Sandra in NC Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 My son visited two schools this week: Clemson University in SC and Georgia Tech. Previously, he visited Virginia Tech and NC State University. Here are his rankings- with the top 3 schools all about equal in his evaluation: 1) Georgia Tech - Corporations and/or alumni have poured a lot of money into this school. There are specialty engineering programs for just about anything you can think of. The academics are rigorous, and the school ranks in the top 10 of almost every engineering program. In some cases it's in the top 5. There are many amenities: an athletic center full of treadmills/TVs, a pool with a theme-park-like water slide, a whirlpool, and they boast the "largest piece of astroturf in the world"...the astroturf is something like the size of 4 football fields and it's used for intramural sports. GA Tech is in the heart of Atlanta, but it is a true campus with a campus-like feel. It is like it's own small city within the larger city of Atlanta. 2) Clemson - Beautiful campus in the middle of nowhere. There is a strong feeling of community, school loyalty, and school spirit. They are committed to having their students succeed. There was not an engineering info session, so my son didn't get the sales-pitch on how fine their program is, but we know it has a strong reputation. 2) Virginia Tech - tied with Clemson. (See my previous review) 3) NC State - an urban, hodge-podge campus. It's all-business. No luxuries, no beauty. But it has a fine academic program and good coop opportunities. Overall, on a scale of 1-10, GA Tech, Clemson and VA Tech were given a score of 7 by my son. (GA Tech would've scored higher if it weren't in downtown Atlanta.) He rated NC State a 6. He's a tough grader! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Our daughter is graduating from Georgia Tech today with a master's in chemistry. It's been an excellent experience for her! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in NC Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 (edited) Wow! I wish my son were interested in chemistry (or chemical engineering). Your daughter will have incredible career opportunities...I'm proud and happy for you! Thank you for taking the time to let me know GA Tech was a good choice. My husband was thoroughly enamored with the school. He says there is no contest. (I think he wants to go there!) Chemistry has been my son's weakest science. Actually, he has strong negative feelings about it :001_smile: I told him he'd have to take it again in college and he accepts that. It's a 1st year engineering requirement across the board! Edited August 1, 2009 by Sandra in NC typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie-Knits Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I have enjoyed reading your reviews. susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Sandra, thanks for the congrats. Kimberly was actually in a PhD program all along but her advisor moved to NYU two years into her program and then provided no support. She really wants primarily to be a stay at home mom for at least a few years while her girls are young. Since she always wanted to teach at the university level, she was thrilled when she received an offer to teach a few chemistry labs at the school she attended as an undergrad. She's only working 9 hours a week and that keeps her foot in the door while she raises children. All of this is to tell that she didn't choose a name brand school as an undergrad- she went to Kennesaw State University. But she worked hard, had amazing opportunities, and her mentor at KSU has become a very good friend. She was accepted into every grad school program she applied to and neither of her degrees cost us one penny. It's not that she's brilliant- her verbal SAT scores were pretty dismal. It's because she works hard in everything she does. I wish our other three had that kind of drive because I've seen firsthand what a difference it can make. What an exciting time for your family! I hope you can enjoy it. Our youngest daughter is searching for a college right now and we're enjoying it but dd seems stressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Georgia Tech has the best reputation nationally among those schools. If he is serious about a science major or engineer major; it is hard to beat in the southeast. My husband got his masters there and it has proven itself time and time again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patchfire Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Georgia Tech has the best reputation nationally among those schools. If he is serious about a science major or engineer major; it is hard to beat in the southeast. My husband got his masters there and it has proven itself time and time again. :iagree: Dh and I both went there for undergrad, and dh will probably apply there when he works on a masters. One caveat: when I was there (left in '02), I probably would have discouraged someone coming from out of state who KNEW they wanted a biology or psych major. Not that they aren't awesome departments, and certainly wonderful for us in-state people, but compared to the rigor of the rest of the school, I would say they do fall a bit short. JMO (as a bio/psych major). That said, I loved Tech, and so did dh. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in NC Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 All of this is to tell that she didn't choose a name brand school as an undergrad- she went to Kennesaw State University. But she worked hard, had amazing opportunities, and her mentor at KSU has become a very good friend. She was accepted into every grad school program she applied to and neither of her degrees cost us one penny. I am encouraged and inspired by your daughter's experience. Thank you for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in GA Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 My ds is a junior at GA Tech right now majoring in Computational Media. He loves the school. The math and science classes have been very rigorous, however they have taught him to work really hard. The required humanities classes such as political science, history,etc. have been just ok, rather easy. He says he hasn't learned a thing in those classes. The math,science, and computer science classes he has taken well make up for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Ds is looking at Tech, so I went to the Admissions site. Did you all fill out their Home School Student Supplement? "What factors led to your decision to homeschool?" "How were science labs conducted and evaluated?" "How were foreign language requirements completed? What evaluation methods were used to evaluate fluency?" (As if anyone is at all fluent after two years of high school foreign language.) How did you fit WTM style curriculum (ie. not out of one single textbook) into their transcript form? Are they saying you need a SAT Chem score of 540 or AP Chem of 5 for admission? Or is that to get college credit for chemistry? Is SAT Chem 540 really equivalent to a AP Chem 5? I thought AP Chem was for after two years of high school chemistry and the SAT Chem was after one? If he's really interested in Tech, would it be easier to do an accredited umbrella school for 12th? (MODG will even give him a diploma if he does the last year with them.) Does that get him out of the whole form? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in NC Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 GA Tech gives 4 credits for a 720 on the Chem subject test and 3 credits for a 750 on the English subject test. http://www.admission.gatech.edu/images/pdf/AP_Flyer.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 GA Tech gives 4 credits for a 720 on the Chem subject test and 3 credits for a 750 on the English subject test. http://www.admission.gatech.edu/images/pdf/AP_Flyer.pdf That sounds more normal. This seems to imply that homeschoolers had to have a 5 on the AP Chem test. It sounds like a hassle. http://www.admission.gatech.edu/homeschool/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in GA Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Our daughter is graduating from Georgia Tech today with a master's in chemistry. It's been an excellent experience for her! Congratulations!! I am a Tech drop out! Ds has just transferred in and will be beginning classes there next week! He is a computer science major. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langfam Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 DS is enrolled in the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program at Georgia Southern University. This is a perfect solution for us because it's close to home (70 miles), small town, beautiful campus, and cheaper too. :) http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/majors/13228.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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