The Anxious Freshman Going To Georgia Tech Thread

[GTaudiophile]

Replaced by PM.

 

[qIat]

I didn't go to a CA school, and I got hired fine. Although it's tougher now, because companies don't want to pay for long travel for candidates.
I work for the #2 CPU design house in the world, which you forgot to list up there

Regarding your statement on travel, it would occur to me that going to one of the CA schools would be an advantage in that situation, save one notable exception in White Plains. And don't say you work for HP/Compaq or Sun

I have a bachelors degree, I am designing CPUs. I am however the only one without a masters, but masters degree is enough. PhD is an overkill unless you want to work on research.

I couldn't see myself without a graduate degree. My father, aunt, and uncle all have Ph.D's, and it was always assumed I would get one as well. Research isn't so bad

It is, but don't get obsessed with going to MIT. there are plenty of very good EE schools that you might overlook. Wisconsin, ASU, Purdue, UCSD, are all good EE programs depending on what field you wish to pursue. And some of the best engineers I met went to Penn-State or Wisconsin. There are plenty of good schools out there if you want to learn.

I actually considered going to UW-Madison, but then I decided although it was a well rounded school, it just didn't have a good enough engineering program. And Purdue is in the middle of nowhere and in Indiana, which is, in my opinion, a worse state than Montana.

The market is pretty small if you want to do CPU design. There has been a lot of consolidation. There is a few thousand jobs total if you want to do CPU desing. But there are more jobs in ASIC design for communications, etc. Other jobs for wireless, etc. Just learn a lot of stuff. You don't have to worry about it right now, because you won't be choosing your specialty until you are sophomore, but do try to get some internship.

I'm open to any sort of processor design, but it CPU, GPU, or DSP. I'm planning to co-op, so my "internship" should be covered through that.

So stop b!tching. anything in the top 10 for undergrad is good enough as far as I am concerned. Take it easy. Just enjoy your time at school. Do you really want to spend your college years at CalTech? All the CalTech people I know are incredibly smart, but this type of learning environment is not for everyone. Maybe for grad school it's great, but undergrad you want to have a more well rounded education IMO.

I do think GT is a more rounded school than MIT, CalTech, even Berkeley. But I don't know that I want to be a well rounded education. After all, you hear people complaining all the time in high school calculus classes, "What do I need to learn this for?" and they're right, they probably won't ever use it. Being a jack of all trades may be nice on paper, and in the past few years I've sunk into such a position, but I don't think it's for me.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Okay, say I drop my application off on the 16 after FASET, then I go through the whole process, I anticipate beginning my sophomore year. Does this mean that every summer thereon I will have to either work or take classes? Working isn't a problem, that means money. But taking classes could be a problem...no financial aid during the summer=no money to pay for tuition...

Not quite. This would be your schedule:

Fall 02: freshmen school semester [15 hours]

Spring 03: freshmen school semester [15 hours/30 total]

Summer 03: did you pass all 30 freshmen hours? If no, still a freshman and summer school or study abroad. If yes, now a sophomore and vacation or first co-op semester.

Fall 03: sophomore co-op semester #1 [you earn hours towards your co-op degree]

Spring 04: sophomore school semester [15 hours/45 total]

Summer 04: sophomore co-op semester #2 [you earn hours towards your co-op degree]

Fall 04: sophomore school semester [15 hours/60 total if you passl]

Spring 05: junior co-op semester #3 (your pay at your co-op company usually goes up at this point)

Summer 05: junior school semester [15 hours/75 total] (consider study abroad?)

Fall 05: junior co-op semester #4 [with four work rotations you complete your co-op degree requirement]

Spring 06: junior school semester [15 hours/90 total if you pass]

Summer 06: senior school semester [15 hours/105 total]

Fall 06: senior school semester [15 hours/120 total]

Spring 07: senior school semester [15 hours/135 total and you graduate]


There are 3 graduations per year at Tech, one after each semester. You can get financial aid during each semester. The summer semester at Tech is shorter with only about 10 weeks of classes, and some 3000 and 4000 level classes are unavailable during the summer, but it's still treated as a normal semester.

