This is the time of year when high school seniors and their parents are agonizing over their choice of a college or university. We believe that we have among the very best undergraduate mechanical, as well as nuclear, engineering programs in the country.
Please take a minute to view our latest video about our undergraduate mechanical engineering program. The video makes two essential points: 1) mechanical engineering is multi-disciplinary and thus is THE liberal arts degree of engineering and technology; and 2) our flexible curriculum enables students to pursue either concentrations or minors. These may be related to mechanical engineering or completely outside the realm of engineering.
I recently read Walter Isaacson’s book entitled “the Innovators.” There is one paragraph that I think is very compelling:
“This innovation will come from people who are able to link beauty to engineering, humanity to technology, and poetry to processors. In other words, it will come from the spiritual heirs of Ada Lovelace, creators who can flourish where the arts intersect with the sciences and who have the rebellious sense of wonder that opens them to the beauty of both.”
While I am among the strongest believers that mechanical engineering is really cool, I encourage both students and their parents to be open to those aspects of college that may not be directly supportive of a vocational track. Minoring in a foreign language, public policy, music technology, industrial design, or history in the long run will enrich a person’s life and, as Isaacson asserts, allows our graduates to link beauty to engineering! My wish for all of the newly admitted Georgia Tech students is to work hard (and yes you will work hard!), but also to enjoy the journey as often times the richest experiences are at your fingertips if you just look.
Best Regards,
William Wepfer
Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. School Chair