“I got out” bad for recruiting

GT_05

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,370


I agree. When I went to Dublin for the opener in 2016, I mentioned the year that I “graduated” to some other GT fans that I met there. They told me that they hadn’t heard anyone use the word “graduated” when talking about GT. Looking back, it was hard but I think being hard and me succeeding is what I appreciated about it. I never thought about it as “getting out”.

For recruiting athletes, I think the phrase could make GT look like more of a challenge than they want to deal with, especially if the goal is to go to the NFL.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

tmhunter52

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,354
Do people still flunk out of college anymore? The common understanding is that if you can get in, you can get out with a degree. Is that true at Tech? It used to not be that way. You really were mostly on your own. But colleges today have all kinds of support services and programs, especially for student athletes.

I think the “I got out” lament is just short for “I was really challenged. I had to work my butt off. I learned that performance is related to effort. I learned that nothing of value is for free. But, with all that, I graduated and I got out.”
 

GT_05

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,370
Do people still flunk out of college anymore?

Yes but only about 3%. I had a family member who went for a campus visit last week. He told me that he learned that the first year retention rate at GT was 97%. I said, “No way!” But this backs his statement up: https://www.irp.gatech.edu/retention-and-graduation-rates

GT points out their low acceptance rate is the reason for the high retention rate but it still seems very high to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Deleted member 2897

Guest
To me, here is the bigger story, buried in the interview...where Todd Stansbury says, and I quote "I like to tell people the greatest thing about having a Georgia Tech degree is people think you’re a heck of a lot smarter than you really are."

So I ask rhetorically, which statement is worse for recruiting and our reputation?
 

Deleted member 2897

Guest
Yes but only about 3%. I had a family member who went for a campus visit last week. He told me that he learned that the first year retention rate at GT was 97%. I said, “No way!” But this backs his statement up: https://www.irp.gatech.edu/retention-and-graduation-rates

GT points out their low acceptance rate is the reason for the high retention rate but it still seems very high to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is true. The shaft is mostly gone from Tech. Its a real shame, because based on my grades in high school, I probably barely got into Tech. But I graduated with a 3.2 because I worked my butt off. I don't care how smart you are, a certain percentage of people play video games all day, drink all night, and skip classes and goof off. Letting these people slide through is terrible. Tech is a lot easier than it used to be. Now on the flip side, our reputation is a lot better (in my opinion) than it was when I was there 25 or whatever years ago. So (I believe) our average student IS a lot better of a student than a long time ago and that does matter with retention. In fact I used to curse the 'system' when I was at Tech because if the class was full of Einsteins and professors had their set curve, 20% of Einsteins would fail out each class...and why was that fair? ....Its because a certain percentage of Einsteins do play video games all day, drink all night, and skip class, etc.

Its a new world. And its okay.

Now if someone wants to argue that humanity has changed and 10% or whatever of students don't play video games all day or drink all night etc etc I'm happy to have that debate. I can't imagine the basic profile of a human in that regard has changed.
 

YJMD

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,597
As long as the GTU thing is treated in a humorous manner, I don't think it's a bad one, and I am in the camp of using it to our advantage, i.e. bending ourselves as the Institute.

I agree on the "got out" thing. I think it's culturally good among alumni but problematic when put to recruits. Maybe we should just use it among ourselves?
 

tech_wreck47

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,670
If we are trying to attract recruits that are not committed as athletes AND students it will not end well for either us or them. I am proud I managed to get out. It was a struggle that made me a better person.
There are kids that are serious about both, but words like “I got out” could put a taste in their mouth of this is almost to hard to manage. I trust CPJ to recruit kids that will make it academically, we dont need to scare those kids away though.
 

tech_wreck47

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,670
To me, here is the bigger story, buried in the interview...where Todd Stansbury says, and I quote "I like to tell people the greatest thing about having a Georgia Tech degree is people think you’re a heck of a lot smarter than you really are."

So I ask rhetorically, which statement is worse for recruiting and our reputation?
IMO that statement is kinda saying because of the first comment “I got out” people think it’s was harder than it might be (event thought it’s still hard) and so because of that first comment people think you are some genius and no one else can compare to your smarts, when in reality that’s not the case.
 

JacketFromUGA

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,895
To me, here is the bigger story, buried in the interview...where Todd Stansbury says, and I quote "I like to tell people the greatest thing about having a Georgia Tech degree is people think you’re a heck of a lot smarter than you really are."

So I ask rhetorically, which statement is worse for recruiting and our reputation?
You left of the most true part of that statement.

"And we kind of overplay that a little bit"




......only a LITTLE BIT there?? ;)
 

Jacket in Dairyland

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,053
I completely agree with TStan on this. We must try to counter all the overwhelming negative connotations thrust upon us by many UGA fans in the state. We COULD try : Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". But seriously, we need every alumni and fan to be a " cheerleader" - proud and maybe even loud. Wear your Tech ties, and sweatshirts and bumper stickers ( on the BMW, not the necessarily the Ford Pinto ). I realize , it's not usually in many of our natures to be so " out there ". But this is WAR, man !!
 

GSOJacket

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
237
Things have changed from what they were when many of us were at Tech. When I was there (1958 - 1962), the student body GPA for a given quarter was usually between 2.2 and 2.5. A lot of kids flunked out their first two years. But Tech is being more selective now, and if you look at recent student body grade distributions, it's difficult to argue that earning a degree now carries the same level of difficulty for the average Tech student as back in the day.
http://lite.gatech.edu/lite_script/dashboards/grade_distribution.html
 
Top