I want to major or double major in some sort of business degree like Management Information Systems or Finance along with a minor or some sort of involvement in the media or arts like theatre. Quality of education, location, innovation, people, opportunities, how many people from my school I will see the least, etc. are are all important factors which make this decision even harder. I also want to say that study abroad and traveling even after college interests me, and financially, my parents would be able to pay for all three of these schools without aid, so that’s not a huge factor except for my own financial independence. I like how Atlanta is really liberal, and has lots of opportunities, but would being at GSU make me stand out among future employers even with a Presidential scholarship when competing with kids from Tech and Emory? Tech doesn’t have that many options for majors that I’m interested in if I did want to go into something different, and it’s also infamous for its workload. UGA is great, and Athens is more aesthetic , but so many people from my school go there already, and it seems to have more conservative people. Given that you’re in my position and received all three of these acceptances, what would you pick?
Depending on what kind of involvement you want in media, Georgia Tech does have some related majors: computational media; literature, media, and communications; and minors in film and media studies and some other areas related to media. No theater, though, so not in the traditional sense (although there is a performance studies minor).
What makes you stand out to employers is not so much the name of the college on your resume, but what you did in college. Georgia State being located in Atlanta might give you the opportunity to intern at one of Atlanta’s many historic theaters, or in Atlanta’s burgeoning media arts scene, during the school year in addition to the summer. Georgia State also has lots of majors that might interest you - media entrepreneurship, computer information systems, managerial science, and film and media science. Georgia State now has a Creative Media Industries Institute, likely as a byproduct of the new-ish Atlanta media arts scene.
It sounds to me like you want to go to GSU but you’re nervous because you think UGA and Georgia Tech are seen as more prestigious. I wouldn’t be. I grew up outside Atlanta and I have a lot of friends who went to Georgia State. They’re all gainfully employed in careers they like.
I would avoid GSU if possible. The average ACT score is a 22 with a 25% to 75% of 20 to 25. These are pretty abysmal scores.
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg01_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=1206
The average ACT score for UGA honors is a 32, so if you got into UGA Honors and meet that profile, you will be academically overqualified and a fish out of water at GSU.
https://honors.uga.edu/p_s/first-year_profile_this_year.html
UGA is a large state flagship with enough students from Atlanta that you can find a social peer group. You would be a better academic match at UGA or GT, and probably have a better post-graduation career in those majors. Good luck!!!
Just because GSU scores are abysmal doesn’t mean that the students that go there are necessarily dumb. It probably just means that they do not have rich suburban parents to pay for their ACT and SAT tutoring. From what I’ve observed from people that go to GSU, they seem to be very street smart. However, I am worried about being academically overqualified, but at the same time, I heard that in college, you’re mainly competing against myself. I would say I’m a motivated student who wants to double-major and still experience life out of college, but I’m still unsure. I’ll also be interacting with kids from GT and Emory too, and I guess transferring would still be an option. Nonetheless, thank you for your reply!
Thank you so much! I don’t think GT has what I’m looking for at the moment, especially as I didn’t figure out exactly what to major or specialize in, but I am definitely leaning toward GSU right now.
My husband transferred to GSU from Carnegie Mellon back in the 90’s and crushed it at GSU, then got a teaching fellowship at U Miami (free graduate school and they paid him to go there). I also took classes at GSU (also transferring from CMU). It’s one of those schools where you get out of it what you put into it. There are some dummies, but there are some really brilliant, savvy people who are not your typical students.
Given that you have the three really good opportunities, I’d take the time to explore each school more in depth and talk to the professors in your major, and explore what it would be like to live on each of the three campuses. GSU and Tech are right next to each other, although the buildings and layout is a lot nicer at Tech (in my opinion). Athens is its own beast, and every bit as progressive (if not more so) than Atlanta.
You will work your butt off at tech. You will see some people you know at UGA, and there will be some people that shouldn’t be at college at GSU, and you may get robbed at gunpoint in downtown atlanta. There’s no perfect school, just the one that fits you the best, and only you can know which one it is by going and checking them out and talking to people. Boots on the ground…
Thanks for your reply! I’m happy to hear about your husband! I’m also thinking of doing grad, so I believe GSU can also really help with that. The diversity there is pretty amazing, and I heard pretty great things about their business colleges and opportunities - in both UGA and GSU tbh. I don’t think I want to struggle to keep afloat at Tech, but I’m very conflicted between UGA and GSU. How would you say Athens is progressive in its own way?
@prollyhipster the art and music scene in Athens is excellent. I’m friends with a few art professors who either work at or graduated from UGA, and many of them went to NYC art schools and are happily living in Athens. If Athens can keep a NYC hipster happy, it’s pretty progressive.