Edit: Students take an average of 15 hours per semester or about 5 three-hour classes. You can take up to 21 or 22 hours per semester, but that is just insane. And, you can of course drop classes before a semester's "drop-day" and end up taking fewer than 15 hours per semester. I believe you need a certain minimum of hours, maybe 10 or 11, to be considered a full-time student and to maintain on-campus residence.

 

[qIat]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Okay, say I drop my application off on the 16 after FASET, then I go through the whole process, I anticipate beginning my sophomore year. Does this mean that every summer thereon I will have to either work or take classes? Working isn't a problem, that means money. But taking classes could be a problem...no financial aid during the summer=no money to pay for tuition...

Not quite. This would be your schedule:

Fall 02: freshmen school semester [15 hours]

Spring 03: freshmen school semester [15 hours/30 total]

Summer 03: did you pass all 30 freshmen hours? If no, still a freshman and summer school or study abroad. If yes, now a sophomore and vacation or first co-op semester.

Fall 03: sophomore co-op semester #1 [you earn hours towards your co-op degree]

Spring 04: sophomore school semester [15 hours/45 total]

Summer 04: sophomore co-op semester #2 [you earn hours towards your co-op degree]

Fall 04: sophomore school semester [15 hours/60 total if you passl]

Spring 05: junior co-op semester #3 (your pay at your co-op company usually goes up at this point)

Summer 05: junior school semester [15 hours/75 total] (consider study abroad?)

Fall 05: junior co-op semester #4 [with four work rotations you complete your co-op degree requirement]

Spring 06: junior school semester [15 hours/90 total if you pass]

Summer 06: senior school semester [15 hours/105 total]

Fall 06: senior school semester [15 hours/120 total]

Spring 07: senior school semester [15 hours/135 total and you graduate]


There are 3 graduations per year at Tech, one after each semester. You can get financial aid during each semester. The summer semester at Tech is shorter with only about 10 weeks of classes, and some 3000 and 4000 level classes are unavailable during the summer, but it's still treated as a normal semester.

Edit: Students take an average of 15 hours per semester or about 5 three-hour classes. You can take up to 21 or 22 hours per semester, but that is just insane. And, you can of course drop classes before a semester's "drop-day" and end up taking fewer than 15 hours per semester.

So I have to take classes during the summer after my sophomore year? Wow...I don't really have a problem with that, since I don't want to sit around doing nothing...but in your schedule you list 9 semesters of study...why not only 8 semesters?

/edit

I'm thinking that had I applied to CalTech they would've said "Another Asian? Goddammit!" and tossed my application out the window (not literally, of course).

 

[SuperTool]

Regarding your statement on travel, it would occur to me that going to one of the CA schools would be an advantage in that situation, save one notable exception in White Plains.

There is plenty of design going on on the east coast, mostly in MA, and some in Northern VA, and Florida.

And don't say you work for HP/Compaq or Sun

I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of

I couldn't see myself without a graduate degree. My father, aunt, and uncle all have Ph.D's, and it was always assumed I would get one as well. Research isn't so bad

If that's what you want, there is nothing wrong with research. But keep in mind that there is a good chance that your career will have very little to do with your PhD research.

I actually considered going to UW-Madison, but then I decided although it was a well rounded school, it just didn't have a good enough engineering program. And Purdue is in the middle of nowhere and in Indiana, which is, in my opinion, a worse state than Montana.

Just wait till you get your EE books. Quite a few of them are written by Wisconsin and Purdue people. Those are two excellent engineering programs, especially Wisconsin, just judging from UW people I have met so far.

I'm open to any sort of processor design, but it CPU, GPU, or DSP. I'm planning to co-op, so my "internship" should be covered through that.

Coops are overrated if you ask me. I don't like the concept of summer school. I had a choice between doing coop or graduating a semester early, I chose the later.

I do think GT is a more rounded school than MIT, CalTech, even Berkeley. But I don't know that I want to be a well rounded education. After all, you hear people complaining all the time in high school calculus classes, "What do I need to learn this for?" and they're right, they probably won't ever use it. Being a jack of all trades may be nice on paper, and in the past few years I've sunk into such a position, but I don't think it's for me.

