The University of Georgia

Awesome campus! It is a beautiful school and has a lot to offer. The facilities are beautiful and they are building more! The stadium is breathtaking, as you can walk right up and see into the stadium. It is very empowering!

BEST PLACE ON EARTH! NOTHING BEATS GAMEDAY IN ATHENS! Pretty good school up there as well ;) I attended 88 – 92 and I can honestly say it was the most fun 4 years of my life, why I didn’t make it 5 is beyond me, any advice I have to present students. Take your time and enjoy it :)

Okay, let’s get things straight: I am a third generation Yellow Jacket.
Whew, having said that, these folks have a good thing going here.
I was there on Tuesday for the investiture of their new president and everything was done top notch. I will probably never go there on my own volition, but it’s good to know that they have a respectable place.
Of course not as good as ours…

This place is HORRIBLE and I wish I could give it 0 stars. Let me explain:
Athens-​Clark County is the only place in the state of Georgia where being caught underage drinking automatically lands you a ticket to jail. You might think, «Only the really blatantly drunk or obnoxious people get caught, right?» WRONG. If housing personnel so much as overhears you vomiting INSIDE A BATHROOM STALL, they will often call the UGA Police and have you arrested. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attend this University! We are all bound to have at least one those bad nights. Don’t come here. If you do, you are just asking for your life to be ruined by the UGA Police AKA CAMPUS GESTAPO!

Love this place. Whether looking for a great education or a great time the University of Georgia will meet your needs. I chose the path somewhere between. Additionally, UGA is located in Athens, a highly cultured small town with great food, shopping and music.

«It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.»
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It’s been a long road! But today, August 4^th, 2012 he finally finished his undergraduate degree. I’ve been coming out to this campus for several years, from the day we had his bunk beds built as a freshman all the way up to today’s Summer Graduation Commencement @ beautiful Stegeman Coliseum.
Yep, it’s been a long road with me and this kid… who was born while I was practically a kid myself. Only 17 years separate us and my whole life changed as a young father. Managing my own apartment, two jobs, a wife and baby at 17 was not easy and many sacrifices had to be made, including my own college education. Yet nothing was harder than the criticism from others for being a high school father. Some people (peers, teachers, relatives and people you don’t even know) can say harsh, hurtful thing that leave a scar on your soul. For me, it was all kinds of low expectations placed on my future for being a father so young.
Today was my redemption!!!
I shed a tear because that college degree meant as much (if not more) to me as it did to him. So many things in life can make you feel like you’ve done things the wrong way, but it is my validation that I did some things right. This is my lemonade.
It’s been 25 years for me of being a father, and today is one of the proudest moments I’ve ever had in that time. Thank you University of Georgia in helping me complete another chapter in what has not been an easy journey. All of your excellent student services and schools brought us to this point.
However, I haven’t cross the finish line yet. I’ll be sending you two more students in about 7 years. I know they will be in good hands.

Wouldn’t have wanted to go to school anywhere else. The pride that comes from graduating from the Nation’s oldest state-​chartered university is inexplicable.
The traditions here are many, and the degree you can get from here is second to none in the state. Heck, we even have an engineering program that can save you from having to go to that little trade school on North Ave. in Atlanta… (What’s the name of that place, again?)
Many good memories were formed on and off campus here, and I know why many places consider Athens the best college town in America (partying, music, and otherwise).

Love my Alma Mater. A great school. Learned a lot of life lessons and had a great overall college experience here. I loved my professors and definitely got challenged academically. A well-​rounded university.

I’ve been a student here for the past 3 years. Initially I loved, loved UGA. Over time, I became pretty neutral when it came to the campus itself. It’s a love/​hate kind of thing. In the end, how I feel about UGA is «okay.» I love the school itself, but the little things really add up and bring down my experience as a whole.
Positives:
–UGA has a beautiful campus. True.
–You will always have something to do. They have a wide range of extracurricular activities you can get involved with. At night, the downtown scene is wonderful.
–Prior to every semester, you sign up for an academic advisement and your adviser plans the classes you should take.
–Ramsey. A WONDERFUL workout facility and tons of variety.
–UGA health care is awesome. Feeling sick? Scheduling is never a conflict for me, because it seems like they always have an opening within a day or two.
–Education. I feel that the professors really care about what they are teaching.
Negatives:
–Choosing to ride the buses are a b*tch. When classes are about to begin/​just about to be let out then good luck trying to catch one of the buses. Better choose classes that are within walking distance of one another.
–I’m still confused on the textbooks. Why order the most recent edition when the edition before that has the same stuff?
–You must apply for your major. I guess this can be a positive thing, but if you don’t get your major, then it might put you back a year or two (certain classes are restricted to majors).
–Random «student fees» every semester.
–Huge focus on the football scene. This also can be a good or bad thing. But during Fall semester, there is always crazy traffic.
–Parking. Although most lots are free after 5pm, good luck before that. Traffic/​finding spaces are ridiculous.

