Concerns About Emory

<p>I visited Emory this weekend. Although I thought the campus was very nice and the facilities were very appealing , I went into a history class on Friday and the students were kind of dead. The teacher was very interesting, and asked some penetrating questions but got little if any response from the students. I was really disappointed. I really want to be around passionate students who are excited about learning. Also, in one of the other classes I went to a kid had a seizure, and I think it was related to drug abuse. Does Emory have a big drug problem? There were many things I loved about Emory but I'm having concerns about the drug problem and the caliber/excitement and enthusiasm of the students. I would really appreciate honest opinions on these topics. Thanks!</p>

<p>To be honest in my perspective and a few of my friends at Emory, Emory is a school where many of the Ivy League rejects attend. I believe they are passionate, but most of them are just spoiled kids carrying Prada bags and LV wallets. (I am not bashing against any of the students; I love Emory, too.) And yes, the campus is very very nice and the facilities top of the notch. However, if the student-environment/atmosphere is not appealing to you or dead, maybe you should consider another school where people are lively?? (If that is an option).</p>

<p>I am in accordance with 06collegebound. ssharif, I believe you should choose a school where you feel like you can succeed without having to confront with problems you have mentioned. What are your other school choices?</p>

<p>I also have Berkeley and UCLA to chose from. What turns be off about these gigantic public schools are they large class sizes, impersonalness and lack of advising. The environement at these schools seems lively but I don't know how I'd adapt to such a gigantic school. I like personalized attention. In addition, I've heard Berkeley has a really cutthroat pre med program and such a fierce environmnet doesn't appeal to me. None of the schools I've gotten accepted to seem to be the perfect fit. =(</p>

<p>Wow congrats on UCB and UCLA!! Yes, those classes are large, but just your freshman year as you get those weed-out classes done (Unless you have received your AP credits). As you become a sophomore, junior, and senior, as you already know, classes get incredibly smaller and you get that intimate attention you've been seeking from professors. And I believe you are pursuing your career in the field of medicine? Well in that case, Berkeley and Emory would be the right choices. Not only does Berkeley have a rigorous pre-med program, but Emory also has a rigorous pre-med program.
So I guess the factors you have to consider now is: cost (Berkeley costing significantly lower), location, and prestige of education (Berkeley: world-renowned. Emory: world-renowned, yet growing).</p>

<p>Hey survival of the fittest right? Competition=Fuel to your fire. I don't think there is any short-cut in a pre-med program. Whereever you choose to attend, it is going to be competitive and difficult. Who says you can't adapt/survive at a big school? Nonsense. I would love to go to Berkeley, but they didn't want me. You are so LUCKY!!</p>

<p>haha...jtpeter2. This time, I agree with you.
Berkeley ssharif!!</p>

<p>I visited last year and attended 3 courses; history, poli sci and an English course. Two of the courses had 20-30 students and 1 intro course had about 40 -50. Overall I found the courses interesting with a fair amount of interaction. Before and after class students chatted with profs that seemed interested in answering questions. The courses were primarily freshman and sophomores and there were no TAs teaching. lectures. </p>

<p>I met with a history prof who was passionate about his teaching and we had a great discussion about the Civil War.</p>

<p>I also visited several large universities and while the lectures were excellent, there was little interaction due to the huge size of the class. TAs played a role in educating the students.</p>

<p>I believe Emory is a great hybrid of a LAC and large research university with the best resources of both.</p>

<p>That's my 2 cents</p>

<p>My son attended a history class for freshmen last fall at Emory and his experience was also positive. The prof talked, but students asked questions....no indication of apathy whatsoever. </p>

<p>I am an alum of one of Emory's grad schools, but did do some work with the profs in undergrad classes. Discussions were lively. The classes were relatively small. I would have no trouble recommending the school to a prospective undergrad.</p>

<p>sshrif - I sympathize with your dilemma. My son is having a difficult time deciding between Emory, U Chicago, and Tufts. Each school has a piece of what he wants, but none of them have the whole package. In reality, however, there is no "perfect" school. But, just to take a little of the pressure off, it's certainly possible to be happy at more than one college. Just try and identify the things that are most important to you, and evaluate the schools by those criteria. </p>