Just wait till you have taken a few engineering classes. You will be begging to get out of the engineering building. Going to an arts class will seem like vacation. And you don't want to be a boring person anyways. People (amazingly) don't find subthreshold leakage currents and crowbar currents an interesting discussion topic.

 

[GTaudiophile]

So I have to take classes during the summer after my sophomore year? Wow...I don't really have a problem with that, since I don't want to sit around doing nothing...but in your schedule you list 9 semesters of study...why not only 8 semesters?

You don't have to do anything the summer after your freshman year if you have not started your co-op rotations. If you do not pass your first 30 hours, I'd use that summer to catch up so you could start as a sophomore in fall 2003. Even if you do pass your first 30 hours, you can try to work ahead by taking classes that summer. I used that summer to study abroad, and I am glad I did. I got a 4.0 that summer and it boosted my GPA.

As far as the number of semesters, it could take you as many as 12 semesters to graduate! It could also only take you as little as 6 semesters. The co-op program is designed to be a 5-year program. What I wrote out for you is simply what the co-op office will do. You'll walk in, find your advisor, and he or she will ask you a few questions. If you tell him or her that you want to start co-oping the first semester of your sophomore year, they will basically map out the schedule I gave you, assuming you take at least 15 hours per semester. In terms of co-op advisors, I hope you get Mr. Little or Mrs. Jones. I don't care for Mr. James too much.

Edit: Don't make the mistake I did and think that those co-op advisors are there to work for you/to find you a job. It's up to you to go to the career fairs, network, design a resume, schedule interviews, etc. They certainly give you advice, but not much more. The co-op office mainly serves as a liason between the companies and the school.

 

[qIat]

There is plenty of design going on on the east coast, mostly in MA, and some in Northern VA, and Florida.

It does seem lots of tech corporations are building branch offices or moving their headquarters to VA. That goddamn "Virginia is for business" commercial comes to mind...annoying as hell.

I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of

I would have to assume it's HP/Compaq, but after Compaq sold their Alpha divison to Intel, I didn't think they were still #2. And if it's Sun, I wouldn't think they were #2 period .

If that's what you want, there is nothing wrong with research. But keep in mind that there is a good chance that your career will have very little to do with your PhD research.

Sad but true

Just wait till you get your EE books. Quite a few of them are written by Wisconsin and Purdue people. Those are two excellent engineering programs, especially Wisconsin, just judging from UW people I have met so far

I very heartedly contemplated transferring to Wisconson my sophomore year about a month ago. Then I decided that Tech was a better engineering school. Not to say Madison is bad. Hell, I was seriously thinking about transferring there! (Only to get away from the damn diry Georgia conservatives . And Madison's campus is much bigger. I like big (please, don't make a joke about how bigger is worse for semiconductors

although bigger addressable memory sizes would be better)

Coops are overrated if you ask me. I don't like the concept of summer school. I had a choice between doing coop or graduating a semester early, I chose the later.

My concern regarding co-ops would be interference with undergrad research. Otherwise, co-op would be golden for me. Work experience that looks good on a resume and MONEY to help pay for expenses...although I expect that starting my 4tth year I should be able to claim residency...after my sophomore year I expect to stay in Atlanta until I graduate (with exception to having to move for co-ops).

Just wait till you have taken a few engineering classes. You will be begging to get out of the engineering building. Going to an arts class will seem like vacation. And you don't want to be a boring person anyways. People (amazingly) don't find subthreshold leakage currents and crowbar currents an interesting discussion topic.

I agree. Fluid dynamics is boring. But thermodynamics isn't so bad


















Actually, thermodynamics is bad as well.

 

[qIat]

Edit: Don't make the mistake I did and think that those co-op advisors are there to work for you/to find you a job. It's up to you to go to the career fairs, network, design a resume, schedule interviews, etc. They certainly give you advice, but not much more. The co-op office mainly serves as a liason between the companies and the school.

Career fairs? Wouldn't they be for actual positions, not just semester positions?

I plan to go to the campus interviews when they hold them in their few day stretches.

How else would you suggest contacting a company? E-mail their website and say "Hi, I'm a freshman at Georgia Tech. I want to co-op with you"? lol

 

[Mani]

Originally posted by: qIat

Originally posted by: gotsmack
And by our university am I to assume you are a grad student at Georgia Tech?

