http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html Life at GT - Comments en http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html I came to Tech thinking that its name on my resume would help me reach my goals. While this school may do that for the majority of the student population (i.e., engineering students), students interes... Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:30:45 GMT StudentsReview 331-92996 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 331-92996 331 6 Biology Male Undergraduate Class 2016 2nd Year Negative I came to Tech thinking that its name on my resume would help me reach my goals. While this school may do that for the majority of the student population (i.e., engineering students), students interested in other careers or with other interests should stay away from this place.

Coming to Tech has been, without a doubt, a decision in my life that I regret most of all. It's not that I "couldn't cut it" or "didn't work hard enough;" many of my friends averaged an all-nighter each week and shared endless sob stories about their impossible tests. That wasn't me. No all-nighters. No failed tests. Nothing. Diligence and time management was all it took.

Why didn't I like Tech, then? If the high stress, insane workload, and brutally unnecessary course difficulty so often associated with the misery of this place didn't affect me, why didn't I fall in love with Georgia Tech?

Because of what it stands for. Tech cares more about itself than its students; about its image, rankings, and reputation, and it will bolster these things in ways bordering on madness. Tech's primary goal is to churn out motivated, hard-working, industrious engineer slaves to serve society and carry Tech's name. And that's exactly what it does. If your goals don't line up with a machine that chews up, reprograms, and spits out glorified engineers, don't bother coming here. Unless you're passionate about engineering, research, or computer technology, Tech is probably not the place for you. Interested in science or business? Plenty of other reputable schools have that too. What's so special about Tech? Oh yeah, the name. So you're choosing a college because of its name? That's what I did, and by doing that, you'll be far from happy.

Enough about the institution. What about the students? The social life? The college experience? All of these things do exist at Tech, but you may just be blinded by their promising first impressions.

The students are friendly. Very friendly. And that's what they'll tell you at orientation. What they don't tell you is that the majority of the students are introverted and may not talk to you. Many are awkward and close-minded. But you already knew that. This is Tech, and you've been told that nerds are everywhere, a claim that many would confess holds true. The ones who argue and say that most people at Tech are "normal" just haven't been to other college campuses, that's all. You won't realize how abnormal the Tech student body is until you actively participate in a different one.

Social life? For the most part, you'll find one. Join clubs. Lead organizations. Find some friends who you connect with, and make friends with their friends. You'll have a nice social circle, and it doesn't have to be big for it to matter. Greek students tend to be the most social; many are friendly, many are not. Surprise.

And the college experience? You're in the heart of Atlanta. There's crime all around you. Noisy traffic. Endless ambulances, firetrucks, police cars, and helicopters. But sports and music run through the city. Falcons games, Music Midtown, you name it. Sounds glorious, yes? Sure, but when most students' weekends consist of binge drinking their nights away, you'll start to forget those things were even there in the first place. People here are the embodiment of "work hard, party hard," which, in their minds, entitles them to four days of hardcore studying and the remaining days to drink their heads off. That's the norm; love it or hate it. They take pride in it.

In short, come here if you love engineering, research, or technology. Come here if you want Georgia Tech's name to stand out on your resume and help you land your job in industry. Come here if you want to prove yourself and let others know that you worked harder than they did. But if you'd rather leave college with a well-rounded experience and journey your way through life as a happier, more trusting human being able to reflect fondly on your college years, then please do not make the mistake I did by attending Georgia Tech. You'll find nothing but disappointment. Sat, 06 Apr 2013 02:30:45 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html Going to Georgia tech has been one of the best choices I could have made. Here's why... ACADEMICS: Awesome. Of course there are some core classes that are not fun to take but overall the courses ar... Sun, 01 Jul 2012 09:59:58 GMT StudentsReview 331-88183 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 331-88183 331 12 Computer Science Male Undergraduate Class 2014 2nd Year Positive Going to Georgia tech has been one of the best choices I could have made. Here's why...

ACADEMICS: Awesome. Of course there are some core classes that are not fun to take but overall the courses are at least somewhat interesting and often the amount of work required is appropriate. Plus, once graduated, you have one of the more valuable degrees in the nation. For whatever major you choose, Georgia Tech is likely to provide the right level of challenging and interesting work. For the more boring classes, you sometimes just have to tough it out for the semester.

