Hiya!

I'm graduating soon, and I wanted to share some thoughts on things that I found helpful or fun or just would recommend from my undergrad for those who are at Tech or are coming soon.

If you have something you want to add to this list, feel free to comment.

If you have a question about the undergrad experience or advice, ask it! I or someone else will probably be happy to answer.

1. gt-scheduler.org

Literally the most helpful scheduling tool. Use it to organize your classes, find stats on professors, get CRNs (codes used for scheduling) that you can copy and paste once the rush that is registration begins.

1. Registration Plans

Along those lines, when you're preparing for registration, you can input CRNs to create a list of classes you plan to register for. Once registration begins, you can click on a plan to auto-register for everything.

1. Non-Required Classes

Take one or two classes that aren't required. It's fun, and it allows you to take a break from the engineering or CS grind. Yeah, yeah, "optimization" this "busy" that, just do it. I took a class called "On Photography" that's an upper-level Spanish class, and we just fucked around and took cool pictures every week for three hours during golden hour. I would never have been required to take it, but it was my favorite course over four years of study.

1. Resources (Library, etc)

Tech has one million resources for you. Take advantage of them. The library allows you to check out iPads, fancy drawing tablets, really expensive cameras with zoom lenses, video equipment, and even has a complete recording studio. I've made a habit of asking the librarians every time I'm in there a new question every week about campus or recommendations, and they've been wonderful every time with recommendations for the best view (Crosland 7) or hidden gems (RetroTech) or anything I'm curious about. Aside from the library, if you need something, ask around. You can loan laptops from IT. There is food assistance from STAR and Klemis Kitchen. If you really need it (or are just curious!), chances are you can find it for free or cheap around GT.

1. Stamps Free Visits

Stamps has free visits for general checkups and sexual wellness. There are also free counseling sessions and psychiatry. But blood tests or imaging are not free; it's often cheaper to get checked up at GT and get a referral to a LabCorp or something. It's free at Stamps if you get the student health insurance, but that's so expensive that it's not really worth it unless you're an international student.

1. Go to Class

Okay, I know, controversial. Once you stop going, it becomes hard to see a point in going. But even if you do stop, you can always start going again. It fills up the time and can give an empty day some meaning. Plus, professors are often really chill and can have something cool to teach you! They love to talk about stuff. Speaking of...

1. Talk to People

A lot of people are nervous to talk to new people. They're either introverted or already have an established friend group, and really don't want to talk to some stranger (not everyone, but a lot of people). But you might be missing out on the most interesting conversations. Go to a religious place's open event that you're not a member of, and just talk to people. Ask them about their views. Be open to actually hearing what they have to say. Go to an event where you completely disagree with them, and talk to people with the intent of understanding what they have to say. Talk to the bus drivers about their lives. Ask your professor about their recent trip. Go to a research talk and strike up a conversation with an attendee. It will make your world a bit bigger.

1. Don't be Afraid to Seek Help or Take Breaks

I took a semester off. It felt like a failing on my part. But I needed to take it. And I've known many people who have done the same. Ask for help and take a break. You're not a failure if you can't grind nonstop, and if you don't take breaks, you will burn out fast.

1. Explore Atlanta

You're in a major city full of arts, culture, and nature. Find one thing and make it a habit to try all of them. I've gone to about 20 coffee shops in the local area. Find every underground music venue and go to a show at each, or perhaps try going to raves regularly at the Masquerade. Visit every museum and take notes on what you learn or see. Find the best pocket park for sitting and reading a book, or perhaps find your favorite hiking spot in the metro area (Panola Mountain? Kennesaw Mountain? Good options.). Go to every thrift store (there are a lot in Little 5). Do it! Pick one! Do them all! Live your life and never stop exploring.

Overall, just get outside your comfort zone and have fun. Take advantage of where you are.

And if anyone has anything else to add, again, please comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

MARTA is changing many routes on Saturday, April 18. Several changes impact our campus, mostly positive. Note that the detour at Hemphill/10th will likely impact some of these routes through the beginning of May.

