Convincing Parents - University

[cleanup]

At Ga Tech, you'll pay the out-of-state tuition rate (which is still less than Emory because it's public...but 10X better). However, if you decide to study abroad for a semester or two, while your overseas, you'll be paying the in-state tuition rate; so it's actually cheaper to study abroad (a lot of internationals end up spending a lot of time abroad this way).

http://www.oie.gatech.edu/sa/programs/

I cannot stress to you how underestimated Ga Tech is; you'll have great job opportunities and if you study at their liberal arts college (Ivan Allen), you'll have all the amazing classes of a liberal arts college but the facilities of an egineering college (the foreign language center blows any other university's away). And it's very Mac friendly (the Computer Science lab has a ton of PowerMacs and 20" monitors and it's lit by natural light...very beautiful).

I am of course very interested in GA Tech. I am skeptical about their Liberal Arts program though... I'm interested in a few majors in particular: English (Journalism), Sociology, Economics, Architecture, International Affairs. To my knowledge Georgia Tech doesn't even offer language majors... could you shed some light on me about this?

I know that Georgia Tech is a fantastic school—if it has what I'm interested in, then it is a serious option.

Thanks for your help!

 

[technicolor]

going to an unacredited college is a waste of time and money

you dont pay any money
its free
and they will never get accredited if they dont have any students

 

[mariahlullaby]

I am of course very interested in GA Tech. I am skeptical about their Liberal Arts program though... I'm interested in a few majors in particular: English (Journalism), Sociology, Economics, Architecture, International Affairs. To my knowledge Georgia Tech doesn't even offer language majors... could you shed some light on me about this?

I know that Georgia Tech is a fantastic school—if it has what I'm interested in, then it is a serious option.

Thanks for your help!

I had the exact same concerns as you, as I was planning on going into a Communication/advertising related field. For Economics and Architecture especially, Ga Tech is AMAZING -- one of the best in the nation. I have a ton of friends taking International Affairs and they love it. Yes, Ga Tech does offer language majors (French, German, Spanish, Arabic I believe..don't remember what else). However, they are not traditional in the sense that you would graduate with a degree in "French Language." You take your language major in conjuction with "International Relations" or "Economics." However, don't think that this means the language is only a small part of the major -- it's a huge part. Like I said, I have friends that I know from the Georgia Governor's Honors Program where we majored in French who are all at Ga Tech majoring in French/Global Affairs.

Don't hesitate to PM me with any other questions! Good luck!

 

[MarkCollette]

That's all well and good, but I'm very undecided in my major. I'm looking into Architecture, English, English Literature, Journalism, Sociology, Economics, and International Affairs. In America I can take classes delving into all of not most of these areas, but in Canada, if I wanted to experience them all, I'd have to switch majors six times, and I believe you can only switch a certain amount of times, and only per semester. So even if I could switch six times, I'd be in my third year before I even experienced all six fields.

I went to the University of Calgary, in Alberta, Canada. I don't know about other schools in Canada, but your generalisations are completely inaccurate. I majored in Computer Science, but took courses in business, management, sociology, french, dance, drama, math, economics, poetry, etc. I never had to change majors to take courses outside of my department, in fact I was required to take 50% of my courses outside of my department. There were no restrictions on any courses, just that you have the prerequisites, which anyone could take. The only benefit of having a major in a given field is that sometimes for high demand courses, people in that department would get to register first.

Had I gone into Engineering though, they do things differently than the rest of the University, where they schedule your classes for you, and you only choose a few electives each year. But that was completely the exception. Plus, they had a "General Studies" major, which was effectively a completely open major anyway.

So I have no idea why you're making an issue of the requirement to declare a major, since it doesn't necessarily affect what courses you can take.

 

[SC68Cal]

You might ask, why Emory and GA Tech? I want to go to one of those two because they're in Atlanta, and in Atlanta is a girl who I've sort of promised myself to. Right now she thinks I'm attending either of the two schools in a year and we can meet.

I have simple advice. Don't make your life decisions based on a girl that is on the other side of the planet. You're just going to get screwed over hardcore when you show up to meet her and realize she has a boyfriend.

