So I’m really stuck between the two… I know Georgia Tech is a far more better engineering school ranking wise, but I’m also taking into consideration school sizes and location. I live in NJ about 45mins away from Stevens, and Stevens has great connections to companies in NYC (where I someday would love to work). They are also much smaller than Georgia Tech, which I like bc it’s more personalized and your academic needs can always be attended, whereas in Tech I feel like bc of the student population it wouldn’t be as personalized. But that’s it for the points I like about Stevens. For Tech, I like the campus, as it feels more college-ish than Stevens, but at Stevens I got NYC right across the river where I can always find something to do. Tech also has great programs like the international plan which I would like to do if I end up going there. Both schools have co-op opportunities, so there’s nothing to compare there except that at Stevens I have a greater chance of finding a company located in NYC. But Tech also has an amazing engineering program which compared to Stevens is far better, and I also have a larger variety of engineering majors to choose from; I’m stuck in between environmental and industrial, and Stevens doesn’t have industrial and Tech does, and it’s the #1 program in the country, so yeah. I’ve already been accepted to both but I have to make my decision soon, and I’m still stuck. I honestly love both colleges equally, but I feel like I need others perspectives besides my own to see if I’m missing something. I would also like to state that I got a scholarship from Stevens and if I end up not getting a scholarship from Tech the cost for both would be about the same. Thank you!
OOS very difficult to get a scholarship from GT. If you haven’t heard back yet, I’d say doubtful you would get aid.
What is the competitive nature of Stevens? Ga Tech is an incredible school, but the pressure to succeed in engineering is off the charts. And the freshman year classes are designed to weed out the weaker students who don’t have the drive to overcome large lecture classes and incredible amount of work.
If Stevens has an environment that is more conducive to your personality and how you learn best, I would choose Stevens. And since your ultimate goal will be to work in NYC, I think the opportunities for co-ops and internships would be more relevant to your future career.
The only thing you have left to decide is a major. Can you make contacts with both environmental and industrial engineers and speak with them? I think hearing what daily work life is like would help paint the picture of what you see yourself doing. And you might discover a totally different interest in engineering once you dig into your classes.
Meet with Stevens professors in the environmental eng. dept. Get their input on the job market for their dept. graduates. Sit in on another class or two at Stevens. Hang out in some of the commons areas at Stevens to people watch and talk with other students you meet. Ask them what they like/don’t like about Stevens, and see if what you think of Stevens is, in fact, the reality of what you will get. Admissions folks are paid to market their product well, and since you are so close by, you can spend time figuring out if your impressions are correct.
@powercropper I actually went to Connect with Tech (a program where you sleep at a dorm with a host for a night, attend classes, etc) and a similar program at Stevens and that’s why I’m so stuck. I talked to a good amount of students at each school and they all seemed to like the school they were at, they gave me the ups and downs, and I also visited some classes and talked to students there. Although both colleges are very different, I like them both and their differences. A negative about Stevens is that I feel like students aren’t as motivated as they are at Tech, and student life is kind of weak, but then again that may be because of the size of the school, which can in turn be a positive in the sense of class sizes, but that’s about it. At Tech, something that I am scared of is that I’ve read a lot of students complain about how miserable they are and falling into depression… I don’t know if it’s because they can’t take the rigor or classes, but to be honest it is kinda turning me off because I don’t want to end up hating where I am and becoming depressed, but then again those are just some students online, and I don’t want to “take it easy” and not push myself at a great school. I’ve actually talked to a couple of industrial engineers and I’m interested in what they do, but I have yet to talk to an environmental engineer. What I am worried about if I choose Stevens is closing off my opportunities to other kinds of engineering that Tech offers and they do not, as I am still undecided.
@Rdtsmith financial aid is a lost cause for OOS, but I am applying for some internal scholarships they have specifically for hispanic/latin students based on merit
what are the net costs of each school to you? do you know? how much more expensive is it to go to one than the other?
It sounds like you have done well in researching both schools. Best of luck to you in making this decision. Ga Tech can be a great experience, I hear lots of success stories. But the pressure is real, and only you can gauge how you will react to it.
@jkeil911 it only ends up being about $5000 more at Stevens than Tech because of a scholarship I got from Stevens
then is saving $20K worth the grinding intensity of GT? It’s not worth it for some people. Engineering school is very hard anywhere, but GT, CalTech, MIT, Stanford (I’m not trying to be inclusive) are at another level. The other students are so very good. GT wouldn’t have admitted you if they didn’t think you could graduate in 4 or 4.5 years, but what do you think? How much do you need to enjoy college outside the classroom? This is the reputation of GT.
Another issue: What are the chances you could get into engineering and not like it? Are you prepared to transfer and maybe cost yourself a good deal more money because most FA goes to first-time undergrads and not transfers?
@jkeil911 Uff, you’re asking the hard questions, but I do find it more than worth it for studying and getting a degree at such a good engineering school. Although I want to make clear that I’m not really worried about FA as I barely qualify for getting any anywhere (the scholarship from Stevens is merit).
I honestly think I can do it, and I’m willing to sacrifice some social life for my education (education will always be first for me no matter where I end up). And another good thing is that at Tech I have a larger variety of majors to choose from than Stevens. I like engineering enough to be confident that I think I’m going to stick with it (I’m stating it like that because I don’t believe in absolutism and whatnot haha, but basically it means I’m sure I’ll stick to engineering- even that hurts to say, I’m very superstitious
how important is dating to you? what’s the gender ratio at Stevens and GT engineering? I like having friends who are different from me. Will you find more heterogeneity at GT or Stevens? Or is diversity not important to you? Who are you, OP, and where will you better fit?
