<p>I'm likely going to be a student at Emory next year, but, as any new student would likely feel, I'm quite nervous about fitting in. At my high school, I wouldn't declare myself a nerd, but my friend group is quite intellectual and very academic. Some of my friends are going to very intellectual schools (UChicago and Harvard are among them). </p>
<p>Does Emory have an intellectual "vibe" or many intellectual students? And is the party scene/Greek life very prominent? I don't drink or go to very hardcore parties. I've tried it and have felt very uncomfortable. Is there any pressure to drink?</p>
<p>However, while academics come first for me and I do study a lot, I'll admit, I like to go out on the weekends- to the mall, or wherever. I just like to have fun by other means than partying. I'm just scared of going to a school where, if I opt not to participate in Greek life, I'll feel like the odd one out, you know? Or where if I don't party, I'll automatically be considered a nerd.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>What? no one cares! You’ll easily fit in. Emory is like midway between Vandy/Duke and Rice in terms of intellectualism (we don’t have the type of house system Rice has) primarily because of the structure (we only have Oxford, the College, and the business school, and the nursing program for UGs is relatively small. There is no engineering school and other pre-prof. subunits. The College and Oxford have the overwhelming majority of students and these are liberal arts units). We also have a history of doing well in things like debate, case competitions, etc, and have a developing entrepreneurial scene (have themed halls,heavy focus on sustainability among the administration and students), and lots of religious and ethnic diversity (which leads to interesting forums and seminars). And no, you will not be pressured to drink or join frats. Cultural, service, and academic organizations actually get as much attention, if not more, than Greeklife at Emory. And BTW, even Emory Greek parties are hardly considered hardcore in comparison to most places with a Greek system. Emory’s kind of “pre-professional intellectual” and is more of “play hard, work harder” type of school more so than pure “work hard, play hard”. The two spheres are not almost completely separated at Emory (being D-3 I’m sure contributes to this fact. If we were D-1, I’m sure they would almost be completely separate spheres). Also, there are plenty of “nerds” (and some of them party or go out too. The definition of “nerd” as someone who parties or doesn’t is insufficient at best) at Emory so I don’t think you need to worry about being singled out or anything. And there will be plenty to do outside of partying. For goodness sakes, you’re in Atlanta and you have Lenox and Emory Experience Shuttles on weekends if you would like to go to Buckhead or the midtown area with some friends and get away from campus. Often Emory has plenty of formal or random events going on as well. </p>
<p>Naturally, there are exceptions: At almost any elite school, if you surround yourself with pre-med biology or neuroscience majors, you will likely get the low end of any sort of intellectual peer group. However, you can even find the more intellectual among them (usually, they are the higher caliber students who actually use their AP credit to advanced. They aren’t the ones asking “who/what is easist?”). However, if you have a diverse peer group academically (and extracurricular), you’ll fare much better and get those interesting conversations you probably expect at an elite school. You’ll be able to see during orientation the spectrum of students and attitudes and that there is a significant “nerd” or intellectual group at Emory. You just have to know what to look for (because as you know, it’s not small like high school). Scoping out organizations and certain types of events is one of the best ways.</p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>