Easiest/Hardest classes at Emory University?

Probably gonna go for a business major, but I’m still somewhat undecided and wanted a grasp at the class rigor.

You should go in looking to challenge yourself not using Emory as some stepping stone for the future. If done right Emory, it’s rigor, connections, and prestige will take you places and cultivate you into a better man/woman, cliche but it honestly will, as long as you give maximum effort. Secondly, the business school is difficult there’s really no such thing as easy classes once you get there. The pre-qualifications do differ in rigor a little but not much, usually the rigorous pre business professors have better access to the Goizueta BBA meaning better recommendations, and you really only need around a 3.3 to get into the BBA program.

I know, I’m not looking for easy classes or anything, I just don’t want to get there and realize I’m going to have to kill myself to maintain half decent grades. Essentially, I just want to find a balanced schedule where I’m able to take all the classes I’m interested in while not making my G.P.A suffer.

@emoryunder : Just do the work…you are pre-business. You can actually go without being academically challenged at all because the pre-requisites are so lax (flexible…like so many can be APed out of). However, I would take instructors and not courses and I feel like you should intentionally take at least one fairly rigorous instructor per semester. The goal should not be to cruise through ECAS earning a perfect GPA. I have actually seen many b-schoolers’ GPAs diminish upon getting to the b-school because they tried to hard to just select easier courses and teachers to get in. They then have to deal with at least 5 courses per semester in GBS and a grading curve in certain core courses. Regardless, the chances that you would be able to construct a GPA killing schedule as pre-business is kind of unlikely unless you wanted to double major in STEM or something. For right now, take really good instructors, which are often more rigorous than normal. College grading standards outside of STEM in college are often more than fair. You get out whatever you put in and often (in ECAS) are not graded competitively in social sciences and humanities (sometimes econ. is an exception). Also, if the b-school sees a too “balanced” schedule they will just set a higher bar for you in admissions.

Also…don’t be so pre-calculated in course selection…live a little. Definitely do not use easy and hard as criteria…that is just petty. Again, actually figure out if a course is run well and if the instructor is half-way decent (the flexibility of BBA pre-reqs actually means that you can have a pretty rich academic experience because you are not so tied down like say…a pre-med. You could do the Voluntary Core if you want to. Take a well known history, English, or political science professor, whatever. You have a lot of freedom and will take classes that typically award grades at the higher ends if you do your part).

And VANDEMORY is correct. They expect like a 3.3 mean GPA in core/pre-requisite courses. Mind you that the median of those courses is like 3.3 after the curve so you need only be average to hit that. Other courses, even if rigorous, you will likely do well if you do the work.

If you were STEM, this conversation would be more relevant…but as a pre-bus incoming freshman…not as much.

Any recommendations for CRW courses?

@Dontskipthemoose : Depends on the fields you are interested in? You can take them in literally any discipline as most offer CWRs accessible to freshmen (are you an incoming freshmen). I just say that because you may think only English offers them.

@bernie12 are you affiliated with Emory?

@ljberkow : Alum still in Atlanta. Better get your questions about this stuff in before I leave in August (Utah for PhD) as my knowledge of things may diminish, but I still keep in touch a lot now so am still pretty good.

You know your stuff. I may ask some questions in a private message. You’re a great resource for prospective students. I’m an alum from long ago. Atlanta to Utah - ugh.

@ljberkow That is fine. And for me, I’ll get over it. Been in the south all my life, originally from Savannah. I loved it when I visited despite the differences. I am over living in a large city for now. SLC is weird in many ways but there is a lot to like (for a medium sized city, the public transportation is amazing and as a person who seriously wants to get back involved with the outdoors, I look forward).

http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/issues/2012/spring/features/solazyme.html

Wouldn’t be a first anyway (I am not surprised this guy went as Utah is a hotbed for extremely cool genetics research…though I am more so going for med. chem, another extremely strong area there).

I’ll pass on Atlanta for a while, though I will miss the lush greenery (it will be replaced by mountains and insane changes in topography…again I will get over it).

Sounds like you’re ready for the move. I will be in Atlanta this coming week at a housing conference. this week. Alway good to get back.