<p>I have already posted this thread before, but I wanted to post it again in a shorter version so maybe more people would reply. This is a very tough decision for me, so I would really appreciate any help!</p>
<p>I currently go to Georgia State and I'm planning on transferring in Fall 2011. I'm choosing between Industrial Engineering at Tech vs. Economics BBA at UGA.</p>
<p>This is how I've been thinking about it for the past couple months:</p>
<p>Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech:</p>
<p>Pros:
- #1 IE program in the world.
- Great Job Prospects and many career options (Banking, Consulting, Manufacturing, etc...)
- Very business oriented; which is exactly what I want; I believe that EE and ME are too technical for me and IE would be much better for the business world.
- I plan on eventually getting an MBA, and I feel IE + MBA is a great combination.</p>
<p>Cons:
- Georgia Tech is extremely difficult (from what I have always heard), and I'm afraid that this difficulty could cause a lower GPA which could damage my job and MBA potentials and options.
- I'm all about academics and working hard for my future, but I still want a good social life. And Georgia Tech isn't very famous for that ("the ratio", some of the people, etc...) CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG
- Socially, I would be much better at UGA, since I have many friends who go there; but would it be worth making a decision on my future based on that.</p>
<p>Economics BBA at UGA</p>
<p>Pros:
- Terry College of Business has a pretty good reputation.
- Economics is a very versatile degree and it is practical for MBA and for the business world.
- At UGA, I feel like I would be much happier socially and I would have a lot less stress (since it's not as difficult as Tech).</p>
<p>Cons:
- UGA's Economics program is not ranked.
- I feel like that even though an Econ degree would be great, an IE degree from Tech would be much better and give me a lot more opportunities.</p>
<p>To sum it all up (IF YOUR NOT GOING TO READ ANY OF THE ABOVE AT LEAST READ THIS):</p>
<p>I realize that an IE degree (with concentration in Economic & Financial Systems) + an MBA would have a higher probability of making me more successful. My BIG question is whether an Economics BBA from UGA + MBA could EVENTUALLY make as well off as IE would? And whether it would be worth making a decision based on social factors and therefore doing Econ at UGA?</p>
<p>I’ll repeat my point from before: UGA and GT are not comparable. The schools don’t even compare themselves to each other. GT is academically a much better school with a better reputation and you will be in a better position for employment and grad school (of all kinds) with a GT degree than a UGA degree, even if both are Econ degrees.</p>
<p>On top of that, Engineering is one of the most flexible degrees you can pursue. Engineering majors have some of the highest starting salaries for bachelor’s degree recipients and have some of the best admissions numbers into graduate schools. Harvard’s MBA class is 1/3 engineers in a typical year.</p>
<p>So, really, there is no comparison. The only concern is if you feel that you will not be able to keep up at Tech. In that case, you would be better off at the lower tier school.</p>
<p>Ok I’m a senior at Georgia Tech studying EE and this is my opinion. I’ll tell you a secret that many people don’t ever realize. Engineering degrees are the MOST versatile degrees you can possibly get in college. With an engineering degree you can be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, a businessman, an entrepreneur, a teacher, ect. With other degrees you are pigeon holed into your field. You won’t get any respect being an economics major in fields outside of business. Maybe you can do law if you beast the lsats but by and large you are stuck with economics. Same goes for english, history, pre-med ect. </p>
<p>Now to answer your question. If you come to Tech your social life will suffer but it won’t suffer nearly as much as you might think. There are PLENTY of people here who like to have fun. I think it is safe to say that it is easier to find party animals at UGA, or Georgia State than at Tech but there are definitely people here who “go hard” all the time. </p>
<p>I’ve been around the bush in terms of what I want to do with my life and my EE degree has always put me at the front of the pack. Sophomore year I got offered a job at NASA. I decided it wasn’t for me and then started looking at law school. Then on a whim I decided to go to wall street and with some hard work I was able to pull it off. Having an engineering degree makes moving from field to field ridiculously easy because everyone with half a brain knows that engineering is THE hardest major period. When I read your post I immediately wanted to respond to tell you to transfer to tech and study IE. You will be happier in the long run. You will be able to do everything you can do with your econ major and then some (actually a lot more). </p>
<p>You can graduate from Tech and tell everyone “I went to the BEST school for my major”. Very few college students can say that about their field of study. </p>
<p>Dude it’s honestly a no brainer. Plus Georgia State is so close to tech that you can just go back and see your old friends if you really can’t find anyone cool to chill with here. Come to Tech! I just had 13 hours of class today and I hate this school 49% of the time but I would come here all over again because although this school has a bunch of lazy ****ers, most of the people here are really intelligent and surrounding yourself with people who are better than you will only make you better.</p>
<p>If I was you here is what I would do. Transfer to Tech in the fall. Meet with a counselor and figure out how to get a certificate in Econ while you are obtaining your BS in IE. Then go work for 2-3 years. Then go to an ivy league B school. After that the world is your oyster. It’s easier said than done but everything in life worth having is worth working for. Good luck!</p>
<p>After saying all of that I will tell you the best advice I can possibly give you. Do not listen to people on the internet, or family members, or friends. Take what I said with a grain of salt because only YOU know what you want out of this life. Deep down you know what you should do. Make a list of pros and cons and make the best decision. One thing you should know since you are studying economics is that every decision is bad. We are constantly choosing the least worst choice when we make decisions. No decision in life comes free of charge. Analyze the opportunity cost of staying at Georgia State with that of coming to tech and the answer will be clear! </p>
<p>That’s a really good point. Interviewers (employment and grad school) almost always ask why you chose your college and it comes up in general conversation all the time outside of interviews, as well.</p>
<p>Interviewer: Why did you go to UGA?
