Hi everyone!
I was accepted into Georgia Tech and UW Madison for Chemical Engineering. Which one is better according to you?
They are both excellent for chemical engineering, and ranked very close to each other. From my understanding, while Georgia Tech may have a slight edge in several other engineering disciplines, Wisconsin and Minnesota (and Delaware, from what I’ve heard) have been traditionally very strong in chemical, and perhaps just a bit stronger than G.T. This really depends somewhat on your personal situation, and fit. Are there cost considerations that favor one school over the other (e.g., are you in-state for Wisconsin, or for Georgia?)
Given some challenging budget proposals for Wisconsin (not yet enacted, and currently under great scrutiny), and all other things being equal (which they rarely ever are), in this case I still might give a slight edge to Georgia Tech. Also consider which part of the country you might like to work in after graduation, though both of these schools and their respective programs garner national recognition.
Life outside Engineering on campus at UW>>>>GaTech which is known to be one of the least social/balanced schools in the US.
What is the cost differential for you? Run your numbers here: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml
If you are in-state for WI, even with the budget issues, that would still almost certainly be your best choice. If you are in-state for GA, given the potential budget issues in WI, GA would almost certainly be your best choice. If both are OOS for you, and the costs are the same for you, then I’d say wait a bit longer to find out what those budget issues are likely to do to WI before you pack up and head there.
For the life of me I will never understand posts that ask “which is better” about two universities which are clearly excellent. It’s like asking what kind of apple one prefers; Red Delicious or Golden Delicious.
In the Washington Post regarding Wisconsin budget cuts:
Perhaps this piece is hyperbole but it bears investigation.
Thank you all for your responses! I am international, so I qualify for OOS for both of them.
Georgia Tech is the better school. Wisconsin is very good, but GIT is better. As said before, GIT is a more focused student body, so it may not be as “fun” as UW.
On what basis do you authorize GT the “better school” for chemical engineering, IowaParent? I’m a bit skeptical of your data, given the postal abbreviation for Georgia is GA, not GI.
Wisconsin has been traditionally recognized for chemical engineering, while Georgia Tech has been known as one of the very top in the country for several other engineering disciplines (and certainly quite good chemical, but graduate still currently ranked just below Wisconsin; rankings should be taken with a grain of salt).
And all of the above-mentioned mitigating factors do apply, which is why I personally would give Georgia Tech a slight edge at the moment. This could change, but please – try to give an international student, who may have no idea otherwise, some concrete data and experience, not just lip service.
@IowaParent15 Thanks for sharing your opinion!
@anhydrite Thanks for the info! I’ve also seen that UW Madison is ranked better in Chemical Engineering, but for some reason I’m leaning towards GA Tech. I kind of love the spirit there, and I’m not scared of a tough school. However, I have a chance of wining an scholarship in Wisconsin, and in my country it’s very difficult to get dollars.
I really appreciate your help!
You are welcome, @AndyGirlSays. Truthfully, these are two excellent schools for your field, so you are unlikely to make a bad choice.
Something you should also realize: while they are housed in separate schools, and they are two discreet disciplines, there is a relationship between chemistry (as a natural science discipline), and chemical engineering. This type of relationship with the natural sciences (e.g., chemical engineering, bio-engineering, etc.) only affects a minority of the engineering disciplines, but they are not unrelated.
Historically, Wisconsin has had a very strong chemistry program. Georgia Tech is good in chemistry, but not quite to the level of Wisconsin. This wouldn’t directly affect you if you are focused specifically on engineering. However, if chemistry as a natural science also interests you, you may want to take this into consideration.
@anhydrite Oh I didn’t know that! Chemistry as a natural science really interests me, so I’ll take that into consideration
@AndyGirlSays , I think you cannot go wrong with GTech. My D2 had these choices last year and for ChemE, and she chose GTech over UWisc-Mad (and a few others) after much deliberation. She is having a great time at GTech , both academically and socially. We are from PA.
One thing you have to bear in mind is that the choice of ChemE is not decided at UWisc till the start of the second year. You need to accomplish a cut-off GPA in order to get accepted to most of the competitive Engg. streams at UWisc. Similarly for other schools such as UMinn and Purdue.
Madison has a great college town feel to it but the winters there are brutal. Folks,especially from warmer countries, do not seem to take into account that most of the school year is during the coldest months (Sep thru Apr). Even kids from the South or CA complain about the bitter winters.
@i012575 Wow! I didn’t know that in UWisc I didn’t have my entrance to the ChemE college secured! That’s really important since I will have the language barrier at least the first semester. I feel like there’s still so much I don’t know! I discover something new every single day. Thanks a lot for that piece of advice!
Agree with everyone except the above. I spent seven years (undergrad and grad) at Tech back in the days when that statement MIGHT have been true, but Atlanta was a fantastic town. I understand Madison is great as well, but I wouldn’t let that statement above sway me one way or the other. Both are great!
@digmedia, you hit the nail on th head… thank you. If it had not been for my a couple of my friends’ children who were having such a fulfilling time at GTech, I may not have sent my D to school there. I think GTech has got a lot of bad rap from the weedouts or dropouts, on some of the college feedback sites. I wish past and current students did more to paint a more true picture of their times there. Maybe they are just busy having a fun yet tough time while racking up successes.
@AndyGirlSays , please read some of my other posts and you will get a sense of why I am supporting GTech’s case so much. Good luck to you!
The pushback on Walker’s budget proposal has even drawn in many Republicans. Not over by a longshot. http://www.leadertelegram.com/news/daily_updates/article_68a7a1da-adc1-11e4-ab58-e7bced40a150.html
The full name of Georgia Tech is the Georgia Institute of Technology; I would imagine the “I” the poster used was referring to “Institute” and had nothing to do with the postal abbreviation for Georgia.
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Re Georgia Tech vs. Wisconsin: Two great schools. Determine what the difference in cost will be for you and then go with the one where you feel most comfortable.
@i012575 is correct. Winters in Wisconsin are brutal. Winters in Georgia are comfortable. Yes, other things, like cost and direct admission, are important, but physical comfort is important to many people.