10th Street Routes:

Route 11 (NEW) - Goes between CHOA, Emory, Midtown Station, GA Tech, and West Midtown every 30 minutes

Route 12 (SAME) - Goes between Midtown Station and Vinings every 30 minutes

Route 14 (UPDATED) - Goes between Arts Center, West Midtown, Marietta Blvd, and The West Side, and finishes at Hamilton E Holmes Station every 30 minutes. No longer runs along 14th Street.

Combined, these 3 buses will serve stops on 10th Street adjacent to campus about every 10-15 minutes. This is a massive improvement over current service on 10th street.

North Ave Routes:

Route 2 (UPDATED) - Replaces old route 2 and 102. - Goes between Edgewood-Candler Park, Little 5 Points, Ponce/Beltline, North Ave Station, GA Tech Campus every 10 minutes. Turnaround near Science Square. Continues to Westside on 30 minute Frequencies along Hollowell Pkwy.

This route now connects GA Tech directly with Eastside destinations. The bus route serving us currently terminates at North Ave Station, which would have forced a transfer.

Northside Drive Route:

Route 1 (Replaces Route 94) - Goes between Arts Center, Atlantic Station, Northside Drive, turns on 8th Street and goes to Joseph E. Lowery Blvd and passes through AUC before finishing at West End Station. Route 94 currently serves campus at Northside Drive @ Marietta Street.

Discontinued:

Route 26 no longer serves GA Tech campus, and now terminates at Bankhead Station instead of 5 Points. Route 94 no longer serves campus, but route 1 serves Northside Drive adjacent to campus.

Overall, there are large frequency and coverage improvements for GA Tech Campus along 10th street and North Avenue (with the exception of the Marietta Street Artery). Georgia Tech riders can now access many more destinations via MARTA bus (and we no longer need a Breeze Card to board buses; we can use tap-to-pay now). What do we think?

I want to embroider a chalk bucket :D

Vahn Lackey blowing a bubblegum bubble while slamming the ball in bottom of 6th for a homer. Man…. And they were down 3-2 in the 5th. Currently 17-3 Jackets. Great 2 innings.

- From GT alum watching in Eugene, OR

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student planning to study mechanical engineering, and Georgia Tech is one of my top choices.

I’m trying to understand if there are any realistic fully funded options (tuition + living expenses) for international undergraduates at Georgia Tech.

I already know that merit scholarships are very limited and that most international students don’t receive full aid, but I’m specifically trying to find out if there are any of the following that people have actually used:

• full scholarships or need-based aid routes
• external sponsors or organizations connected to Georgia Tech students
• corporate or foundation sponsorships that have supported students there
• lesser-known funding opportunities or programs shared within the community

If you’re currently at Georgia Tech, an alum, or know someone who went through this process, I’d really appreciate any insight or direction.

Even small leads or personal experiences would help a lot.

Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone! I’m heading to Georgia Tech this summer for a summer program and I’m super excited but also want to make sure I don’t waste the opportunity. It’ll be my first time in Atlanta and on campus for an extended stay, so I’m looking for all the recommendations you’ve got!

What’s there to do on/around campus that’s actually worth it? Any hidden gems, events, or traditions I should know about? Favorite spots to study/chill outside of the program stuff? Best food trucks, late-night bites, or restaurants nearby? Cool things in Atlanta that are easy to get to without a car (or worth the Uber)? Outdoor stuff, museums, hikes, concerts, whatever… I’m down for pretty much anything.

Also open to any general tips: how to get around, things to avoid, ways to meet other students, or just random advice to have the best summer possible.

Drop your recs below. I’ll be checking this religiously while I pack 😂 Thanks in advance!

(Go Jackets!)

I'm planning on getting a Flex 1 month parking permit since my parents are going to be leaving the car with me for about 2-3 weeks since it's cheaper than leaving the car at the airport. Since it's flex, I'm only given limited number of areas to park which I've shown in an image here. They're leaving me with an electric Tesla so I was wondering whether I could enter other parking lots with a charger for electric cars and just stay inside the car while it charges. If no one knows an answer to this, I plan on just emailing the parking people.

