<p>I am applying EA here.</p>
<p>me too! well, its safety but its great</p>
<p>Great~I am from Athens and am taking 2 classes there now. It's awesome. It's a match for me: 28 ACT, top 5% of HS class, difficult schedule</p>
<p>I'm thinking about applying. How competitive is it? How is Athens? Should I live in a dorm or maybe find an apartment?</p>
<p>You are required to live in a dorm as a freshman. Most upperclassmen get an apartement with friends. As far as admissions, it's pretty staightforward. average SAT is about a 1240, average GPA a 3.75, and like to see APs.</p>
<p>When you say 3.75 GPA, do you mean weighted or unweighted?
I'm an out-of-stater by the way.</p>
<p>They don't favor instate over out of state. The 3.75 was obtained off the website. They recalculate your GPA using a certain formula. Just read this:</p>
<p>UGA's Grading Scale</p>
<p>A
Excellent</p>
<p>4.0</p>
<p>B
Good</p>
<p>3.0</p>
<p>C
Satisfactory</p>
<p>2.0</p>
<p>D
Passing</p>
<p>1.0</p>
<p>F
Failure</p>
<p>0.0</p>
<p>High School Grades Carry the Most Weight
We make no bones about it: more than any other single factor, the grades that you earn in your high school courses play the most important role in determining your competitiveness for admission to UGA. Since there are so many different grading scales, not to mention weighting methodologies, we recalculate a GPA for every first-year applicant based only on academic courses taken in the five core areas (with the addition of AP Art and Music Theory courses). Using a standard 4.0 scale [see chart], we convert each grade earned according to the grading scale in use at your high school at the time the course was taken.</p>
<p>Additionally, if a weight is not already added to an individual grade, we raise by the equivalent of one half-letter grade (0.5) each grade earned in an AP or IB course. Unlike nationally- or internationally-normed AP and IB curricula, there is no standardized methodology for the designation of Honors courses. Consequently, it is UGA's policy not to add any weight for these courses when recalculating a student's GPA for admission. We do consider the number of Honors courses a student takes, however, when determining the rigor of his or her overall curriculum.</p>
<p>Could you tell me anything about the dorms? party life? drinking and cops? and anything about the social life in general.</p>
<p>Thanks again for all the info by the way.</p>
<p>The dorms, especially for freshman, are a must for meeting people. Russel is the most common freshman boys dorm. It's OK, nothing luxurious, but decent. You have community bathrooms, but they are kept very clean. The dorm experience, according to people I know there, is so special, and most of your friends for your 4 yrs there will have dormed with you. </p>
<p>From the times I have been partying in Athens, underage drinking is not too difficult at the bars(I'm 17 and had no problem). It's a pretty big party school, but the students "work hard and play hard." I live in Athens, and I have to say that the town is pretty amazing. If you visit, make sure that you explore downtown. There are some amazing restaurants, coffee shops, stores, bars, and ice cream parlors there. Athens also is the birthplace of some great music. REM, John Mayor to name a few. I think that Athens itself is the selling point for most people.</p>
<p>The bars in downtown athens are great: very, very, very good times and hot girls. The cops are not too bad. If you are drunk, they aren't going to neccesarily arrest you, but if you are falling down/puking, then expect a breathalizer. They are pretty strict, though, and are extremely hard on DUI's. But I can't argue with that.</p>
<p>The social life in general is what you make of it. I have to say that the students are way too football obsessed, but the games are a great way to come together and enjoy your times at UGA. </p>
<p>Frats and sororities are fairly prominent here. The majority of students are not in one, but that doesn't mean that they don't dominate the social life.</p>
<p>The best part about UGA is the different types of people represented. I'm not talking racial diversity, but more of the different crowds. You have the artsy group, the grunge group, the preppy frat group, the christian type people, and the dorkier crowd. You just have to find the right people for you.</p>
<p>What about academic life? Professors hard ? Lots of studying? In other words, UGA might be an awesome school, but is it a good academic investment? </p>
<p>I cannot say how much you have helped me decide that UGA is the best choice for me. Thanks alot.