The University of Georgia is a great place to attend college. I remember for a while I was thinking about going to a college near my hometown and wow, I am so glad I decided to venture a few hours east and attend UGA. It is truly the best college experience anyone could ask for.
Academics: The University of Georgia is the oldest public University in the U.S. and it shows. UGA has great professors, established relations with great companies recruiting the students, and a wide selection of classes/​majors. I personally attended the business school (Terry) and I can say that the professors really care. I had no problem finding a job, even in the tough market. UGA also has a strong reputation outside GA, several of my friends went on to work for several fortune 100 companies outside GA as well as sports teams and other cool places.
Tradition: I’ll be honest. Before I attended UGA I was not one of those UGA by default fans, BUT after spending four years there I have been indoctrinated. I love UGA sports and I am proud to be a bulldog alumni. Attend a few UGA football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, etc. events and you will understand.
Athens Life: Athens, GA is the greatest college town in all of America. Look it up, its true. You will not regret living here, I promise. Every town has its ups and downs, but Athens, GA really caters to the 18 – 25 year olds that live there. There are outdoor activities, PLENTY of bars Downtown (most bars per capita anywhere, also attached to North campus), sports, and activities to keep you busy. There is no college town like Athens, GA.
The crowd: UGA is not really a cookie cutter, everyone is the same, University. Frat guys, sure we have those, but we have hipsters, musicians, artists, nerds, gamers, jocks, nobodies, and a dozen other stereotypes that I can think up that make up the college scene. If you can’t find a place to fit in here, then you can’t find one anywhere. UGA has about 1000 different clubs and organization — if you for some unthinkable reason can’t find one for you — then create one.
Cost: UGA is a public University so the costs are pretty low. UGA has received several merits for «best bang for your buck». As far as colleges go, it doesn’t get much more affordable. BUT everyone hates paying for college. If you live in Georgia, just keep Hope (Hope scholarship pays for in state college tuition for ALL Georgians who maintain a 3.0 GPA).
Summary: Tradition, pride, prestige, experience, etc. etc. etc. Ask anyone who graduated from UGA — they will tell you they are glad they did. Five stars.

My alma mater and the best damn school in the south. It doesn’t get better than this school no mater what anyone else tells you.

So what? True I am a student at UGA. So. Shouldn’t that make me better able to give an accurate rating for the school?
Okay. So I know what you’re thinking. The only reason I gave the school a four is because I’m a student there. But just wait one darn minute. Hold your horses pal, because I’m going to tell you why I gave it four stars.
Okay so I went to a college before I went to the University of Georgia. I had few options because I was required by my parents to go to a state university. My options were, «Georgia Tech, GCSU, Georgia Southern, GSU… etc.) My first year, I stayed home and went to Augusta State University (a good school but lacking in opportunities of larger institutions) and my second year I transferred to UGA.
UGA can be intimidating at first. Yet a school with a campus population of over 30,000 in a town of only around 180,000 (metro area), means that the town is a college town. Athens, known for it’s «most bars per capita» of any other downtown area, with a bar on every corner, is for some, the ultimate college students paradise.
Yet, Athens and UGA has so much more to offer its campus population. From dozens of student organizations, who do good deeds, (UGA Miracle, Designated Dawgs, etc.) to the variety of acts and shows that make Athens never boring.
As far as education goes, it’s a well established university, and anyone who comes can be challenged if not by the regular classes, than by the Honors classes.
Opportunities abound at UGA and the school has so much history, it’s hard for other universities, besides the older northern ones, to even compete.
Why give it a four star rating?
Well mostly because the administration is not very good at the University. We have a president who is regarded almost as poorly as our last national one. Sports tend to take over this university, and many academics are annoyed by this fact, as the Sports department never seems to be making any cuts as everyone else has had to, due to the recent budget crisis.
Yet, the campus is beautiful, the traffic is not that bad (only on Game Days, where thousands of people come streaming into the city), the academics are excellent, and the opportunities abound. UGA is what you make of it, and there is no doubt in my mind that this is why UGA is considered one of the Ivy Leagues of Public Universities.