 

[janey]

and they will never get accredited if they dont have any students

?? They have students. Said students have not graduated yet. Hence, Olin is not accredited.

 

[cleanup]

I have simple advice. Don't make your life decisions based on a girl that is on the other side of the planet. You're just going to get screwed over hardcore when you show up to meet her and realize she has a boyfriend.

I know her well. She said she's waiting for me. She wouldn't lie to me. I know that for a fact. And simply put, even if that girl died this very second, I'd still want to go to Emory. Even if it doesn't work out between us, I didn't waste my time. I still want a good education.

So I have no idea why you're making an issue of the requirement to declare a major, since it doesn't necessarily affect what courses you can take.

I suppose that's how it works at the University of Calgary, but doesn't declaring a major restrict you in other things as well? Such as residency on campus, tuition, core classes, classmates, etc.

Electives are electives, but declaring a major forces you to take specific core classes... ? For example my brother is majoring in Electrical Engineering at McMaster University. For prospective first year students, entering into the undergraduate Electrical Engineering program requires you to take the core courses listed here. The electives available to you in the program are listed here. His choices seem very restricted to electrical and computer science related courses. I have never heard of him even taking an English or language course or arts course.

Perhaps that's just how it works at U of Calgary? And it doesn't seem like many universities in Canada offer a "General Studies" major... It's the first I've heard of it. And only seven in Ontario and B.C. offer a liberal arts program (of which the only two respectable universities are York and Simon Fraser).

 

[virividox]

I know her well. She said she's waiting for me. She wouldn't lie to me. I know that for a fact. And simply put, even if that girl died this very second, I'd still want to go to Emory. Even if it doesn't work out between us, I didn't waste my time. I still want a good education.



I suppose that's how it works at the University of Calgary, but doesn't declaring a major restrict you in other things as well? Such as residency on campus, tuition, core classes, classmates, etc.

Electives are electives, but declaring a major forces you to take specific core classes... ? For example my brother is majoring in Electrical Engineering at McMaster University. For prospective first year students, entering into the undergraduate Electrical Engineering program requires you to take the core courses listed here. The electives available to you in the program are listed here. His choices seem very restricted to electrical and computer science related courses. I have never heard of him even taking an English or language course or arts course.

Perhaps that's just how it works at U of Calgary? And it doesn't seem like many universities in Canada offer a "General Studies" major... It's the first I've heard of it. And only seven in Ontario and B.C. offer a liberal arts program (of which the only two respectable universities are York and Simon Fraser).

As long as u know things may not work out then go for it - just make sure u put ur education first

 

[stonyc]

I still want a good education.

You can get a good education outside of Emory and Ga.Tech, you know.

I think that if you want to show your parents why Emory/Ga.Tech should be a viable option, you need to also show that while other institutions may offer a good education (whether it be in the U.S. or Canada) Emory/Ga.Tech offers you the BEST education for you. If you're going to win over your parents, you need to take the girl completely out of the equation for them and show them why Emory/Ga.Tech is the best choice for you.

 

[0098386]

When I first attended university (that's British for college) anyone who had a boyfriend or girffriend split with them within three months and started seeing someone else. When you go to college you will change. Your friends will change and so will your priorities.

Depends on the person. I met Caroline at college. started going out about 2 months later. the 2 years on the same college course was excellent, but we both went to separate universities. we don't see each other much but we're still together. Priorities didn't change either, everythings same old same old, just with more coursework to do. Totally depends on the person.

ps. we've been through 2 years of university now. only 1 year to go.

 

[skubish]

I don't know where you get Emory as being a well respected university. I have never heard of it until you mentioned it. There are a lot of great schools in the US, but when it comes to employers, big name schools are better for getting a job. GaTech is a top ten school for engineering but if you are looking at liberal arts it is not a good choice.

My advice is to apply to several different schools and then decide based on what you get accepted to. The girl should not be a factor for your parents. If its not this girl, it would be another girl to distract you at different university.

 

[MarkCollette]

I suppose that's how it works at the University of Calgary, but doesn't declaring a major restrict you in other things as well? Such as residency on campus, tuition, core classes, classmates, etc.

