I'm back
 

Well, I'm back after a whirlwind tour of the south. Since I last checked in, we went to New Orleans. We watched my friend compete in the Junior Olympics. He does taekwondo. He's 11 years old. He managed to take home a bronze medal. He came in third out of about 30 kids in his division! I was very proud of him! New Orleans was better than I thought it would be. There were some VERY bad neighborhoods, but the main tourist areas are very nice. The food is EXCELLENT! We didn't have a single bad meal anywhere! They've got a very nice aquarium there that we went to. Anyway, it was a great trip, and now I'm home! I'm sure you're all just overjoyed to hear that :p

Welcome back, CJ. Sounds like the trip was enjoyable!!

Welcome back, CJ. I think you spent more time away from home then AT home this summer, huh? Good for you. Glad to see you back on the board.

Juan

Welcome back CJ.

Got you some of that Cajun gas, huh? I bet there was a bit of weather to get used to too! Welcome back!

So what school did you decide on?

I'm leaning towards the University of Tampa, but I still have more schools to visit.

CJ: Glad you enjoyed NAwlins...

No dis to the multitudes of U of T grads here, but what's your attraction to the school? There are dozens in FlawRaDuh and thousands up and down the Right Coast...
BR,md

UT has a good international business program. I also want to be somewhere warmer than here. I'm still at the beginning of my college search... I'm also looking in GA, SC, NC, and VA, and maybe some in Vermont and Massachusetts.

No Xpert on "int'l biz" schools, though I did int'lBiz for 30 yrs.

It seems to me, any good undergrad "biz major" cirruculum would be fine...as for the potential MBA chase after that, hard to figure these days, vis a vis the cost, non-top 10 tier school, competition, plethora of MBAs, etc.
Jes'rambling...I think ya'll have a lil' time to pick a joint. The first year is spent staying outta trouble, occas. studying, and figuring out who's on first. BR,md

One reason we started looking for schools so early is so we could see some, then sit back for a while and digest what we'd seen... Then maybe visit the ones we liked again, and take it from there. I'm probably going to look at 8 or so more schools and then start deciding.

UT is a good, small, private school, with a reputation for a really good business program. No sports to speak of, so you miss that part of your college experience. One thing they do not have is a reputation for trouble.

Interestingly, the University is housed in one of the first Grand Old Florida Hotels, built by Henry Plant, one of the two railroad barons that colonized Florida. It's as close to a historic place as we have around here.

All that aside, CJ, I would look at around a little more. I know UT has a great reputation, but it certainly isn't the environment I would have wanted to go to college in. A couple of things that you cna't escape:
- Tampa is a boring town
- it's always hot and alwats flat

That all said, I grew up here, went away to school, and came back to raise a family. As soon as they are off to college, though, I'm getting the heck out of here, at least for summer.

If you do it, however, give me yell, and I'll take you fishing.

If I had it all to do over again, I would go to Georgia Tech. Small school, rich in tradition, in the middle of one of the most dynamic cities around, mountains are two hours away, and they will be the Division I football champions in your freshman year. Believe it or not, they have a great business school as well.

Oh wait, I did go to Georgia Tech. Back then, though, nickel beer nights were still legal, so I'm a little hazy on the details.

My mom doesn't want me going to school in Atlanta... She thinks it's unsafe.

Not so. It is unsafe if you want it to be unsafe. However, I grew up in a sleepy beach town, and I made it through. I was as naive as you could expect before I went up there.

It is a big city, no doubt. You can find trouble if you want to, but you learn pretty quickly the places to avoid and the places to hang out.

The campus itself is as safe as you can get. There is also a huge urban renaissance taking place around the campus. It is hardly recognizable from even just 2-3 years ago. There are apartments, houses, outdoor cafes, the whole thing. It is a lot different than it was when I was there.

All that said, there's trouble where you look for it. I'll tell you, no lie, honest truth - I would take the Georgia Tech location safety-wise over the UT location in Tampa.

Atlanta is fine. You'd be fine.

I'll look at it. Thanks, ylwjacket!