Georgia Institute of Technology | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Christine

Class: Senior
Major: Engineering
Gender: F

High School: Lassiter
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

Georgia Tech has an outstanding reputation. Anyone will tell you that. Most Georgia Tech students will get several job outstanding job offers upon graduation. A Georgia Tech degree will allow you to do just about anything you want. The size of Tech is perfect; it's just large enough that everyone finds a perfect place to fit in, but not so large that you feel lost. Georgia Tech is DEFINITELY a difficult school. Everyone who comes to Tech is top quality, and thinks, "I'll be fine...I'm smarter than most people I know." The truth is, everyone at Tech is that way. Receiving a 30 or 40 (out of 100) on an exam is typical in the engineering field. However, most professors curve the grades at the end of the semester, but still expect to receive a couple Cs or even a D while attending Tech. And don't worry...we all go through it. The one thing I wish I could change is the amount the student body takes pride in its school. Georgia Tech as a whole is so focused on academia, that most students don't take pride in the athletic departments or even know all the traditions of Georgia Tech. I wish every student at Georgia Tech loved, more importantly, KNEW every Tech tradition. Sometimes I think it's amazing that our athletic department is as strong as it is, based on the small percentage of fan base. There is a controversy that takes over campus for about a week a year. We have a "free speech" area on campus, where any student or person can proclaim or share any information they wish. For a few days a year, a group of people from the community come to this area and preach that "Homosex is Sin." This gets most people on campus very agitated and excited for about one week every year. Most Georgia Tech students do not graduate in four years. That is just a fact. Expect to be at Tech for at least 9 semesters, unless you come in with several credits. Georgia Tech has a great co-op program. As a freshman, you can apply to work for a company in your field and rotate semesters of working with a company and taking classes. If you know what industry you want to work with, I definitely recommend it. Some companies will count your co-op terms towards retirement...so you start working towards retirement at age 18!! Plus, this is a GREAT way to pay for school instead of taking out loans.

Academic Life

Most professors are very helpful and willing to work with you outside of class. The class sizes are somewhat large and typically the professors have enough material to cover that students do not ask questions in class. Most students spend a lot of time studying. Some homework assignments alone can take over 10 hours to complete. Georgia Tech provides students with the fundamentals to do well in any job. The academics are not geared towards training for a specific job, but rather a strong knowledge of the curriculum. As a mechanical engineer, there are a lot of interactive design classes. As a freshman, there is a class dedicated to learning CAD software and how to hand sketch. As a sophomore, there is a class dedicated to creating a machine to compete against other teams. In your last (or second to last) semester, senior design offers real world experience in a learning environment.

Student Body

Georgia Tech is VERY diverse. If you feel in need of expanding your cultural horizons, Georgia Tech is the place to do it! There are student organizations for every type of person. I can't imagine a single person feeling out of place at Georgia Tech...except maybe someone unintelligent?...or a UGA student...some Tech students will argue that that's the same thing! :) Most students wear whatever they want to class. Some students wear PJs, others wear business casual, but the common attire is T-shirts and jeans.