<p>Hey, I'm a senior in highschool looking to study physics in college. I've been accepted and rejected from a number of schools, but narrowed it down to Georgia Institute of Technology and Mercer University. I have a 4.25 GPA, made a 1400 on the SAT, and a 32 on the ACT.</p>
<p>Alright, so I figure most people would see this as a no brainer. A few factors, however, have made it difficult for me to choose. I was given a full ride to Mercer, as well as entrance into their honors program (which guarantees undergraduate research, study abroad, seminars, etc.). It is also a smaller school where I can interact with the professors, which I thought may be helpful. </p>
<p>Georgia Tech is the obvious choice for it's reputation, not to mention the superiority of the Physics department and its funding. I guess I'm worried that I'll get lost in the crowd and by then, have lost my scholarship to Mercer. I don't honestly think I'm smart enough to excel there. And if I have a shotty GPA coming out of undergrad, that will affect my chances to go to a quality grad school. </p>
<p>Essentially, which would ya'll choose and why? Also, with my GPA and test scores, would I do well at Tech (given I continue a solid work ethic)?</p>
<p>Congratulations on the scholarship to Mercer! My daughter received the Presidential scholarship from Mercer 5 years ago. Although, she decided that Mercer was too small for her, we did spend time on campus at the scholarship competition and the accepted students overnight. She did not apply to Tech since she was not a hard science major, but had many friends that did apply and we did visit.</p>
<p>She had a friend that chose to take the scholarship at Mercer over Tech for engineering. His reasoning was along the same lines as yours. He would get more personalized attention at Mercer and would be in a more relaxed atmosphere while doing so. I don’t know how it worked out for him since I hadn’t thought of him in years.</p>
<p>I think Mercer is a great school and you would get a great education. I think that Tech’s name will get you farther than Mercer’s. It is more intense at Tech and it is a larger school. The co-op program at Tech is great. Mercer clears out on the weekends and there is not much happening in Macon.</p>
<p>It all comes down to what you are looking for after graduation. I assume Tech would cost you room and board, etc. It is really a personal decision.</p>
<p>I agree with statement above that a physics degree from GT will probably be valued more than Physics from Mercer. The atmosphere at those two schools are very different. Mercer is smaller. Macon and downtown Atlanta are very different as well. I think there are probably more networking opportunities at GT. It just depends on which one you think is a better fit for your personality.</p>
<p>cork-
The only guarantee you won’t be lost at GT is your ambition and drive.
The research opportunities and connections to be made from the strength of the reputation of GT will be hard to match as you mentioned.
If you decide that Physics is not for you, then GT has a smorgasbord of majors for you to switch and succeed.
I know nothing about Mercer so cannot comment.</p>