It is okay. I applied to it when I was going to college. My reasoning is, if you are from Georgia, go for it. The tuition and education are pretty good. If you are from out of state, I would start to look at other schools with comparable tuition, but better programs.

i went there for my m.arch., i especially liked the young, motivated faculty, good seminar options, good variety of interests and focus areas. good computer resources. since then i would say things have gotten better, with ellen dunham jones as director of the program. they have recently added a chaired professor, and the first one is monica ponce de leon.

i later got a degree at the gsd, and was able to compare. no fancy pritzker winners at gatech, but better to have a young unknown teacher than a pritzker prize that only comes 4 times in the semester. insight and depth of studios at gsd was stronger, but i still have a soft spot for gatech.

The president of my firm is gtech from the 50's. One of the other associate principals with me is gtech from the late 70's. Both are very good architects and look back favorably at the school. Recently my firm was competing for a big project in Raleigh and all five short listed firms (including us) were represented by gtech principals. Says something about the school anyway.

like im currently attending Binghamton for a pre-arch concentration art history major... i've lived in nyc for about 2 years now? but lived in atlanta for 12 years nearly... it's like my home.. and i wouldn't mind going there for school again, mainly because it's an environment im used to, know about, and its also a place that i know has a lot of architectural activity going on given the times

A weird city but a very good school.

But that's the only one I really know in the US...

i would agree w/ alphanumericcha's statements but would add that the older faculty are hugely respected both academically and professionally.

also, as mentioned above, monica ponce de leon started her first of 5 years as a chaired instructor this year and has already brought a great deal of energy to the school.

How is gtech comparing to IIT and UIUC?

i should also mention they have some good programs abroad: for undergrads, there's the year in paris in la villette. for graduates, there's the summer in europe with stays in paris, berlin and amsterdam. i think they also have a program in italy, but i don't know that much about that one. la villette also sends interesting students to the m.arch.ii as part of an exchange program.

the city is weird but i visited last year [graduated in 99] and things were changing for the better. they still have a long way to go, though. in a weird way it gets interesting because there's so much to fix and so much space. i had to live there for 2 years without a car [something i'm very proud of] but wouldn't advice anyone to go through that.

aml
I was at tech in 97/98. One of the students from La villette. Where you in the master program at that time? I really enjoyed the teachers I had there, including one that they kicked out the year after I was there, Nadir Lahiji. The studio professor where great, especially Fred Pearsall, Sabir Kahn, Crhis Jarett and Thanos Economou, I wont list all of them, but I think the level of the program was generally impressive compared to where I was comming from... Which is not a big help for the topic but says a little bit about this school.

french, i was there 98-99 for an m.arch.ii, so i was right after you. never met nadir lahji, but did take a class with thanos [who taught me form z in 30 minutes] and afterwards worked under sabir's guide as an instructor for first year design. the students from la villette my year were blondine and florent, a couple. last time i saw them they were working for pei in nyc. 98 brought a couple of new teachers, kate nesbitt [who has now left] and jude le blanc [who is still there and doing well].

look at auburn, ut-knoxville and clemson if you want something to compare. they are all relatively close to atlanta.

Thanos I think, is the first one of a series of new professor that have entered the school recently and who changed things for the better I think, eventhough, as I said, the level was already pretty good in my opinion. I've learned a lot the year I was there and the school is very well equiped (lots of computers, a decent woodshop that I never used because I'm so bad at models). The product design program when I was there had a bunch of interesting people that where doing different things from the architects, which was interesting since they were in the same building, if I remember correctly...If I remember well, there is also an intersting "new media" program in the campus...

Georgia Tech is probably one of the best "state schools." Sure, the name recognition won't get you as far as the Ivies, but it is well regarded throughout the southeast and beyond. The faculty are very involved, some will practically live in studio with you if you're not careful, and many hang out with the students after hours. And there isn't a whole lot of "faculty inbreeding" like Auburn, Clemson, and other southern schools.

Its also a very affordable school, especially for graduates. There are a lot of GRA, GTA positions that waive tution plus give you a small monthly stipend. If you can't line one of these up, you can pretty much bank on a Coop position, working 13 hours a week for a local office in exchange for a tuition waiver plus stipend.

i was there from 97-01 and then 02-04 (master's)...i did the la villette program and that was probably the best year of my life. most recently, they have allowed qualified grad students to go to the la villette school for a semester w/ the undergrads. the paris/holland/berlin is a really great intensive summer program that has become really popular among the grad students. and yes, there is an summer study in italy and a joint study abroad program w/ clemson in genoa.

but study abroad pograms aside, let me put in my 2cents about the school (hopefully w/o wasting your time w/ my pedagogical opinions).

i would agree w/ the above posts that the faculty is one of GT's strongest assets. i once spoke w/ the director about why the GT lecture series seems so weak compared to other schools and she told me that the budget (read: state school) goes mostly to the faculty, followed closely by technology/woodshop stuff. this convinced me that GT is highly committed to bringing in and keeping great instructors. you may not recognize them as 'starchitects' but if you dig a little deeper, you will see that they have made their mark.

I've visited other schools and get regular updates from friends at other schools and from the information i've gathered, i would be hard-pressed to find better instructors/more intelligent people than Thanos Economou, Fred Pearsall, Stuart Romm, Harris Dimitropolous, Chris Jarrett, and Doug Allen.

but just to give some criticism, i would say that GT is a growing and changing school. the school i got my master's from in 2004 is way different(and better) than the one i got started at in 97. there is a vision and a direction to the program, but it's not quite there yet. the facilities are great and continue to get better.

but here are some complaints:
the jury spaces are a little annoying due to the exposed concrete atrium-ed new (1982) building.
keep in mind that it is a state school, but a state school that many rich people have graduated from and give money to. money (budget) is an issue, but not a huge one. the big issue w/ state schools is the institutional requirements/guidelines that each department has to follow. things get real political sometimes...
lastly, the architecture building parking lot/lawns are a favorite tail-gating spot for football games. don't get me wrong, tail-gating is great, but walking out of the building after an all-nighter to the sound of jimmy buffett and AMsports radio while tripping over empty beer cans only to find your car has been towed is not cool.

Was wondering if anyone’s thoughts on G. Tech have changed over the last decade+ ?