Emory (Oxford) vs W&M vs CWRU

College Search & Selection
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DS has narrowed it down to these 3. Assume cost is the same at all 3 because we’re okay to pay wherever he chooses. Intended major is VERY undecided. Maaaaaybe engineering, maybe something math/econ related. He’s solidly undecided so that’s probably the biggest factor . . . what school will best help him find a path he loves. (Don’t let the engineering sway you too much, we are prepared for this to be a 5-year journey if necessary.)

Oxford College of Emory
Pros - You go to Emory after 2 years. Smaller class sizes, more contact/relationship building with professors, ease of transition from HS to college since it’s so small, only first and second years there and that seems like a good thing. Geographically the farthest from home (SE Pennsylvania), but he did talk about wanting warmer weather.

Cons - we visited last week and did a self-guided tour which was not the greatest. Oxford seems way too small, one courtyard with a couple of buildings around it. Our HS has around 1,700 kids and DS really didn’t want to go anywhere smaller than his HS. Maybe seems a little suffocating? Boring? (Emory seemed great, though.) Questions about the transition to Emory.

W&M
Pros - The closest to home, although that may be a con, lol. It’s the right size right off the bat. Toured it pre-Covid and liked it. I know I say the vibe seemed stressed in the cons, but there was something there that also appealed to him.

Cons - If he does choose engineering, not sure if he’s crazy about the 3:2 or 4:2 plan with Columbia. (If he ends up not wanting engineering, they do have a couple of interesting options for him.)The kids seem super stressed. I know they rank high on a “happiest students” list, but the vibe seems stressed. People complain about Williamsburg but seems okay to us.

CWRU
Pros - Just toured it yesterday and it was compelling. Great campus. They not only have club fairs, but also have fairs where every major and minor is represented . . . seems very conducive to helping an undecided student start to find their way. Maybe all schools do this, though.

Cons - 40% of kids in Greek life. DS may want to join a fraternity, but doesn’t want to be “forced” to in order to have a social life.

Sorry this is so spotty, have a lot of thoughts swirling around! Don’t hesitate to ask more questions. All feedback is appreciated, and thanks in advance!

2

Too funny… my daughter is agonizing over Emory Oxford & William and Mary right now. The Oxford campus is small, but I keep hearing from Emory kids that they built amazing friendships, classes more personal & transition to Atlanta is smooth. They can go to Atlanta on the weekends to eat, see museums, etc.
William and Mary - I’m not sure the kids are less stressed than Emory kids with the workload. We found the kids to be friendly & helpful when we walked the historic campus. The beach is 30 minutes away & love the nature/lake bordering campus.

Both schools offer amazing research opportunities.

Tough decisions ahead!!

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My son is a junior at Emory; he started at the Oxford campus. All the positives you list are true – really close friends, close relationships with profs etc. For him, the fact that it was small (it was 3X his high school) and quiet were not negatives. But it is those things, and they may very well be negatives for other kids. There are social clubs, kind of like frats there, but I know nothing about them as my son wasn’t interested.

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Can you tell me a little bit about his transition to Emory this year? Ugh, he was probably virtual. But do kids from Oxford generally live on campus for their junior and senior years? I’m big on living on campus because you have the rest of your life to cook and clean, lol. And the Emory campus is gorgeous . . . who wouldn’t want to live there?!

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Yeah, unfortunately he was virtual this year. I’m totally with you re: living on campus, but my son disagrees with us :-). Many Emory students rented apartments in Atlanta even though classes were virtual. We did not let my son do this, so he’s been home since last March. He is making housing plans for next year, and it looks like he will be living in an apartment with his best friend. This (apt. living) may be one of the effects of COVID, since I’m guessing more kids than normal ended up renting, and not what happens in a regular year.

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Ahh yes, makes sense. It is nice to not be at the mercy of the school and have the apartment option. Our daughter is at Wesleyan and they’re residential all 4 years, which is really great UNLESS you happen to have a pandemic sweep through the country. We didn’t count on that one happening. But, they all ended up being able to be back on campus all this year and handled it pretty impressively. Tested everyone 2x/week, contact traced, quarantined, and kept the numbers super low. Now they’re providing vaccines. Anyway, thanks for the info!

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Like you said, I wouldn’t concentrate too much on the engineering aspect if he’s not pretty sure he wants to go that way.

Oxford is for people who want that small college experience for two years before transferring to a medium-sized university with lots of options. If Emory is the real draw here, I’d encourage him to really think hard about spending two years at Oxford with a small, diverse group of students in a town that’s a bit of a distance from Atlanta. Oxford is small - it’s definitely smaller than his HS, so if he doesn’t want to go to a small place then Oxford should probably be lower on the list. (I wouldn’t assume that the transition from HS to college will be easier because the place is small - it just depends on his preference).

From this, I’m not really getting a sense of his preferences. What is he looking for in a college? It sounds like he at least once a more medium-sized college experience. Small colleges do make fostering relationships with professors easier, but a sufficiently motivated student can do that even at a very large school, and could certainly do it at schools the size of William & Mary or Case Western. As you say, most schools have academic open houses or ‘fairs’ where students can see what majors might interest them, so that wouldn’t make my decision.

Reading this, honestly, the pros at CWRU seem kind of weak (campus is nice…OK!) and Oxford seems like he really likes Emory and this is a stepping stone into it (which may not be deal). It feels like you’re leaning W&M.

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The one nice thing about CWRU is the one door admissions.

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