Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Top Questions

What are the academics like at your school?

Angad

The academics can be very challenging. Be prepared for some really tough study sessions and all-nighters. The professors are very good, but you should also be smart to pick the right professors. That part comes right before registration and you need to do a little bit of research to find out who the good professors. While the classes are challenging, they are not impossible and after some hard work, the classes start easing up. Like the saying is: it's not tough to get in, it's tough to stay in.

Austin

Georgia Tech academics are extremely demanding, but demanding academics are the only way to maintain the value of your diploma/degree. Most core classes are very large therefore the professor seldom know students on a personal basis. Students are continually studying in order to keep up with the fast paced teaching style that is prevalent at Georgia Tech. I myself am an Environmental Engineering major in the College of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Hal

Students hate the pressure of academia at Georgia Tech because of its rigor in engineering and the sciences. However, we all understand the importance of academics as our drive to succeed always ends up overcoming our fear of failure, and this allows us to continue to love and admire our school. At Tech, we hate it sometimes, but we always love it. Another thing for sure is that once a student is here, he or she will never want to set foot elsewhere, despite whatever academic obstacles may come his or her way.

Emily

International Affairs and Modern Language is a competitive major. It's students graduate with a Bachelor of Science just like any engineer or natural science major. This gives IAC Graduates an advantage when searching for jobs. They are equiped with technical skills in computer technology and natural sciences.

Kyle

There's a popular website called "Only at Tech" where students can post examples of the cruelty inflicted on them by their professors. This site, I think, is representative of Tech's entire academic culture--it all revolves around WHINING. Classes here aren't that hard. Math is math; physics is physics. It's true that the professors are generally very bad, especially for lower-level courses. But most of the students here are privileged and narcissistic; they never had to try hard in high school, and they don't know how to learn anything substantive. Come exam time, they just try to cram everything, but they still fail--and they should, because they don't know the material. But wait--they're smart! They go to a smart person's school! They should be guaranteed a high GPA! Everyone starts complaining and complaining and complaining, the administration puts pressure on the professors to apply a huge curve, and most people pass without learning what they need to. Finally, those people go around bragging about how the average grade on their test was a 33. So really, Tech is no different than any state school: your education is what you make of it. There are some very intelligent people here, and it's possible to get a great education. Most people, though, are getting nothing but a shiny degree and the ability to put up with a lot of crap. It seems to be more important to the school that students learn to overcome obstacles than learn science. It doesn't matter if you don't understand physics; you just have to be able to deal with terrible teachers and cram for tests. After that, you might as well forget everything. And most people do.

Jesse

The academic life is very rich with fantastic resources and a general appreciation towards those that show interest. The level of intellectual conversations is impressive and most students have a lot of depth in everything they do. The academic requirements are fairly OK (They could have been more rigorous in my opinion considering the global economy) but the focus needs to go more towards application and less on theory or then the right balance needs to be struck. In most cases, a lot of the GT guys get jobs in the back end doing some cool stuff (like making jets and 400 KM cars) but there needs to be more interface with the industry. There also needs to be more diversity (Indians, Chinese, Koreans and Americans is not diversity in my opinion), especially when forming teams for projects and assignments. The faculty is excellent but needs to be supported by better funding to match the UC or Illinois System. Hopefully Mike Duke (CEO Walmart) can help the school get some access to resources.

Lisa

It's definitely not a joke. If you want to goof off and party your whole freshman year and you got accepted to Tech, I suggest you go somewhere else and transfer in your second year. You can bounce back from that anywhere else, but there isn't such a thing as an 'easy A' at Tech. If you are one of those people who never opened your books and still got 5's on your AP exams, then you can afford to skip class sometimes. So my initial statement goes for the other 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students here. That being said, academic success is attainable. There are many tutoring programs on campus, but after freshman year nobody constantly reminds you about them. Math Lab, English Lab, OMED, and the Office of Success Programs are your best friends! The TA is your bestest friend--GO TO OFFICE HOURS! When (not IF, but WHEN) you fail a test, get someone to explain to you exactly where you went wrong so you can do better next time. And don't wait until right before the next test to do it either! Procrastination is your WORST ENEMY at this school. Whatever it takes for you to get organized, do it. Even if it means scheduling your day down to the hour. You'll thank yourself when you get your report card.

