What would you tell a HS senior.........

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgia Institute of Technology
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<p>Who wants to apply to Gtech? Pros and Cons of attending GTech.</p>

<p>I am a parent of senior Son, who is bright but not a bookworm. Gladly puts in the effort if the subject or the teachers is interesting. Not really a language or history kind. Does well in Math/Physics and Tech courses. Has done Java in HS. Recently wrote 3 iPhone apps. All on his own interest.</p>

<p>He is not your average partier but likes to hang out with interesting people from all walks of life.</p>

<p>I think he has a 50-50 chance of getting in at GTech. Has the SAT scores; GPA is so-so.</p>

<p>Would love to hear your views, about the student body, the environment, the overall experience, Thanks!</p>

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<p>No one wants to reply…I am quite surprised.</p>

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<p>I kind of wish I could have my question answered too. The GT section has been really inactive over the past to weeks. I guess, students are settling back into college life so they can’t answer questions.</p>

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<p>pixeljig, this would be easier if you had specific questions… </p>

<p>Pros: An elite engineering school, nice campus, in-state tuition is cheap, competitive football and basketball programs.</p>

<p>Cons: Most people don’t graduate in 4 yrs (engineering), engineering is graded on a curve, not many attractive girls.</p>

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<p>That is also why I didn’t respond. The pros and cons would take about 45 mins to an hour to write, not to mention that there are many aspects of the college that are pros or cons depending on personal preference.</p>

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<p>Generally, I’ve found the students here to be fairly nice. Shyness is common, but most of the time, if you just say “hi” you’ll get smiles and friendly small talk. True jerks do exist, of course, but they are rare.</p>

<p>I had never noticed it before, but one trait that does distinguish Tech from many other public universities is the hustle and bustle of its students. We generally don’t just hang out during the day on campus; we’re always walking to and from class. It seems to be part of our culture; I’ve heard that when Tech integrated, local journalists were unable to interview students for their opinions because all students replied, “I have to go to class, sorry.”</p>

<p>Overall, I’ve been happy here. You’re responsible for yourself, which I like a lot. My only grievance is what I perceive as the atrocious management of the Bill Moore Tennis Center. During the fall, if you want to play at times other than the weekend, you have to pay the Tennis Club for access to the courts. When it gets cold during the early Spring, the employees won’t unlock the gates even though they’re supposed to, so if you want to play, you have to jump the fence. The courts are wonderful, but you can hardly use them!</p>

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<p>Thank you all for replying! I was waiting for G.P Burdell to respond :)</p>

<p>Son left the US when he was four, he has grown up outside of US in cosmopolitan cities and has learnt to appreciate different cultures. He has been to 8 different schools in 16 years and changed residences 8 times! So, he is very adaptable and likes to meet different people. Not a partier but likes to be around people. Likes to eat at different restaurants and watch movies.</p>

<p>Coming to the GPA and study habits, they could be better. He is bright and intense when it comes to knowledge, just a little bit laid back when it comes to studying and writing reports, but does extremely well in tests! Loves programming, loves computers!</p>

<p>I know he could do it if he wanted to - I have heard GT is hard, but how hard? Is there motivation/exciting courses to take? Is the faculty helpful and friendly or are they serious and dry? Do kids generally seem happy or are they stressed?</p>

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<p>Tech really isn’t that difficult. The issue is more the competition for students. For instance, consider a student who has been one of the top students in his high school for the past 4 years and who never studies because things come natural to him. Now move that student to Tech, where every student was at the top of their high school class and extremely intelligent - basically someone who went from one of the top to average.</p>

<p>That student can do one of two things: (1) not study and fall behind, or (2) work hard and get back to the top. Tech has a reputation for being difficult because if a student chooses path #1, there’s no outlet. At other students, someone could transfer to Hotel Management or Communications or some other “easy major” and get back to being a top student with little effort. But at Tech, all majors are difficult, and there’s no easy way out. If you decide to not work, you either leave, fail out, or graduate with a low GPA and no job.</p>

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<p>It depends on your definition of exciting. Tech really lacks the “fun electives” of other colleges: bowling, archery, Philosophy of the Simpsons, etc. Most students take Physics or Psychology as electives. And to some degree, this is a moot point since most Tech degrees have little room for free electives. </p>

<p>Regardless, there are plenty of motivating opportunities around campus. Tech has the most preeminent Co-Op / Internship program in the country that will allow a student to earn good money ($20-$30/hr) while gaining real world experience. Tech has excellent undergraduate research opportunities - as good or better than all other peer universities.</p>

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<p>You’ll get a mix. In chemical engineering, for instance, you could have a socially awkward guy who don’t look at the class when he teaches or a professor that is literally a stand up comedian. And that’s for the same class. </p>

<p>At any research school, though, you’ll find professors hired for research prestige rather than teaching ability. That doesn’t mean that they’re bad educators - at a top research university, you will take classes from the people that invented theory, wrote the books you study, and that can add the latest state-of-the-art knowledge to a topic. At a teaching university, you’ll have an instructor who is more personable, but has knowledge of a topic that is 20 years old (or however long it’s been since he or she was in his or her doctorate program). </p>

