University of Georgia
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Majors: Double Major in Real Estate [in the Terry College of Business] and Advertising [in Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication]
Minor: I got a Certificate in Entrepreneurship, which is kind of like a minor
Student Self Identifies as: White Heterosexual Male
Summary
I was in a fraternity and I participated in intramural sports
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private school in Atlanta, GA with a graduating class about 115 students. We had 95%-100% college placement.
First Generation College Student: No
Majors: Double Major in Real Estate [in the Terry College of Business] and Advertising [in Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication]
Minor: I got a Certificate in Entrepreneurship, which is kind of like a minor
Extracurricular Activities: I was in a fraternity and I participated in intramural sports
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your majors?
It varied from school to school. The business school was a lot more case study heavy. For both my majors the first two years involved a lot of big lecture hall classes with around 300 people in them. As I got into junior and senior year, my classes got smaller and I had more case studies for Terry and more group presentations and group projects in Grady.
What were your major graded assignments?
For the Advertising major, pretty much everything came down to a presentation or an ad pitch or something like that. There was a lot more public speaking and working in teams. The business school was very test-heavy. There would just be three tests for the semester, or a couple of tests and then a case study or two, which are like big projects.
Is there anything that you feel either of your majors’ department do especially well or especially poorly?
I thought the journalism school did a really good job of having us interact with people and learn how to public speak. They did a really strong job of preparing us for the advertising landscape, which is a lot more pitches and public speaking. I thought the business school did a good job in that the curriculum was pretty rigorous. But, you have less of the face to face teacher interaction because the business school is a lot bigger than the journalism school. The business school had a tougher curriculum and less help from the professors, so I had to push myself harder.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I would not say at any point it was a competitive environment, it’s just you versus you. A lot of the classes I was in were pretty big, the smallest class I was in for the business school was probably 60 people. With the journalism school, it was a little more collaborative, but not competitive either. It’s more collaborative because you work on stuff with your teammates.
What was your favorite class in your majors?
An Advertising class called Campaigns, and it was the first class that gave us real client work to work on. We worked with a group on how to rebrand a brewery for new destinations and we got to actually pitch it to the company.
What was your least favorite class in your majors?
Real Estate Finance just because I’m not as attracted to the numbers side of things and it was very intensive.
Why did you choose your majors? Are you happy with your choice?
I’m very happy. I started out just as a business major because I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and everybody who doesn’t know what they want to do does business just because that’s the highest ranked school Georgia has. For me, I thought it was too mundane and didn’t fit my skill set. I wanted to do something more creative and collaborative, so I went to Grady and applying for the outside major because I thought it would be a more creative and fun route to take than just doing Real Estate. I know a lot of people like Grady because it’s less math oriented. They have a major for literally everything at Georgia because it’s so big.
How easy was it to be involved in both in the business school and the journalism school?
I think it depends on the student. I was lucky enough to come in with a lot of AP credits, so I was a slightly ahead of the curve and made it so I didn’t have to stay extra time for the two majors. If you do end up double majoring as a prospective student, it’s a lot easier than you think because a lot of the prerequisites cancel each other out. It’s more challenging than doing just one major, but it’s not too bad at all.
Reasons to Attend
1) You’re going to get a fantastic education regardless of your major. It will give you a degree that you earned because you will have to put in some work.
2) You can find almost any major you want because it’s a massive state school.
3) There are a lot of people and you have the ability to meet new people constantly.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) There are so many people that you can get stuck in the crowd.
2) The nightlife can get repetitive and it is crowded. Be aware of what the social scene is like when you’re picking a school.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Morris Hall with one roommate.
Sophomore: I lived in my fraternity house over on Greek Park Circle.
Junior & Senior: I lived in an apartment building called The Standard. I was in a three-person apartment junior year and then a two-person apartment senior year.
What was your favorite living situation?
Senior year just because it was the most personal space. The fraternity house was fun, but it was overwhelming and I had no personal space, so that got old quickly. My senior year the apartment was cleaner and I think you’re ready for a more relaxed environment by the time you’re a senior in college.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on campus?
