Should I Opt for the "Safety School" as a High Achieving Student?(Kennesaw State vs GA Tech vs UGA)

College Search & Lists
1

HI PLEASE DON’T LEAVE IMMEDIATELY NOW THAT YOU’VE SEEN THIS NOVEL THAT I JUST TYPED. PLEASE JUST READ THE **** PARAGRAPHS TO SEE MY GA TECH VS KENNESAW DILEMMA I’M DESPERATE

While you’re here, chance me for GA Tech?

First I guess I’ll start with throwing out my stats so you can be the judge of what I should really be considering a safety school

I’ll graduate HS with 10 AP Classes this year.
I’m one of the NHS Vice Presidents, held an officer position/membership in Student Council, Model UN, Beta Club, HOSA, as well as Science Olympiad. I’ve ran track/cross country both varsity and been involved in band/marching band for a couple years. I’ve done local volunteering.
My ACT is currently a 28 and I just took it again and am waiting to receive my scores, I didn’t have a lot of time to study but I’m hoping that I broke into the 30’s. My GPA is between a 3.85-3.9. I think I’m just outside of the top 10% of my graduating class. Also, I’m an African American/mixed-race female.

Basically I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I absolutely love all things writing and creative, but to be honest that doesn’t make a lot of money and if I’m going to spend time and money on college I want to come out with a degree that will pay the bills. At the same time though, I don’t want to be miserable. I have a strong interest in Science/Math, but they aren’t my best subjects.

****My top choice school is GA Tech because it seems like it would just be kind of senseless to pass up that type of education for an in-state price, especially considering this is an internationally accredited school we’re talking about. I would be surrounded by so many like-minded individuals, and considering I come from Middle-of-Nowhereville, Atlanta is like the utopia of opportunities. I also understand that a big part of the reason that people get depressed once there is that they’re used to being number #1, and once they go to a school full of people just as intellectual and just as nerdy, they kind of lose their identity. This wouldn’t be a problem for me since I’m totally comfortable with failure and experience it on a near constant basis.

But anyway, after all of this -IF I CAN MAGICALLY MANAGE TO GET IN,-it seems like Tech would be the obvious choice. But I’d also basically be sealing my fate as a STEM major. And from what I understand, Tech is actually less renown that other schools in many basic subjects( than state schools like UGA in Chemistry, Physics, ect? Could be totally wrong don’t quote me) so that lessens my options even further to just Computer Science or an Engineering Major. All liberal arts would be kind of out of the door.

…First, if you’re still reading this far, you’re awesome and thanks so much. The fact that I’m typing up all of my indecisiveness to complete strangers shows my level of desperation and if I ever meet you I’ll bake you cookies sometime for sharing your opinion.

****But anyway, this leads me to look at other, more WELL-ROUNDED schools. Kennesaw State University is a school that I at one point I knew nothing about except that a lot of idiots from my school(not intellectually, personality-wise. Maybe intellectually too though)were trying to get in. But suddenly, several of my AP level friends are basically sold on going there. Every person I’ve talked to about KSU doesn’t just talk about it, they RAVE about it like it’s heaven in the form of delicious food and nice dorms. Honestly, it sounds like like an amazing experience. It just has such a huge acceptance rate that I can’t help but wonder if all of my efforts in high school would be going to waste if I attended(One of my friends that toured actually told me that they have an “A is an A” policy- meaning that an A in Support Math and an A in AP Calculus are the same thing in their eyes.). I would hopefully be able to take part in their Honors program as I’m overqualified from what I’ve read, which could offer some great opportunities and hopefully nice scholarships, I’m not presently aware of any in particular though. Also, I can’t help but see Kennesaw as an extension of high school in a way. Based on sheer size it would definitely be nothing like mine, but more in the sense of the type of people it attracts. (Hopefully this don’t sound snobby I don’t think I’m better than anyone in anyway, but I just like the idea of not being around ignorance for the first time in 4 years)

I’m also considering UGA but I really just picture a flagship school with crazed fans everywhere and it doesn’t appeal to me. I feel like this is the best middle man to KSU and Tech, as it has all of the things that the former two lack. But it still just seems so typical and I love the idea of small class sizes(a dream, looking at my top choice, I know) and UGA completely obliterates that.

*****So yea, the input of anyone(minorities especially) who has attended KSU would be heavily appreciated. Also, people who go to Tech- what makes it so “difficult”?

Career blurb: (To be honest, my all time dream is to be have some kind of role in making Pixar movies. Being a concept writer would be cool, but I really just love short/all animated films and a career around them would be pretty awesome. I’d also like to writer killer YA novels but I could do that on the side after obtaining an Engineering degree or something I suppose. I just have a million and 3 ways for my life to go and I’m overwhelmed. Life decisions are too hard for teenagers to make why isn’t a there a manual on planning out your life.)

