ga Tech, and a stones throw away from Coca Cola headquarters. Ga. State used to have a lot of non traditional students (older students returning to school or going at night) but more and more "traditional" students are attending. I have several friends on faculty in the Psychology Dept (I had adjunct faculty status but haven't kept it up) and it is a very strong department (as far as the grad school goes- I am sorry to say i don't know as much about the undergrad program). </p>
<p>Ga State has had some successful sports teams (basketball team has done very well) but there are no big football stadiums and the like, as it is an urban campus. I might point out, however, that there is a huge new facility close to Ga Tech called Atlantic station that is becoming a popular hang out for college students and young professionals. So, you will have the opportunity to meet other college students.</p>
<p>Lake Washington made some other excellent school suggestions (West Ga and Ga Southern). You might also check Clayton State, Berry College, Valdosta State and Oglethorpe. Good luck.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention... They've built some really, really nice student apartments at Atlantic Station. It's becoming very popular fro students from several Atlanta colleges.</p>
<p>Sounds like you want a full college experience, not a commuter school. So check over the other public Southeast Conference schools (Arkansas, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, South Carolina, LSU) as well as Florida State, North Carolina State, and Clemson. At least one of them would probably have tuition that is reasonable. All would provide the football and campus life you seem to want.</p>
<p>GSU is a fine school. It just doesn't get the publicity of UGA or GT. Their business school is pretty good, and their public policy/affairs school is growing in stature.</p>
<p>The only issues with GSU is the lack of a traditional "campus life" due to it being a commuter school for so long. It actually used to be known as the UGA Atlanta Extension prior to being made a stand alone institution.</p>
<p>Kennesaw State is growing and improving at an amazing rate as are most of the USG institutions thanks to HOPE, but the growth and improvement at KSU is amazing.</p>
<p>I'm a big fan of Valdosta State even though the selectivity isn't where it should be, but the Regents are forcing a bit of growth there, and there are several massive building projects there including a new 600 bed dorm along with a new medical arts and business school complex and a recently added science building and housing.</p>
<p>There is a bit of academic snobbery on this forum that tends to go straight to rankings and reputation, but you can get a great education at some of the "state universities" while having a great campus life and student experience.</p>
<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/...&highlight=gsu%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/...&highlight=gsu</a>
I saw you in this thread.
My PSAT scores have been 1650/1700. I'm a junior going to college next year (concurrently taking online senior classes now). So it's this late in the game, my SAT scores probably aren't going to reach UGA/GA Tech levels.
GSU interests me because it's diverse (10% Asian), not a part school like Georgia Southern (last time I checked, though Downtown is prone to crime). Has housing (I can't drive)</p>
<p>So, what is all of this about GSU being a "commuter" school? They have dorms..</p>
<p>And to those that say GSU sucks/rocks.. Elaborate?</p>
<p>And.. I asked my counselor for similar schools
*Housing
*Some academic integrity (as opposed to technical college)
*Close to home (1-3?? hours from Atlanta), she said Valdosta (too far), Kennesaw (never heard of it)..
Any other schools, or thoughts on those?
Thanks
[/quote]
Received this PM, but thought it would beappropriate to respond on the thread to share with all....</p>
<p>It would be helpful to have some additional stats before recommending schools out of the blue.
As for your q's, yes, GSU has dorms, but many of the students live off campus and commute. I would have to ck their webiste to see what the % is of off campus attendees. They are building a new huge sports (baseball/soccer) complex, but it will be located miles away from campus, on the E side of town.
And if you live in Atlanta, I am most surprised that you have never heard of Kennesaw (KSU). It is up I-75 north of Town Center Mall. It has grown quite a bit, and has more of a "campus" feel than GSU. They have built houseing, but they too have a lot of students who live off campus.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice!
I've "heard" of KSU, in that I've visited :p: it in middle school, but I've never seen it on the news or so.</p>
<p>Additional stats.. 92.765 GPA (not sure about the 4.0 scale), 71st/629 North Gwinnett High School
520 PSAT C.Reading, 630 Math, 540 Writing. Asian, no extracurriculars.</p>
<p>The Asian part? Haha! I participated in Latin Club extensively, but that isn't helping the community, like the Habitat for Humanity thing that I signed up for but did nothing in.</p>