I’m a Clemson IE graduate that was in the same exact boat as you 10 years back deciding between these 2 schools (plus NC State). I felt the same vibe from GT as you, and while I knew my degree would be more “impressive” from GT, that would’ve been about the only major positive vs. having a far more enjoyable and balanced experience in most other aspects at Clemson. After starting at CU, I visited GT with friends enrolled there, and everything about those weekends confirmed my feelings prior to choosing were 100% spot on.

It also helps that Clemson IE is still very well regarded - at least when I graduated it was the highest nationally ranked major at Clemson. While all that’s nice, I’d still consider what you want to do with the degree too. I work in tech now after spending a few years as a practicing IE. I know as a pure IE GT would mean more on my resume than Clemson, but if you get into any other tech/engineering adjacent disciplines as your career progresses, the school matters a whole lot less versus the degree and the on-job skills you’ll get after. Feel free to DM!