<p>Hello,
I am an international freshman applicant from Turkey, and am determined to pursue my education in electronical engineering. So far I got acceptance from Gatech and Purdue Engineering. I'd like to know which institution is stronger for engineering.
I heard some rumors that though Gatech has an awesome graduate program, but its undergraduate education is lacking. Rumor has it that Gatech uses all of its resources for graduate students. Is it true?
Lastly, I am not a social life maniac but I am also not willing to stay depressed all the time in a foreign country. Which do you think is easier to adapt. What about the tolerance levels for diversity, including those from muslim religion. I heard some 'scary' superstituons about people being to untolerant on the religious issues, esspecially in the south. Does it count for Gatech?</p>
<p>With my sincerest thanks for the time you will spend writing a reply,</p>
<p>I went to GaTech for undergrad, and am going there for grad too. I would not say that the undergraduate education is in any way lacking. This school has very strong undergraduate engineering departments. There is probably a feeling among undergraduates that professors devote more of their time to their research and graduate students than their undergraduate classes and students. In that respect, I will probably agree with them. The professors here will not "baby" their undergraduate students. You are expected to learn the material. Sometimes that means you will have to do it on your own. There is a sink or swim mentality, and you will be expected to work very hard. </p>
<p>Georgia Tech's graduate programs are generally ranked higher than their undergrad programs, but don't worry. Georgia Tech's undergraduate programs are still very highly ranked and respected. </p>
<p>Social life will be a difficult choice. Purdue is a VERY large school with many different colleges and types of people. You will be exposed to more diverse group of individuals with different interests. At Georgia Tech, about 60% are engineering majors, with about 15% computer science. That means 3/4 of the people on campus are going to be technical majors. This might be good if that's the type of environment you are looking for, but it might not be. </p>
<p>The other aspect of social life is the surrounding area. Georgia Tech is right in the heart of Atlanta. Purdue (from what I have heard) is in the middle of no where. I have often read that people at Purdue are miserable because there is nothing left to do outside of campus. I haven't been there, so I will leave that for someone else to confirm or deny. If you want a "big city" type atmosphere, Tech is the way to go. </p>
<p>In terms of religious and cultural tolerance, I suppose I can't comment since I am not of Muslim or of middle eastern descent. In terms of demographic breakdowns of the school, 74% white, 7% african american, 15% asian/pacific, 4% hispanic. 95% are domestic, 5% are international students. I would generalize most people here as being fairly tolerant. I can't say that I've seen every side of the story, but people here will not go as far as attacking anyone based solely on a person being Muslim. However, tensions are quite high between the US and other Muslim countries. Therefore, people will naturally become very defensive if anyone becomes overtly vocal and hostile in any way. Despite the leadership of Atlanta, the city and the state in general are quite conservative. But I would not say that these issues are unique to either Georgia Tech or Purdue. The "intolerance" of the south is largely a historical legacy. That is not to say that people here are completely tolerant of every other culture and nationality, but it would not be unique to this part of the country. I know of many students that are from muslim countries that have come to Tech and done very well. However, I will also admit that these individuals have assimilated to American culture. I cannot comment on how much intolerance a person will face if they practice more traditional muslim customs.</p>
<p>As for the city atmosphere, I am coming from a metropol with some 12 million population, therefore Atlanta may seem more appealing in that way.</p>
<p>Thank you for writing. Much appreciated!!!:)</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, do you know anyone who went to MIT for graduate school? How you feel Gatech's standing is when put together with MIT, esspecially for Electrical Eng.?</p>
<p>If you read the reviews on studentsreview.com about these two schools you might be able to see some general trends. These reviews do, however, need to be taken with a grain of salt! Be sure to read the section called "comments."</p>