This is the official thread for those applying EA to Georgia Tech.
List your unweighted GPA, any SAT /ACT scores, and ECs. What majors are you going into?
Ask your questions, the CC community is here to help!
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D26 is working on her application for EA1. Does anyone have any thoughts on checking the “summer or fall” box? Does this automatically give her a summer start? She would rather not start in the summer but Tech is one of her top choices and she also wants to let them know she is serious about applying. Does anyone know if she checks that box can she still get a fall start?
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I know lots of kids who checked the summer box but were offered fall admission including one of mine. Summer start can also be offered to a student who does not check the box. Supposedly it increases your chances to check it, but it probably also increases your chances of being chosen to start in the summer.
My advice would be to check it only if she is willing to start in the summer to go to Georgia Tech. If she is offered a summer start, she will not be allowed to change to fall. The acceptance letter is very clear on this. If she would not be willing to start in the summer, regardless of whether that means she has to go to a different school then don’t check the box.
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If you D26 is submitting an application for consideration for admission, I’m sure they presume she is already serious about applying. Being that it’s a Top 4 Engineering School in the country, being serious about applying is a given. Like mentioned above, I don’t think indicating summer or fall weighs in the decision.
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40 IB Score, 1540 SAT, founder of an NGO impacting 200+ children + building technological projects for rural areas, allied with the Regional Municipality, 7+ Recognized organizations, Research internship/assistant at local university, volunteer work, 2 summer programs, etc.
thanks! She officially submitted this past week. We encouraged her to check “Summer or Fall” so I guess we wait and see!
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My dd (oos) checked summer or fall and got summer admission. Tech was her top choice and she had an amazing experience doing ignite. They put them in Glenn and the classes are pretty relaxed (versus the regular academic year). Great way to up the GPA and get acclimated. Plus she met so many people that she’s still close with. Highly recommend.
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My DS OOS only applied for the fall and was admitted for the fall but his acceptance letter gave him the option to start in the summer, if he chose. He chose to start in the fall and he is loving everything about Tech!
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It doesn’t automatically mean she’ll be placed in the summer start. At Georgia Tech, checking “summer or fall” just means she’s open to being considered for either term. If she strongly prefers fall, she can still get a fall start even if she marks that option. The benefit of checking it is that it shows flexibility and seriousness about attending, which can sometimes improve admission chances a little. If summer really isn’t something she’d want, it’s better to just check fall but if she’s okay with the possibility, then “summer or fall” keeps both doors open.
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Son will be applying for Mechanical Engineering as OOS.
GPA 3.9 out of 4.0 UW / 4.8 out of 4.9 W
Took most rigorous courses offered - all A’s and 3 B’s total in non-stem courses. If we had to recalculate his GPA with only core courses, I think it would increase to 4.0 UW / 5.0 W
Almost all AP &Honors including BC Calc as a junior. Taking MV plus AP Physics C this year
AP Calc AB (scored a 5)
AP Chem (scored a 4)
SAT 1470 (780 Math)
TA for AP science teacher
PLTW Classes (4 years)
Activities:
4 years same sport - HS JV & Varsity team
President, Engineering Club
Governors Service Award 300 + community service hours
NHS, Math HS, Science HS
Math Tutor at HS
Selected for competitive Leadership Development Program
ACE academy (2 Summers)
Internship - Highly competitive summer Engineering research internship for Mechanical Engineering department at local university (last summer) only 15 selected out of 150 applicants
Feeling super nervous given it’s it highly competitive OOS
Gee whiz, do these kids need to already have a patent to get in?? I hope not, he fell in love with GA Tech, yes there are other options but this is the dream! Go Yellow jackets 
What should he focus on? Any tips, please
Essays are critical. This is what will make him stand out and distinguish him from the thousands of other applicants with the same credentials. Georgia Tech wants students that are involved in high school and will be leaders on campus. Georgia Tech admissions has lots of videos on what they are looking for in the essays but the resounding theme for the Why Georgia Tech essay is how the student will contribute to the Georgia Tech mission statement of “progress and service“. Several years ago, they rewrote it to phrase it a little differently, but the videos always refer to those terms. Basically how you will contribute to Georgia Tech, the community and the world.
One of my kids was offered a pathway off the waitlist with very similar academic credentials as my two EA accepted Jackets. They were not a joiner in high school, had one athletic extracurricular that took up a lot of time (varsity and year round but not D1 level), no leadership positions, pretty extensive volunteer work, but nothing that was not required/encouraged by the school. I think this was the downfall in the application. It’s the only distinguishing factor that I can see (others were very involved, leadership, athletics, student government, etc.). I’ve also heard from others that this is something that Georgia Tech really emphasizes so I would be sure to highlight that.
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I would second this. My DS is an OOS freshman at GT this year in Engineering and is loving it. I obviously have no idea what the magic sauce is when they are looking at thousands of applications for a small percentage of spots, but in addition to challenging himself academically, my DS made it a point to be involved in a lot of leadership activities in HS and played two varsity sports. I think the fact that he could balance his time with demanding activities a long with maintaining a high GPA was beneficial for him. GT is definitely demanding academically and they strongly do encourage service and student involvement. Seeing that a applicant has shown the ability to successfully balance both while in HS I believe is a factor. Good luck!
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Ive read that GT supplemental essay should weave in their motto “Progress and Service”, is that still the motto as part of the GT strategic plan or has it changed?
You can read their mission statement which has changed wording, but if you listen to recent admissions office videos they refer to progress and service. I just find it easier to think of it as progress and service but definitely read the current version and demonstrate how you as a student will contribute.
Is there a way to see what type of classes are offered for the summer Ignite? My DS would be interested in summer. But, based on an older document I saw, it appeared that potentially only the second english class would be an option for him based on AP credit and major. I wouldn’t want to pay for classes he doesn’t need.
Does anyone know the answer to this question? I noticed the same.
They do seem to encourage choosing the “Summer or Fall” option, if this blog post is any indication: Flexibility is the Future! – Georgia Tech Admission Blog
Be flexible. Challenge your concept of what your first semester or year might look like. The next time you visit a college, or one comes to your high school or city and talks about an alternative route (i.e. a different campus, semester, or location), do not look the other way or shut down like I did for so long with the great models in front of me.
Instead, if a school’s interest form or application offers you the option to learn more or be considered for their “Spring Start” or “First in France,” don’t be so stiff and rigid. Expand your concept of what college looks like. Stretch, friends. COLLEGE IS A BIG WORD!
As an example, Georgia Tech, has increased its first-year class over the last five years by 1000 students (33%). We could never have grown like this if we tried to start everyone in the fall as first-years. Why? Class sizes, course offerings, residence hall capacity, Chick Fil-a lines, and the list goes on. Instead, we now start 500 new first-year students in either the summer or Europe. But students have to be open to those alternatives. And the truth is that some are not. They see the option, read about the benefits, and turn away much like I did when both my wife and Peloton instructors invited me to stretch. So, stretch!
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I’d like to understand the admissions stats page https://lite.gatech.edu/, what they are counting as applying for “summer” considering that the Common App drop-down selection is “Fall or Summer” (vs “Fall”) and the acceptance rate per the admissions stats page is quite high. They must not be counting all of those who apply for “summer or fall.” If anyone has any insight, feel free to enlighten me.
I agree, because the number of applicants shown for “Summer” is very low.
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