Now I'm just worried about me getting in.</p>
<p>Well, if you are in-state, you don't have to invest anything. Tuition is free. If you are out-of-state, it just depends. It's a great school, especially with academics. The Business School is really great and has an awesome reputation, along with the Grady School of journalism. The sciences are strong, except for engineering(only a general engineering degree, not the best place for this degree). It has an incredible agriculture and vet. schoool(top in the nation). </p>
<p>Om, there are lots of great schools out there, but UGA is a good investement for sure. My brother went there for undergrad. and is going to grad school at Columbia now. </p>
<p>O, and there is a lot of studying. Make sure that you don't screw off too much freshman year like lots of people there. You'll regret it. I don't even go there, but since my bro went there and I live in Athens, I think I am pretty knowledgable. I am in hs now, but took a joint enrollment option with UGA, and am taking a psych. class and a Bio class w/ lab. O, and I am taking a 1 hr. French speaking class. The classes are really hard. My bio class is HUGE, but all the others are less than 25 ppl.</p>
<p>How about transportation? Should freshmen bring cars? How is the ambience of the campus? How far is Atlanta? How are relations with the school and town? </p>
<p>Again, I cannot stress how much you have helped me. I am planning to visit UGA this spring break, but until then, I'm practically clueless. For some reason, I know this is where I want to go no doubt about it.</p>
<p>Transportation is okay at best. Freshmen are still allowed to bring cars, but they are unable to get parking passes to drive to class. So, you can drive around campus, to home and back, just not to class. So, you are going to be riding the buses, no doubt about it. </p>
<p>The buses, from my experiences, suck. They are crowded, uncomfortable, and a hassle. Walking or riding a bike is a much better option, but UGA is so big that that isn't always an option.</p>
<p>Atlanta isn't too far. It's like an 45 minutes to an hour. Most students don't go there...it's really not that great. Personally, Athens is a lot better, and not nearly as ghetto. But if you want to travel there, it's an easy drive.</p>
<p>Athens is a college town, no doubt about it. The students make Athens run. On football game days, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Athens, and everything is just SO crazy. It's like one day your dorm is all quiet and nice, then you wake up one morning, look out your window, and there is a giant flock of people BBQing and partying in the parking lot. It's interesting, but really fun.</p>
<p>The town and the college students have somewhat of a rocky relationship. The town wants to be more family oriented with its residents, but it is just difficult to have both.</p>
<p>If you visit, let me warn you: the tour sucks. The visitors center is not in the center of campus like it should be, and they cart you around, show you some buildings, and then you're done. Make sure that you truly walk around the town, the campus, the buildings, etc. It's a really pretty campus, especially the International Affairs builing(botantical gardens next to it). make sure you find a restaurant to eat at also. They are all good, so it's hard to say which one. I just would really explore the campus and community. It's a great school, but it is not for everyone. It takes a outgoing and strong-willed person to succeed here.</p>
<p>About admissions, is Early Action the best time to apply to increase chances of acceptance?
Do you know anything about their generosity when it comes to finiancial aid?
By the way, I'm from Tennessee, asian, 3.4 to 3.5ish (uw), 4.2(w), taken only Honors and 2 AP classes, best public school in city, top 25% of class of 300. I'm still a junior and I'm dedicated to continue working.</p>
<p>Thanks once again.</p>
<p>EA is the best option. It is not binding and you get a decision back sooner</p>
<p>Is there a greater chance of being accepted while applying EA compared to RD?</p>
<p>Not really that I am aware of</p>
<p>Well I hear in EA they don't accept scores lower than a 1260 and a gpa lower than a 3.9 (weighted I assume). They look only at numbers in early action, so if you don't pass those numbers I would recommend applying for regular. You'd probably just get deferred, so I guess there's no harm in applying EA.</p>
<p>neobez: where did you hear that? Just wondering.</p>
<p>It is true that UGA only looks at numbers the first go round. Any Georgia college counselor will tell you the same. I don't know what the GPA is, but the SAT score needs to be a 1260 to be admitted during the rolling admission. If one doesn't have a 1260, they will be deferred until the April admission notification. UGA is very competitive for the instate students due to the HOPE scholarship. Students with a 4.0 average and under 1260 on their SAT are deferred! Of course, these same students most likely will get in in April, but it is a long wait!</p>
<p>I do not know if the same is true for out of state students.</p>