For languid-lilt:
For reference: just finished freshman year at Georgia Tech as a Biomedical Engineer
1. why did you decide to go where you are now?
Well, I live in Georgia (though about 6 hours away from Tech) and it just felt like home to me. I came from a small high school and I was about the only nerdy kid there, and as soon as I walked around campus I felt like I belonged there. And I couldn’t have been more right :)
Also the fact that it’s a top 3 BME school didn’t hurt at all.
2. any regrets? why?
I’ll be honest, it’s a hard school. However, no one is purposefully trying to fail you (at least not that I’ve seen). There’s enough places to get help, with schoolwork or stress or anything, that everything works out. So far I don’t have any regrets, but I’m not as far in as some who might have them.
3. favorite part of school? least favorite?
I have a really good group of friends which is great not knowing anyone going into Tech, and one thing I love is that there is ALWAYS something fun going on around campus. They show free or $1 movies all the time, there are farmer’s markets on Thursdays, and clubs have free food and events every week. Least favorite…sometimes the workload is overwhelming, but as long as you’re willing to ask for help if you need it nothing is too hard to handle.
4. how are the dorms and campus food?
I lived on west (Freeman Hall, 3rd floor) and our dorms were fantastic. Newly renovated (Fitten, Freeman, and Montag were all renovated in 2012). If you’re more into frat parties and gameday shenanigans, East might be better, but for me West was much calmer and safer and felt more like a community. The food is okay. West has Woody’s, which is alright at best but it’s gotten a lot better recently. East has Brittain and North Ave which are approximately the same except North Ave is bigger. There are fast food places relatively close to campus and some in the student center too.
5. what is the local atmosphere like/is there enough to do nearby?
Like I said, whether on campus or off, there’s always stuff to do. Atlantic Station is close enough to either take a bus or walk with friends and there’s shopping and a movie theater and places to eat and stuff.
6. what is the general social scene like/are the parties fun/is there any pressure to go greek? (greek life isn’t necessarily a negative for me)
I rushed formally with the NPC, but ended up pledging with a professional engineering sorority Alpha Omega Epsilon. There’s no pressure to go greek really, I know way more people that aren’t greek than are and there’s no big tension between them. There are 40 frats and 16 sororities (7 national chapters, 2 associates, and 7 with less than 10 people) as well as a band sorority and fraternity. I don’t party much, but they seem pretty fun.
7. I’m pretty much set on going into engineering. if you’re an engineer (especially biomedical), what has your experience been like in the department? if you have friends in engineering, do they seem to like it? any other pros/cons/other info/advice for new engineers?
BME 1000 is the first class you take in the program. It’s pretty boring, but there’s a big group project. As long as you do what you’re supposed to on time you’ll be fine. Dr. Le Doux is unhelpful so don’t depend on his guidance. After that class you don’t have to deal with him much though. It’s one of the best BME schools in the country and there are plenty of us here. Lots of people change majors but I’m not. There are lots of labs and people who graduate with good jobs too.
8. any other words of wisdom you may have about your school or just whatever idk
Um….just general college advice: everything takes longer than you think it will, try new things, go to class
Anything else feel free to message me!
