Just a quick note, I’ve recently also post this in the UIUC thread.
I’ve recently been accepted to GA Tech and UIUC for Computer Engineering. I am pretty torn in choosing where to go. I’ve been doing a lot of research to figure that in terms of the quality of education/reputation for those schools- they are on par so I will take this out of the equation (am I correct or am I being too premature?).
Focusing on the other aspects, here are what I would like to find out and get your opinions on
Learning environment: I’ve heard from a friend that GA tech learning environment can be really stressful and competitive; but UIUC is also a top-notch program so I’m guessing it can’t be too different??
Community: What is the community like? I imagine UIUC to be a bit more laid back since it is a bigger school, which means more students, diversity, student activities etc?
Hand on experience: Both schools boast on their excellent facilities, but as an undergraduate student, do we get a lot of opportunity/privilege to learn/enjoy those facilities or are they more kept for masters, Ph.D etc…
Intern and Coop: I am an international student, which school will provide me with better chance in this area?
Job Placement: Which school has better alumni network and is a bigger feeder to corporations in this industry?
The city/town environment: The biggest different between these two schools for me are these two places: Atlanta and Champagne. I know I will enjoy Atlanta since I have been living in an urban city my whole life. But how exactly does Champagne fare in this aspect? Is it really dead like what many people say?
Please let me know your opinions on this, feel free to comment me if I am wrong in anyway
Hey buckhum! Im from Georgia. I have applied to and got accepted at GT and tying to make this decision too. This is what i have gathered from visiting/ friends about GT
Yeah you will be very busy. But ive been told if you work well all week you can still be social friday night/ saturday/ sunday as long as you work all week.
There are tons of student activities! If there isnt a club for somthing you can make it. A lot of greek life. Yeah it may all be a little nerdy but its a smart school. On top of that GT football was ranked 8 in BCS (8th in the country) this year so theres that.
They have this thing called the invention lab you can use to 3d print stuff, build stuff which you only have to pay material costs (im like 90% sure its for all undergraduates even underclassmen)
GT goes hard on co-ops and is considered one of the best universities for co ops
Not so sure about the alumni network but GT is well respected in the engineering industry and you will have a well established network at least in the South of the US.
Atlanta is known for young money and hip hop. So there's that.
@Peachstateboy Thanks for your input. I’ve also been told that mid town area around GA tech can be pretty unsafe esp at night. Do you happen to know a bit about this?
My D goes to Tech so I will share with you my impressions.
Safety- Midtown is great and pretty safe. I would say the area around one of the Marta stops is not the best but on the whole MIdtown is great. You can check the Clery Act log for a reports of crime. It is on the GTPD website.
Career Opportunities. Tech's career opportunity center is awesome. Companies fight over the ability to attend the career and co-op fair. CareerBuzz is filled with tons of listings. Most of my D's friends have jobs lined up in the fall for this summer. The employed at graduation rate is really high. My D's inbox of her email is filled with invitations to meet with companies or attend company presentations. In fact there is frankly too many opportunities and you really have to be disciplined because you want to attend everything. My D is only a freshman and is getting an award. She just got an email that at the ceremony company X would like her to sit with them so they can talk to her. She is in three organizations and each publishes a weekly blast filled with opportunities. My D has only one semester of grades under her belt but already she is a semi-finalist for a fellowship with a major company.
Co-op- one of Tech's strongest attributes. The main reason why my D chose Tech over other schools. This gives students practical experiences which companies love.
Research. It is most definitely not left to the graduate students. My D right now is in a special program that has a research component. Check out the VIP research program for freshman and sophs. Right now a lot of money is pouring into Tech so there is a lot of research opportunities. Tech Square is great with all the innovative centers for the students.
Community. The main reason my D chose Tech over other places is the community. It is not like your typical engineering institute. The students are really cool and fun. See if you can find a series of videos Tech did about two weeks ago when President Obama spoke on campus. I was really impressed by the students and it showed a lighter side to them. You can be a Greek (game days are a blast) you can do intramurals (my D played on three teams), you can do just about any kind of activity. Tons of clubs. It strikes me that students at Tech try to make the most of the opportunities given to them but try to have fun. As the other poster stated, the weekends are for fun while they are very serious during the week. Atlanta is great for music so many students do the festivals like Mid-Town. Rolling Stones are going to perform at Bobby Dodd.
Academic Environment. I will not lie; Tech is hard, but frankly all engineering is hard. My D studies a lot but she says that if you have good time management it should not be a problem. She gets 7 hours of sleep a night and is in a sorority and special program. She got the best grades of her life her first semester. Teachers are willing to meet and help students. Tech is not cutthroat but rather a collaborative effort. I visited my D last month; students were working together in their dorm study lounge on homework. Whenever I call my D she is with other students working together. There are tutors; special plus sessions etc. If you don't have good time management and spend a lot of time doing video games in your room then Tech can most definitely be difficult. My D says the extra effort is well worth it; she has learned a ton.
Good luck making your decision. I know your other school is good but I don’t know much about it to make a comparison. I just wanted to share with you my D’s experience. If you decide to go to Tech see if you can get into a special program for your freshman year like Grand Challenges.
Urbana-Champaign is a small college town in the middle of flat farm areas, and you will be utterly bored there coming from a large city. Atlanta is a metro area of six million people. You will have endlessly more opportunities for everything imaginable in Atlanta. Just within a few blocks of Ga Tech are tech companies, skyscrapers, Piedmont Park, the High Museum of Atlanta, theatres and of course cafes and such, plus public transportation to many more places, and the world’s busiest airport to fly in and out of so it’s easy for you to get to Tech. Ga Tech alumni are all over the USA and world. You won’t have any trouble at all getting amazing co-op experiences and job opportunities through Ga Tech. Atlanta is also a very international city, with people here from all over the world, so I think you will like it for that reason as well.
@buckhum yes midtown west of GT is somewhat unsafe at night however east is an upscale restaurant area. GT is very aware of this and have a very responsive police force (average response time of around 50 seconds) and a special nighttime shuttle service that they encourage you to use to bring you form any location to any other location on campus that you may call. Basically you are fairly safe as long as you are not dumb.
Hi all, thanks very much for your respond. I am definitely leaning more towards GA Tech now, largely due to the reason I cannot see myself living in Champange (I’ve been living in a city of 7 million ppl all my life)
@GMTplus7 No I have not and I don’t think that I will get an opportunity to (I currently live in South East Asia) so google street is now my good friend in terms of location