Grad school decision time: Univ of Texas (Austin) vs. Georgia Tech (Atlanta)

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: erub
I've been playing with this decision back and forth in my head..good thing I only applied to two schools Got admitted with funding to both, for the purposes of this discussion we will say its equal

UT-Austin:
#12 overall engr, #12 electrical engineering
Great city, I know people (although most of my friends are leaving )
Lots of girls on campus
Great place to do outdoor activites (I run a lot) -
Rival school from where I go to undergrad (Texas A&M) - i doubt anybody cares though
Big plus: All I am required to do for my money is take 9 hours of class for two years

Georgia Tech:
#4 overall engr, #6 electrical engineering
Pretty cool city, everybody seems nice that I met (but I don't know anybody)
No girls on campus - but lots in the city
Better school in my EE interest area - analog/wireless design (~15 professors vs. 2)
More spread out city, hard to live near bars & outdoor activities??
Will be required to do research or TA for my assistanship

And any other pro/cons about why i should choose one or the other?

UT-Austin FTW.

Georgia Tech is a sausage fest. Seriously. One of my friends went there and ended up transferring to UT. He hated the environment at Georgia Tech.

But that was for undergrad. It isn't like you will have that much of a social life if you are going for your PHD. So I guess Georgia Tech is a better school, but for social life and scenary, Austin is an Oasis.

 

[fizmeister]

Hmm, let's see:

You're going to grad school. You're gonna do research. So what does it matter that you have to do research fore your assistantship? You're not going to do research at UT ?

You may be required to teach. If you wanna stay in academia, you HAVE to teach, even if your assistantships don't require it. You will be guarunteed NOT to find a job in academia without teaching experience.

I would go to GaTech. Austin is a great place, but go to teh better dept with more options in your field--plus, Atlanta ain't bad.

There are many nice bars in Atlanta to pick up women. Even if GaTech is a sausage fest, you're probably gonna be incredibly busy to care on your campus outside of eye-candy.

 

[ironcrotch]

Austin, no if and or buts about it. It always ranks very high in teh best places to live. I would move there if I wasn't a west coast kid. =]

 

[jammur21]

UT

 

[Boxxcar]

If you ever plan on getting BJ's from 15 yr olds and stay out of prison, then you had better opt for Austin!!!

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Boxxcar
If you ever plan on getting BJ's from 15 yr olds and stay out of prison, then you had better opt for Austin!!!

So Austin is a haven for child molesters then?

 

[Boxxcar]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Boxxcar
If you ever plan on getting BJ's from 15 yr olds and stay out of prison, then you had better opt for Austin!!!

So Austin is a haven for child molesters then?

I have no idea.

So soon you forget, seeing that you were the one who posted the link about the 17 yr old gets 10 years in Georgia!

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Boxxcar

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Boxxcar
If you ever plan on getting BJ's from 15 yr olds and stay out of prison, then you had better opt for Austin!!!

So Austin is a haven for child molesters then?

I have no idea.

So soon you forget, seeing that you were the one who posted the link about the 17 yr old gets 10 years in Georgia!

No, I knew exactly what you were getting at. However, since the OP is going to be in his early to mid 20s while at grad school, any sexual contact with a 15 year old would be child molestation.

 

[kalster]

its graduate school, I think research, professors matter much more than party atmosphere, city environment etc, choose the school which is strongest in your field of interest/specialization.

 

[Otaking]

UT-Austin FTW.

All Texas alums will agree with me too. :beer:

 

[thraashman]

If you're gonna be doing a tough graduate program, then the social aspect shouldn't matter that much. And while Ga Tech is lower on the female population, it is about 30 - 35% female, so it's not like they're non-existant. I'd take more into account monetary situation and quality of program than things like chics and partying. You're in graduate school afterall, so you need to study alot more than party, also you should've gotten most of that out of your system already.

I love Atlanta, it's a great city. I work right across from Ga Tech campus so if you need new people to party with you know one person already.

 

[rgwalt]

What degree are you going for? Are you going for a research-based MS or PhD? If so, you'll need to do research anyway. Ultimately it depends on who you want to work for. It sounds like there are more options at GTech than UT in your field of interest, so I'd seriously consider going there.

However, Austin is a cool town...

R

 

[mephiston5]

GT, I know some what that got their masters there, they got a good job making 70k a year right out of school.

 

[interchange]

I made 65k out of school with an undergrad from GT .

 

[desteffy]

GT. I'm there right now and its great. There are actually a lot of girls around, maybe not as many on campus but GSU/Emory/ etc are mostly girls and right around here. Keep in mind your CLASSMATES at either school will probably be about the same % female. Atlanta is an incredible city to live in.

If you are doing PhD the larger faculty will be a huge plus, you'll have no trouble finding someone to work with.

 

[AtlantaBob]

Originally posted by: alien42
gt for school
austin for the environment

which is more important in the long run?

Absolutely--this coming from a current GT Grad student. Are you looking for an M.S. or PhD?

 

[erub]

Originally posted by: AtlantaBob

Originally posted by: alien42
gt for school
austin for the environment

which is more important in the long run?

Absolutely--this coming from a current GT Grad student. Are you looking for an M.S. or PhD?

I haven't totally decided yet. Right now I'm leaning towards just the Masters, but I'll re-evaluate when I get closer. I will probably be doing the thesis option if possible, I have professors in mind since I can't really see myself teaching. I've almost signed on the dotted line to go to GT..

 

[Shiizu]

Originally posted by: kalster
its graduate school, I think research, professors matter much more than party atmosphere, city environment etc, choose the school which is strongest in your field of interest/specialization.

Exactly. And having contact with the right people can make a WORLD of difference, unless you just plan to get a mediocre degree and not do much with it. If you are serious about your research, go to where you have good advisors and opportunity for research.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I want to say that GT is the better school but Austin is a better college city/better college experience. Plus, since you're a Texan, you should be able to study at Austin with in-state tuition. If you can avoid student loans, do!

While I loved my 4.5 years at GA Tech and would do them all over again, I am not a big fan of the ATL. And yes, there are plenty of (attractive) women on campus, and if you're not an über geek, willing to approach them as an intelligent, well-spoken gentleman, you could probably get a few dates!

 

[Turkish]

I applied to 4 schools: GT, Austin, Purdue, VT. I got accepted to VT and Austin for undergrad, denied to GT and Purdue, and I picked and graduated from Virginia Tech. Yes, I'm a moron but oh well, its all over. I graduated last May.