It was very safe. People have had problems with that, but for the most part, it’s safe everywhere. There is a big homeless population, but that was never really an issue. Athens-Clarke County is one of the poorest counties in Georgia. [It has a poverty rate of about 25%.] Overall, I think it’s safe.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
The World Famous. It’s a hole in the wall, but they have the best wings in Athens and great poutine.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
South Kitchen and Bar for when your parents are in your town. It’s a little nicer.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
It’s a pretty Greek-based school. I know people in both the Greek side of things and the not Greek side of things. The advertising realm has people that were less involved in Greek life. It’s more bar oriented than house parties. There’s also a huge music scene, so if that’s not your thing there are lots of local venues that have good bands. [About 26% of undergraduates participate in Greek life.]
What nights of the week do you regularly go out?
When I was a freshman and sophomore I went out more just because I was excited about being in college. I’d go out like 4 times a week, which was ultimately way too much. By my senior year, I’d go out Thursday and Saturday, so once or twice a week. That varies for people at Georgia because there are people that always are out and people that never do.
Can you describe a typical night going out freshman year?
Normally there’d be a social with a sorority or there’d be a smaller party somewhere. Then you’d go out and the bars and they stay open until 2, but I’d usually leave around midnight or 1.
Do freshman boys have trouble getting into parties?
It’s very Greek-based, so if you join a fraternity that immediately provides you with a group to hang out with and parties to go to. Especially when you’re a freshman and sophomore there is more competition between boys, so I couldn’t just show up at a different fraternity or party and get in. By junior year and senior year, people don’t care as much and mix more. I can’t speak as much for people who aren’t in Greek life. [About 20% of undergraduate males participate in Greek life.]
What have been some of your favorite times at Georgia?
Obviously, a lot of people say football, but I wasn’t the biggest football fan going into college. There’s Florida-Georgia where you go down to the beach on the Gulf Shore. The away football games we travel to are a lot of fun. Some of my favorite nights were probably going to the Georgia Theatre for concerts because they have a lot of big names that come through there. I also really like Greek life events and having mountain weekends and formals.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Georgia?
I’m selling the nightlife now, but overall, I don’t know if Georgia was the right fit for me. I think I ended up going to a school that was too big for me. A lot of my friends from high school went to small schools. The complaint I had was Greek life wasn’t the best mold for me. I felt like by my junior and senior year I was still going to the same old bars with the same fraternity and I felt very expired and ready to move on. Some people love it and would do it all over again, but by senior year I was ready to get out of there.
Do you feel like you got lost in the mix or do you feel that it got repetitive?
Both. It’s a huge school. My fraternity was as big as my graduating class in high school. I just felt that there was a lot of people and that it got repetitive. There is a big binge drinking culture. My freshman and sophomore year I had fun, but by junior and senior year I felt like I was going through the motions in that big crowd overindulging over and over again. If I could do it again, I would have gone to a different school with a different nightlife scene.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
Since I’m from Atlanta, I came in with a lot of people from Atlanta. I think Greek life will set you up with a lot of people and it’s a very Greek heavy school. [7,310 students or 26% of the undergraduate population are involved in Greek life.]
How would you describe the overall social scene at Georgia?
It’s very bar heavy. Athens is a bar town. You know what you’re getting when you get into an SEC school.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientation mix socially?
It’s a pretty Greek oriented school, and for most of Greek life, there is not much mixing which is an unfortunate thing. There’s a scene for everyone, but it’s more segregated when it comes to race and sexuality being an SEC school.
Do you think people are generally happy with their choice of Georgia by their senior year?
I would say the vast majority of people leave saying they love the place. I think people are ready to go by senior year, even the people I knew who loved the school were ready to get out and get going because you get used to the same thing.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Yes. I would guess that smaller schools have a better [culture] of their alumni reaching out and presenting jobs because Georgia has so many people. There were jobs offered through Greek life alumni, but not necessarily Georgia alumni reaching out to Georgia kids. I think the school does a very good job of giving you job search help and giving you the network. I also think you meet people that give you opportunities there.
To what extent have you used the career office? How helpful have they been?
They were very useful. You are able to go in and meet with people. The adviser system is very strong. The career office was huge in my job search process. They helped me through resume workshops, meeting one-on-one, networking, and that sort of thing.
What computer programs did you learn that will be helpful to you professionally?
You definitely leave knowing how to use Excel. For Grady, I learned Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator.