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My son is trying to decide between Atlanta (Georgia Tech) and Raleigh (NC State). We have been to both cities many times and are going to visit the campuses in detail next week. While Atlanta is obviously much larger, I think GT sort of gets lost in Atlanta while NC State is a much larger part of the community in Raleigh. And while Atlanta is huge and has lots to offer, I wonder if the traffic, congestion, crime, parking etc get annoying and the slower pace of Raleigh vs Midtown Atlanta might be more appealing for college kids that just want to hang out, go to movies etc.
I have not been a big fan of Raleigh on this forum, I think it's generally overrated and it feels like a much smaller city than the metro population stats would suggest. However, I "think" it might actually be the perfect size city to live in while going to college. Raleigh is not exactly a small town town either, it has much more to offer than most college towns while maintaining the college atmosphere that I think can get lost in urban campuses in major cities. My son is a huge NHL (Capitals) fan and thinks being in an NHL market would be a lot of fun for something to do on weekends etc. But he also likes Atlanta and Georgia Tech.
So anyway, can anybody that might have experience in both compare living on or near both campuses? Does living in Midtown Atlanta get old after a while? Is Raleigh a pretty cool city for younger college kids? Is one city better than the other for finding part time jobs or internships (aerospace engineering)?
It would be a lot easier to get around the city of Atlanta vs. living on a college campus out in the suburbs. You talk about going to the movies and stuff, but I mean, the movies are a 10-15 minute walk from the Tech campus at Atlantic Station.
You have to remember, Atlanta is a quasi-college town as well. It has like 5 major universities(Tech, Emory, GA State, Morehouse, and Spelman and liberal arts colleges(SAD, Agnes Scott) so there's a lot of college students around. I think as a college student, they would have a lot more fun in Atlanta, but only if they can handle the rigorous Tech curriculum.
I have a couple friends from Tech and they did not enjoy the city or the area. However, they have engineering degrees from Tech, which far outweighs the negatives.
I have a couple friends from Tech and they did not enjoy the city or the area. However, they have engineering degrees from Tech, which far outweighs the negatives.
Did they say why? The reasons they didn't like it could possibly also apply to Raleigh, maybe even more so.
I can provide input based on my experience of attending NC State and having been both an on-campus and off-campus student over the course of 5 years. While I never attended GT, I did have a friend there and spent some time in that environment. As a disclosure, I was not an engineering student; I studied architecture.
NC State is a larger university than GT and it feels like it's even larger given its context in a smaller city. In that way, I agree with the OP that it's a perfect size for attending college. It's not a tiny college town but it's not a huge city either. I never felt overwhelmed by my immediate environment and I also never felt like I was missing out on anything based on the size of the city. The city of Raleigh and the entire Triangle also offers your son a hyper university driven environment with many other nearby universities (namely Duke and UNC) as well as a couple of adjacent women's colleges to expand his dating pool. Both NC State and GT are heavily male in attendance but GT is hyper male with 2/3 of the students there being men.
I suppose that I am biased but I think that living on campus is imperative for first year students and preferable to off campus housing as long as you stay on campus. That said, there have been many new student housing developments that are "just off" campus than were there when I was attending. Alas, upperclassmen tend to want to get off campus and get their own place because they are all too anxious to grow up. In either case, there are good options nearby.
As for the OPs admitted "not a big fan of Raleigh", I would be interested to hear that opinion after four or five years if her son decided to attend there. The city has a way of gently intoxicating one into love with it. Many State students wind up staying in the area by choice following graduation: made possible because many of the degree programs offered there fit well into the local Triangle economy. I personally won't let go of the city and keep one foot in it at all times.
If you haven't done so yet, make sure to visit the J ames B. Hunt Library on your next visit to State.
I'd go with Atlanta. It's larger, has more young people, and a really good bar scene. Raleigh didn't impress me one bit and I've been there on multiple occasions.
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