I know that my choice of college is ultimately my decision, and nobody can make it but me. But, uh, if you had to what would you do if you were me?

2

Also, I toured GA Tech and loved it and was on UGA’s campus for a brief period for a school event but didn’t see much of it. I have yet to see either campus of Kennesaw

3

Hello fellow Georgian! I’m formerly of GA, but same difference–I totally understand your dilemma :slight_smile: So, despite your stated interested in sciences, it seems like your passion really does lie in the creative arts! I wouldn’t totally forego that side of yourself for Tech. It’s a great school, but you really do need to be locked into a science/math/engineering track for Tech, and wont’ get to feed the “creative arts” side of your soul as much there. Worth considering. I would absolutely apply, because if you get in and it’s free, it might be worth the sacrifice! (and that said, I know two novelists who went to Tech–they just do their creative stuff purely as hobby)

UGA will be more likely if you can nudge that ACT score up, though even with a 28 you’re still within the parameters of their common data set. If you can get in there and have the Zell Miller scholarship covering most of your costs, UGA might be an ideal fit because you’d be able to take a wide variety of courses. If you’re at all inclined towards journalism, I can recommend their journalism school.

If you do manage to nudge that ACT up by a few points, look at University of Alabama. As is, you qualify for some of their partial tuition scholarships, but if you break 29, you’d be eligible for their higher awards.

Have you looked at Agnes Scott? If you’re willing to consider a woman’s college, I think your stats would give you a really good shot at merit aid there. And Decatur is lovely! Kennesaw State is a fine safety school choice, but honestly I think you have a fair shot at getting into much better schools w/ some aid. Apply to a variety and then compare results/offers later. You don’t have to decide where you are going now, and I wouldn’t discount options. Your URM status in particular may be a boon, especially if you consider some schools outside of GA.

As I mentioned, don’t forego your creative inclinations just because you think you can’t find jobs there! If you’re really talented and you have the passion, it is possible to carve out a career in that sphere. To end up at a place like Pixar, for example, your best bet is to major in something like TV or screenwriting, and learn those skills (then intern in film/TV and work your way up to a writer’s room–difficult but not impossible). If you’re interested in YA or publishing in general, it pays peanuts (alas), but OMG publishing DESPERATELY needs more diversity, and voices like yours would be welcome. (Look into the work We Need Diverse Books is doing–by the time you graduate, there might be grant programs to help you get a job, etc.) If you have any inclination towards publishing or creative writing, I can recommend some programs you’d have a good shot at getting merit aid for. And if you’re worried about money, you can always sell out like I did and work in marketing :slight_smile:

4

@proudterrier Wow, thank you so much for your prompt and detailed input, very helpful! I guess if you can tell that I’m pretty creatively-inclined just from those few a paragraphs, I must be even more so than I thought. I actually already did apply to Tech, so I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and if I doesn’t work out then I will just assume that it was never meant to be.I actually don’t really know much about journalism, I just picture the news and anything that involves politics turns me off immediately. I do know that it has a great reputation though, so I will put that into consideration as it involves a lot of writing.

What makes you suggest UA though? I actually don’t know very much about it at all, is it known for it’s OOS scholarships/is it particularly selective?

I know for sure that I would never go to an all-women’s college, I’m unfortunately giving up those opportunities but thank you for the suggestion of that one as well.

Creative writing would be a dream, and who knows, maybe I’ll end up doing it, but for now the sellout careers are a little more appealing on a practical level, haha. I actually did think of doing something in advertising. Does marketing allow you to use creativity? What do you do exactly?

Sorry, I realized I a slid a thousand questions in there maybe I should actually just become an interviewer.

5

I live in Georgia. My older son is a 2nd year student at GT and my younger son is a senior in high school. I would never suggest going to GT if math/science are not your strong subjects. GT requires 2 math classes and 2 lab science classes to graduate. My 33 ACT son is finding the academics at GT to be extremely challenging.

I think that with 10 APs, a 28 act, your stellar extra curriculars, and being African American you will be admitted to UGA. I cannot imagine choosing KSU over UGA. UGA is a great school with top-notch students. Yes, it is full of crazed football fans, but that’s not everybody. You can find your niche there and the academics there are far superior to KSU. Yes, the dorms and dining halls at KSU are nicer, but is that what why you go to college? academically, you are so far ahead of the typical student at KSU. I would think you would be better off surrounding yourself with smarter students.

I took my younger son to visit KSU (with his 26 ACT, he isn’t getting into UGA). We just hated it. Yes, the dorms are beautiful, but the rest of the campus is ugly - all sidewalks and streets. And with his 26, my son was appalled at how easy it was to get into KSU. He felt the school was too academically weak for him. He is hoping to attend GCSU in the fall.