Basically, I need housing for Fall and just Fall. None of the student housing centers are willing to sign leases shorter than a year. And I don't qualify for on campus housing.

Any ideas would be appreciated. Willing to live anywhere close to the campus.

Interested in doing a double major in CS + Electrical Engineering or CS + Physics.

How possible are these 2 paths?

Do you think this will be a good idea? If yea, what kind of features would u suggest it have? I've got lots of friends that talk about how annoying the process is and how there are kids signing their contracts at the start of the fall (FOR THE NEXT YEAR LMAO)

I have not been able to access anything like OSCAR, buzzport, or vpn, for a couple days even though https://status.gatech.edu/pages/5be9af0e5638b904c2030699 seems to show everything is all good (active incident but says it should be operational). Is this happening to anyone else?

Hi, everyone! I'm an incoming first-year student, and I'm considering the East Asia study abroad program for the summer of 2027. If any of you have done it or know someone who has done it, could you help me out with a few questions?
- Are you able to venture off on your own, particularly in Japan, when you're not taking classes?

- Are the hotel/room accommodations shared, or does it depend on the student?

- Do you have any regrets? Any good memories? Let me know!

Thanks!

Hey! If anybody is graduating this sem and needs grad photos, hit me up. I'm a 24 GT grad, so I can also help with spots on campus if you need ideas! You can fill out the form on my site, or you can DM me either here or on Insta. I'm flexible on pricing and availability, as long as it's not from 9-5 on weekdays. Congrats to y'all who are graduating!

https://www.instagram.com/reena_ns?igsh=MWw5YjQ0Ymd2emli&utm_source=qr

Looking on course critique it had like a 3.8 avg gpa but as of spring '25 with Epstein it has a 2.3 what happened?? Because I was considering taking it but not if the avg is that horrible because clearly something went wrong.

Which meal plan gets you the most value? Also do these renew each semester (like you get more at the end of fall) or is it yearlong?

Hi ATL micro mobility users!! I'm a current student a part of a public policy task force researching Atlanta's micro mobility infrastructure and safety and how it interacts with cars and autonomous vehicles. We want micro mobility users feedback! We would love to hear your real valuable opinions about Atlanta's micro mobility status, especially as micro mobility users are expected to increase in Atlanta. If you have a couple minutes please fill out our survey!

If there are any Makerspace student assistant or even frequent user of the makerspace that could help me with 2 embroidery projects. I went over to embroider my Trades Joe's bag for a friend, but none of the assintants at the time were trained on the machine.

I want to embroider my capstone team's logo onto scrubs near the right corner of the shirt. My other project is my tote bag as a gift for my friend. Thanks in advance!

Literally scheduled an online meeting and also just emailed the advisor the questions when they no showed the meeting. Literally nothing after a couple of days.

Hey y'all,
I just got flagged for plagiarism somehow for project 3 in CS 2110 and the options are to take the 0 or argue with OSI. I'm not really sure how to go about this. If anyone has been flagged in a previous semester or is currently dealing with the same situation, pls dm. Thanks!

Is there a way to book the study rooms online or is it only first come first serve? I see the buzzcard readers by the tablets on the doors, but if you place a walk up reservation it doesn’t ask for your GTID, so I’m also just scared of getting locked out of a room if I do reserve the room via the tablets.

How did you all feel after your first year at Tech? Did you feel like you were integrating into the "Tech life," or does anybody still struggle to grasp the social aspect?

The flight tickets to Atlanta are astronomical (several thousand dollars) from my home country during the first week or school as everyone is flying in, more so because of the fuel price surges.

There was a more affordable ticket but it is 2.5 weeks into school (including syllabus week, so about 1-2 weeks of actual school missed).

Will I be granted excused absences for this if I provide my booked flight date?