Gregory

hard as hell for engineering majors

Matthew

I have never taken a multiple choice test here. I have also only go A's on a couple tests in my 5 years here so far. I have to study about 15-20 hours a day, and sleep for 4 hours... this becomes routine. Now if you do a slack major like ME or AE or CE then you are fine, but if you do electrical or computer engineering you will have to devote 4 hours to sleep.

Travis

Most of the first two years' classes are your gen. ed. stuff, so there are about 250 students in each... in those, none of the professors knows you by name unless you go and bug them every day. Once you actually start getting into your major classes, you will continue to see the same profs. one a weekly, if not daily basis, and this does foster a sense of friendship. I think Tech encourages its students to interact with professors as much as possible because it is seen as a learning experience for both, and a way to expand upon concepts learned by the student. My major department is Chemistry. Chemistry isn't huge, but its not the smallest either. That being said, I think that all the Chem. majors know everyone else, with the exception of a small few. It's pretty unified. Education at Tech is geared toward learning, only, in my opinion. I think when you're accepted, you're expected to know how to apply the skills and concepts you have learned over the course of your degree in whatever field you go into. Tech is not about to hold your hand and do everything for you, but it will help you as much as possible.

Allison

It's really hard, and anybody who goes to Georgia tech has to study hard, even the managment majors.

Brandy

Classes are huge-especially freshman year. My smallest class was english 1101-over 40 students. Some professors will get to know your name; others will not. If you are struggling in a class-go see your professor during their office hours. Then they will learn your name and see that you are a hard worker and might even go easy on you when they grade your tests and exams (believe me, this happened to me in several classes, and all because I built a relationship with my professor). Classes are very tough, and keep you busy outside of class. I can spend anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks preparing for a test. Don't get behind in any class-you won't catch up.

Mark

I'd be lucky to have 3 out of 4 teachers that speak English as their first language. Some can be very hard to understand, especially when they're the authors of the text book. Many are willing to help you 1 on 1 though which is handy (if you can make it to their office hours). A lot of my friends that go to other schools get to take a lot more electives that don't apply to their major at all (a P.E. type class like Bowling 1001 or something) but it Tech doesn't make room for any "useless" classes. It is nice to know you're putting in quality hours toward your degree but it would be nice to have a break from the engineering every once in a while. I am 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} confident that I will be able to find a job after graduation with my Tech degree.

Rob

Academics are good here. The one thing I dislike is that most professors stick rigidly to their bell curves. I don't like to be in competition for my grade, and on more than one occasion I have found myself hoping other people in the class did poorly so my grade wouldn't suffer.

Adam

The students are friendly with each other and you can find some people to make a study group. Studying is important at Tech and you will spend a lot of time doing it. The work is relevant and if you enjoy your major, the work can be enjoyable.

Caitlin

"Why bother getting laid when Georgia Tech fucks me every day." That's how most students feel about academics at Georgia Tech. Check out the facebook group.

