I personally wouldn’t make a college decision based on food or dorms. Back in the stone age when I went to college, no one expected great food, multiple choices, food stations, etc. Those are great luxuries now pretty standard on campuses. And dorms- some are the old “bathroom down the hall” type and some are suites with private baths. Some even have cleaning services. Sweet. But if you want that- go to a hotel. That’s not what college is about, IMO. Walk over to the Varsity and get a chili dog. Its an institution right by GT.
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I agree but OP said they’re a picky eater. Just making sure they get a fair picture. Eyes wide open.
OP best of luck. You’ll be fine at GT if you attend. You just might not frequent their dining facilities.
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Who doesn’t love the Varsity or Waffle House nearby?? 
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Mostly just that Atlanta is a warmer city than Baltimore (particularly during the “school year” months), and closer to your relatives, plus Georgia Tech’s Midtown location makes it very suitable for things like dining off campus (there is stuff around Hopkins too, though).
goal: want to create biomedical devices (humanoid robots, medical wearables, implantable microchips - maybe even software like health tracking apps, etc).
- about me: international student. ignore cost as a factor. companies that align with my interests include medtronic, intuitive surgical da Vinci, Johnson & Johnson, stryker, tesla optimus bot. would like to pursue tech and entrepreneurship more than medicine/healthcare. i am NOT pre-med.
UCSD (Bioengineering: Biosystems)
pros: california startup culture (biggest pro), bioengineering instructional labs, tons of friends in sd area, amazing recruitment, tons of startups
cons: more cell/molecular/bio/genomics focus, less prestige than other 3, less industry connects??, very large
Johns Hopkins (BME + maybe EE double major)
pros: #1 in bme prestige traditionally, TONS of opportunities for research in medicine even as freshman/soph, jhu hospital, very accomplished profs and alumni
cons: boring campus life/student culture, less focus on engineering out of all (more pre-med/healthcare focus), fewer student clubs aligning with my interest
Duke (BME + maybe EE double major / ML&AI minor)
pros: super interdisciplinary, amazing campus life, industry connects in both the biotech industry as well as business/finance (another big pro), duke medical centre, robotics clubs
cons: less focus on engineering?? social/fratty (could be a pro), elitist?? research triangle better for pharmaceuticals than devices, lack of recruitment in tech
Georgia Tech (Electrical Engineering)
pros: atlanta being an amazing tech hub, family lives close, great technical rigor, many startup/funding opportunities, found like 5+ clubs i would love to join (couldn’t find clubs this interest at ANY other uni but also likely to be competitive)
cons: very large, less prestige in biotech??, less interdisciplinary than jhu/duke
GT has had an adaptability program for decades. https://gatfl.gatech.edu/. And its BME department and research opportunities are highly rated and do work on the development of medical devices. Undergraduate Research | GT Biomedical Engineering
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Since you are an International, what is your plan for where you will make a career?
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I’m confused in your previous thread why you didn’t include the Duke and UCSD acceptances? (both were out by the time you posted) Just curious if you really weren’t considering those, but now are. Have you visited any of these schools? If not, have you done virtual admissions sessions for all?
The outlier on your list is UCSD. It’s large at 35K undergrads, and a public school that’s not as well resourced as JHU or Duke. IMO, it is also not nearly as well resourced as Ga Tech either (also public, but also fewer undergrad students than UCSD, at 20K.)
UCSD does have proximity to the biotech scene, but as an international it will be difficult for you to get internships and stay past your OPT time when you graduate (we don’t even know if OPT will still be a program when you graduate.)
This is confusing because the companies you name are healthcare companies. Do you mean you’re not interested in being a healthcare provider? The startup culture is present at all these schools…probably more prevalent at UCSD and Tech than Duke and JHU. But I don’t know for sure. And, as an international student, it will be very difficult for you to start up a business in the US. Also, relatively speaking, startups will be less likely than established companies to hire you during your OPT time.
I would start to choose/eliminate based on the curriculum you most want to study. Did you map all your four years of courses at each school? Then look at other factors. Personally, I wouldn’t place much weight for outcomes for domestic students. You might chat with the career centers and ask them about current placement trends for international students.
IMO it’s a lot to consider four schools at one time. Start eliminating choices to help gain clarity in your thinking, that will help you identify the most important attributes to you. Good luck.
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Threads merged so we don’t have posters duplicating responses.
This can happen from any school - it’s a question of how entrepreneurial you are or which company hires you.
You are over analyzing things like location - but if that was the case, you should pick Duke or UCSD.
These are four great colleges
You are bio engineering at 3 with maybe EE - I don’t know the reality of maybe. You are EE at Ga Tech - but you can also switch once there I believe.
Which is your favorite - that’s where you should go.
All the analysis is not really relevant. You can achieve your goal at all.
Being international, it’s going to be hard to stay here, especially in a very down industry - but you never know, especially if you great something.
But this - Duke is less focused on engineering type analysis - I’d say stop. That’s a silly thing to say. It’s engineering is and will be hard core - and it’s in the mecca of healthcare innovation as is UCSD. But that wouldn’t preclude me from JHU or Ga Tech if I preferred them.
There are four great schools here and four kids could easily pick a different one of them.
Figure out which is your favorite - that’s where to go.
I was not considering UCSD as seriously as the other 3, and probably still am not. Duke had just come out so I was doing my own research first, and in the meanwhile wanted to compare JHU and Georgia Tech so I’d have 1 less school to decide among. Like you mention at the end, was just trying to compare 2 at a time.
I’ve visited Georgia Tech and UCSD in person. Have done virtual sessions for Georgia Tech, JHU, and Duke. Campus-wise I’m only slightly worried about the large class size at GT and UCSD, and the bad rep of mental health at JHU. Duke seems to be the only one that’s a complete fit. I still think I’d be happy at all 4, but no way of knowing.
Yes, I’m not interested in being a healthcare provider. I’d like to work on the R&D or innovation teams for surgical equipment, medical devices, and such.
For sure. I’ve emailed all of them, and am trying to better understand the landscape for international students. But I would expect (and like) to be involved as much as I can, for the experience, at least during my course, even if not after.
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I’m not a fan of either…but I would still recommend GA Tech for this student.