You: I wanted to stay in-state because of costs, and UGA is one of the better schools in my state. </p>
<p>Interviewer: Why did you go to Tech?
You: It’s the best school in the world for my degree.</p>
<p>@TheStreet
Is Georgia Tech really as hard as people say? Or would it be okay if you can manage your time and work hard? How many hours a day do you spend on your studies outside of class? What do IE majors at Georgia Tech think about their major? What kind of people are they?</p>
<p>Georgia Tech is an amazing school - but at the end of the day a degree is just a piece of paper. The best part about Georgia Tech degrees is school’s like Southern Poly Tech allow you to graduate with honors at their school and receive Tech degrees for graduation. Believe it or not, a lot of students flunk out of Tech and end up at either SPTU or GSU pursuing a different major. People underestimate the competitiveness @ UGA, and they become overly stressed about academia @ Tech. The best thing you said to the OP was mentioning the opportunity cost we all face in GENERAL - no matter what major or graduate degree you seek.</p>
<p>UGA and State are 100 times better than Tech for pursuing business degrees. Tech is an engineering school, so if you choose to study Economics, you will find yourself taking unnecessary math courses just to receive that plaque on the wall. </p>
<p>I have friends at Georgia Tech who used to struggle because grad students are teaching them - and their professors simply just don’t give a ****. Do not be fooled by Engineering students who “trump” all other undergraduate studies because they tend to be paid more in the SHORT run. Engineering firms generally pay employees on a lock-step salary. My cousin graduated from GT 3 years ago, with honors, he makes around 95K$ - at one of the most prestigious places to work for in America. My brother who went to GSU (Accounting), graduated magma cum laude (while interning @ the big 4), started at 55K$ - 4 years ago. He now makes over 375K$ a year as a CPA.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech is extremely competitive and will hurt your job prospects as an economics major if that is what you wish to pursue unless you excel in math. Brilliant people struggle at Georgia Tech, and Engineers do not graduate with the best GPA’s. @TheStreet
Engineering degrees are counter productive for prospective law students - especially if you are not a URM (unless you’re a mathematician). Law school will only look at your GPA and LSAT. It has nothing to do with the fact that you pursued engineering, however if you choose patent law firms do like to see this but it is not necessary.</p>
<p>@OP, at the end of the day consider your options wisely. I’m only 20 years old and work for an accounting firm as a bookkeeper making 30K$ a year as a full time student. You probably can tell from this my opportunity cost includes “social life” and all the perks of being reckless. But in the long run I KNOW I have a job as an accountant for my firm in two years, get to **** women in the 24-27 range who have undergraduate degrees in teaching high school making less than me, and live very comfortably.</p>
<p>The last thing I’ll say is - Your name, your degree, and your education do not mean **** to anybody surrounding you until you make something out of it - including your employer!. GPA and wise networking skills are the only thing college is going to truly offer you. Avoid the brand gimmicks. Good luck.</p>
<p>This makes no sense. GT’s business majors make substantially more ($55,000 on average vs. $45,000 at UGA) and have a much higher rate of job offers (just under 3 job offers / student vs. <1 offer per student at UGA). Since GT is the highest ranked school in the state and most respected school in the state, it says more about your work ethic and personal standards attending Tech instead of UGA or State.</p>
<p>As far as “unnecessary math courses” both UGA and GT require the same math courses for Econ (finite math). So your argument doesn’t make sense. </p>
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<p>GT has a lower rate of GTA’s teaching courses than UGA or State. And the generic argument that GT professors don’t care is without merit. There are professors that care and professors that don’t care at all schools. You are going off an assumption about GT that is wrong.</p>
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<p>I knew someone who went to GT and later became president. So I assume that all people who attend GT become president. </p>
<p>You can’t draw broad conclusions from single cases, otherwise you could easily argue that since most Harvard MBA graduates do not make $375,000, a GSU undergraduate degree is more beneficial than a Harvard MBA.</p>