Parker

If there is one good thing about Tech it is probably its academics. It is extremely rigorous. Class sizes are large though and my smallest class was maybe 40 students. Lecture halls with 150+ students are the norm. Most profs will definitely not know your name but that may be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. A lot of students are competitive and often strive for the best leaving those like me who look to ride the curve in big trouble. This school takes their honor code way too seriously. They even post plaques of the honor code in every room. The nerdy fag honest students are no help either ratting you out at any chance they get. The rigor of the level of academics practically promotes cheating and god forbid you get caught b/c their forsaken place will eat you alive. Master the art of cheating in HS before coming here. Professors are hit or miss. (Most of the time miss.) I can only count 2 profs which I felt truly taught and were helpful ppl and I am going into my 3rd year. What does that have to say? Most profs really don't care about you as a student. My diffy q prof apparently suspected me of cheating on my test and after numerous emails and attempts to visit him at his office, 3 weeks after the test he was a no show. I had to take it up with the Dean of Students and even still he never responded to the emails. Absolutely ridiculous. They are more concerned with their research than showing you how to do a Laplace transform. Some will actually seem to try to fail you at will. I once took the time to go up to a prof after lecture to ask him the final coverage. He just stood there and laughed and said everything even though in lecture he said hw coverage will not be included. This was just plain rude and I was quite offended. His final (CEE2300) was absolutely ridiculous. I attended almost every class and had not even seen maybe as much as 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the questions on the test. Taking the final was like playing a guessing game. Just sick since it was worth 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of our grade. I ended up getting a B in the class after a huge curve which I assume was necessary since I guarantee at least half the class failed the final. Some of the big lecture classes require "class participation" through the use of a IR clicker which they force you to buy at ridiculous prices at the bookstore. This is more common in the physics, chem and bio lectures. Most ppl have their friends sign them in or take the random mini-quizzes but this is against the honor code but then again who cares.

Kelly

Some of the professors know the students by name, depending on the size of the class. Georgia Tech is known for its rigorous academics, so studying is very important. It's a very hard school, but it's also very prestigious and it will help you find a job. I am part of the psychology department, which is rather small at Tech. The department is geared toward research, since the school is science based. All of the professors at Tech know what they are talking about. They also love their field. The education at Tech is geared toward getting a job, not so much learning for its own sake.

Felicity

In freshman classes, most of the professors won't know your name or even your face b/c lectures can have 200 people or more, but in smaller classes, like english and your major-specific classes, it's a lot easier to get to know the professors. My favorite class was probably inorganic chemistry, but that's explained by the fact that i'm a chemical engineering major, but my least favorite class was a 3 way tie between computer science, biology, and physics. Study habits at tech are a lot like they were in high school, everyone pretty much crams a night or two before the test. People study a bit more in advance for finals, but still it's all pretty last-minute. A lot of times, especially in math and science classes, it seems like the professors are trying to prove to you that you're not as smart as you think you are and that they know more than you do rather than trying to help you learn, but almost all classes will have a huge curve at the end. Even if the prof says that won't curve, they can't really fail everybody or they would be put on probation, so just study really hard and it'll probably turn out alright. It is really stressful sometimes, though, b/c you never really know what grade you have in your classes until the very end.

Tate

Academics are rigorous but worthwhile. Many classes are taught by world-class faculty, and it is helpful to interact with professors to learn more about the field. Students can almost always be found studying hard before tests, but relaxing during "easy" weeks. Class participation is more common for smaller classes, but PRS helps to keep attendance high in larger classes. Usually, classes are difficult enough so that most students work and study in groups rather than individually. Professors, for the most part, are very open to questions. At times, it seems that what we are learning is geared towards industry, because that's what people expect from a Georgia Tech degree. However, students can take more classes if they want to to learn more material.

Devon

Georgia Tech's academics are beyond amazing. The classes are hard, and some of the more common classes have big lectures, but there are also recitation classes where you can ask your TA any questions about the course that you may have, and they'll make sure you understand everything. The thing that most surprised me about our academics is the Freshman Forgiveness policy. Basically, the administration understands how hard classes are and how difficult it can be for some students to adjust to college life, so if you don't do well in one of your classes in your first semesters at Tech, you can retake the class, and have the grade that you receive the second time replace the one you received the first time in calculations of your GPA. It's definitely come in handy.

Whitney

Tough, but manageable.

John

Most classes are large, so it is very unlikely any professors will know your name. My school of Electrical & Computer Engineering is one of the best. You would never know until you take classes from some of the professors that they are really involved in their fields. In fact, most concentrate more on their research than on teaching students. GT trains you to succeed in the engineering work place, no matter where you go in the field.

