Hi everyone! I’m currently deciding between Georgia Tech (in-state) & Columbia (SEAS) for Computer Science/Computer Engineering, and I’m really torn between the two. I come from a low-income background but received full rides to both schools, so cost thankfully isn’t a deciding factor. My biggest priority is choosing the school that will set me up best for a full-time job after graduation, as supporting my family after college is really important to me.
I’ve visited both campuses and liked different things about each: GT has much better school spirit & football culture, co-op/internship culture, and strong CS reputation. Columbia offers smaller class sizes, much broader academic diversity, and direct access to NYC opportunities.
Here’s my somewhat full breakdown of my pros and cons, would love any help or input in choosing between the two!
Cost:
Columbia (Full-Ride, C.P. Davis Scholar, $2,000 startup grant)
Georgia Tech (Full-Ride, GT Promise Scholar, also in-state)
Columbia Pros:
In NYC - huge startup scene and career opportunities in arguably the best in the country (maybe even the world)
Ivy League prestige & strong alumni network
Smaller class sizes + better faculty interaction (6:1 ratio)
More variety in majors/people; not just running into engineering majors everywhere
Dorm situation is better than GT; can easily get a single (can do it through GT honors if I get in as well)
Would push me out of my comfort zone and probably be a cool new experience; first time far from home
More resources per student (could be helpful especially as an FGLI student)
Columbia Cons:
Core curriculum? (not sure if I’m gonna vibe with it, although SEAS students take roughly ½ the core instead of the full thing. Also could be a pro for me since it’ll give me a more well-rounded education, since I’ve mostly focused on my STEM education during HS)
Lower ranked in engineering (#18) compared to GT (#4), not sure if this matters much
Far from family, might get homesick; parents also are urging me to stay close to home
NYC is expensive, and personal expenses could add up fast (especially as a low-income student)
Gym and rec. facilities are much smaller and cramped than GT (I like playing sports and working out)
Political issues about the institution are also a con for me as a Muslim student, although I think it’ll weather away over time
Would have to retake some DE classes from HS (Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calc.)
Georgia Tech Pros:
Top 5 program for CS/Engineering
Very close to family (20 min away)
Much better campus spirit with sports scenery as well; also have a lot of friends going there, so might be easier to adjust socially
Already familiar with Atlanta + campus
Great recreational center, loved the gym facilities
Would come in with 38 credits, so wouldn’t have to delay graduation much/at all if I get internships during school year
Great connections in industry for co-op/internships
ATL definitely cheaper than NYC overall
Nicer weather in ATL in my opinion
Georgia Tech Cons:
Dorm situation isn’t the best; really want a single due to religious reasons and might not be able to get that unless I get into GT Honors program
Dining hall food is mid at best
Classes (especially intro CS classes) are often overcrowded, and it’s usually not easy to get the classes you want that specific semester
The student body is very STEM-focused, so I might feel boxed into my major(s) of interest. Also might be more difficult to land internships during undergrad due to the sheer size of the student body (19,000 vs Columbia’s 8,000)
Just some other notes:
I’ve never really been to NYC except for my Columbia visit last week, where we didn’t have enough time to actually explore the city. Also, at this point in my life, I feel like I want to be in Atlanta post-grad, but that might just be because my family + friends are here and I’ve never really experienced living anywhere else.
Overall, I feel like Georgia Tech would be the more fun (I love sports) and safer option given my situation, but Columbia could be a cool and eye-opening experience being in NYC and meeting a more diverse group of people. Would love to hear any thoughts from you all! Thanks in advance
I wouldn’t worry about rank or the other things. Which do you prefer ?
Because you didn’t see NY, Ga Tech is safer. But today where you go to school has little impact on where you’ll end up long term.
No bad choice here. Pick one and run with it and congrats.
Ps - is Columbia paying transport ? That’s a cost.
I’d go there. Why ? Free to explore a new and awesome city b4 you maybe go home in four years. But that’s me. You can still root for Ga Tech football. At Columbia, you might …or might not…be exposed to protests - are you comfortable with that ?
Congrats on all your hard work and having it recognized by these 2 strong schools. I don’t think you would be crazy to turn down Columbia and you have a lot of pros as to why GT is a great fit for you.
I will second your con of expenses - NYC is very expensive and much of the student life takes place outside of the campus/Morningside Heights area. Columbia is also known to be more hands off and is a stronger fit (imo) for very independent students. You must be a strong self advocator to take advantage of all the resources - does that sound like you?