6

No worries, re: women’s colleges. They were out for me, too :slight_smile: I thought of UA strictly for the merit aid–as I mentioned, if you do get your ACT up, you’d qualify for their automatic full tuition. It’s an option for you even if you are OOS! It’s a College Confidential favorite recommendation for anyone who has the stats :slight_smile:

I really enjoy marketing, and ended up here via a journalism degree and then some time spent working for a non-profit. I work in niche television marketing for a pretty small company, so I get to wear a lot of hats. So I’m able to work on copywriting, branding, social media marketing, marketing planning & execution, etc. I get to be just creative enough for it to be interesting, but it actually works out that it’s not a 100% creative position (a lot of it is account management), because it leaves me energy for outside of work. I write novels, work on fan conventions and mentor teen girls on the side. Comparatively, when I worked at my non-profit job, which required a lot of hours and not so much raw creativity, but every ounce of my passion, I had nothing left at all for personal creative endeavors. So I like my current marketing job because I can be a bit creative for a steady salary + benefits, but am able to prioritize personal creativity on the side.

Marketing/advertising would definitely be worth looking into, though you have to know yourself as a person. I learned via journalism + non-profit that I don’t have the personality for high-stakes/long hours/tight deadline work (too much stress/anxiety/not enough alone time), so a regular journalism job wouldn’t work for me, nor would agency life. I would shrivel up and die at an agency, which is what a lot of advertising work is. A lot of jobs are labeled “marketing” but there are many permutations of marketing jobs, so I had to find one that featured the things that work best for me (desk job, steady hours, no over time, generous deadlines/emphasis on planning, no event work or heavy travel). On the flip side, if you thrive at event planning, many marketing jobs are majority event planning & logistics. There are some especially fun/cool jobs out here in LA, working in the TV or film industry. Advertising is hardcore and not for everyone, though if a lot of intense work on a deadline sounds good for you, go for it. It pays well!

So it sounds to me like going to a school where you’d have the option to bounce around the curriculum would be good (ie: UGA). You can go in and get a sense for what you enjoy/career options from different things. And, re: journalism. Personally I majored in magazine journalism with a focus on feature writing and criticism, so it’s not all politics/straight reporting… though it is not a steady career to go into! (but it was nonetheless a valuable degree and educational experience)

7

@Panthergirl Oh definitely, That is something that intimidates me greatly about Tech, if people that are getting near perfect in math/science on the ACT find it challenging I might find it almost impossible :(. Finally! a negative and pragmatic opinion about KSU! Yours is the first I’ve read/encountered that hasn’t lifted up the amenities and not focused on much else. And wow, when you put it that way UGA does seem like the obvious choice. When I went there for my school event, a Model UN conference, the diversity and amount of intelligent people definitely impressed me and I remember feeling really motivated to do well in school after that visit. I almost forgot about that feeling, now that I’m thinking back on my visit to I can put a lot into perspective, thank you!
Maybe it’s the fact that there is that certain “party” group of kids at my school are all trying to get in, and UGA has kind of party-school reputation, but you’re right, I could definitely find others like me and distance myself from anyone I didn’t want to be around in a school the size of a small country. That’s great I hope GCSU works out for him! That is another college I don’t really know that much about, but I know it’s a bigger one so I might look into it and see what scholarships are available

8

@proudterrier Full tuition?! I actually knew nothing about that, I’ll definitely look into it- hopefully my ACT went up because that’s a great opportunity! Are there any other schools in the Southeast(or further I suppose) that you know of which are well known for offering really great merit scholarships for those that qualify?

Ooh, that actually sounds pretty nice, it does seem better to have a career where you would have balance. Yea I picture any job in California being pretty high stress considering the huge businesses they have over there, but its so nice to have so many options! I’m glad you mentioned all of that about marketing, the deadline thing sounds like it would be an issue for me as well because I like to really focus my efforts on one project and perfect it over a period of time as opposed to being forced to crank out one after the other.

I suppose I would prefer a college that allowed more fluidity with my major. Emory says that they actually have a policy where they value students who are Undecided. I toured and fell in love with that school, but its extremely selective and expensive so I’m not putting much stock in ending up there. Something like magazine journalism sounds interesting, but I guess I would have to try it out to know for sure.

9

I feel like I’m kind of beginning to lean towards UGA after all of this! It really caters to my indecisiveness in a way that would surround me with a great, diverse student body and plenty of opportunities. I still want to keep my options open though, and of course there’s the matter of actually getting accepted first

10

Amazingly, GT also has a strong humanities program. You should talk to them too. The only area you will be frozen out of if you don’t select it as a freshman is engineering, but on the other hand, there are so many creative science/humanities options at tech you should be able to find what you want. GT has CS, computer animation, 3d modeling, and all sorts of other programs based around your interests. You can also design your own.