Becca

Getting a professor to know your name is all about communicating with them. In a class of 100 people if you always sit in the back and never go to office hours it is hard for them to recognize you. When you sit closer up and make a point to talk to them it definitely helps you out! For most people, that is the difference of a letter grade! Everyones least favorite class is always Computer Science. It is a harder class that is required for most majors. You are basically looked at as God if you do well in there! Students study everyday. That's one thing everyone complains about. For most people at Tech, High School was a breeze and they never studied. The hardest thing about coming to Tech is learning how to study because in order to be successful here, you have to! Participation in class depends on the professor and class size. Usually in larger classes they will be more lecture based with no class discussion. Georgia Tech is full of intellectual conversations outside of class. Everyone at Tech is globally competent and up to date on all the happenings. A lot of this comes from the huge diversity in students and the 5 free newspapers students can get each day. Tech is also very politically active. Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, came and spoke and had his largest crowd at Tech up until that point. Students are very competitive. At Tech all students try to do is beat the average in order to stay on top! The most unique class I have taken is Accounting I with Debby Turner. Not only is she the most animated and passionate professor I have ever had but she is the most gifted professor in her field. When you purchase your course notebook she puts in a "mini" list of her accomplishments that take up a full page. She makes a note to mention that is "just a few" and she is "not trying to brag". She's very personal and makes the class enjoyable for everyone. Georgia Tech has very hard academic requirements. It is hard to get accepted but that's what makes people love the school so much; the value of their degree.

allyson

Very hard! Be prepared to study, A LOT! Classes are difficult, but there are many areas to seek help- especially as freshman. Obviously the hard work pays off in the end. The classes are very large and most professors do not know your name and many dont even know your face. Lectures are very informal with little class participation. Most professors are very willing to help to students during office hours, however.

Blake

Professors in small classes know my name. My favorite class had to be my Principles of Microeconomics taught by Professor McCabe. Although his course proved particularly challenging I learned an enormous amount of information. Class participation varies from class to class. Most professors really strive for it while others don't request it but are willing to answer questions posed by a student. I would say that the nerds do have a lot of intellectual conversations, while the rest of us may be too scared to for fear of being labeled one. Spending time with professors outside of class does not really happen, unless I go to office hours or attend club meetings where they help out. Students are very competitive.

Morgan

Students study up to 30 hours a week. Many classes are based on a curve, so a student is competing against everyone else in the class for their grade. Tech tries to weed out 1st years, especially in the math and science classes. This causes many students to switch to Management from an engineering field for easier math and science classes. Since Tech is a research institute, professors are required to do research, that many tend to care about more than their students. The student government has the site http://sga.gatech.edu/critique/Search.php, that gives each professors GPA for all of their classes.

Reese

very difficult. they push you to your limit and then tell you it's not good enough. pulling b's and c's is often times very rewarding. this is coming from a former 4.0 student and valedictorian...well...that's everyone at tech. It's amazing how even when you're dealing with such a high caliber of students the professors find a way to teach their classes in a way that challenges everyone. It's unlike any schooling experience i've ever had.

James

One complaint is that GT is unnecessarily hard. GT will be hard if you are studying something that doesn't interest you. Another thing that people forget about is that Georgia Tech is an 'Institute of Technology.' They come here for one major which turns out to be different than they expected and then they find out there's nothing at GT they want to major in... uhhh. GT didn't change.

Patrick

Lots of classes suck, some classes are easier, but every class is passable if you know what you're doing.

Drew

Tech is a hard school and the piece of paper your diploma comes on is well earned. A good student will still have to spend plenty of time on studying, yet Tech also is good for being in the know about new technology, research, and knowledge.

Christine

Most professors are very helpful and willing to work with you outside of class. The class sizes are somewhat large and typically the professors have enough material to cover that students do not ask questions in class. Most students spend a lot of time studying. Some homework assignments alone can take over 10 hours to complete. Georgia Tech provides students with the fundamentals to do well in any job. The academics are not geared towards training for a specific job, but rather a strong knowledge of the curriculum. As a mechanical engineer, there are a lot of interactive design classes. As a freshman, there is a class dedicated to learning CAD software and how to hand sketch. As a sophomore, there is a class dedicated to creating a machine to compete against other teams. In your last (or second to last) semester, senior design offers real world experience in a learning environment.

