<p>How are the dorms and residential life at these two schools. Is it like Columbia where the dorms are basically cupboards and u share a shower with 1234 ppl, or are they like a Harvard or Yale. So, how well do these schools accomodate you?</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore at Emory ( and Loves it). Most of the dorms at Emory are fairly small--his freshman dorm had 80 students on two floors, each had 10 rooms for men and 10 rooms for women (single sex bathrooms with private showers,etc., on each floor). So maybe 20 people to a bathroom with 4 or 5 private showers, etc. Whenever I was there the facilities were never crowded at all. I think the largest freshman dorm is maybe 120 students, and the freshman dorms are in groups with the best locations on campus. The dorm rooms are average-sized dorm rooms but are well-maintained. The older dorms have the best locations, so there is a bit of a trade-off. Upperclass housing is amazing, very spacious--just a bit farther off the main quad.My son is in an apartment-style dorm this year with 3 other men--2 bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, large dining area and a great balcony.</p>
<p>The campus is very active, always a lot going on. And Atlanta is a great city to live in--restaurants, sports, performances, shopping, etc. Emory does lack Duke's campus sports scene but my son feels that that is a positive, because the administration's emphasis is on the student body, not the athletes--the student athletic centers (there are 2) are amazing.
Classes tend to be very small. My son has had one class in two years that had 50 people in it, all the rest have been very small. This semester he has 6 in one class,8 in one class,12 in one class, 15 in one class and 23 in his "big" class, and I don't know how many in his PE. He's taking 21 hours this semester, it's a lot of work. In classes that small it's hard to hide, and I think that is one thing that defines the students at Emory--they like it this way. He's made close friendships with several of his professors, they go to dinner and sporting events together, as well as more academic things such as lectures or concerts.</p>
<p>The dorms at Duke are great. My dorm has I want to say around 130 freshmen in it (I personally really enjoy the all-freshman East Campus), with maybe 20 students per bathroom with 5 showers, toilets, more sinks, etc. You're not living in a cupboard or a box/cell type of situation. The dorms have some uniquely shaped rooms with a lot of character and charm (according to my cheesy mom).</p>
<p>The facilities at Duke are amazing-- should you choose to utilize them. There are great gyms on both campuses, art showings, speakers pretty much any night of the week, films, etc. I imagine Emory would be rather similar to Duke in that respect as both are top notch universities with unparalleled resources. Attending a Duke game is just amazing...</p>