There is no such thing as a 'weed-out' class at Tech (even though I felt differently while I was there).

This is how it works: Many of the professors are there to do research and make a name for themselves/the school/for science/etc. As such, teaching undergrads is not necessarily their top priority.

One of my pals there told this to me while I was struggling with one of my classes: At Tech, you need to learn to teach yourself.

... which is *very* true. A lot of times you will only get a concept taught and a few demonstrated examples in class which often isn't enough to put the knowledge into practice until you have pored over your notes, text, and homework outside of class.

If you are an engineering major, then get ready to work (unless you are an IE major, heh heh). It is 100% possible to spend every minute of your free time doing classwork/homework, or studying. At Tech, there is *always* something you should probably be doing (instead of hanging out, skating, etc). One of the biggest adjustments I had to make after graduating was shaking the feeling that I should be working on something (instead of playing video games or watching DVDs, etc).

Anyways, as for living arrangements: If you have lived on your own in an apartment or a house, then there is a good chance that you wont' like the dorms. They have their advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately for students, property values in all of the areas surrounding Tech have gone WAY up in the past 10 years (Centennial place used to be a ghetto, and Home Park used to be a run-down part of town). You can thank the Atlantic Station development, 1996 Olympics, and Tech Square construction for the upswing in rent there. If I had to go back to Tech, I would probably find a place off Howell Mill back around the neighborhoods by the compound to live. I lived in home park for a few months when I got out and wasn't that impressed. Centennial Place looks nice, but I hear that a lot of the neighbors have little-to-no home training.

As for a job... that all depends on what you want to do and how much time you want to spend doing it. I'd get an internship or some kind of part-time work that dealt with technology that you could put on your resume instead of waiting tables.

Which engineering discipline are you thinking about going into?