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Reviewed on Jan 27, 2025(Enrolled 2024)
What Students Say
Likes
- Great Research Opportunities under professors from various specialisations, both in CS and even from other departments
- The general college atmosphere is very welcoming and conducive to learning
- There is flexibility in choosing and changing your specializations any time
Dislikes
- The administrative department is usually slow to respond especially during the admissions process
- For finalising admission, they verify education documents first before approving the i20, which leads to a lot of delays
- The process of getting funding is not completely merit-based, and quite dependent on networking instead
Course Curriculum
8
- The difficulty level is moderate to hard; most courses are a mix of both theoretical and practical, with a strong emphasis on class projects and assignments involving a lot of practical applications; the theoretical part is covered in-depth in classes.
- The most positive aspects are the in-class interactions and the opportunity to have in-depth classroom discussions on varied topics related to the subject.
- The most negative aspect is that some courses have a disproportionately large workload, with assignments taking up a lot of time over concepts that actually don't get used in other practical projects.
Admission Experience
- The following are the universities I applied to:
- Admitted: University of California, San Diego
- Rejected:
1. Columbia University
2. Stanford
3. University of Michigan, Ann-Arbor
4. Purdue University, West Lafayette
5. University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign - I chose Georgia Tech because not only did it have a great academic record and focus on academic excellence, but it also offered funding opportunities to students through GTA/GRA, and I was particularly interested in conducting research. The flexibility to change specialisations and choose courses accordingly is also a bug plus. Lastly, the cost of living in Atlanta, Georgia, is also more affordable than states like California and NY
- The admission process was pretty straightforward: filling the online application, submitting scores and LORs, and once admission is offered, we were required to physically send our college transcripts and get them verified, after which we received the i20
- GRE scores are required for the application; I believe a minimum of 165 in quant is required to qualify for the same
- In the admission process, the education document verification part was particularly cumbersome and stressful, as the i20 is dependent on that process being completed.
- I applied for the Fall 2024 intake because more courses are offered in the fall semesters, and the internship and placement seasons align well with the fall timeline, in my opinion.I submitted my application in December last week (the deadline was 15th February), got the acceptance in mid-April, and my i20 by the first week of June. The semester started on 19th August 2024.
Class Schedule
8
- Typically there are 2 classes scheduled in a day; the timings vary a lot, with some classes starting at 8:30 AM and some ending till 8:30 PM.
- The average number of students is 70.
- Around 80 Indian students are there in the CS course for Fall'24.
Faculty
8
- The avg faculty-to-student ratio is 1: 80; for larger classes, they have proper auditoriums and a large TA staff to aid students with their coursework. I have personally not faced any issues yet with larger classes, and the faculties have been open to interactions and taking questions.
- For some courses, the teaching methodology is largely based on current industry trends and latest technological developments, which make them very relevant to securing jobs in the related field; for others, the teaching focuses more on the theoretical content and making sure the basics are solidified.
- As per my knowledge, the faculty members do not assist students in finding part-time or full-time jobs through their personal networks or references.
- I admire Prof. Max Mahdi Roozbahani and Prof. Matthew Gombolay a lot for their expertise in their respective fields.
Campus Life
10
- The main campus is in Atlanta only; there is one other campus in China and some other partner programs in Europe.
- We have all major facilities available: a large gymnasium with swimming pool, football grounds, squash, tennis, and badminton courts; a dedicated health centre with medical and dental facilities; three libraries with quiet spaces; and grad lounges.
- We have a major hackathon event that takes place here at GT and a grand welcome celebration week for freshmen.
- The Indian students club is quite active and hosts events on Diwali, Ganpati, New Years, etc. and has stalls, food and performances
- The major extracurricular activities are the football leagues that attract a lot of attention; other sports like basketball and volleyball matches are also very regular and lot of colleges compete in them.
Part Time Jobs
- There are TA and RA opportunities available for graduate students, and typically up to 50% of students are able to secure these positions by their 2nd semester.
- The pay range is typically 1400-1900 dollars per month for these roles
- There are other paid jobs such as ticketing office managers, student advisors, student alumni connections, dining, and bakery jobs; these are paid at $20 an hour.
- Max allowed hours are : 20 hours/week
- Part-time jobs are relatively easier to secure than TA/RA positions and there are always roles open for part-time.
- Most Indian students first prefer getting a TA/RA opportunity where they've got a monthly pay rate as mentioned before; for part-time jobs, the typical hourly rate is 20$/hour; it is quite easy to secure part-time employment while studying, and the process is pretty straightforward—there are openings on an app called Handshake for GT where they can apply—some positions like student advisors or event heads have interviews and resume rounds, while others like working in the ticketing office are pretty much just a coffee chat to confirm the employment.
Placement
8
- I believe around 70% of students secure employment within 6 months of completing their course.
- The average salary range that most students in the CS program can expect to earn upon graduation is currently 150,000 - 300,000 USD
- There are career fairs organized by the college to assist students in finding jobs, but the typical process involves online job portals and applying on company websites as and when job postings come up.
- Students have been placed in both major companies like FAANG, Microsoft, Salesforce and mid-to-small startups in and around Atlanta
- As per my knowledge, there aren't any companies that hire specifically in large numbers from our college and program.
Accommodation
Off Campus
8
- I have taken off-campus accommodations.
- I found my accommodation through the marketing office contacts of the leasing offices of apartments in Atlanta, in conjunction with groups on Whatsapp.
- My monthly rent is: $940 for a private room in a gated complex with facilities such as a gym, swimming pool, community space, central ventilation, and billiards table
- The major challenge was international calls since the marketing office agents were only available on cellphones, so managing the logistics of that was quite a task
- I'd recommend looking for accommodation near college and in safe localities; the off-campus accommodation is usually better in terms of living standards and affordability
- My house is within 1.5 miles of the campus; most of the students stay in apartment complexes around mine only.
Exams
- GRE and TOEFL exams are mandatory to be taken and official scores to be reported.
- Statement of Purpose, Three LORs (at least one of which should be academic), Resume, GRE and TOEFL official score reports, official undergraduate transcripts, and verified immunisation forms are required.
- There was no interview as a part of the application process
Fees
- Tuition: approx. 16,000 USD per semester
- Insurance and other college amenities: approx. 1500 USD per semester
- Fee is paid sem-wise; usually there are 4 semesters for the course
- It is required to register for a minimum of 12 credits (4 courses) every semester.
- Avg rents: 650-1000 USD ( ranging from sharing to non-sharing)
- Average monthly living expense ( with food and utilities and for single room): approx. 1200 USD
Scholarship
- I have received funding; as per my knowledge, there are no scholarships but financial aid and funding are available through GTA/GRA positions.
- For the GTA/GRA positions, the tuition fee component is waived off, and a monthly stipend of 1200-1900 USD is given per month.
- A good number of students, 30–35%, I think, receive this funding.
- For financial aid, it is highly case-by-case dependent.