No, I went to U of Michigan which is pretty comparable rankingswise and from what GTaudiophile said, difficulty-wise. But like someone said earlier, make what you want out of school, don't be concerned with rep or rankings. Once you start classes, go the extra mile - get to know your profs, delve into the subject matter, and go to classes prepared. If you really go to learn it doesn't matter what grades you get, your expertise will shine through in an interview. Most VLSI/DSP design positions require technical interviews and that's where how much you have learned will really be tested.

 

[LikeLinus]

I think people assume you are a snot nosed little brat is because of your whinning and complaining.

Lets breat it down. How many kids are smart enough and have the opportunity to go to a great school like Georgia Tech? How many kids can afford to go a good school and have a good chance of success.

Now you say you "HATE Georgia Tech". You are a snot nosed little brat from everything we can see. You aren't even in college yet and you say you hate it, cause your too stuck up to realize the wonderful opportunity you have.

<<My father, aunt, and uncle all have Ph.D's>>

Wait a second. All of those people in your family are Ph.D's and you can't afford the price difference between a flight from GA to OH and CA to OH? They must be in a pretty lousy income bracket. Something is wack there.

 

[qIat]

Lets breat it down. How many kids are smart enough and have the opportunity to go to a great school like Georgia Tech? How many kids can afford to go a good school and have a good chance of success.

I feel like I haven't had to do anything special to get into Tech. I guess it doesn't feel like much of an accomplishment if you don't have to struggle to get there. Journey>destination thing.

Now you say you "HATE Georgia Tech". You are a snot nosed little brat from everything we can see. You aren't even in college yet and you say you hate it, cause your too stuck up to realize the wonderful opportunity you have.

I would think not everyone has such animosity toward me. You're right, I don't appreciate going to Tech. I would think that if I was heading to CalTech right now, I probably wouldn't appreciate it either because I would still be saying "...okay, so what exactly did I do to get in?"

<<My father, aunt, and uncle all have Ph.D's>>

Wait a second. All of those people in your family are Ph.D's and you can't afford the price difference between a flight from GA to OH and CA to OH? They must be in a pretty lousy income bracket. Something is wack there.

My father makes $35,000/year after taxes. The dean hates him. I live with my father. Rents are divorced (twice; once between each other and once again with others)

My aunt and uncle live in California, Santa Clara. My uncle has 2 startups but he's not making any money from them yet. I think my aunt works for a company developing data storage products, but they aren't raking in the dough by any means. They're actually struggling to make ends meet.

/edit

As I said in an earlier post, my expected family contribution is $3,000 this year. It's not just the cost of one plane ticket, it's the cost of a ticket in august, 2 tickets in december, then another ticket in may, along with shipping costs for my stuff.

/edit

As per your implied request, I changed the thread title.

 

[tontod]

Originally posted by: qIat

Originally posted by: tontod
Georgia Tech is a pretty good school, just because its not the same level as MIT dosent mean you wont do well when you graduate from there. I graduated from there with a major in EE, it was pretty tough. There are plenty of companies that you can work for that design all kinds of chips/processors. You just mentioned the major ones, a lot more than 30 companies. By the time you graduate, the current slump in this sector will be long gone, and you wont have a problem finding a good job in that field.

edit: I also went to GT from far away. It was around 1000 miles from home (Connecticut).

Well, that's promising. When did you graduate and what do you do now?

As for the 100+ companies that do semiconductor work, I don't want to design chips for printers or TiVo boxes, if you know what I mean.

I graduated in August 2000. I currently work at Electric Boat (www.gdeb.com) as an Electrical Engineer.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: qIat

Edit: Don't make the mistake I did and think that those co-op advisors are there to work for you/to find you a job. It's up to you to go to the career fairs, network, design a resume, schedule interviews, etc. They certainly give you advice, but not much more. The co-op office mainly serves as a liason between the companies and the school.

Career fairs? Wouldn't they be for actual positions, not just semester positions?I plan to go to the campus interviews when they hold them in their few day stretches.How else would you suggest contacting a company? E-mail their website and say "Hi, I'm a freshman at Georgia Tech. I want to co-op with you"? lol

Career fairs are for both full- and part-time applicants (interns and co-ops). Remember, you may be working for just one semester at a time, but you will be working for the same company for four semesters or a almost two years. You can co-op for a different company only if 1) you change majors, or 2) your co-op company fires you or goes out of business.

