Absolutely - my son wishes he could be mad about attending Tech!
Regarding legacy, no, heād be going for the Arts and Sciences pathway. He applied to the College of Sciences for Math.
Youāre not wrong. Just now we were talking to him about this. He was supposed to be brainstorming and free writing for the different supplemental prompts but he didnāt give full effort. He really doesnāt have the right set of skills to handle that level of work. Weāre bummed.
Obviously, students have to do what is best for them, but Iām disappointed that some would choose that or similar gateway programs at other schools.
If a student wants a four year experience, they should pursue that (a four year experience) - IMHO. If itās Kennesaw or Georgia Southern or Auburn, etc. - so what?
I get it - Ga Tech is the bomb - I work with some grads and ehhhh - theyāre like anyone else. They donāt walk on water. My sonās two roommates at his internship went there and they werenāt invited back. He was from Bama.
So Iām sure they have great, world leading talent.
But you only have one chance at a four year experience.
To give it up, to me, when thereās tons of great colleges out there, seems short sighted.
To each their own, of course, but wouldnāt four years at Alabama or Tennessee or Miami Ohio or name your school bet a better life experience than two years of pressure at a school you donāt want to be at - all in hopes of transferring to a school in a couple years, where youāre starting over??
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The legacy pathway is not automatic per the admissions office. If you are a competitive student, you may very well be offered one as they give out thousands every year. My understanding is they donāt give it to kids they donāt think would be successful at Georgia Tech.
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I do not know 100% how it works. When DD first got deffered from EA to RD and then waitlisted, she was shocked that notice did not refer legacy path. When we called admission, they told legacy path is automatic. Since she was accepted from waitlist we didnāt experience it. However, from what I remember any legacy student who applied to GaTech as a freshman and was not accepted but went to another school, got required GPA (I think it was 3.3) and took all required classes by the end of first year for his/her major was eligible for legacy pathway. Nevertheless, GaTech changes rules all the time and people need to work with admissions.
I agree, nothing is for sure till we see the letter. They can offer anything they want and change their mind. I did notice differences in the pathway description - now they say āmay be offeredā and added Pre-Calc as a HS coursework requirement, which is not the same wording for the APS pathway and not what I remembered from researching this last year for my daughter.
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D23 has the pathway and is above 50% likely to transfer to Tech. She finds her current college not rigorous enough. Sheās well challenged in her language courses but otherwise she misses the rigor from HS. She knows a lot of people at Tech, has always had different friend groups, isnāt interested in joining a lot of clubs, goes out with friends but also perfectly happy having a quiet Friday night solo (just talked to her this morning!), so I donāt expect a lot of issues socially.
Maybe the problem is I donāt know what Iām missing with the 4 year experience. Husband did not go to college and I bombed out of first college (too immature to handle a huge public T20 far away with home) then graduated from a commuter type university. I did miss out on something and friends had amazing experiences at school, but Iām just happy I got my degree. While I was at the first university, I did not really get that 4 year experience I imagine others get. Made friends, attended football games, explored the town and nearby city. Maybe it kicks in later? No idea. I canāt even sell the idea to my kids if I tried.
Again, itās all up to the student.
Hopefully, knowing what you missed would be helpful to convince the student - if they wanted that.
Itās just my opinion.
From late night pizzas to football games to friend groups, etc. and so much moreā¦could be what theyāre missing.
Lots of schools have rigor - both my kids were very challenged at Alabama and College of Charleston.
And there are Ivy kids not challenged. A lot is based on the major and/or kid.
If your student is destined for Tech and itās what they want - I say great.
But like any school - I hate that so many think - itās the assured ticket to success.
Itās not - and sucess or non-success can happen anywhere.
But the dorm life, moving in with friends, late night pizzas and more are harder to come by when you have to re-start.
But for those who want it - itās great.
My opinion is otherwise but itās just mine.
I just imagine so many ārestartingā and hating what theyāre supposed to love. It happens with many first years too - but they have ample time to gain comfort and integrate. The Junior, with only two years, doesnāt.
Iāll admit - for the most part, I loved college. i was involved in the college radio station, had a set group of friends for four years, and it was a great experience for me.
