FYI: Before Poly it was Southern Tech...owned by GT. I'm aging myself now.
But seriously I have BA at Southern Tech and a masters at GT both in mechanical engineering. In a nutshell it depends on your kid. If they are more hands-on/real-world, Kennesaw is the way to go. If they are more theoretical or design motivated, GT is the way to go. If working for the government, designing, laboratory....go with GT. If enjoys working with robots, being creative, machines, etc.....go with Kennesaw.
A perfect example is that I hired a GT grad in ME, and "seriously" didn't know how to check the oil level in a car....was completely lost in a manufacturing world. After 3 months placed the grad in a lab environment; crunching numbers, etc. and went circles around everyone else.
Another note to consider and something I noticed between the campuses is the differences in social environment. GT has a more "colder" social campus. Especially for young ladies starting there without any friends from high school. You wouldn't think that this is a big deal, but I have two personal experiences of very bright young ladies changing school because of this.
Last note, yes GT is recognized in the technical world.....I mean they are ranked 4th in engineering. However, Kennesaw is growing at a rapid rate and has over double the students as compared to GT and 8,000 more that UGA. I mean Kennesaw is a solid university and continues to grow, so don't let just the ranking sway your decision.
My recommendation if undecided, I would start at Kennesaw. Watch which classes you take to confirm they are transferable to GT. Get a feel of engineering. Then a year later, decide. Or get a BA at Kennesaw and a Masters at Tech....:-)
But seriously I have BA at Southern Tech and a masters at GT both in mechanical engineering. In a nutshell it depends on your kid. If they are more hands-on/real-world, Kennesaw is the way to go. If they are more theoretical or design motivated, GT is the way to go. If working for the government, designing, laboratory....go with GT. If enjoys working with robots, being creative, machines, etc.....go with Kennesaw.
A perfect example is that I hired a GT grad in ME, and "seriously" didn't know how to check the oil level in a car....was completely lost in a manufacturing world. After 3 months placed the grad in a lab environment; crunching numbers, etc. and went circles around everyone else.
Another note to consider and something I noticed between the campuses is the differences in social environment. GT has a more "colder" social campus. Especially for young ladies starting there without any friends from high school. You wouldn't think that this is a big deal, but I have two personal experiences of very bright young ladies changing school because of this.
Last note, yes GT is recognized in the technical world.....I mean they are ranked 4th in engineering. However, Kennesaw is growing at a rapid rate and has over double the students as compared to GT and 8,000 more that UGA. I mean Kennesaw is a solid university and continues to grow, so don't let just the ranking sway your decision.
My recommendation if undecided, I would start at Kennesaw. Watch which classes you take to confirm they are transferable to GT. Get a feel of engineering. Then a year later, decide. Or get a BA at Kennesaw and a Masters at Tech....:-)