I personally worked for Delta Air Lines' e-Business department and had a wonderful time. As a co-op, I also qualified for their employee flight benefits, something the interns don't get.

 

[qIat]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: qIat

Edit: Don't make the mistake I did and think that those co-op advisors are there to work for you/to find you a job. It's up to you to go to the career fairs, network, design a resume, schedule interviews, etc. They certainly give you advice, but not much more. The co-op office mainly serves as a liason between the companies and the school.

Career fairs? Wouldn't they be for actual positions, not just semester positions?I plan to go to the campus interviews when they hold them in their few day stretches.How else would you suggest contacting a company? E-mail their website and say "Hi, I'm a freshman at Georgia Tech. I want to co-op with you"? lol

Career fairs are for both full- and part-time applicants (interns and co-ops). Remember, you may be working for just one semester at a time, but you will be working for the same company for four semesters or a almost two years. You can co-op for a different company only if 1) you change majors, or 2) your co-op company fires you or goes out of business.

I personally worked for Delta Air Lines' e-Business department and had a wonderful time. As a co-op, I also qualified for their employee flight benefits, something the interns don't get.

I want to co-op with IBM SOOOO bad...but I suppose so do 50,000 other students around the country

I have some questions about the co-op process. I drop of my application when I get on campus, how soon until they tell me if I'm accepted? Because the first fairs are really early in the year. And then do I spend the rest of the year communicating with my co-op contact and the company and arrange everything for my sophomore year?

 

[CrazyDe1]

You're retarded boy...its not about the school you go to, or about the prestige of the damn engineering program. It's about how you present yourself, if you get something out of it, and enjoying yourself in school. There's no reason why someone from a cali school would get hired over you if you both did well in your classes, its all about how you present yourself. I have a friend and his sister just got hired at intel and she graduated from CU Colorado springs. Xilinx regularly hires from the university of wyoming(where is this school ranked?). You're right, location matters, but not because of school rankings or the school you go to. HP and agilent regularly hire from Colorado State because that's where tehy're located and it's close. If you exel, and you learned the material, a graduate from stanford is no more qualified than you are. Hell, I've had 3 professors from stanford and they were terrible...worse than any other professors I've ever had. The other thing is, your'e so intent on going to grad school right away. Why not get an entry level job at intel or xilinx or something, get experience, which, in my opinion, is more valuable and fun than going to grad school, and get them to pay for your grad school. I'm working at a company this summer, and I can tell you I like it a hell of a lot more than going to school. I hangout w/ cool people, learn more useful stuff in my job that I would actually use than the BS that is taught in school, and I'm getting experience to toss on my resume. That and I get payed nicely to waste my time. Most people would rahter hire someone w/ 2 years of actual chip design experience than someone who went to grad school w/ no experience. That and if you intern at some place like intel, you've got an inside track getting in too.

 

[cmdavid]

Originally posted by: qIat

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: qIat

Edit: Don't make the mistake I did and think that those co-op advisors are there to work for you/to find you a job. It's up to you to go to the career fairs, network, design a resume, schedule interviews, etc. They certainly give you advice, but not much more. The co-op office mainly serves as a liason between the companies and the school.

Career fairs? Wouldn't they be for actual positions, not just semester positions?I plan to go to the campus interviews when they hold them in their few day stretches.How else would you suggest contacting a company? E-mail their website and say "Hi, I'm a freshman at Georgia Tech. I want to co-op with you"? lol

Career fairs are for both full- and part-time applicants (interns and co-ops). Remember, you may be working for just one semester at a time, but you will be working for the same company for four semesters or a almost two years. You can co-op for a different company only if 1) you change majors, or 2) your co-op company fires you or goes out of business.

I personally worked for Delta Air Lines' e-Business department and had a wonderful time. As a co-op, I also qualified for their employee flight benefits, something the interns don't get.

