Is Georgia Tech a Reach or a Match for Me?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Georgia Institute of Technology
1

<p>Last year, I thought Georgia Tech would be a reach for me, but based on reading these threads, I'm more confused. Would this school be a reach or more of a match?</p>

<p>Caucasian Male
Washington
Public High School / Rising Senior</p>

<p>Stats:
PSAT: 228 (NMS Finalist candidate)
SAT: 2230 (R 740, M 760, W 730) / took once in May 2010; not taking again
ACT: 34 (E 32, M 35, R 33, Sci 35) / not taking again
SAT IIs: not taking
APs: Calculus AB in 10th, English Lang & Comp in 11th
Dual-Enrollment at College: Attended HS and college junior year; will attend only college senior year. Will graduate HS with ~90 college credits (Calculus II, III, Multivariable, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Engineering Physics I, II, III, English 102, etc.)</p>

<p>HS GPA: 3.99 UW (WA does not weight GPAs or rank students)
College GPA: 4.00</p>

<p>ECs:
Substance Abuse Peer Educator: Prevention on county and state level; facilitator at town hall meetings, present projects at state summits and forums; many leadership awards; many hours</p>

<p>Undercover Youth Operative: Performs retail tobacco and alcohol compliance checks under supervision of a state handler</p>

<p>Varsity Swim (9, 10, 11, 12): Captain (11, 12) State (9, 10, 11, 12?)
Knowledge Bowl (9, 10, 11, 12): Districts Champs (9, 10, 11, 12?) State (11)
Key Club (9, 10, 11, 12)
National Honor Society (10, 11, 12)
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (11, 12)</p>

<p>Plans:
Major: Engineering / Aerospace</p>

<p>Applying to:
Georgia Tech (reach), Purdue (match?), University of Washington (match), University of Alabama (safety), Auburn University (safety)</p>

<p>Any other schools worth checking??</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>If the stats are real, you have no problem. But obviously these are fake stats (a 3.99? At least make it something realistic), I’m simply waiting to see how you’re going to ■■■■■ the forum.</p>

3

<p>Fake stats? No. I got one A- in high school my sophomore year. Just checked my transcript…3.993</p>

<p>Why would you think I was making it up?</p>

4

<p>Hmm…if these are your real stats you are definitely in…but i find it the part about graduating H.S with ~90 college credits hard to believe.</p>

5

<p>It’s certainly possible. I know many people at Emory like that, and I mean a lot. In fact one of my best friends is like that because the profs. from UMich. Ann Arbor would come to her highschool and teach the advanced coursework. I have several friends from some program in Texas that lets you enroll at a college really early. Sometimes they come in with about 100 credits and have to drop some (only 32 AP/IB can be accepted, but I think the amount of credits accepted from such programs is different).</p>

<p>However, I have to wonder if he is ■■■■■■■■, because a person with his stats and ECs would probably also be trying for at least Berkeley, and maybe Stanford (perhaps a reach because I had about the same Composite and I wouldn’t dare apply). But then again I doubt it. That type of record seems very common now-a-days for students considering top schools. Again, I know many with similar, if not better records for both academics and ECs. Just don’t put all of this on your essays/ECs or else you’ll seem like a “resume whore” or pompous. Many admissions officers/staff at Top schools are turned off by such things now-a-days, which is why they normally ask which of them was most meaningful, so they can see past you. If you put a typical/generic response for that question, you may be deemed as a “resume whore”.</p>

<p>Is the college you are attending on a 4 credit hour system like we are. If so, the typical course load is 32 hours per year at such schools (4 courses per semester), unless you overload (up to 22 is allowed here). If normal load, I count a max of 72, if overloading 92. That is if the system is the same as it is here. Makes me question the difficulty of the college you’re enrolled at also. I would recommend perhaps retaking some of the calc/math courses at Tech if you go. They will probably only accept up to a certain amount, so just opt not to transfer some of the math courses. When you get in the math intensive engineering courses, they expect you to know Tech level math, which is very difficult.</p>

6

<p>Not a ■■■■■.</p>

<p>I took AP Calculus AB as a sophomore. A week before my junior year started, I was told that AP Calculus BC and AP Physics were canceled due to lack of interest. I had run out of math courses at my high school. Washington state has a program called Running Start where high school students can attend college part-time or full-time for free, as long as they complete their high school credits. Since I wanted to continue studies in math and physics, I started the program in fall of 2009.</p>

<p>The college I attend is on the quarter system. For instance, Differential Equations is a 5 unit class. Normal course load is 13-15 units per quarter / 40 units per year. I attend during summers too. All of my courses are transferable to U of WA, with U of WA’s engineering department carefully monitoring the rigor and content…from what I have been told. That being said, I’m sure GT’s are more difficult. I’m hoping to transfer my English comp, Spanish and soft science courses but agree with you, bernie2012, and plan on repeating some of my math and most definitely my engineering physics if I attend GT.</p>

<p>I’m not considering Berkeley because I am out-of-state and cannot afford the out-of-state tuition. I am not considering Stanford because I do not have the necessary SAT IIs. I’m not interested in the Ivy schools nor do I consider myself competitive enough for them. U of WA’s tuition is affordable and U of Alabama and Auburn U will give me full rides for NMF status. So that leaves me wondering about Georgia Tech and Purdue…in terms of admission and finances.</p>

<p>I work hard for my grades; the A grades don’t come easy in the harder college math courses. I suppose that’s why I was wondering if Georgia Tech was a reach or a match.</p>

7

<p>You do not need to worry because you will get into all the schools above. You also have a great shot at the President’s Scholarship. You should also try to apply to other schools like MIT, Stanford, and Caltech.</p>