<p>In addition, teaching professors usually don’t understand a topic as thoroughly as the research experts in the field - not only because of lack of experience, but because the “top students” from a PhD program pursue research careers, usually (it pays more, is more prestigious, and offers a better lifestyle).</p>

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<p>Both. That mostly depends on the kid.</p>

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<p>Sorry for jumping in! This is my first post and I am also somewht like the OP’s son.</p>

<p>I am not in the top 10% of class, in some classes (like AP Calc, yes) but in most classes I am in top 25% - 50%. My school is very hard and I have taken the toughest courses every year. Sometimes I forget to read up the previous night and I do poorly on the pop quiz, get a C, then I will really pull it together and get a B+ in the finals! I wait till the last moment and I know thats not good.</p>

<p>My question is with a 3.5GPA tought rigor and 2100 SAT will I manage to get in and survive if I am willing to work hard? Thanks!</p>

<p>I want to do Software Engnr or Industrial Design.</p>

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<p>Two questions: are you in-state and what was your math SAT score?</p>

<p>You certainly have a reasonable chance of getting in if you’re out-of-state and you have a high math SAT score. My (in)famous “copied the wrong essay” friend got in with a 2.9 GPA but high overall SAT score (>2300). He’s a nerd in every sense of the word; he was not admitted because of athletic talent or potential to score well on the Putnam exam.</p>

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<p>I disagree, but I recognize that this is purely subjective.</p>

<p>In my opinion, there are actually a lot of hot girls at Tech. Of course, the magnitude and proportion is not comparable to, say, FSU, but still - they exist, and they are not rare. Ultimately, the problem for me is lousy pick-up skills; I’m obviously doing something wrong as I’ve been getting the same outcome several times now: I get contact information, contact her, and never get a reply.</p>

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<p>Fabrizio, loving your responses, and as a girl at Tech I can say I thoroughly agree (though without being arrogant), we are quite good looking.</p>

<p>Tech is hard, like any other technical school. But here’s the thing about Tech. Companies recognize the value of a Tech education, that we are worked hard and that we reap the benefits from it. A Tech education is one that will prepare you for the real world (and that’s a lot to say compared to other schools that focus on some questionable electives sometimes). However, I can truly say that the Tech education does prepare you for the real world much better than a lot of other schools. Here, they focus on what you want to do for the rest of your life (whether it’s how to write resumes and conduct interviews for the business world or how to talk to a professor you want to do research with). Based on what some of my friends who have gone on to bigger and more prestigious schools, they don’t do that kind of stuff there. Here, the advisors really do try to help you for the better.
The classes are hard yes, but you really get an opportunity to learn about time management.</p>

<p>As far as social life goes, I think it depends on what kind of person you are. If you are the kind of person who stays in their room all day and doesn’t go out, it’s going to be a bit harder. If you actually try to get involved, you shouldn’t have a problem. As a 3rd year, I can boast a pretty nice social life while balancing sorority, editing the paper, and getting decent grades.</p>

<p>It’s not impossible.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for responding! Son definitely has the potential, but needs motivation. He got 800 on SAT 2 Math 2 and 790 in Physics. Is that going to cut it?</p>

<p>He loves technical stuff, loves to program. He loves to learn for learnings sake. Although I think if everyone around him is studying (he will see it in college v/s high school where people study at home) he should fall into a good pattern.</p>

<p>I am getting a good feeling from all of you.</p>

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<p>Like Burdell said, everyone at GT is smart. You will not graduate in engineering if you aren’t willing to work hard. If you want good grades you have to be at the curve or better. Meaning you could know the material for an exam inside and out but if you don’t know it better than the top x% in your class, you won’t get the grade you deserve for knowing the material.</p>

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<p>There are hot girls. They are all at the business school. You probably aren’t doing anything wrong. Your outcome is the result of 10 other guys who also approached her. All the attractive girls either have bfs or have 10 guys hanging from each arm.</p>

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<p>Are you allowed to change majors? Son is also interested in Business, so could he be in the business school and take CS courses? He has the head for programming and math, but he is not sure of how technical he wants to go.</p>

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<p>GT allows major changes. After the first day of school but before their junior year (60 hours), students get 1 “free” change (that means they can change from any major to any other major without approval). After that first change (or 60 hours), students must obtain approval to transfer into a new major. However, as long as you have a decent GPA, that approval is automatic. There are no slots or caps on majors.</p>

<p>This is in contrast to other schools where you have to apply to transfer, and your application depends on the number of “slots” they have available.</p>

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<p>Fabrizio, I am OOS and my sat 2 Math2 was 800. SAT Math was 800.</p>

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<p>I don’t work for admissions, so of course I cannot say that you are for sure guaranteed admission. However, I would say that being out-of-state and having a perfect SAT math score give you excellent chances.</p>

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<p>Thank you fab and GP and others for the details. I do hope I can get in. I am working on the essays right now and wondering if I should write about my interest in Physics and Math or something else.</p>

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<p>I was wondering what position Georgia Tech holds regarding racial status factoring into admissions. Is being Hispanic, for example, considered a “hook” to any degree for Georgia Tech?</p>