I want to co-op with IBM SOOOO bad...but I suppose so do 50,000 other students around the country

I have some questions about the co-op process. I drop of my application when I get on campus, how soon until they tell me if I'm accepted? Because the first fairs are really early in the year. And then do I spend the rest of the year communicating with my co-op contact and the company and arrange everything for my sophomore year?

just to let you know.. IBM has a huge co-op program with georiga tech.. i know 7 or 8 guys that are doing co-op with them...

 

[CrazyDe1]

I have 3 friends that got internships at IBM(all cs jobs, even though 2 of them are ECE)...they pay really well They didnt' really do a thing...one kid went in whenever, left whenever, didn't do one project for htme because they kept canceling. Another kid actually did some work. Another kid hardly does any work. All these kids go to the university of colorado, one goes to a community college. One has a 3.9, another a 3.3, and another is on academic probation. One kid graduated, didn't take IBM's offer because he didn't like the company and he was replaced w/ some grad student w/ a 4.0 in comp sci. I guess all the interns they hired at IBM this year were indian grad students w/ 4.0s. It's not as hard to get a job as you might think...it's all about impressing during an interview. Most people don't know how to find the jobs, so if you apply, you're usually only in competition w/ 2-3 people. Questions are general and technical...and easy to answer. Now, seeing as how you complain a lot, don't expect to impress in an interview..so in that case, you're going to need to graduate from tech, w/ high grades, and get into a good grad school..cause you won't be impressing anyone in an interview w/ an attitude like that.

Maybe it's just me, but if my parents had a PHd and were making 35,000, I'd say screw the PHd and try to get something diff. I wouldn't ever do anything just cause it's expected of me. Why would you want to waste another 4 years in school, when you could be out making money and enjoying life, w/ no stress of tests and studying? Experience and money saved up will make up, in a lot of cases, for waht you woulda made w/ the phd anyways.

 

[qIat]

Originally posted by: CrazyDe1
I have 3 friends that got internships at IBM(all cs jobs, even though 2 of them are ECE)...they pay really well They didnt' really do a thing...one kid went in whenever, left whenever, didn't do one project for htme because they kept canceling. Another kid actually did some work. Another kid hardly does any work. All these kids go to the university of colorado, one goes to a community college. One has a 3.9, another a 3.3, and another is on academic probation. One kid graduated, didn't take IBM's offer because he didn't like the company and he was replaced w/ some grad student w/ a 4.0 in comp sci. I guess all the interns they hired at IBM this year were indian grad students w/ 4.0s. It's not as hard to get a job as you might think...it's all about impressing during an interview. Most people don't know how to find the jobs, so if you apply, you're usually only in competition w/ 2-3 people. Questions are general and technical...and easy to answer. Now, seeing as how you complain a lot, don't expect to impress in an interview..so in that case, you're going to need to graduate from tech, w/ high grades, and get into a good grad school..cause you won't be impressing anyone in an interview w/ an attitude like that.

Maybe it's just me, but if my parents had a PHd and were making 35,000, I'd say screw the PHd and try to get something diff. I wouldn't ever do anything just cause it's expected of me. Why would you want to waste another 4 years in school, when you could be out making money and enjoying life, w/ no stress of tests and studying? Experience and money saved up will make up, in a lot of cases, for waht you woulda made w/ the phd anyways.

Although money is a factor, I want to learn, so a Ph.D is most likely inevitable.

As for being a complainer, I don't complain nearly as much as it seems like I might. I'm actually a very easy going person, easy to get along with. However, I <i>am</i> a perfectionist. And in this situation, I've taken up a specific viewpoint, and I will defend that viewpoint until someone can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am in the wrong. I don't get into an argument I don't think I can win.

Now, I'm not putting up an argument here. Just probing for opinions and thoughts.

/edit

As for co-ops with IBM, yes I know they have a nice relationship with GT. But I'm sure I'm not the only person who wants to work with them, and with my luck (or lack thereof) others will probably get the co-ops.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I have some questions about the co-op process. I drop of my application when I get on campus, how soon until they tell me if I'm accepted? Because the first fairs are really early in the year. And then do I spend the rest of the year communicating with my co-op contact and the company and arrange everything for my sophomore year?