For costs, don’t forgot about the cost to/from the airport, flights to visit home and off campus housing IF you stay and work in a lab or an internship in NYC. I love NYC and think Columbia is a great school, but I do think some people do not understand the high cost of attending college there and the need to be fairly independent. I think you will find a community of like minded people both within the Muslim community and other student groups, so I would not worry about that piece at all. Sports culture is tiny at Columbia and if that is an important part of your college experience - that sways the decision to GT.
You have isolated the pros and cons well. Go to the college you prefer. Your post-graduation success will be dependent on what YOU accomplish during college rather than which one of these absolutely outstanding universities you decide to attend.
Would you be crazy to turn down a full ride to Columbia, in order to full-pay or take on debt for GT? Yes. Would you be crazy to choose a full ride to GT over a full ride to Columbia? Not at all. Two reasonable people could make two different choices here. GT is a tippy-top school for what you want to study.
I think your pros and cons are well thought out. Either school would be a 100% valid choice, and you shouldn’t feel the need for a “permission structure” to pick whichever one you prefer.
Your concerns about costs in NYC are valid. Experiencing a new city can get a lot less inspiring if your experience is going to be a whole lot of “so close yet so far” because you can’t afford the things you want to do. There are a lot of cool things to do in New York for free too, but if the things that most interest you aren’t free, that could become a drag very quickly. And yes, travel expenses. Spontaneity won’t be an option; affordable travel requires planning ahead.
Looks like GT Honors decisions come out on 4/24, right? If you do get Honors, I can see that tipping the decision toward GT. If not, GT could still be the right choice, but the decision is tougher. Good luck, and congrats on two amazing options!
Not sure I’m liking what I hear about morale among the Columbia Muslim students right now. Two grad students* were disappeared in public, in broad daylight* some weeks ago. And not everyone is happy with Columbia’s response to external pressures.
What an exciting choice! There are students turning down Columbia acceptances due to decisions being made at the University, but as others have said, that is a moral decision not an academic one. As someone who grew up in New York and has lived for many decades now in Atlanta, I can see pulls in both directions. That said, New York City is an exciting place with many, many, many, many many young adults who attend schools in the area as well as those who have relocated there right after college. You will find your people as there are so many young adults in The City. And the colleges have student discounts available to attend theater, sports museums, etc. It is a wonderful opportunity. As for sports, you’ve got two football teams, two baseball teams, hockey, basketball and plenty of college sports there as well. You won’t need a car there so that will save you some money. And since Atlanta is familiar, you can always come back here for grad school if that is your desire. Personally, they are excellent choices and while GT probably probably pulls stronger for the major you are planning to pursue, Columbia is a tough turn down, especially at no pay. When will you have the opportunity to explore New York on someone else’s dime again? I’d go for it if it were me. But then again I love New York City. And I love Atlanta too. But my allergies are killing me here right now and I do miss the occasional beautiful snowfall that New York gets.
Honestly I don’t know. If this was a few years back Columbia probably would be easier to choose, but the recent unrest is making it tough to choose between the two. Do love different things at both schools but yeah as you said GT does feel like the safer and comfortable option (but by no means an easy school lol).
In my financial aid letter it says transportation and transit are covered, but I’m not sure if that also includes flights or not. If not, that also would be a factor for me since I don’t have the means to just drop tons of money on flights to visit.
I get what you mean for sure, NYC is definitely an exciting city but it’s just hard for me to believe that given I haven’t experienced it firsthand. Wish I could actually explore the city before deciding but that’s unfeasible. I’m also fine with protests, just worried about the funding cuts and whatever else is going on with administration at the moment. Or maybe I’m just blowing all of this out of proportion.
Thank you! So incredibly grateful for even having the freedom to choose between the two.
Thank you! I guess the good part about choosing Columbia would be that I wouldn’t have to worry about the expensive cost of living with housing being covered, which is nice since I don’t really imagine myself going back to NYC post grad given the high COA. Do you mind elaborating on how Columbia is more hands off?
Yes cost of travel has also been a worry. As I mentioned to @tsbna44, in my financial aid letter it seems that travel is covered, but not sure if this also includes flights or not. So will have to clarify (and will reply here again once I find out!).
About sports culture: I come from a high school with great school spirit when it comes to sports, so maybe that’s the part of me that wants to have some of that in college as well. Although I will say I don’t want to take sports seriously in terms of actually playing for school teams, but rather something just for fun on the side to get my mind of school. But yeah I guess not having a big sports culture isn’t a deal-breaker at all, but it would be nice to have.
College is about learning and change. It’s not permanent. NY has everything and then some - and it’s not far from Philly, DC or Boston - so new things to explore.
Atlanta is safe - but is safe what you want? College isn’t just about class.
Thank you so much for the kind and encouraging words! Do you have any advice that you would give students when it comes to choosing schools? Anything that you feel is underrated/overhyped to consider?