If the GPA figure you mentioned is unweighted, and if you can improve your ACT to 33 or more you will likely be admitted. Last year GT admitted about 1/3rd of applicants, and with the Hope scholarship you can attend almost tuition free, so it is an chance to go to the state flagship, and a top 10 engineering school, for the cost of books, room and board. You should also consider applying to some private schools if you do well on the ACT. Some meet 100% of need. Look at Vanderbilt as a start.

As far as employment, GT has a stellar reputation especially among southern employers. When we visited we had an HR person working for a major Atlanta based services company on the tour; she mentioned their policy was to send GT grads directly to the interview process.(bypassing initial screening)

As far as cost, your GPA and a 32 or more ACT gets you 100% free tuition from Alabama for 8 semesters. Students and parents both seem to love UA. UA is just a few more hours drive from Atlanta.

If it were me, I would look at Vanderbilt, GT, UGA and Alabama in that order.

11

@TooOld4School Alright thanks that’s good to know! It just seems like Tech is always talked about in regards to engineering, but if I could solidify a major that fit me there then I could definitely see myself attending because I loved so much about Tech’s campus and atmosphere. The price would also be a definite plus!

12

Still open to more opinions if anyone else was actually willing to try and read through that!

13

You have less than 2 weeks (10/15) before the GT and UGA early application deadlines (necessary for scholarships) . I would make sure you have registered for the October ACT too.

14

I don’t think there is anything wrong with going to your safety college. I’m also in the same boat where I’ll likely go to my “safety” school over my matches. I don’t know much about Georgia schools other than UGA and GTech are the big names. Think about what Kennesaw State might have that GTech doesn’t have. Schools like Kennesaw State, Georgia State, and Georgia Southern would kill to have students like you. Pick the school you like the most. If you go to GTech and end up hating it, Kennesaw State would love to have you. I imagine they would be generous with financial aid too.

15

Have you considered the possibility of applying more widely? There are lots of excellent liberal arts college on the east coast and in the midwest (they offer comp sci and the sciences - but only a few offer engineering) and some are very generous with their financial aid or even provide merit aid in order to increase the diversity of their student bodies. You would get smaller classes, faculty attention and mentoring, and a lot of supportive infrastructure. Many have beautiful campuses.

I’d avoid Georgia Tech, or any tech school for that matter, if you are not very strong in the STEM subjects and very committed to a tech degree. You are setting yourself up for a very frustrating time. And if you do decide that STEM is not the direction you want to go after all, your options are very limited. At a LAC, or even a mid-sized school, you can minor in comp sci and major in something else that feeds your soul (not to be under-estimated.)

There is nothing wrong with going to a safety school, but you may want more than one, just so you know you will have a choice come April. Check the Common Data Set, Section C for any school you are considering, to compare your stats to the admitted students. (Google it. For example: http://www.irp.gatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/CDS_2014-2015-061715-2.pdf. Note that 76% of the students got an ACT of 30 or higher.) Keep in mind that you want to be somewhere that you know you can be at least in the middle of the pack academically, even if you could potentially get in with stats that are below average.

16

Check this thread courtesy of Digmedia:

http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1505285-automatic-out-of-state-tuition-waivers.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html

17

You might want to look at Emory or Tulane. Loren Pope’s book, Colleges that Change Lives, has a lot of good information about liberal arts colleges - the section on the southeast would be helpful for you. Many of these schools follow holistic review and don’t weigh the test scores as heavily, should you not improve that much on your next ACT attempt. Good luck!

18

Even if you like the people, campus, and vibe of GA Tech you won’t be happy if you are studying all the time and not doing well in classes. People who had already taken AP Calc and done well did poorly in Calc at GA Tech. If you don’t enjoy math and science you would have it really tough the first 2 years of taking core type classes before you get to more of your major classes. I went to UGA, wasn’t a party gal, and found my niche. I went to maybe 3 football games in 4 years :wink: It’s such a huge school there are tons of groups where you can find like minded people. I agree U of A is a good idea too.

19

I felt like a lot of the others do here: you should broaden the list of schools you are applying to.

I believe Georgia Tech could really feel like a grind to you if you weren’t super-passionate about STEM, even if it is a great school. On the cost side, if you qualify for financial aid, perhaps the aid for a more expensive school would make it similar in cost to Georgia Tech after the aid is considered.

Just to throw a few random ideas out there:

USC - close to hollywood / pixar (easier to intern!), strong in a number of programs that might be of interest to you
inspiring article? http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2010/10/31/Toy-Story-3_3A00_-pixar_2700_s-lee-unkrich-went-from-attending-usc-to-directing-ts3.aspx

RISD/Brown University dual degree (http://risd.brown.edu/ ). Brown is awesome, though hard to get into of course.

Carnegie Mellon - Disney actually has a research lab there.

20

Thank so much to everyone for the suggestions and advice! I decide the take the majority advice and look into applying for more universities/private colleges