<p>Hello. My plan has been to go to Georgia Institute of Technology for computer science. I believe my chances are fair enough of getting in, but I have been reading about how horrible of a school it is, and how it completely crushes the life out of you.</p>
<p>I am wondering exactly how true this is. Does it really leave absolutely no room for creativity and force you to constantly study? Is it really as hard as they say it is?</p>
<p>I never studied in high school, and I was in multiple AP classes, but I passed all of them (most with 4s or 5s). I am currently at a small college and am acing all the tests without much effort and with no studying.</p>
<p>I only barely did okay on my first SAT attempt (1850), but I have been studying and hope to do well on my next one.</p>
<p>The question is if tech would really be that terrible for me. I do not handle stress well. I need a lot of time to relax, and I will go insane if the school is as torturous as they say. So, for those of you who are good students, is it that bad as long as you pay attention and think about the content some? Does it just get a bad wrap because people expect it to be a party school or something? Is it just that people people who complain about it being soul sucking are the kind of people who are very vocal and like a lot of social interaction, so they are the ones who are more likely to speak up about the school, while many people actually enjoy the schooling, they just are more likely to not be vocal?</p>
<p>I would like opinions form people who attended the school or know someone who attended the school.</p>
<p>I visited GA tech when my brother was looking for schools. Everyone we talked to seem relatively happy. I think the reason why people say it is a miserable school is because there are a lot more guys than girls, you have to work really hard, it’s pretty much all science, etc. Obviously it isn’t that bad if thousands of people go there very year and stay there. I wouldn’t go there because I’m no focusing on STEM majors necessarily, and I definitely want around 50% girls or more haha. If you love the school then apply, and go if you get in. Ignore other people saying it’s that bad.</p>
<p>I have two OOS daughters at GT. One is a senior, the other a freshman. They are both ChemE majors. The senior still has a 4.0 and the freshman appears to be following in big sis’s footsteps. They both also do 10 hrs/wk of workstudy. They both say they do a fair amount of studying, but neither feels overloaded. They believe a big difference is having done IB in high school. Their time management skills were already honed and while their classmates complain about their workloads, it’s just another day at the office for my girls. (They also both came in with a lot of credits which reduces their credit hr totals per semester.) Make no mistake, you WILL need to study. That may be quite a shock if it’s not what you’re used to. However, my girls love it at Tech and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.</p>
<p>My Son is a CS freshman at GA Tech this year. While he has only been there one month I can tell you that he is very, very happy. He has CS events and club meetings constantly and we have heard nothing but positive things so far about his experience. We had also worried about the “killer workload” but in our last phone call he told me that he has more free time now then he ever had in his very competitive HS. He has not taken high level CS classes yet and does not have to take any lab science classes because he had AP credit so that may help with giving him an easier schedule. If you are used to AP level work, you will be fine.</p>
<p>Son is a CS Sophomore at GA Tech. Like the OP, did not study much in HS, a pretty competitive HS, and did well. I think he will tell you that you will have to study at Tech and it is tough, but not as torturous as they say. The important thing is to go to class and do all of the work/practice work they give you…best way to be prepared come test time. GA Tech also does a lot to support students, if they avail themselves of the services. Their newest building, the CULC, has available tutoring for some of those tougher/weeder courses. Plus, Freshman can be part of the Freshman Experience in which you’ll find tutoring and study groups in the dorms. As far as the guy/girl ratio, you really need to visit and spend time on campus. True, in your CS classes there are not many girls, but having visited a few times and having attended Family Weekend both years, the ratio does not appear that bad…just my observation.</p>
<p>the m/f ratio is making me think twice about applying there for grad school; but that’s the nature of STEM; good for girls, bad for guys. I also heard it’s in a bad part of Atlanta.</p>
<p>I’m at tech now. I’m only a freshman and I gotta say, the work is pretty challenging but you can’t just go into college expecting to breeze your way by like in high school. I mean honestly, it’s one of the top public universities in the country, it’s gonna be hard. I used to procrastinate a ton in high school and that’s kinda stayed with me which is making my grades slip now but I’m starting to manage my time better and get work done ahead of time.
Socially, yea it’s a tech school so you’re gonna find quite a few socially awkward people here and there but everyone here is so nice. I’ve been to emory a few times with my friends and while there may be a lot more of them and they might be a bit more attractive, they’re not nearly as nice as the girls here.<br>
And so far (though im only a freshman) I haven’t had any weekends where I’ve been so crammed that I’ve absolutely had to stay in on friday and Saturday night. It definitely would be helpful to but I’ve never been that busy. Just get your work done, stay ahead, go to class (I can’t stress that enough. Its entirely too easy to just skip), and go to your TA/professor if you’re ever behind. Most are more than helpful.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions</p>