Carlos

Everyone thinks classes are hard, but professor...most of the time...won't let you fail. Apparently everyone who takes math here usually doesn't understand it, so the only way your going to get any help on your homework is that math major or the tutoring in the math building. If your coming here, you should definitely get a coop job, everyone loves Tech students...but only because they know how to work, so if your a slacker, your going to get fired. Everyone here is education oriented, so nerdy conversations are bound to happen. I transferred from Architecture to Physics and spoke with an adviser at Berkeley and she told me that Tech is recognized by other schools as being part of the elite, so don't discard Tech's reputation.

Blake

The classes are for the most part pretty large, though as you get more advanced in your degree they tend to get smaller. While I was in engineering the teachers did not know my name, however in the Management program most do remember it. Class participation is common in some classes (Again, has been more in the Management program than the Engineering Program). I have not spent time with teachers outside of classes. The academic requirements can be tough, but if you go to class and study you will do fine. My education at Georgia Tech is solely to get a job in the future!

Charlie

Classes are hard here. I have to study about 15 to 20 hours a week as opposed to 0 hours a week in high school. But most professors are pretty fair about grading and they will give their students a break, especially if you go visit them. Students are very competitive for grades here because almost every class is graded on a curve. In my engineering classes, the test averages are usually around 50 percent, so students are competing against each other for good grades. I spend time with my most important professors outside of class. I spend a lot of time with my research advisers. Georgia Tech offers a student-faculty luncheon every semester as a chance to get to know your professors better. My sorority also hosts a luncheon and I am bringing my research adviser to it next week.

Liz

There aren't a lot of big classes. You may have a few your freshman year, but all in all the professors will try to get to know you if you try to get to know them. Classes are challenging. Every class. Don't underestimate the work load that comes along with getting a Tech degree. That being said, the classes are really interesting and you really feel like you are learning.

Robert

The School is tough to get into, and even tougher to stay in. Professors are often highly specialzed and very in depth. I feel that students get more information and a larger bredth of the subject than the necessarily want, but it all adds up in the long run.

Andy

Most professors know us by name, but it depends on the class size and how dedicated the professor is. My favorite class is my intro to nuclear engineering class. I love the subject matter. I hate Physics, though. Students study all the time. Really. Class participation isn't great, but sometimes it's mandatory, with the personal response systems. We certainly have many intellectual conversations outside of class! Students are generally competitive, but there are exceptions. The most unique class I've taken is a seminar about the origins of life on Earth. It's sort of a biochemistry/biology/evolution class. Very interesting. My major department, nuclear engineering, is very small. I feel like I get a lot of attention for being in that major since it's so small, and I can approach the professors easily. Georgia Tech's education is definitely geared toward preparing you for any career you may pursue while also encouraging learning for its own sake.

Kristen

In large classes, professors don't even try to know names. But, in smaller classes, professors try and usually succeed. In mid-size classes, it only happens if the professor is that cool. My favorite classes were my upper major courses because I really got into what I liked. My least favorites were computer science classes because I had never ever seen code before, and they just kind of throw you into it. Students study a lot - I won't lie. You have to. But, it definitely pays off. Class participation depends on the class. If it's a part of the course, then you have the students who participate and those who don't - just like anywhere. Yes, GT students have intellectual conversations outside of class. But, don't let us fool you - we goof off, too. Students are VERY competitive. So much so that sometimes they won't help other people for fear that that student will then perform better than them. The most unique class? A class on how to make carpet. Way out there! I'm an Industrial and Systems Engineering student. My major is the second largest engineering school, and everyone is really great. We all get to know each other, and the professors here are better than in other departments (and more friendly, too!). I don't "chill" with professors outside of class, but at office hours, they're very friendly and talkative about their lives. The academic requirements here are not easy, but they are well worth it. The education here is definitely skill-based for getting a job, but they also push a lot of students to go to grad school and continue in academia.

