Engineering majors are always in demand. My College Guide got connected to Matt McLendon, the director of communications, at the Georgia Institute of Technology to learn about the great programs, contests, and exciting academic paths for skilled engineering majors!
Courtesy of Georgia Tech
What do engineers do? Why is this a worthwhile career choice in today’s job market?
Engineers design and create everything from artificial organs to eco-friendly skyscrapers and a synthetic fabric that is durable, lightweight, and bulletproof. Engineers are some of the most sought after professionals in our society today because they imagine the future and make it happen. There are a wide variety of career paths open to them, and they can work nationally and internationally. Additionally, engineers are always challenging themselves to create and imagine new useful products or discoveries that help in everyone’s health, happiness, and safety.
What academic paths can Georgia Tech engineering students take?
Georgia Tech offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical, Chemical and Biomolecular, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, Industrial, Material Sciences, Mechanical, Nuclear, and Radiological Engineering.
What are some ways that Georgia Tech encourages engineering students to think outside the box? (programs you want to highlight? contests?)
Competitions, such as the InVenture Prize at Georgia Tech, encourage students to develop a new product from concept to market, awarding them patent opportunities and cash to support their entrepreneurial goals. Georgia Tech also offers a variety of extracurricular opportunities to allow students to develop their specific interest. Students interested in racing vehicles and car development may want to join GT Motorsports. GT Motorsports is a student-run, research-based group that designs, builds, and races vehicles in the national Formula SAE competition.
Courtesy of Georgia Tech
RoboJackets is a group of Tech students, faculty, and alumni that aims to enhance the understanding of the field of robotics. For the further reaching engineering student, Engineering Students Without Borders creates sustainable solutions for third-world countries, with volunteers working around the world, Atlanta, and campus. These are just a few of the many organizations that Tech has to offer undergraduate engineering students.
Are there any particular character or personality traits that engineers seem to share? (a particular way of looking at the world, etc.)
Engineers are creative, collaborative, innovative, logical, and committed to improving our world. Engineers observe the world around them to identify problems and have the imagination to develop multiple solutions.
What can a high school student do to boost not only their chances of admittance but their success level in the field of engineering?
Selective college admission offices are looking for students who have taken and excelled in the most rigorous course work available to them. Students interested in engineering should develop a strong base in math and science, as the undergraduate core curriculum revolves around these areas and professors will expect competency.
Courtesy of Georgia Tech
Do you have any advice for a student who wants to pursue engineering at Georgia Tech?
We recommend that students visit campus to ensure that Georgia Tech is the right fit. There are a variety of visit opportunities available, from a daily campus tour and admission information session to more extensive open houses and overnight programs.
So — what cool things are going on in the engineering world at Georgia Tech?
Students can get involved in undergraduate research, co-ops, internships, and study abroad while they are at Tech! Students will also have the opportunity to join faculty research teams studying epitaxial grapheme as a replacement for silicon, micro needles as a way to deliver a less painful shot, and how robotic innovations are improving quality of life. Not a day goes by that you don’t see Georgia Tech innovators mentioned in international press!
Anything else that our readers should know?
For more information about Georgia Tech and our admission process, please contact our admission office at admission@gatech.edu or 404-894-4154. You can also read more about Georgia Tech at www.gatech.edu.
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