SOCIAL LIFE: I joined one of the bigger fraternities on campus freshman year so that certainly helped (I would recommend rushing for everyone as there is a fit for every type at Georgia Tech). Anyways, I often went out 4 nights a week (and have maintained a 4.0 thus far) and always had a great time. Campus isn't always amazing at night but there are always people walking around looking to have fun. Thursday night are usually the best followed by fridays. Never schedule early friday classes if you plan on being hungover ever! To summarize, we do have a lot of fun at Georgia Tech and I would not trade it for anything.

OVERALL: Great academics, awesome social life, prioritize and you will be able to partake and succeed in the 3 most important aspects of college: social life, academics, and sleep. All three are possible I promise!

If you value your education but still like to go out often, Georgia Tech will not let you down. Sun, 01 Jul 2012 09:59:58 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html I've had a great time at GT. Almost done. I see that most of the comments that are negative tend to be whiney "boohoo I didn't cut it crap". GT is not a school to hand hold you. You aren't paying for ... Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:15:47 GMT StudentsReview 331-87802 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 331-87802 331 12 Computer Science Male Undergraduate Class 2013 3rd Year Positive I've had a great time at GT. Almost done. I see that most of the comments that are negative tend to be whiney "boohoo I didn't cut it crap". GT is not a school to hand hold you. You aren't paying for your degree. Work hard, you'll be fine. It's by no means impossible, and very rarely have I found it to be unfair. I feel like I'm a very average student here, intellectually, but I've never had any stressful breakdowns, failed any classes, etc. Just get your shit done, get involved in something, and take it easy. You probably won't get a 4.0 but you can very easily have a 3.5+ and have a good college experience. Sounds like a good trade to me. I really love my major/school. Lots of brilliant, interesting people. I don't know about other majors but we CS majors like to hang out and help each other in the CoC commons. I generally feel a lot of camaraderie between me and my fellow CS majors. Probably because we're all facing the same challenges. There's definitely a competitive edge that you will feel, because everyone's so smart, but it is always a positive thing because it pushes you to be a better person. Negatives at GT are probably applicable to many schools, including hit and miss professors (though as you stay here longer they just keep getting better. Can you really expect professors to give special snowflake treatment to you when there's 300 people in the class? Thats reserved for when you get to your major classes and it's just you and 30 others.), shitty on campus food, and a smattering of crime (any big city). Guys like to complain about the "lack of girls" but it's really not that big of a deal because you live in ATLANTA which has over (?) three other universities within the perimeter. Also, I recommend doing freshman experience program your first year, just to meet people, and then hightailing it outta there to off campus where the rent is a bogus 900 a month. Oh and co-op. Companies love hiring GT students and we have a great co-op program. It'll give you priceless real world experience. As a CS major getting a job was easy mode. Thu, 07 Jun 2012 02:15:47 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html Georgia Tech is a complete waste of time for International Students. 1) They make you take all the stupid humanities courses that not only waste your time but are also frigging annoying and add a ... Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:26:56 GMT StudentsReview 331-86700 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 331-86700 331 16 Electrical Engineering Male Undergraduate Class 2012 4th Year Negative Georgia Tech is a complete waste of time for International Students.

1) They make you take all the stupid humanities courses that not only waste your time but are also frigging annoying and add a huge workload to already busy schedule. Why the fuck do I need to take US politics and history electives even though I am an international student?

2) There are no job opportunities for international students after Bachelors. Every company that recruits on campus only asks for US citizens and GT degree is worthless when you are applying for jobs outside USA (for that fact even outside Southern USA). Even finding a single internship will be hard during your college career.

3) The undergrad research they mention is a complete joke. The only thing you will be able to work on is building some stupid software that will never be useful unless you are a biomed major or by aiding PHD students by doing the dirty work they do not want to do.

4) The course work in engineering courses is filled with completely outdated stuff. You never learn any skills that are useful in real world unless you learn them on your own. Some of the professors in Engineering are so unfamiliar with the practice of the art that they cannot do the basic engineering stuff from real world. Oh do not believe all those comments about engineering classes being hard at GT. They are damn easy if you are someone from India or China or from a country where there is an emphasis on Maths during high school education. Only the instate students who get into GT just because they are from Georgia find the classes hard.

5) You never get any advice regarding courses and career paths. Professors always give neutral answers on these. For example, even if a professor knows that DSP (subfeild of EE) does not have many jobs he/she will still say that there is bright future for it.

6) Social life sucks. GT offers diverse population. But most of these people never interact with each other.

7) Institute policies, especially those pertaining to the dead week and exams, are most often not followed unless they have something to do with the office ladies in your department or Registrar.

8) Overall, GT does not make you a better engineer or add to your social life. You can and will become a better engineer if choose a college that does what it boasts about. GT does not do or provide even 1% of the things it boasts about to its international student. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:26:56 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html I started undergrad at Georgia Institute of Technology back in 2003 and finished in the winter of 2007. I took classes during two summer semesters as well. Upon graduating I found a good job at a Fo... Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:05:23 GMT StudentsReview 331-84739 Copyright 2013 StudentsReview, Ecliptical Technologies, Inc. 331-84739 331 16 Electrical Engineering Male Undergraduate Class 2007 4th Year Advice I started undergrad at Georgia Institute of Technology back in 2003 and finished in the winter of 2007. I took classes during two summer semesters as well. Upon graduating I found a good job at a Fortune Global 500 company doing software consulting. I survived the great recession of 2008-2009 without being laid off, and I'm doing quite well with compared to most of my peers at the moment.

Looking back on my 4.5 years at Georgia Tech, I have to say the frustration and bitterness I experienced during that time still affects me to this day. I constantly wonder how my life would have turned out if I had gone somewhere else and had a more pleasant college experience. Despite making some great friends, I still have vivid memories of the misery we went through. It was as if Georgia Tech was a bonding experience for us like people would have bonded through an epic war. We had a common enemy and it was the ridiculous workload and unhelpful professors. Images of students bursting out in tears during tests, people joking about suicide, friends taking Redbull, Monster, and Adderall to help pull multiple all nighters are burned into my memory. I remember one time watching the sun rise up from inside the library after pulling two consecutive all nighters and wondering what the heck I was doing with my life... questioning if this pain and suffering would be worth it one day. The negativity of the atmosphere has sadly made me a more cynical and sardonic person.

Academically, Georgia Tech had the potential to be a great school. The professors definitely knew what they were talking about, but for the most part classes seemed very rushed and if you wanted to understand concepts better, you would need to invest time outside of class to ask them questions. Many times professors would be very busy with research and defer your questions to the TAs. Individual attention was not expected. What helped me the most was working through a lot of problems with my classmates on conference room whiteboards. I feel like my teamwork skills improved drastically during this time.

Socially, GT is not as bad as people make it out to be. There are many interesting people, just as there are many strange and uninteresting ones. The school definitely taught me that associating with certain people helps elevate your mood more than associating with others. You definitely learn to pick your friends here. One thing that helped me get through the tough times was working out at the CRC. The gym facilities were amazing and served as a sanctuary when everything else was going to hell. It was also very difficult to meet girls at Georgia Tech, and I ended up dating girls from other schools in the Atlanta metro region during this time.

After I graduated in December 2007 it was not difficult to find a job. I found a job after living at home for a few months which turned out to be nothing closely related to what I had studied. Instead of doing hardcore electrical engineering, I ended up doing software consulting for engineering software. Fortunately for me this opened up a career path into areas which I could excel and prosper in the growing software/IT industry.

I also ended up relocated to a different part of the country. What I found disappointing was the fact that nobody outside of the south gives GT alumni the recognition you feel you deserve. The school is simply not well known outside the south by the people who matter. When I say people who matter, I'm not talking about technical coworkers. I'm talking about people who matter towards your employment prospects who are mostly managers and HR people.

In conclusion, I had to put up with more hardship than the average person during undergrad and it did not make a huge difference in terms of results. Unless you are serious about being an engineer, and engineering is your passion that you will devote most of your life to, I would advise against going here. I was motivated by wanting an above average salary, and I got what I wanted. However I could have accomplished the same at someplace moderately easier but similarly ranked. A moderately easier school may have also helped me in the search for a graduate program. This is really the next step I am looking to take and I feel like having a sub 3.0 GPA has really hurt my chances of getting into a top tier graduate program. I'm into my late 20s now, and for what it's worth I look back and slightly regret missing out on a more enjoyable while I was 18,19,20, and 21. I have a solid career now, but one thing I cannot have back are those lost years of my life. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:05:23 GMT http://www.studentsreview.com/GA/GT_comments.html