I would expect that your aid package includes a fixed dollar amount for travel, which is already built into the award. It definitely doesn’t mean you’ll get more from them if you fly home more often or have to buy an expensive last-minute flight.
ETA: I can see wanting the adventure of a new city, but I also don’t think that the GT/Atlanta option should be framed as cowardly or as “playing it safe” in a way that forfeits growth. You will have plenty of new adventures and growth opportunities if you go to GT. You can get internships and jobs anywhere/everywhere. (My daughter went to college in Houston, and she has multiple college friends who live in NYC now.) Also, anyone who has attended college near home can tell you that they see a whole new side of their home city when they experience it with the independence of a college student. If you’re worried that GT would be “High School 2.0”… it wouldn’t be.
Choose Columbia if you truly want to choose Columbia, but not because anybody tells you that you’re “settling” if you don’t.
There is no magic one size fits all formula. Affordability is the first objective – no young adult should start life with crippling debt, especially if it is avoidable. After that, I would suggest looking at whatever is important to YOU in terms of academics, social fit, location, gut feel, and anything else you care about (ex. big time sports, Greek Life, etc.).
With your choice, I do think that two reasonable people could make two different decisions. You are blessed to have a situation where there are two “right” answers. Once you make a choice, buy a hoodie and don’t look back.
I say this as a parent, your parents need to let your spread your wings if that is what you want. I know for some families that’s hard, but often that is where the opportunity is.
It’s a tough decision. I do feel the undercurrent of what you are saying is that Atlanta is your comfort zone, and I’m generally one to push for moving out of your comfort zone, because that’s where the magic happens. Ultimately, though, you need to be comfortable with your choice because you’ll be there for four years, and as others have pointed out each of these could be a good decision. So I might approach it a slightly different way and think about it like this: visualize yourself in 5 years’ time. Which of these as a missed opportunity do you feel you might regret more at that stage?
Exactly; and this highlights the fact that “comfort” need not be a dirty word. Getting out of your “comfort zone” is important, but in a judicious way, not in an “everything comfortable is a cop-out” way. Otherwise, what would even be the point of looking for “fit” in colleges? Why not always opt to go where you’re the most uncomfortable? Life is about balance - finding an environment that supports you in some ways and challenges you in others. Shrinking from challenge altogether is bad; choosing your challenges well is an important life skill. You won’t run out of challenges at either of these fine schools; only you can assess which challenges are the right ones to take on.
Both are great options. No wrong choice. Both strong for CS. Your pros and cons are spot on. The GT Promise scholarship has some very nice perks.
You can spread your wings in Atlanta if you like. It’s a large, diverse city with plenty to do. NYC isn’t going anywhere. You might even be able to intern or co-op there.
I’m fairly certain you will encounter some classes and situations at GT that will be outside your comfort zone.
Being near family can be a positive. I’m assuming your family won’t be visiting campus every weekend. You’ll be on your own most of the time but near enough if you need help.
A reason to go to Columbia would be for the resources. You listed them in the pros. Good luck.
Thanks for all of the insights. It’s just really tough for me being first-gen making such a decision of where I want to spend at least the next 4 years of my life in a mere week or so.
Do you know if there’s any way I can reach out to current first gen/low income students at Columbia? Not sure where to search.
Reached out to financial aid office regarding travel expenses, so awaiting what they say. In the meantime trying to get as many small scholarships as I can so this won’t be as big of a factor if it turns out they don’t cover flights and whatnot.
I definitely don’t like what’s going on with this whole situation, and it does reflect negatively on the institution. Only pro I can say about this is that nothing seemed out of the ordinary when I toured campus, other than a few gates being closed and security around the perimeter of campus.
Haha yes the pollen does get pretty bad around here. For me I think when it comes to sports, it feels like GT has the sports culture with their football team (supposedly this might be their best year) and they have regular games which is cool, meanwhile Columbia sports are more occasional from what I understand and have select games against other Ivy league schools.
Yes, Columbia at full pay is definitely hard to turn down. Some part of me wishes that one of the two had worse aid so the choice would be easier lol. And just for the record, when I say Atlanta is familiar, I just want to throw out that I by no means have explored all of what Atlanta even has to offer. Heck the first time I ever went to GT was on my visit a couple weeks ago (although I do have friends that go there).
But it’s nice to know that NYC is exciting! Would definitely give me a new perspective given that I’ve never explored the city. Thanks for the help!
I definitely don’t just want a “safe” college experience, but would appreciate some type of comfort, whether that means meeting similar people or whatever else. Even on my visit to Columbia I found myself missing my family and friends a little bit, but that’s probably because the entire experience was something new that I hadn’t experienced before.
