What's the best College in Georgia with the RETP program?

<p>The Regent's Engineering Transfer Program is a program that Georgia Tech offers in which the student goes to one of fifteen participating colleges and completes the science and math classes gt students complete in their first two years. Once the program is completed, the student is automatically accepted as a transfer to GT. So here's the list of schools that offer the program, and I'd like to know which of these you all think would be the best for engineering in general. Right now I'm thinking Clayton State or Southern Poly might be best for me. Southern Poly is only half an hour from my home so the drive would be easy. What do you guys think? Which school would prepare me for Georgia Tech's curriculum the best assuming I get rejected from Georgia Tech?</p>

<p>Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
Albany State University
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Atlanta Metropolitan College
Clayton State University
Columbus State University
Dalton State College
Gainesville College
Georgia College & State University
Georgia Perimeter College
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southwestern State University
Gordon College
Macon State College
Middle Georgia College
North Georgia College and State University
Savannah State University
Southern Polytechnic State University
University of West Georgia
Valdosta State University</p>

<p>I think Southern Poly is a good idea. Lucky that you live close and have an easy commute. Plus SPSU should have more students from the Atlanta area which has some of the best high schools in Georgia. SPSU must get more students interested in engineering than most of these schools. Many of the schools on this list usually attract liberal arts / humanities students. I know many kids that are taking a few classes at Georgia Perimeter after leaving another college due to bad grades. I don’t think it would be the best place to try to prepare for the very challenging engineering class at GT. IMO driving down to south Georgia is one of the most boring routes in the world. I don’t see the reason for you to do that several times a year and pay room and board. To prepare for Georgia Tech, you want to challenge yourself as much as possible, develop excellent study skills and time management skills. GT students work hard and are very busy. Good luck getting into Georgia Tech, it is a great school!</p>

<p>FYI, Albany State and Savannah State are both historically black universities. I went to a historically black college myself and my sister-in-law just graduated from Albany State in May - she absolutely loved it, and I loved mine, too. I’m just warning you in case you don’t want that kind of environment.</p>

<p>My sister attended Clayton State for some time before transferring. It’s very much a commuter college, in case that means anything to you. I don’t know, personally it didn’t seem like it had the variety of opportunities you could get elsewhere.</p>

<p>Since Southern Poly is close to you and it’s known for preparing engineering and math/science majors, I’d choose that as a first choice. North Georgia College & State University is also a great university and I would consider that on the list. If you wanted to live away from home, North Georgia would be at the top of my list; if you don’t mind commuting, I suppose I would consider Southern Poly first, then North Georgia. Georgia College & State University would be third. As a graduate of an HBCU myself, I would definitely be considering Savannah State and Albany State, too - they would probably be my third and fourth choices. Valdosta, Georgia Southern, Columbus State, and Armstrong Atlantic are also great schools.</p>

<p>Personally, I would attend a four-year college to transfer to Tech instead of a two-year. The classes are likely to be stronger, and you can have more of a traditional experience if that is important to you. Another note: Macon State College and Middle Georgia College are merging to become a four-year college.</p>

<p>Good points all around. I’ll have to keep weighing my options. Right now, I’m getting pretty set on Southern Poly. It’s got most of what I’m looking for. Strongest engineering program on the list to help prepare me for Georgia Tech. Plus, it’s pretty close to home so I can commute if I don’t decide to live on campus. Thanks for the answers guys.</p>

<p>Can international student take RETP?</p>

<p>Sorry, but I don’t think so. Most of the participating institutions require the student entering the program to be a resident of Georgia.</p>

<p>I humbly disagree with some of the above rankings…although I don’t think one will necessarily give you a better edge as far as getting accepted, there are those that will help you more in preparation for Tech’s work load.
SPSU is where all the rejected/failed GT students go, and that’s because it’s the next-best thing in Georgia (strictly speaking engineering, here). Georgia Southern has a fantastic engineering program. While the reputation of the school (heavy party scene) isn’t the best, if you keep your wits about you, you can make good grades and have a smooth transfer to GaTech. Columbus State University is another great choice. The head of the engineering department there was a professor at Tech for a period of time. Indeed, CSU has a good relationship with Tech and has a high rate of transfer.
Those are the three schools I would consider.</p>

<p>I appreciate your input. I’ll have to keep those considerations in mind. I’ve been hearing rumors that Southern Poly is discontinuing their participation in the RETP program after this school year. Their offices are closed for the holidays and it’s driving me crazy not knowing if this is true or not because I’ll have to squeeze in some applications to other colleges if it is true. Does anyone have any knowledge about this?</p>

<p>credshot- someone answered this question for you over on the GT site. Basically it sounded like they were shutting it down.</p>

<p>Really? Do you mean SPSU is shutting down their participation in the program or GT is shutting down the entire program? Do you mind providing a link?</p>

<p>Dalton State is a four year school that participates in the Georgia Tech RETP program. Students entering Tech from Dalton State are extremely well prepared, espcially in math/science. Dalton State is building new science building now. It’s also really CHEAP which helps. Housing in apartments on campus. Check it out.</p>

<p>So, I’m in a community college right now and I just recently heard about the RETP. Would it be possible to transfer to a school like Dalton College and enroll yourself into the program. Does anyone have any insight to a scenario like this? It would be very appreciated, thank you.</p>

<p>I’m really not sure, sorry. The best I can give you is to tell you to contact Dalton state and ask them directly. Can’t go wrong with that.</p>