Georgia Institute of Technology
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Business Administration
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Male
Summary
I’m involved in the Student Government Association (SGA). I’m involved in Global Leadership, a living-learning community on campus, and I work on the marketing strategies of the organization and plan different events for the students. I’m also involved in Greek life.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Albany, GA with a graduating class of about 430 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Business Administration
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: I’m involved in the Student Government Association (SGA). I’m involved in Global Leadership, a living-learning community on campus, and I work on the marketing strategies of the organization and plan different events for the students. I’m also involved in Greek life.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience? In what ways?
Working with the Student Government Association has made me feel at home at Georgia Tech. I work with a great group of students and got to be with them throughout my first year, and get to continue working with a few of them as advisors to mentor the new class of freshmen. It’s been an eye-opening experience and has made me feel like I belong here at Tech.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
There’s a different set of problem sets each week. There are exams every so often, but my classes aren’t too exam heavy this semester. I’m not taking any lab classes so it’s a pretty easy course load at the moment. I’m pledging with Greek life and didn’t’ want to have too many course requirements. Exams make up the bulk of my grades.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
The only complaint I have is the course material in my marketing class seems really outdated. It’s focused on commercials that are from the early 2000s, where I feel that marketing today is more geared towards social media. I feel like we haven’t hit on that in class, which is upsetting.
In terms of particularly well, Georgia Tech has a bunch of resources for students. Office hours are one thing I like to take advantage of. You get to spend one on one time with a professor and ask specific questions about a course. One professor works with me to not only go over my questions in the course but provides me opportunities outside of the classroom to further my knowledge and learning within the accounting field.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I haven’t gotten a competitive feel within the classroom. It is more collaborative. The classes can tough, so working together is key to make sure you’re staying on track.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re very accessible. If you send them an email, they’ll respond within a few hours. I tried to meet with one of my professors but he was out of town on a business trip, and he gave me his phone number and we spoke over the phone.
Do you feel people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yeah, we have a wide range of perspectives here. it’s not like anyone has their own dominant bias and aren’t willing to listen to other people’s opinions. I feel like everyone has their own set of values and ideas, but they’re willing to listen to others and collaborate. It makes for good discussion. I think being at Georgia Tech makes way for both viewpoints being represented. Not only do we have people from different parts of Georgia, but we have international students and people from out-of-state.
Why did you pick your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I had a journey coming to Tech and deciding on a major. I originally came in as an Architecture major but wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in at the time, and I eventually switched into the business school. I was happy with my decision and there are opportunities within the field of business and Georgia Tech’s approach. It’s more cutting-edge and has a modern-day approach, so we’re leaving about how technology in business overlaps which I think is really important in the technologically evolving society. The different resources we have outside of the classroom are really helpful and it makes me feel like I chose the right major because it’s given me so many opportunities to take what I’m learning in the classroom and put it to use outside. I did a lot with business in high school working with organizations like Future Business Leaders of America, which was instrumental to my high school career.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s in the heart of Atlanta, so there are lots of opportunities for internships and different stuff happening outside of campus.
2) Georgia Tech has an innovative and cutting-edge environment where you’re going to be in touch with what’s happening in modern-day business.
3) Opportunities.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) There are some issues with the food services here. There aren’t as many food options.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Perry Residence Hall with one roommate in the Global Leadership Living Learning Community.
Sophomore: North Avenue North with three roommates in an apartment-style room.
How was transitioning from Albany, GA to Atlanta, Georgia?
It’s been a great change. There are lots of things to do off-campus, so you never run out of anything to do in Atlanta.
Can you describe the level of safety you have experienced on and around campus?
Even though Georgia Tech is located right in the heart of Atlanta, I feel relatively safe walking around campus. I’ve had some late nights on campus studying at the library, and I’ve had to walk back to my door off-campus but have never felt unsafe. Campus security and police do a good job of monitoring the perimeter and making sure we’re safe. The police will give students rides back to their dorms during the late hours of the night.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
Being in a fraternity, I like going to the different social events and parties we have. I’ve been to a couple of beach weekends, and formals. I like going to different sporting events, like the Atlanta Braves or Falcons. There are also football games here on campus.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
Thursday is a really big night for parties. That’s usually when we have mixers with different sororities or semi-formals. Friday night has some nightlife too and people go to off-campus venues like bars or Piedmont Park to hang out. Saturday and Sunday people do their own thing.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Greek life provides a lot of opportunities to be social. During my first year when I wasn’t involved in Greek life, I didn’t really go out on Thursday or Friday nights. the nightlife in Atlanta has increased for me now that I’m involved in Greek life, which is a good thing. It encourages me to be more social and meet more people on campus. [About 25% of students participate in Greek life.]
How happy are you with the weekend options at Georgia Tech? Is there anything you would change about them if you could?
I’m satisfied because we’re in Atlanta. I haven’t gone home once this semester because there’s always something going on.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them through SGA which was really a promoter for me to meet my friends because we hang out every week and have to work on different projects together. Now I’m getting to work with them again this year too and that encourages me to hang out with them more elsewhere.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Georgia Tech?
I’d say there are opportunities to be social. It’s not a requirement to go out to fraternities or sororities to have a social life here on campus. There are plenty of things to do with organizations on campus and there are also farmer’s markets on campus that are fun. I’d say Greek isn’t necessary to have a social life. There’s a niche group for everyone to find their place in. If you’re more introverted and have a passion for music and that’s where you want to spend your time being social, there are outlets for those groups. If people are interested in anime or something, they have groups on campus for that. There are social groups for everyone’s different hobbies.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
There are different organizations like the Indian dance groups and African-American organizations that focus on those different communities. They’re not exclusive, but people find their own groups they’ll go and meet up with. There’s a diverse population and it’s not divided by any means. [The undergraduate population in 2019-20 is about 48% White, 29% Asian, 9% Hispanic, and 7% Black.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
There’s a good bit of mixing because there are so many different organizations on campus. the thing with Greek life is they encourage you to not let Greek life be the only thing you’re involved in. You’ll have a lot of overlapping because people in Greek life will also be involved in SGA or different events happening at the recreation center like intramural sports.
How do you like the size of Georgia Tech in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 15,500 undergraduates.]
I’m more of a social person, so I think the size has been good for me. I’m getting to meet all kinds of people and I think I really thrive in this environment. Each person has an incredible story and work ethic behind them.
Careers
Have you learned any computer languages or software that will be helpful to you professionally?
I’ve learned a lot of Excel in my classes. We learn how to use Excel in Accounting classes to do different computations. I’m working with a finance organization to learn how Excel can help with calculating different returns and stock investments. I also took a class on Python which was cool. I think having exposure to that will be helpful in a situation where I’m trying to communicate with someone who’s working straight with Python.