The University of Georgia

Date: Jun 01 2010
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
It has been one year since I transferred to UGA, and I can honestly say that I have not regretted it for one second and that it was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only are the academics top of the line for a public school and the people friendly, but Athens is an awesome city and the sense of school spirit and community simply cannot be beat. For those of you who are reading this trying to decide if UGA is a good fit for you, I will do my best to paint a picture of what this school is like.

UGA provides the classic, all American college experience with a southern twist. If you are looking for the type of college experience that you see in the movies, UGA is the place for you. That being said, this school is definitely not for everyone. In my year here, I have noticed that two types of people seem to be miserable in Athens, and that is artists and people whose first choice was an Ivy League school, but who decided to come to UGA due to cost (or location). There are plenty of artsy types that grow in Athens, but let me make something clear: UGA is NOT an art school. The art program here is mediocre and the people in it are pretentious, not to mention the fact that in order to take an art class, you have to be IN that major (so a sculpture major can?t take a painting class, etc). Most of the people in the art program are sorority types. So if you are an artist and looking to come to UGA, be forewarned. Sure you may love it, but I have seen so many artists come here with high hopes, only to feel like the life has been sucked out of them in this middle-sized, rural bubble called Athens. If you are looking for a place to be around ?real? artists, UGA is not for you. Go to Georgia State or SCAD. And as for the Ivy League hopefuls, let me make something clear also: UGA is NOT Harvard. It is a very large state school that spent 250 million on a football stadium that is used seven days out of the year. So if you are looking for a hyper-intellectual or liberal environment where everyone is obsessed with books, go to Georgia Tech or Emory, not UGA.

If you don?t fit into one of those categories, then I see no reason why UGA couldn?t be one of the greatest experiences of your life. I was reading some of the negative reviews on the site, and I honestly feel like most of them are just not true at all. So many people complain about the quality of the academics, but I think that UGA actually has great academics and while there are people here who slack off, the majority of people here actually care a great deal about their grades and futures. Once again, UGA is NOT Yale, so if you come here expecting an Ivy League feel you will be let down. But as far as state schools go, UGA is tops and is only getting better and better every year as admissions become extremely competitive. I am confident that my degree at UGA will be a great investment because in ten years time, the academics here will be even better than they are now and the reputation of the school will have increased along with the enterance requirements. Classes here are challenging and interesting, and there are enough people here to create a competitive feel depending on your major. And as for everyone here being sorostitutes and looking the same, I have not found that to be true at all (?the school has 34,000 people, do you really think that they?re ALL the same?) Sure, there are plenty of fraternity and sorority types here, but I couldn?t fit into a sorority if I tried and in the one year that I?ve been here I?ve made friendships that I know will last a lifetime. I?m a goofball and managed to find others just like me. There IS a lot of diversity here- racially, culturally, and with interests.

In short, if you are open minded, extroverted, and come into UGA with a positive attitude, I?m sure you?ll love it here. UGA has a lot of shining qualities and something to offer everyone. I?m pretty sure that there is every personality type here, so if you look hard enough and make the effort you?ll find a group of friends before you know it. Not to mention the downtown scene and social atmosphere is heaven for anyone who likes to party! So if you want the classic college experience and great bang for your buck, come to Athens. You wont regret it.