<hr>

<p>P. S. How interesting. All of 06collegebound's posts (a total of 6) have been on the Emory forum and recommending that applicants ** not ** go to Emory or Oxford, but to whatever other school they're considering. I assume he's either an unhappy student or a clever troll.</p>

<p>locke913 wrote :
Some interesting things that happened today:
During the campus life workshop a doctor was describling how Emory has just as many drug and drinking problems as all other universities. The next thing I did was go to a class on the brain. Right as the professor was talking about what happens to mice when thier brains are exposed to acid; a student started shaking for about 20 seconds. It sounded like snoring until he was flopped over. When the medical team came in about 45 seconds, they asked him how many times this has happen before. He said two other times this month. I smell drug use. Yeah it was a little startling. </p>

<p>I heard that many student have very rich family and drugs are very popular.</p>

<p>I don't disagree that Emory has a drug problem. Most colleges in this country do. That said, the most popular drugs at Emory are not crack/heroin, etc. They tend to be caffeine pills or other stimulants. I guess some students just feel like they need an extra "edge" to get ahead. The University is addressing this problem--for example, I saw a lot of flyers today about Adderall awareness.
And, for the nth time, Emory is largely middle class.</p>

<p>"Dad" is not a credible source. Please check Dad's posts and info. Although he claims to be born in 1960, he writes like a kid. Multiple explanation points and all. E.g. "I agree with jtpeter2. If you want to major in PS, no need to discuss!!!"</p>

<p>"None of the schools I've gotten accepted to seem to be the perfect fit. =("</p>

<p>ssharif, I agree, and I'm bummed about it too. </p>

<p>...Emory felt comfortable when I visited, and it was good to see the Businessweek ranking that just came out. I am deciding between emory and unc, and i know that unc also has a strong journalism program, which i am interested in. Does anyone know anything about journalism at Emory?</p>

<p>The program is small but of high quality. There are lots of internships at CNN.</p>

<p>hah, you're problem is you went on friday. this is college mind you.</p>

<p>thank you for your reply, boysx3</p>

<p>Which history class did you go to? I have a feeling it was mine (Professor Allitt's). And yeah, our class is normally a lot more lively, it was just early in the morning and everybody wanted to go to bed.</p>

<p>Emory students are generally excited about learning, though there are definitely some students who care more about shopping or drinking than class. Nothing we can do about that though.</p>

<p>To be honest, I am the first to admit that Emory has a lot of rich, spoiled kids. But they make up such a small percentage of the school that it really bothers me when people make huge generalizations and say that we are all like that. There are kids like that at every school, Emory students just happen to be a little wealthier on the whole (Coming here is a bit expensive).</p>

<p>If you have any specific questions about Emory, please let me know!</p>

<p>LOl...I think it was your class. =) Despite my concerns, i will be attending Emory next yr. My question however has to do with housing. I actually wnat to know if most of the students get roomates online through learnlink or randomly through the questionerre. How succesful is Emory in matching randomly. Do most get along/have a lot in common? Thanks so much for your help. It's nice hearing from you!!</p>

<p>No problem at all. I'm not sure if you were told this, but we have a new online housing selection system. The only problem is that it does not have a freshman roomate matching feature like the system we had a few years ago.</p>

<p>But to answer your question, I would say that it is split between kids who choose their roomate through Learnlink or Facebook and those who were assigned one through the questionairre. To be honest, it all depends on you. If you really want to know the person you are living with, and to be sure that you are a good fit, then it is easy to find someone through one of those sources. But if it does not really matter to you, and you are fine with whomever you get, than the questionairre system will work for you. I know several people who chose their roomate and don't get along with them, but obviously far more roommate issues occur with people who are matched based on a questionairre. It's kinda fun talking to people on LL/FB and finding someone who you want to live with.<br>
Its also a great way to meet people.</p>

<p>On a side note, I was one of the few in that class who spoke!</p>

<p>What do current Emory College students think about Oxford College students?</p>

<p>What's the real story about marijuana use by students here?</p>

<p>I've read on other CC threads that prospective students were turned off by overnight visits because of so much pot use in the dorms. Also, the p-r-o-w-l-e-r book describes use of pot and other drugs by students (esp so-called "study aids").</p>