Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Top Questions

The best thing about Georgia Tech is its reputation as a national leader in technological education and innovation. If I were to change one thing about Georgia Tech I would tell the students that unless you are in a very specific few fields (i.e. engineering, science) math skills are very overrated. Georgia Tech is a perfect size school, not too big and not too small. When I tell people that I went to Georgia Tech I get one of two reactions. The first being one of admiration for my accomplishment of graduating from a very difficult school, the second usually being a mocking comment asking me where my pocket protector is. Georgia Tech is not a place to attend if you are looking for a school that has lots of places to "hang out" most of the students that attend Tech spend their time studying or are involved in a fraternity/sorority. Atlanta is definitely not a college town, although there are many young people. What administration? There is a lot of school pride amongst a few students, other students could absolutely care less about the school because they do not like going there. Many of the students have a too cool attitude about school pride and choose to root for more popular local sports teams like UGA or Tennessee or Auburn. Georgia Tech is usual in its unusualness, everything about the place is strange when compared to other institutions of its size. I will always remember a friend of mine who got a D in a mid level economics class. My friend told the professor that he got an A in physics and that he understood math but that he just couldn't understand the course. The professors response was, "I'll tell you why you got an A in physics and are getting a D in my class, my class is harder than physics." Students complain about the grades that they get because they feel that they are entitled to higher grades without really having to work for them.

Georgia Tech really has a lot going for it, and I think the university is doing a lot to improve its image among its own students and perspective students. Due to its location on a prime plot of real estate, GT is constantly forced to pack a growing number of students in a very small space. I've heard horror stories of freshmen who have had to share a single-person dorm with three other students due to overcrowding, but the recent acquisition of the old Georgia State University dorms seems to have solved that problem. I saw the number of students in my major balloon as I went through school, which meant my classes kept getting larger and larger. As a senior, I imagined tiny seminar-style classes (like in movies), but even in my last semester I did not find myself in a class with less than 40 students. I really enjoyed living on Georgia Tech campus for 3 out of my 4.5 years there. Commuting to campus from an off-campus apartment in my senior year was fairly easy. Parking is expensive, but there were always spaces in my lot. There are quite a lot of people who live on GT campus -- especially Greeks and graduate students-- but a lot of freshmen go home on the weekends so things can slow down until Monday rolls around. When I was a freshman, it was trendy to complain about life at Georgia Tech: Classes suck, there are no women, there is no social scene, etc. As I went through each year, I noticed that people complained less and less as they found their niche and began fitting in with their social groups. But at the same time everyone was complaining, there was a tremendous amount of school pride on campus and at sporting events. It's pretty clear Georgia Tech is really trying to get rid of out-dated stereotypes. The population of women is rising quickly, there are a lot of options for students who don't want to study engineering or science, and the social scene is becoming more balanced. Looking back, I can see how Georgia Tech might not be known for its social scene. I went Greek, and so having something to do every weekend was no problem for me. I think a lot of the social scene at Georgia Tech revolves around the Greek system. If you really want to make the best of your time here, I would suggest finding a fraternity or sorority you feel comfortable joining and making the most of it. If you don't want to go that path, it's just important to get a group of friends, early in your first semester, whose company you enjoy and who will enhance your college experience in a positive way.

There is something at Georgia Tech for everyone, no matter who you are. Georgia Tech is just right. People usually start making fun of us because of our football team or that are school is too hard. I spend most of my time on campus either in class or at the Student Center. Atlanta is definetly not a college town. I like the administration at Georgia Tech. There is nothing unusual about Georgia Tech. I'll always remember coming here for Freshmen Orientation and walking around campus for the first time and meeting all the people that I would spend the next four years with. The most frequent complaints are about the housing and freshmen dorms and about the dining hall food which is not up to par.

I think the best thing about Tech is the location. We are in the heart of Atlanta. Coming from a small town in RI i love to explore whenever I have the opportunity. For me the campus is the right size and the city is right next door.

As far as school size is concerned, I'd say Tech was perfect. It's not huge, but just large enough for you to generally remain anonymous walking around campus, but you would still run into a friend not too uncommonly. While living in the dorms, I spent most of the time in my room/friends' rooms and the dining hall. After moving off campus, most of the time I wasn't in the College of Architecture I spent in the student center, but I ate at Junior's Grill frequently. The administration seems to be the butt of a lot of complaints, but it's not really that bad in my opinion. Whenever we feel we've been screwed over by a professor, Parking, the administration, or Georgia Tech in general, we say we'd been "Shafted" in reference to one of the biggest icons around campus, the fountain right outside the student center.

The best thing about Georgia Tech is the fact that it is in Atlanta. The college campus is big enough where you could get lost in the crowd but small enough to get to know a lot of people in your major. People's reaction when I say I go to Georgia Tech is always positive and usually say something like 'Oh you must be smart.' Most of my time I spend on campus is around the student center, at my job on campus, and at Barnes and Noble. It is definitely not a college town, it is a campus in the middle of the city, sometimes called a sort of 'bubble.' It feels disconnected to the rest of the city but at the same time close enough. I believe the administration on Georgia Tech's campus is positive. I see that Georgia Tech is always out to help the students and they try at all costs to make them happy. There is a lot of school pride on campus and the games are usually well attended. The unusual part of Georgia Tech is that there are a lot of different cultures on campus. You can get on a bus and hear three different languages on the way to math class. I will always remember Sting Break , which happens right before spring break, and is full of fun and an amazing concert featuring artists like T.I., Ludacris and Big Boi. The biggest student complaint is probably the amount of work that is left to the students and the stress that it causes especially around exams.

Georgia Tech is great. It welcomed me from the types of values I developed in high school. It also showed what alcoholism is like. You cannot being in Atlanta if you are going to a big town school in the south. We need a better football team and basketball team, but all of our other sports are amazing. #1 in tennis, golf, cross country, etc...