I love Georgia Tech. It's my alma mater. One of the biggest decisions of my life was to go out-of-state and attend Tech. I remember getting my acceptance letter from Tech just before Thanksgiving of my senior year of high school. I made a special trip to visit Tech campus and shortly thereafter, I decided to forego spending the next four years of my life at Research Triangle Park and instead headed for Atlanta, GA. I've been here ever since.
If you're into science, math, and engineering, it's hard to go wrong with Georgia Tech. It's one of the top engineering schools in the country. I knew I wanted to study engineering, so my decision to go to Tech was an easy one. Tech is arguably the best school in the South when it comes to engineering. Also, it's a public school, so tuition is significantly less when compared to other top (private) engineering schools.
Not only that, but I'm a sports fan. Growing up along "Tobacco Road" in NC, I lived and breathed ACC athletics (Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest). Tech is in the ACC and I couldn't wait to go to Tech football and men's basketball games.
In the 2013 U.S. News and World Report national university rankings, Tech is ranked as one of the top 10 public schools for the 14th consecutive year. Among all schools, it's ranked 36th. Tech's College of Engineering is ranked 5th among all undergraduate engineering programs. Eight of Tech's engineering disciplines are ranked in the top 5 and another is ranked in the top 10. Tech's industrial engineering program (my major) is ranked #1 and has been for many years.
Tech is hard. At orientation, they tell you to look to your left and look to your right, "only one of you will graduate from Tech." It's true. I can't tell you how many of my friends from freshman and sophomore year (really, I should say "1st" and "2nd" year) never graduated from Tech. They either flunked out or transferred. At one point, even I considered transferring or changing majors. I ultimately told myself: I didn't go out-of-state to Georgia Tech *not* to get an engineering degree. So I stuck with it.
Tech kicked my ass. I had to work very hard. Many times, I felt like the dumbest person in the classroom. Some of my biggest accomplishments at Tech include getting an A in Physics I, one of the weed-out courses. The exams in Physics were multiple choice with no partial credit. I remember one exam was only 5 questions, so each question was worth 20 points. Miss one question and you immediately had an 80. Miss two and you were one point away from failing.
Another big accomplishment was getting a B in Thermodynamics (3000 level ME course) taught by a ruthless professor, who shall remain unnamed. He had a strict no-curve policy. Sixty percent of my class ended up getting a D, F, or withdrawing. Sixty percent! There's a reason why the campanile in the center of campus is nicknamed "The Shaft." The day I shook then-President G. Wayne Clough's hand on stage at the Georgia Dome during graduation remains, to this day, the proudest moment of my life.
I had a love-hate relationship while I was attending Tech. The classes were difficult, the professors seemed more interested in research than teaching (and thus, were hard to learn from -- sometimes, I learned more through recitation, fellow classmates, or on my own), the professors didn't care if you passed or failed, and there wasn't much of a social life to speak of. However, the degree was well worth it. Out in the real world, people really respect and value a Georgia Tech degree.
I participated in Tech's co-op program, which is one of the largest in the country. If you're a career-oriented prospective student, I highly recommend participating in the co-op program. You gain actual professional work experience, while at the same time, studying to earn your degree (alternating school and work semesters). I ended up working a total of 5 semesters while I was in school. It landed me the career I have today. Nothing gives you a leg up on the competition than having relevant work experience to go along with your education. Employers like that. These days, now I'm the one going down to Tech and interviewing for new hires.
As for social life, unless you're ridiculously smart, you're not going to have much of one if you want to graduate. Most of your free time will be spent studying. Tech has what is referred to as "the ratio" - the number of male students far exceeds the number of female students. For girls at Tech, the saying goes: "The odds are good, but the goods are odd." It's true. Tech is a nerdy school. In my opinion, girls have it easier at Tech because many guys are willing to help them out on their homework assignment or latest computer science project. If you're a guy who ends up dating a girl from Tech, consider yourself lucky. Most Tech guys have to look elsewhere.
In summary, I'm glad I chose Tech. It was one of the best choices I ever made. read more