The College Sage is road tripping again! We highlight four Georgia universities together in this latest campus road trip spotlight but each is certainly unique. Read up on Georgia’s major universities and plan your Georgia road trip visit for mid-May when Georgia peaches are ready for picking! If Georgia appeals to you as a peachy college destination, the College Sage can help you fulfill your interest.
Emory University
With a classically gorgeous southern campus, Emory is a private university in the leafy Druid Hills suburb of Atlanta. The bustling metropolitan area provides countless opportunities for students to expand their cultural and internship horizons. On campus, The Michael C. Carlos Museum houses an extensive art collection in the Southeast and outdoor hours can be spent at Lullwater Park, which comprises over 100 acres on campus and is dedicated to preserving the South's natural environment. The campus is home to about 15,000 students, fairly evenly split between undergraduate and graduate. Emory is well connected with its world-respected health care system and medical school complex. Freshmen can start their Emory enrollment at Oxford College, which is the original location of Emory University located in the town of Oxford, Georgia, which is about 45 minutes east of Atlanta. This location allows the college to provide students with a traditional liberal arts experience in a smaller, more intimate environment before joining the main campus.
The Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company has given rise to family fortunes for the Candlers, the Woodruffs, the Goizuetas and others who have been extraordinarily generous to Emory. The philanthropy of these and other donors has enabled Emory's growth and empowered its ambition to become one of the nation's leading universities. The college’s latest acceptance rate was 25%, with nearly half of it’s freshmen enrollment coming through the Early Decision admissions plan.
It's unofficially considered poor school spirit to drink anything but Coca-Cola on campus!
Georgia Tech
Located in downtown Atlanta, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is currently ranked as the #7 best public university in the nation. The university provides a technological-focused education to over 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Most widely known for its engineering programs, its industrial and biomedical programs are considered to be the best in the country. Georgia Tech awards more engineering degrees to women than any other university! In fact, the university deservedly prides itself on graduating many underrepresented minorities in engineering, computer science, and architecture.
The Scheller College of Business offers a Technology and Management curriculum, which blends business, communication, and engineering into programs comprehensively preparing students for emerging technologies. And we were impressed with how the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts is blending technology with old school professions like media and journalism. Interested in International Studies? Check out the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs offering three degree programs based upon a core curriculum in international affairs, foreign languages, social and natural science, mathematics, computer science, and humanities. Graduate level coursework in the Sam Nunn school provides specific training in international security and diplomacy, comparative cultures and societies, international political economy, ethics, and the increasingly important role of technology in international affairs.
While Georgia Tech is known for engineering, there is so much more happening on this Atlanta campus! And if sports is your thing, Georgia Tech is a member of the exciting Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Georgia State University
Did you know that Georgia State University is one of the largest universities in the country? Yes, Georgia State may be the lesser known Atlanta college outside the state, but there have been big things going on at this school over the past decade. The College Sage recently had the chance to catch up with Georgia State President Mark Becker when he visited alumni and friends in Charleston and wow were we surprised to hear how the school is growing lock-step with the vibrancy of Atlanta. Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College merged last year to create a university of 53,000 students. Georgia State University, an enterprising urban public research university, is a national leader in graduating students from widely diverse backgrounds. The school offers unsurpassed connections to the city’s business, government, nonprofit and cultural organizations.
Georgia State was written up in the Feb 2, 2017 New York Times for its innovative work in big data. Thanks to big data analysis and the goal to keep costs down for all students, but especially is large number of low-income and minority students, Georgia State uses data analysis to guide student course selections. It has more than doubled its advising staff, to about 100, and now meets the national standard of one adviser for 300 students. In 2016, Georgia State’s four-year graduation rate rose 5 percentage points, to 27 percent, and the six-year rate rose 6 points, to 54 percent. Georgia State is sharing technology with 10 other universities in a coalition called the University Innovation Alliance with a goal to graduate an additional 68,000 students in the next eight years.
The University of Georgia
The University of Georgia (UGA) is located in the quintessential college town of Athens, approximately 60 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. UGA prides itself on being the first state-chartered university in America (1785). UGA enrolls 28,000 undergraduate and 9,000 graduate students on its massive campus, which provides the extensive resources of a major state university. Yes, it feels big! You may even need to take a shuttle bus to get to a class across campus. In addition to its status as a land grant institution, UGA is also designated as a sea grant college - a recognition for its excellence in marine research, education, and advisory services. Public service and outreach are considered to be central to the university's mission.
While UGA has much to offer, its reasonable cost positions UGA as one of the top ten best values in public education according to Kiplinger! How did UGA score this designation? The university offers a host of free opportunities within its 600 on-campus clubs, $10 football tickets in the SEC league, a host of free college-town activities and most importantly, faculty and administration work tirelessly to unite students with alumni who work for some of the best companies throughout the nation and give student’s a peace of mind that they will have connections after graduation.
But big and value aren’t the schools only attributes. Traditions abound – like ringing the chapel bell and crying “Go Dawgs”! A bell tower originally crowned the roof of the Chapel, but in 1913, it was found to be rotten and removed. The bell, which rang for religious services, for the beginning and ending of classes and in emergencies, was then housed in the wooden tower where it now stands. Students are sure to ring the bell to mark athletic victories, academic accomplishments and other special occasions.
GOOOOOOOOOO Dawgs! Sic’em! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