Obviously, every person is differernt.
Best of luck to your student.
Not disagreeing with your opinion but wanted to make sure itās understood that the transfer is available after 30 credit hours, assuming all other requirements are met. So many kids only do one year at another school then three years at Tech. I know kids who did one year at GAState/Kennesaw/UGA then took advantage of the pathway.
As an aside, while GAState has more of a commuter non-traditional student vibe, it shares resources with GATech and allows some integration of students which may make it easier for kids there to transition socially if they transfer to GaTech after freshman yearā¦ since they potentially could already be involved in clubs/activities with Tech students.
Hereās a link to the various pathway options. (And a note that āAPSā pathway refers to the Atlanta Public Schools Pathway.)
https://admission.gatech.edu/transfer/transfer-pathway-programs
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OK - good info to have. I still feel how I do - but yes, itās just my opinion.
Obviously kids have to do whatās best for them. Many schools offer these programs - whether a UF, A&M, Cornell, etc.
Iād want my kid at a school that loves themā¦not one that keeps them at armās length - but thatās me.
Glad you are back!!!
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Ga Tech graduate average base starting salary $94K. ROI rank #11.
Alabama graduate average starting salary $70K. ROI rank #356.
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Overall school averages depend on mix of majors. GT probably has a higher percentage of engineering majors. Neither Payscale page lists a pay level for math majors.
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Look at the top pay for the top list of jobs from UA (listed below). And while tech is obviously tech heavy, there are many other depts/majors/degrees
| Mechanical Engineer | $59k - $97k | $71,178 |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Analyst | $51k - $79k | $62,334 |
| Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General) | $50k - $112k | $74,302 |
| Project Engineer | $56k - $121k | $71,655 |
| Marketing Manager | $41k - $111k | $60,764 |
| Software Engineer | $61k - $117k | $89,894 |
| Electrical Engineer | $62k - $132k | $75,310 |
Here is GTās
Georgia Institute of Technology Jobs by Salary
| Job Title | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $75k - $136k | $98,835 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $64k - $110k | $78,593 |
| Senior Software Engineer | $95k - $171k | $128,190 |
| Data Scientist | $80k - $142k | $103,794 |
| Aerospace Engineer | $60k - $144k | $89,596 |
| Electrical Engineer | $67k - $119k | $83,176 |
| Project Engineer | $58k - $100k | $71,006 |
Here is the list of who attended GTās recent career fair. 316 Companies from many different industries.
https://gatech-csm.symplicity.com/events/a166f513ef2a50d7781296166e2a2e60/employers
You have a totally valid perspective and I appreciate it. Itās not something I would have considered on my own. I honestly wonder if my kids are drawn to GT because itās known to be a grind, which is the same atmosphere as their high school, or at least their slice of it. This whole idea of the school loving them back, or a warm, wonderful collegiate experience, doesnāt resonate as much as getting into the best school they can. Itās not easy to undo the programming, and the wider world reinforces that message.
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This is the problem right here. They have given a label to Ga Tech - that life will be better if they get a degree from there. Or that itās better because itās ranked in the top echelon for some majors and high overall - according to US News.
It may beā¦or it may not. US News may determine the rank but they do not determine which is best - unless you let them.
Thereās no way to know who is best. For some kids, it may be best. For others, they might be better suited at a very small school with more personal attention, etc.
But people seem to think - if itās higher ranked - itās better - or if I go to UGA or Alabama instead, I wonāt do as well.
Statistically, sure Ga Tech will be better - but I believe the individual matters more than the school. Higher caliber kids will do better - regardless of where they attend school. Itās just that Ga Tech will have more higher caliber kids.
My kid had no issue excelling at his internship whereas the Ga Tech kids he interned with didnāt and those I work with from Ga Tech are not higher up or better thought of than anyone else. Theyāre just normal people who put their pants on one leg at a time - like anyone else. In fact, one works for a UCF, one works for a W Georgia - in my immediate group and I had never even heard of W Georgia before I met this person.
Great school - yeah.
But only great (to me) if you could be immersed there for four years.
And there are many many many great schools out there.
Anyway - I wish your kids luck and hope they get the pathway if thatās what they want.