<p>First of all, someone 3 years out of an engineering program will not make $95,000. The typical salary at that level is around $75,000. And that salary will top out at around $110,000 (top 5% of income in the US) if the person is a terrible engineer at age 30. If the person is good at his job, he will move to management, where salary jump dramatically based on performance. I know of no other career where you can be terrible at it and still make such a large salary. In most other careers, you’d be unemployed.</p>
<p>Similarly, an accountant from GSU will make $45,000 or so to start. After about 3 years you make it to $70,000. To get to $375,000, you need to be a partner (age 35-40, and between 1 and 5% of new hires ever get there). I know a partner at PwC who makes less than that. If someone makes it to partner at a Big 4, there’s much, much more at play then where they went to school - you have to have extremely good personal skills, excellent technical schools, and you have to be lucky. No school will get you there without those traits.</p>
<p>That said, you are more likely to make it to partner coming from GT than GSU or UGA. Why? The Big 4 recruit all three schools, but they only target one. That means that a good student from GT will get hired, but only the top students from GSU or UGA (and by top, not only GPA but campus involvement, student government positions, internships, etc).</p>
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<p>GT is a difficult school compared to UGA or GSU, but that’s why GT is a 1st tier school, students earn a higher starting salary, and it’s recruited more by companies. It’s also why GT’s 8 year old business program is 1st tier (and rising) while UGA’s 70 year old business program is low 2nd tier (and falling). </p>
<p>If attending an easier school got you as far or farther in life, everyone would attend the easier school. You can find one-off cases where someone goes to an easy school and does well or someone goes to a difficult school and does poorly, but those are one-off cases and should be used for general conclusions. Instead, looking at the data your expected career potential is better from more difficult schools which is why people go there.</p>
<p>The argument is like this: if you have a choice of an AP course in high school or a non-AP course and colleges told you that they consider them exactly equal, which would you pick? Of course people would take the non-AP course for the higher GPA. However, that’s not the case. Colleges weigh that AP course and your class rigor in the application, so it makes sense to take the AP course if you want to go to a top school, but it’s OK to take the non-AP course if your goal is a mediocre school. Firms and grad schools do the same thing with college attended. It’s not just your grades but the rigor of the school, as well.</p>
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<p>I guess that’s why those Harvard graduates do so poorly in life. </p>
<p>When you graduate, you school will open the first door. Your first door determines your second door, etc. Get a position at PwC and you will have many more opportunities in 5 years than working at a small local CPA firm in Macon. In addition, your college is your brand - it’s how you label yourself. If I handed you a resume with Harvard on it, even if I am 10 years out of school, you are going to be impressed. If I hand you a resume with “Armstrong Atlantic State University”, even if I am 10 years out of school, you are going to think “well, this person must not have been a good student.” Your brand follows you for life and it takes a while to change that perception.</p>
<p>Now, after 15 years people might start ignoring the school you attended. But that’s 15 long years to get to that point and not really necessary if you have the option of attending the better school right now.</p>
<p>BanjoHitter is on the money. GT is a brand name. You come to GT for an education. Those 2/4 years (or a bit longer) set you up for LIFE. </p>
<p>I graduated from GT’s College of Management, so I know quite a bit about the program. It’s ranked better than UGA’s Terry by a number of sources (BusinessWeek, USN&WR, etc.) and far more reputed. Management and IE get you to similar tracks. However, I would recommend going the IE route as it’s a better program at GT than Management and more technical. A technical degree goes a long way.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be concerned about social life at GT. If you are interested in Greek life, you will be fine as most girls at GT are involved in Greek life. There are other colleges around - GSU, Emory, Kennesaw, etc, so parties are well balanced. There are plenty of bars/clubs/entertainment around Atlanta as well. You shouldn’t have trouble finding a “social life” at GT and you consider yourself “outgoing” and relatively “normal.”</p>
<p>georgia tech is much much better. people who graduate from there find job very easily. machenzie is known to hire many people from there. you cant say the same about uga</p>