@jkeil911 oops sorry I just noticed that half of my answer got cut off from my last post, but continuing from superstitious… I meant to say that I think my choice of college got cleared up by you asking the questions you did, which I appreciate, and that choice would have to be Georgia Tech. This made me realize that I have one of the most prestigious engineering schools at my fingertips, and I am willing to work hard and sacrifice a lot in order to succeed here. And if it ever turns out that engineering and I don’t fit, FA would not be an issue for me.
From your next post, gender ratio at Stevens and Tech are about the same, with females of course being the minority, but I am a female myself, hispanic to be exact. Both schools have a good deal of diversity which I really like, with GT having a lot more international students.
Work hard and take advantage of all the opportunities GT presents to you. There are more than you could imagine. Just ask your counselors, professors, advisors, and deans. They are rolodexes of opportunities.
I just want to complement the OP for doing her research, visiting both schools, and thoroughly exploring the plusses and minuses of each school, including the financial component. This should be an exemplar of how to narrow down and make a difficult–but wonderful–college selection.
Best of luck to you at Tech!
Atlanta is very diverse, which you will appreciate coming from your location. If you want to connect with the local Latino population outside Georgia Tech, or know what they’re up to, you might check out the Latin American Association of Atlanta and the Spanish-language newspaper Mundo Hispanico.
http://thelaa.org/
http://mundohispanico.com/
The Georgia Tech reputation will help you get co-op and internship experiences in NYC if you like that, but there are also lots of tech companies right here in Atlanta, and many offices and headquarters of international companies. Google has an office a couple of blocks from Georgia Tech, e.g. There are lots of former New Yorkers here who chose to leave NYC to live here, so you never know how your preferences might evolve… Good luck!
@coldinminny Thank you, I really appreciate that! I am still stressing out and am a little wary because now that I think I have chosen a school, I can’t stop seeing negative posts about how stressful Tech is 
I’m trying to not let it get to me but I don’t know how to deal with the information because I know it is stressful, but the people I’ve talked to in real life don’t make it sound as bad as the people online, so I don’t know where I would fall in that range (whether I would be ok or end up hating the school). If anyone has any tips or info on this aspect of the school I would love to know more about it.
@mommyrocks That’s great information, thank you for letting me know!
Here’s the deal on college. Any College. Do you have good time management skills? Are you proactive in doing schoolwork BEFORE the last minute? Are you comfortable asking for help? Is your ego ready to take a hit when you don’t get all As ?
If you come in to college with these types of skills, you will have a better chance of finding a routine that works for you and helps you be successful in college. Sometimes when students have breezed through high school and rack up all As without doing the work and without a lot of studying for tests, it is a shock to realize that kind of system doesn’t work in college.
No one cares if you know the material or not. There is no teacher asking you to stay after class to go over that difficult math problem again. TAs are there to provide assistance, but they will not seek you out. It is totally up to you to admit early on in the semester that you are drowning, and ask for help to figure out if you should withdraw from the class or meet with TAs and other resources to get you up to speed.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT SKIP CLASSES when you are overwhelmed. That seems to be the easy way out, but you are only digging yourself into a hole.
One technique at Ga Tech to keep your GPA up is to make sure you have “easy A” classes each semester. One ChemEng student said she could have double majored in English, she took so many humanities classes along the way. I highly recommend you consider this option.
Another choice is partying. Too much partying will tank you immediately. You might think about not partying, or choosing to limit partying to one weekend night. But this “freedom” can take over all your free time if you are not disciplined. Can you say NO to friends when you know you need to get schoolwork done?
How are you with homesickness? Can you handle change? Do you make friends easily? Are you independent enough to handle flying alone, doing your own laundry, navigating a strange city with public transportation, etc. Those are skills you still have time to develop. Handling money and credit cards on your own, budgeting personal expenses, learning to share a room with a stranger roommate, adjusting to new situations whether they are good or bad, these are all things that can add to the pressure of being a freshman at a pressure cooker like Ga Tech.
So, do a personal inventory of yourself, your skills, your habits, and see if you need to revise routines to get ready for Ga Tech. Think of positive ways you can make a difference rather than just sit and “worry”.
I wonder if the reputed stress level at GT is relevant for everyone. 70% of the students are from Georgia, a state generally not highly regarded for its high schools. Are some of these students just not adequately prepared for the difficulty of GT? I know GT students from respected NY high schools who say the work and stress is manageable. Maybe they are better prepared from their high school experience?
Based on my D2’s input (she is a Freshman), the stress levels are pretty consistently high but manageable. She is a high achiever and probably that accounts for most of the stress she takes. Also, we are from semi-urban PA and the competition at her high school was nowhere near what she is encountering now at GTech. She goes thru this “love/hate” rollercoaster at GTech, which may be true for a lot of others. But the overall experience has been fantastic and she has no regrets for having chosen GTech over some others incl. UCB and UMich.
@Chardo may have a point as to the general quality of students from local schools at GTech. It is interesting to note the number of students who attend GTech from other states.
http://factbook.gatech.edu/admissions-and-enrollment/enrollment-by-state-table-4-12/
It makes sense for some like FL to send so many kids (lack of top tier Engg. schools) but I am more surprised by the number from states like VA, NC and TX where there are terrific Engg. schools.
Thank you all so much! You have all been incredibly helpful and I will take all of your advice into consideration. 