Should I move to Georgia to increase my chances of acceptance to Georgia Tech?

I know this probably sounds bizarre but if you had the possibility and were in my shoes would you do it? Hear me out. Georgia Tech is my absolute dream school, I would give anything to go there for college. I will most likely do a major in CS and I know Tech has a extremely selective program for CS; this combined with the fact that I am a high income Asian-Indian male does not bode well for me. However, having done some research, I have found that Georgia Tech accepts far more applicants inside the state of Georgia than outside. My family is VERY supportive of my academic career and I am both proud and grateful for this; we talked about this possibility and if my dad is not able to relocate, me and my mom will rent an apartment out for about a year so I can finish my senior year and be qualified for both in-state tuition and the "increased acceptance rate’. I am only a sophomore and I realize this is big thinking for me but I am just trying to weigh my options here. As far as my academics, I currently have an UW GPA of 3.85, ACT-30, projected to take 10 AP courses, a 8/10 regarding ECs. Please give me your thoughts on this subject and some pros and cons. I would appreciate it a lot.

If it helps I live in Missouri. Thanks!

We actually considered this. It’s not entirely crazy. For us, the Georgia line is 15 minutes from our current home. Moving across the state line meant an increase in income tax of about $10k for the year that we lived there prior to college, then $10k/year for every year he was a student. In-state tuition would offset the $50k we’d pay in income tax, plus another $30k. So really, we’d only save about $30k, over the 4 years, or $7k/year.

I don’t know if your mom works and would have a Georgia income, I don’t know if you’re Dad staying in your home state would actually allow you to claim residence, without Georgia income. For sure you’d have to claim the apartment as your primary residence. You have to check all that out. You have a little time if you’re a sophomore - we didn’t consider this until summer prior to senior year. So at least you’re ahead of the game.

While GT was high on my sons list, we weren’t sure if he’d 1-get in, 2 - go. Their admissions is holistic. So taking that financial risk wasn’t worth it. Do I think he would have gotten in if we’d moved? Maybe. My son has a 36 ACT and a 3.9 UW GPA and was rejected OOS.

As they say, the multiple of anecdote is not a trend…

Thanks for the reply! Wow, your son did not get in with those statistics? This worries me.

I would never ever do this - uprooting your family, leaving behind friends, etc. - just for a “dream school.” What’s so special about GT that absolutely can’t be found anywhere else? What’s Plan B if you don’t get in? Many very high stats in-state students were not admitted.

I see, I am just very passionate about the school and I am trying my hardest to increase my chances of acceptance. High stat in-state students were not admitted could you elaborate on that?

Overall I think it is a terrible idea for a multitude of reasons. Here are a few that come to mind quickly:

  1. If you move senior year you will disrupt your academics (ex. you may not be able to get the classes you want at a new school, there may be new graduation requirements to fulfill, you may not do as well in a new school where you have to adjust to new teachers, new routines etc.).

  2. It will disrupt your ECs and any leadership positions you might have had at your school will evaporate. Since colleges practice holistic admissions this could be a negative.

  3. Socially you and your mother would have no friends in the area and it could be a very difficult adjustment. And wouldn’t your mom be quite unhappy without your dad there? Support for a child is one thing, uprooting one’s life is another.

  4. As noted above you would have be be very clear about the definition of in-state residency. You may or may not qualify if you move there senior year and your dad continues to live, work, and pay taxes to another state. You need to do the research very carefully.

  5. This idea is the definition of putting all your eggs in one basket. Even being a GA resident will in no way guarantee your admittance to GT.

  6. I’d strongly recommend that you give up the idea of a dream school and when the time comes work to create a solid college list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (find out your parents’ budget and run the net price calculator for each school) and that you would be happy to attend. The people I see who get hurt by the college admission process are the ones who focus on one or two hyper-competitive schools and then don’t get in. Cast a wide net and recognize that (assuming no major hook) GT is a reach for pretty much everyone.

  7. If you love GT, there are other excellent but slightly less competitive schools you would love as well (if you allow yourself to). A few ideas offhand might be WPI, RPI, URochester. Get a good college guide book (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) from the library and start reading – you will find a world of wonderful options out there. No reason to be stuck on one school.

  8. I would suggest your study for and re-take the ACT or perhaps try the SAT during junior year.

Thank you guys for all the replies. I now fully agree that moving to Georgia may not be the best idea and I will rethink my priorities and my parent’s intentions. Thank you all once again.

From the results/discussion threads:

Denied
4.3/4 Weighted GPA
1530 SAT
34 ACT
Highlight of ECs included an internship at GT this past summer
In state (Cobb)
Aerospace Engineering

Deferred, 1510, 3.9 unweighted 4.58 weighted, 12 AP’s and 7 Dual Enrollment in state Indian Male, not too surprised but still slightly dissapointing

Plus I know of another high stats in-state kid who was denied EA.

And then there is this: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/georgia-institute-technology/2048755-shocked-parent-advice-please-p1.html

Don’t do it. My nephew is a resident legacy (Tech considers legacy status) with two parents who were very prominent
while students at Tech & very successful afterwards. Had a 1450 SAT, 31 ACT & 3.7X GPA & was not accepted to Tech but offered conditional admission as a sophomore if he satisfactorily completed a year of designated courses at another school.

In OP’s favor, however, may be rigor of coursework. Nevertheless, CS is very selective.

You really need to find some options in addition to Georgia Tech. It’s not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket, academically or emotionally; you are setting yourself up for failure.

IMHO, Moving to Georgia is not as good as moving to a sparsely populated state, such as North Dakota, Montana, Alaska, etc. Many colleges want representatives from all 50 states. So if you move to Alaska and can beat all other Alaskans who apply to Georgia Tech (which could be only a handful; you may even be the only one) you will get in. Heck, you may get in the Ivies, MIT, Stanford for that reason as well.

We went to many college info sessions and quite a few colleges mentioned that they had 0 applicants from North Dakota. That’s why I put North Dakota as the #1 relocation choice.

Anther option is considering transfer. If you got rejected by GT, go to UGA or Georgia State and transfer after you finished 30 credit hours. Both of my friend’s sons transferred from Georgia State at the beginning of sophomore year and both graduated with honor in 4 years.