Jerry

The academics at the College of Computing (CoC) at Georgia Tech are one of the top in the world. From the very first introduction to programming course to the most advanced databases courses, the professors are very dedicated and they love seeing their students learn. As a teaching assistant, as well as a student, I can honestly say that I have seen the entire spectrum. Students love to learn, and you will never have a non-intelligent conversation, all the while not even realizing what a fun time you are having! Moreover, the faculty are very approachable, and they are always participating in various events for student organizations in the CoC. The education you receive for the price you pay is more than worth it. The career fairs never fail to bring in Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, and many other Fortune 500 companies. You are guaranteed success just by going attending here and showing how much you have learned!

Nicki

No, professors do not usually know your name. My favorite class is Operations Management because we get to look at all aspects of my major, Industrial Engineering, so I find it very interesting. My least favorite class was a computer science class because I hate coding. Students study all of the time. I would say I spend at least 20 hours a week studying. Class participation is not common in engineering classes. One of the things I love about Georgia Tech are the intellectual conversations I have with almost everyone outside of class. There is a small bit of competitiveness, but it is usually everyone against the professor. Almost everyone is willing to help others out in class. The most unique class I have taken was a history of China class that I took while studying abroad in Singapore. I had never learned so much about another country before, and it really opened my eyes to how others live and think in different parts of the world. My major is Industrial Engineering and Georgia Tech is considered the best school in the nation in Industrial Engineering. The curriculum is awesome because you can focus on logistics, manufacturing, quality control, etc. or you can just take an assortment of classes from the department. Our senior design is extremely challenging because you work with a real client, such as Red Bull or UPS, and fix a problem or design a new system for some portion of their business. No, I don't spend time with professors outside of class. I really like our academic requirements. Georgia Tech definitely trains you for you career.

Parker

No, rarely do professors learn your name. Most of the class sizes, especially your first two years, are very large. My favorite class was ME 2110 Creative Decisions and Designs, there were no tests, you were given tasks and had to build contraptions to perform those tasks. There are too many to list for least favorite. Students study too much, its way to stressful. Class participation is not common, classes are too large. Always intellectual conversations outside of class. I do not spend time with professors outside of class. The academic requirements are high enough. It claims to be geared toward getting a job, but to me, its just about how well you can take a test, so unless your job requires tests, where you can only use what knowledge you have in your head, and no calculators, then its not preparing me very well.

Reese

Most professors do not know your name Most students study between 4 and 6 hours per day in total for all of their classes. Class participation is common for few students.

Scott

Academics at Georgia Tech are extremely rigorous, to say the least. GPAs are very low for freshmen and sophomores; either students study a lot and they simply don't do well, or they study very little and they don't do well as a result. I think it's a combination of the two. There are certainly a lot of younger students who aren't used to the rigorous and competitive atmosphere at GT and so they underestimate what their professors and fellow classmates expect from them. I used to think doing well here was a function of the amount of work and studying I put in, but I quickly realized you can study for hours and hours and still bomb a test. Succeeding at Georgia Tech takes a lot of hard work AND a knack for knowing exactly what professors are looking for on exams and projects. It's also important to know where to go and who to talk to in order to find answers to the tough questions. I majored in biomedical engineering, which was one of the most rigorous majors at Tech and seemed to have the greatest number of overachievers (pre-meds). I thought I was hot stuff in high school, but when I came to Tech, I could barely scrounge an above-average grade on even an "easy" exam. Things got much better as I started getting into my major classes and as I learned "the system," but classes were still challenging up to the end. Ostensibly, it would seem like Georgia Tech students work together on homeworks and projects and studying because they're "all in the same boat", in that most people study a difficult major. But in reality, while there is a lot of camaraderie in academics, people are still very competitive and they will do whatever is needed to ace the class and get a recommendation letter from the professor. That's life. I was fortunate enough to take advantage of the undergraduate research opportunities at Georgia Tech. It was a good way for me to use my coursework for a real-world application, and I would recommend it to anyone. My major didn't allow me to take too many electives without prolonging graduation, but I took one great class on the history of city planning in the school of Architecture. The professor, D. Allen, was probably the most engaging teacher of any class I took. Most of the other professors were approachable, but I wouldn't quite go so far as to call many of them "welcoming." They answered questions and held open office hours, but many of them also headed research labs and so you could tell teaching undergraduates was not a top priority. But many took the time to prepare thoughtful lessons and offered to stay after class to answer questions. I remember one professor in particular, R. Gleason, who used to stay with a group of four or five of us for at least 20 minutes after every class to answer When I came to college, I expected lounging at a coffee shop, discussing politics and other world issues with my coffee-drinking college buddies. Don't we all expect something like that? The reality is much different. It was rare that I had intellectual conversations with anyone but my closest friends. But as I visited friends from other schools, I noticed they didn't really live out my fantasy either. I can't exactly blame Georgia Tech for this. That said, if you love talking about computers, there's always someone to converse with. The education at Georgia Tech is definitely geared toward getting a job as opposed to going to graduate or medical school. There were monthly career fairs and a huge cooperative education office (Google it). But that's not to say it's impossible to go to graduate school from Tech, it's just a little more difficult because the GPAs tend to be lower.