8

<p>MIT and Caltech are crapshoots and it depends on what you want to do I guess. GT is solid for Aerospace (extremely). I only recommended Berkeley and Stanford because they have undergraduate engineering programs slightly higher ranked than Tech. Also, will GT cost you that much less than Berkeley. I wouldn’t recommend Ivies because none really have top engineering programs. Yeah, but not taking SAT IIs will rule out MIT, CalTech, and Stanford. Consider GT’s presidential scholarship.</p>

9

<p>Don’t worry about these people taking shots at you, PNWguy. While ■■■■■■ are a problem sometimes, there is nothing in your OP that would lead anyone to believe that should be the case. You are just an extremely high achiever, good for you. You should be very proud of your record to date.</p>

<p>Georgia Tech is, of course, a great school, especially for engineering. It is true that with your stats you could get into some higher ranked schools, some that give excellent merit scholarships. Have you thought about Rice? Carnegie Mellon? Just a couple of others to consider. Check one other: Washington University in St. Louis. Not only is this a top 15 school with an Aerospace major, but McDonell-Douglas used to have a major presence in St. Louis. I don’t know where that stands though. And Wash U does have merit scholarships that you would have a shot at.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

10

<p>Agree that you have a great shot at the Pres. Scholarship at Ga Tech, so get your application in early!! Have you looked at Rose-Hulman?</p>

11

<p>^I can’t believe you just told him he had a great shot at PSP and then suggested he look at RHIT.</p>

12

<p>^^ Why? Just because a person might have a shot at a good scholarship doesnt mean they will get it, nor does it mean the school is the best fit for them. He should look at lots of options.</p>

13

<p>But he is way beyond the level of RHIT assuming his report is accurate/no lying. He should take SAT II’s and apply to some reachier schools than RHIT. Maybe take a look at Northwestern, Vandy, UCLA, etc…</p>

14

<p>It is considered a very strong engineering school in many areas. If he doesnt want powerhouses like MIT or Cal Tech, it might be worth a look. I know several people who turned down GA Tech for it,</p>

15

<p>Another engineering school I wish I applied to (but probably would not have made it in to) was Harvey Mudd. They’re a small, tough, unique, undergrad-focused engineering school. I’d highly suggest at least giving them a quick look.</p>

16

<p>The main things that tipped me off about a possible ■■■■■:</p>

<ul>
<li>The guy’s name is PNWguy, which is almost “pwnguy”</li>
<li>A 34 ACT/3.99 UWGPA/90 College Credit student wouldn’t need to question his ability to get into a public school. His guidance counselor should have told him to apply to Stanford/MIT.</li>
<li>Worked as an undercover narcotics officer - sounds really far fetched, like someone made it up.</li>
</ul>

<p>All-in-all, the poster has all the hallmarks of a ■■■■■. Maybe he’s not and it’s a legitimate post. If so as long as he puts in reasonable essays, he should get into all of the above colleges with some money. But I’ve still got a feeling there’s something strange going on, here.</p>

17

<p>@BanjoHitter</p>

<ul>
<li><p>PNWguy = Pacific Northwest guy…as in Seattle, Washington</p></li>
<li><p>After reading the stats of most of the posters on College Confidential, one does begin questioning one’s self (i.e., I only have 2 AP classes while others have many, many more). There are kids with stats way higher than mine who don’t get into some of the schools I’m considering. And, “my” guidance counselor is overworked, puts in long hours, and is, quite honestly, more concerned about helping kids get into one of Washington’s/Oregon’s state schools; he’s really not that knowledgeable about schools outside the PNW. The responsibility for my college search is on me and that’s fine.</p></li>
<li><p>I never said I worked as an undercover narcotics officer. I wrote “Undercover Youth Operative: Performs retail tobacco and alcohol compliance checks under supervision of a state handler.” I don’t have anything to do with narcotics and I am not an officer. I work with an officer. I try to buy cigarettes or beer. If a clerk sells to me, the officer issues a citation. Oh…and its volunteer work.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>I would like to thank everyone else who has PM’ed me and posted suggestions. I am going to take a hard look at some of the recommended schools during the weekend.</p>

18

<p>LOL, the poster had all the hallmarks of a ■■■■■ except that it was obvious that PNW is Pacific Northwest, since he clearly said he was from Washington and then later used the WA abbreviation that differentiated it from DC, and that Banjo somehow took an extremely clear statement about tobacco and alcohol and turned it into narcotics, and changed him from working under a state handler to an officer. I am also not sure why “pwnguy” would make someone a ■■■■■, but whatever.</p>

<p>There are enough real ■■■■■■ out there. Let’s not falsely accuse people, especially with a sloppy reading of their posts.</p>

19

<p>You write: " SAT: 2230 (R 740, M 760, W 730) / took once in May 2010; not taking again"</p>

<p>I wonder why not? you may have a chance to get a REALLY nice score … my son had a similar score in his first test and improved it to a 2390 … which opened a few doors for him and brough some $$ - also from GT !!</p>

20

<p>PNWguy might be asking about level of difficulty once he arives and has to compete on the bell curve. Fact is that you have to be willing to out work your peers, some work less hard because they are that smart, but don’t count on it when you get there, remember some of the kids you are competing with will get deported if their GPA gets too low, that is a lot of motivation. Also keep in mind that the international kids are the top 1% of their nation, they are really smart and really motivated so don’t go to Buckhead too much, but when you do go Fado is an awesome Irish pub, and ask for a menu the food is amazing, and the women at the bar will be impressed that you go to Tech, so wear the sweat shirt.</p>