DeKalb students pack Georgia Tech (news item)

Colleges & Universities Georgia Institute of Technology
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<p>“Helicopter” parents (as in hovering), HOPE and hellacious competition for placement at prestigious out-of-state universities keep DeKalb’s best and brightest close to home. This year, 131 seniors from DeKalb public high schools accepted offers from Georgia Tech (Between 5 percent and 6 percent of next year’s entering class). Half of these enrollees are from two schools, Lakeside and Chamblee—34 from Lakeside and 32 from Chamblee High Schools, respectively.</p>

<p>“Chamblee (High School) is traditionally a huge feeder for us, not only because it is a (science) magnet, but also due to the volume of highly qualified minority students,” related Georgia Tech Assistant Director Rick Clark. As a recruiter, Clark said a university’s “yield” is coveted statistic, much like a high batting average in baseball. Recruitment performance is indicated by the percentage of offers that are accepted by attractive applicants. The yield is often very high from Chamblee, correlating Chamblee’s emphasis on science and Tech engineering (ranked Top 5 nationally among public engineering schools). Not necessarily so for Lakeside High School, where offers from Tech may go unanswered by students who have not yet decided on a technological path. This year, however, Clark remarked, “We are thrilled with our yield from Lakeside (capturing 34 from 48 offers).” Clark proudly admitted he personally recruits at the Northlake area school.</p>

<p>“We normally see around 50 applications from Lakeside—this year we had 63—the “admit” rate was higher than previous years, indicating a higher level applicant,” added Clark. Lakeside’s valedictorian, two salutatorians and student athlete-of-the-year lead the 34 Vikings into Tech’s 2007 Freshman Class.</p>

<p>“Harvard was my first choice, but I wasn’t accepted (seeking bio-medical or bio-molecular curriculum),” said Valedictorian Rebecca Hood (one of seven National Merit Scholars from Lakeside). “It’s nice to have one of the best engineering schools in the country as a back-up…” </p>

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