Devin

Some professors know my name, but it depends on the class and the size of it. My favorite class this semester is my Clinical Research Practicum class. We learn about clinical research and perform clinical studies for 8 hours a week in the Grady Hospital ECC. Least favorite class is my Circuits lab. Students study about 10 hours a week. No, class participation is not common. Yes, Georgia Tech students have intellectual conversations outside of class. We may study a lot, but we know whats going on in the world. Students here are very competitive. My most unique class had to be my English II class. My major is Biomedical Engineering and I love my major. My major is very young and therefore the department is still being developed and refined. I do spend time with professors outside of class. I think the academic requirements at Tech are a little too stringent, but it helps to push students to do their best. Education at Georgia Tech is geared towards getting a job and passing entrance exams.

Martha

Tech is a hard school. The classes are challenging but the reward is great. Having a degree from Tech looks better in the eyes of future bosses then a local/state university.

Jason

Do professors know your name? That depends on the class. The largest lecture I ever had had 203 people in it, but every semester I took a class where I was 1 of 12. That allows you to be very personal if you choose to be with your professors. I say if you choose to be because it's up to you whether you visit their office or see them after class or not. This is regardless of class size. Also, after years of classes, you start to know the admins and professors of your college, whether you took a class with them or not. While walking around the College of Architecture, I came to recognize about as many professors as I did students. One thing you have to realize about Georgia Tech is it quite often takes students longer than 4 years to finish undergraduate studies. It took me an extra fall semester, and the same is true for many of my friends. A lot more are still there this spring. Classes are very challenging, and quite often people take minimum hours to be considered a full time student, making it take additional semesters. A poor freshman or sophomore year from the shock of the difficult classes could set you behind a little, or perhaps you changed majors halfway through. Intellectual conversations of all types can be heard outside classes. My closest friends aren't within the college of architecture, but are engineers. Very often my CS friend would come home excited about some practical aplication of some theory he just learned about, or my EE friend would show off some new "toy." Being the only Architect among the group, I shared my knowledge whenever the course of conversation led to such discussions of buildings and city planning. Recently I half guided some friends through a famous house we visited that I had learned about but had never been to.

Andrea

Since I'm in the school of Liberal Arts, most of my professors know my name. I love my Marketing classes and I always feel a sense of encouragement from them academically. Georgia Tech is very unique in that I hear people talk about calculus and physics problems over lunch and hold very intellectual conversations all the time. The most unique class I have taken was called Environment Ecocritic which dealt with the issue of the way things in the environment are placed and how that effects our everyday life. My major, STAC, is one of the most unique majors and the most flexible. I study classes anything from Literature to media to philosophy. I know my counselor by name and most of my teachers. I spend time with my professors outside of class through research and through the different organizations in which they participate.The requirement at Georgia Tech are very strenuous, time consuming, and difficult. The education at Georgia Tech is highly geared toward getting a job and companies from major corporations on campus are here many times a month and hire Georgia Tech students over other universities because of the quality of the student.

Ash

You are a letter on a grade book but you learn a hell of a lot.