Getting into the GA Tech co-op program is not hard at all. There is no max number of co-ops the school can have. After you submit the application, you're pretty much in (as a freshman at least). The most important thing you have to do your freshman year is maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. That is really the only initial requirement. Yes, once you're in the program you need to 1) prepare a resume as best as possible and have it proofed, and 2) begin networking (go to the fairs, use contacts you already have, use monster.com, etc).

 

[Mani]

Getting in at IBM is a piece of cake. I know a number of people who have gotten coop positions there and they didn't have to do anything special for it. Entrance requirements usually aren't strict- they actually WANT coops since coop students are far more valuable to them (6 months is enough time to get enough training in to actually get meaningful output as opposed ot most 3-month fluff intern stuff). Problem is, a lot of those positions are just test and verification, so you'll be doing mindless testing most of the time. As I said with chip design, most of the time people that are actually researching and designing cutting-edge stuff are PhDs and/or have tons of industry experience.

 

[quirky]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus01
I think people assume you are a snot nosed little brat is because of your whinning and complaining.

Lets breat it down. How many kids are smart enough and have the opportunity to go to a great school like Georgia Tech? How many kids can afford to go a good school and have a good chance of success.

Now you say you "HATE Georgia Tech". You are a snot nosed little brat from everything we can see. You aren't even in college yet and you say you hate it, cause your too stuck up to realize the wonderful opportunity you have.

<<My father, aunt, and uncle all have Ph.D's>>

Wait a second. All of those people in your family are Ph.D's and you can't afford the price difference between a flight from GA to OH and CA to OH? They must be in a pretty lousy income bracket. Something is wack there.

w0rd. this kid needs to visit some 3rd world country and get a taste of what life is really like

 

[EXman]

sorry here comes the voice of reality...

Don't sweat school have fun and don't look back. You can always go to school but you cannot always be young. But I do suggest that you stick to your books and not get any girls prego. and most companies don't give two squirts how smart you are, but do like to wowed during an interview. So if you have lousy people skills I'd also brush up on that. High IQ rarely means a high EQ. But where your IQ gets you in the door it is your EQ that gets you a nice offer. No one wants to hire a stuffed shirt fuddy duddy nerd. so just relax and enjoy the ride.

EX

 

[qIat]

Originally posted by: quirky

Originally posted by: LikeLinus01
I think people assume you are a snot nosed little brat is because of your whinning and complaining.

Lets breat it down. How many kids are smart enough and have the opportunity to go to a great school like Georgia Tech? How many kids can afford to go a good school and have a good chance of success.

Now you say you "HATE Georgia Tech". You are a snot nosed little brat from everything we can see. You aren't even in college yet and you say you hate it, cause your too stuck up to realize the wonderful opportunity you have.

<<My father, aunt, and uncle all have Ph.D's>>

Wait a second. All of those people in your family are Ph.D's and you can't afford the price difference between a flight from GA to OH and CA to OH? They must be in a pretty lousy income bracket. Something is wack there.

w0rd. this kid needs to visit some 3rd world country and get a taste of what life is really like

Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't born and raised in a pre-industrialized sector of China without most American luxuries such as drinking water in our home? I didn't forfeit certain parts of my youth to scholarship to (try to) get into a good school? I don't know what it's like to have the government strip everything away from your family forcing us to immigrate to the U.S.? Oh, I'm sorry I don't know what real life is

 

[GTaudiophile]

w0rd. this kid needs to visit some 3rd world country and get a taste of what life is really like

Don't worry folks! Any hubris this kid has will be gone after one semester at Tech. It's really quite entertaining to see: the freshmen, most of which graduated in the top 10% of their high school classes, come in so pumped and ready to conquer. One semester goes by, and they are totally demoralized, limping along with a 2.XX GPA, wondering what in hell happened. For example, 75% of my CHEM 1101 class scored below 45 (out of 100) on each of the 3 exams we had that quarter (this was back before Tech switched to semesters). And, don't even let my get started on Calc II!

Ever heard of the phrase, Look to your left, look to your right; only one of you will still be here in four years? Only GA Tech could pride itself by saying that to every incoming freshman class! But, there's also anothing saying at Tech: we don't fit the mold, we make it!

 

[rendicil]

What about Cooper Union!!!!