Electives are electives, but declaring a major forces you to take specific core classes... ? For example my brother is majoring in Electrical Engineering at McMaster University. For prospective first year students, entering into the undergraduate Electrical Engineering program requires you to take the core courses listed here. The electives available to you in the program are listed here. His choices seem very restricted to electrical and computer science related courses. I have never heard of him even taking an English or language course or arts course.

Perhaps that's just how it works at U of Calgary? And it doesn't seem like many universities in Canada offer a "General Studies" major... It's the first I've heard of it. And only seven in Ontario and B.C. offer a liberal arts program (of which the only two respectable universities are York and Simon Fraser).

We were never forced to take our core courses, it's just that if you wanted to graduate in 4 years in that major, without taking summer courses then you would have to follow those guidelines.

At the University of Calgary, regular people could take up to 5 courses per semester, but engineers had to take six courses that were scheduled for them. So, I can see other schools having similar restrictions on their engineers. The solution is simple, don't major as an engineer. Just choose whatever is easiest to get in.

Residency was only affected by whether you were a part-time student (1-2 classes per semester) or a full-time student (3+ courses). You could just check with a given school if they have quotas per department. Some schools have differential tuition, where majors in high income fields pay more. If your school does that, then simply declare a major in a cheap field.

Really, instead of having all these questions, just phone whichever universities, and talk to one of the guidance cousellors. It'll probably take less than 15 minutes per school.

 

[Demon Hunter]

I know her well. She said she's waiting for me. She wouldn't lie to me. I know that for a fact. And simply put, even if that girl died this very second, I'd still want to go to Emory. Even if it doesn't work out between us, I didn't waste my time. I still want a good education.

Never choose a University for a girl. Choose it for you, yourself and you only. I say this from experience. I was lucky; my college is good for me. If you think it's 100% solid, it's still not. People are temperamental, and do you really want to risk your parent's hard-earned money and your own self-investment on a distraction as formidable and moody as a girl?

 

[adk]

I don't know where you get Emory as being a well respected university. I have never heard of it until you mentioned it.

Just because you live under a rock doesn't mean it's not a good school. US News and World ranks Emory as the #20 National University in the Country, Just behind Notre Dame and Vanderbilt and Just ahead of UC-Berkeley.


Source: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/natudoc/tier1/t1natudoc_brief.php


PS: OP, Have you shown the college rankings to your parents? It couldn't hurt.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

When I first read your first post I got the part where you mentioned this girl and I thought "oh for goodness sake, grow up". Sorry to be harsh but it sounded ridiculous.
However, the reason why I think its such a stupid thing to say is that I did the same thing myself. I was originally going to go to UCL in London then I came up to stay with a mate in Nottingham (I was taking a gap year). The main reason I came up was because an old girlfriend of mine was here and we'd been hooking up recently again and I had always been *really* into her. I liked the Uni anyway and decided to ditch UCL and re-apply, this time to Nottingham. I have to admit, the main reason was because of this girl. This all happened in February of that year.
The summer came along and I met this other girl who was awesome. We only spent a couple of weeks together but it was two of the best weeks of my life. We split because we were going to seperate Unis and it was on good terms, we still speak now. It made me put things into perspective though, I wasn't really into that girl from Nottingham anymore and I've only seen her a few times up here since I started.
She may have been the real reason why I originally switched Universities but it shaped my life. I am so so so glad I came to Nottingham instead, I prefer the University, I love the campus life and I love the fact that its not in London (which is a place I've grown to hate).
Making a big decision like this on the basis of a girl is a pretty stupid thing to do although I've done it and its worked out great. Chances are, if you manage to convince your parents and you go to this place, things will work out very differently from what you expected. Uni's a different world, a different life. Give it a year or two and you'll probably look back at this moment in time, slap your head and go 'what a dick'. That's what I do!!

 

[jefhatfield]

Two Things

if you plan to go to graduate school or marry the girl, it really doesn't matter where you go so pick a school near her in georgia

but if the bachelor's is your only education, be more careful about where you go becuase after you graduate, it's a monday thru friday, nine to five world for the next forty+ plus years and the best major and best school for you is more or less crucial