I’ve been accepted to both and I can’t decide which uni I should go to. I know ranking-wise both are very good in chemical engineering. So I’m more interested in the overall uni life (academically and socially), the whole college experience. Are they rigorous? What is living in Atlanta or Chicago (or Evanston) like? etc.
(Northwestern is ridiculously expensive, but for now let’s ignore that fact)
Both schools are VERY rigorous. Do not be fooled by Georgia Tech being a public school, look at test scores in math.
Georgia Tech is bigger which means both more opportunities and sometimes larger class sizes but many upper level classes are smaller. Compare the department sizes rather than the whole school.
There is over lap between materials science, chemical engineering and biomedical engineering at both schools.
Northwestern’s binding early decision is about the same difficulty as GT but GT is a self selecting pool of top math students.
Northwestern Offers many strong departments including journalism, music and chemistry as well as chemical engineering. The location is suburban on the lake but purple line will get you down south to the city.
Georgia Tech is a surprisingly beautiful campus within walking distance of urban Atlanta. It has a better rank for engineering than Northwestern and a somewhat more nerdy feel. Foreign languages, international studies, architecture and business are all good. gT offers a campus in France, 90 miles from Paris where you may be able to study for a summer or semester. Georgia Tech requires careful planning to finish in four years. The co op relationships are superb for jobs. Both summer and semester co ops are available. Georgia Tech Has the single best college outdoor education in kayaking, mountain biking and rock climbing in the country. There are trips planned every weekend to the Appalachia which is just north of campus.
Illinois is not so good for outdoor activities given its flat and suburban, but Lake Michigan offers rowing and sailing in the fall. The winters are harsh.
Yet Northwestern may be better if you want an Ivy like student body or a cold weather location. Chicago and Atlanta are both hotbeds for jobs. Both have thriving high tech too, both have research hospitals. Georgia Tech and Emory U Medical offer biomedical engineering that is top. Northwestern has its own medical school, should your research interests be on the medical side of chemical engineering.
Both schools offer good football, I would say. GT has a lot of spirit. Northwestern may be the much better team…!