<p>I love Georgia Tech's Campus and community. However I would like to be a Chem or Bio major. According to the GPA distributions, usually only around 20% of the students are able to get A's. I am the type of student who stresses about grades, and will study continuously if it is necessary to get a good grade. However, I still would like to have a life.
So here are my set of questions:</p>
<p>A) Is Georgia Tech worth it if you are an Undergraduate. (meaning do undergraduates receive attention from professors or research opportunities)</p>
<p>B) What would my theoretic work load be during a normal week as a Bio or Chem major? Why are the average GPA's so low other than no grade inflation. </p>
<p>C) I like to think of myself as being smart and logical. However I do not have the natural genius in calculus and science that some people in my school have. Would I always be in the lower ring of the class?</p>
<p>D) I like to become involved in philanthropic pursuits and clubs. Would I still be able to do that while managing a GPA of 3.5+.</p>
<p>I truly would appreciate any honest opinions on the matter.</p>
<p>A) Yes. There are actually a lot of undergraduate research opportunities available if you seek them out and talk to professors to see what you personally are interested in doing. This is only if you are proactive about it though. A lot of things (in life) are self started, but if you show interest, professors will help you.</p>
<p>B) I can’t really say because I’m not a science major. But to me, GPA is low because it really is hard…</p>
<p>C) I read somewhere/from someone if you get into Tech, the admission staff believes you can make at least a 3.0 if you put in the work.</p>
<p>D) 3.5 GPA at tech is really good believe it or not. But to answer the question, it kinda depends on how many credits you are taking and how much time commitments those clubs are. If you take more credits, then you definitely won’t have as much time to do everything you want to do, so it’s up to you. </p>
<p>Sciences are strong and you will have a lot of opportunities to do research. You will get as much attention from professors as you seek usually (there are some that are unavailable, but in general if you are interested in doing research you will find more than enough accommodations). </p>
<p>BUT, it is still primarily an engineering school. Understand the difference: Engineers usually want to graduate with a bachelor’s (maybe add on a year for a masters) and get a good job. That is the engineering career track. GPA is not so important to them, in general. A lot of times its just about getting the degree so you can get a job. Science majors almost HAVE to go to grad school (or med school). You will be with a lot of people who want to go to med school. This means GPA is important for science majors in a way that it is not for engineering majors. </p>
<p>Also, engineers usually dont like science classes. Most of them hate chem/bio classes and just want to pass and forget it ASAP. As a science major, you wont have to do much math outside of CALCII (tough) and CALCIII (not so tough). </p>
<p>You really dont know how good you are at science/math until you are in college. Most people here do not have that ‘natural genius for calculus.’ In high school a lot of it just depends on how much exposure you have or how good one math teacher was. You might be able to graduate with a 3.5 easily, or it might be hard for you just to get a 3.0. There are a ton of people who graduate in CHEM/BIO with more than a 3.5 and it is not that difficult. Your first year will suck but then it will get better. </p>
<p>Finally let me say this: GT is certainly fine for Chem/Bio. But, GT’s reputation is mostly for engineering. If you want to go to GT because of personal preference(you like Atlanta, you have family history at GT, it is close to your family, etc.) then certainly the science programs are good enough that you should go. But if you are in state, UGA is at least as good in the pure sciences and I would think about going there. If you are doing a pure science degree, then you will have to go to grad school anyway. UGA/GT probably give you nearly equal odds at getting into good grad school, so dont pick GT just because you think its “a better school.”</p>