Maddie's Moments While Visiting College!

Sorry for the lack of a post last week, I wanted to ensure that I included everything I could from my college visit to Georgia Tech last weekend. I hope you all are doing lovely and enjoying the warmer weather this week (at least in the Midwest!)

Last Thursday, we took a quick 2 hour flight from Cleveland to Atlanta, grabbed dinner, then headed to our hotel to relax before our busy weekend. Friday was the Gold Carpet admitted student event and Saturday was the Explore College of Sciences day. We had a packed schedule both days from 8am-4pm. While lengthy, this was very informative and helped enforce my opinion that Georgia Tech is a good fit for me.

Friday, we made our way to the Ferst Center of the Arts to start our day, just a quick walk from the hotel. After opening speeches, I split off from my parents and attended a current student panel for a Q & A. This was super helpful and very informative about student life, and it was great to hear the inside scoop from current students not just admissions officers and staff. After this, we attended an academic college session for the College of Sciences, which highlighted majors and additional programs available at the college as well as opportunities like study abroad and internships. During our lunch, we chatted with other students and their families and walked around the resource fair, which highlighted experiences on campus like student clubs and organizations, the campus rec, and more. After lunch, I attended a career center and a housing and living-learning community presentation, as well as took a brief tour of the campus. Overall, Friday was a great introduction to the campus, school, and various opportunities offered to students at Tech.

After our tour, we rested a bit back at the hotel and then went out to the Ponce City Market, which had ethnic and local restaurants and vendors. We had dinner at El Super Pan, which is a Latino sandwich place, and explored the area. Afterward, we drove through the parts of campus that we didn't see on the tour and explored the city and neighborhoods around campus.

Saturday began similar to Friday, but in the Clough Commons. We listened to a presentation from Jennifer Leavy, the Assistant Dean of the College of Sciences, then attended multiple professor talks at the research symposium. We listened to presentations by Professors Samer Naif, Amanda Stockton, and Tansu Celikel. During lunch, we met with the academic advisor for College of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Dr. Zak Handlos. Chatting with him was very informative and reassuring regarding my major choice and the field of study I want to go into. After lunch, we attended the club, campus service, and student research fair to learn about various opportunities the College of Science specifically offers. After attending another student panel session with Q&A, we took a tour of West Campus, where College of Sciences students will live and study.

Overall, this trip was really informational, made my excited to attend Georgia Tech, and motivated me to learn. I am grateful that I got to tour campus and explore the city with both of my parents so they could also get a feel for the area. Big things coming in the future :)