<p>@bernie12
Haha yes. I love to manipulate data and numbers using a variety of methods, especially for the admissions stuff for all the programs/schools I have applied to.
I used a combination of scholars numbers from the past several years and Emory RD numbers from the past several years as well. I do in fact plan on tacking on something quantitative (Statistics, Biostatistics, Applied Math) to my main focus/degree for undergrad.</p>
<p>And I agree with the points of Emory being the “oddball” in the group of its peers on a broader scale. Emory is very pre-professional from what I hear and that is good or bad depending on your interests. For my college list, I figuratively cast out a wide net of schools that might seem contradictory to most people but I trust my own capabilities on working well in many different environments. Some examples of contradictions in my list include:
Urban vs Severely Rural
Large vs Small
Pre-Professional Heavy vs Liberal Arts Heavy
Sports/School Pride vs Minimal Sports/School Pride</p>
<p>Haha yes I love to manipulate data and numbers using a variety of methods. I used a combination of scholars numbers from the past several years and Emory RD numbers from the past several years as well. I do in fact plan on tacking on something quantitative (Statistics, Biostatistics, Applied Math) to my main focus/degree for undergrad
[quote]
@matrixsurgeon: Where would you get past scholars stats. though? And also, wouldn’t it also take a leap of faith to use past RD numbers as part of predicting a fairly surprising increase in scholars numbers. Again, RD numbers only go up marginally. I just wonder how you essentially predict the magnitude of the effect of the self-nomination and the changes in marketing tactics to make such predictions about the current RD cycle and the scholars pool. </p>
<p>As for your interests. How convenient that you consider Emory right as it will final open up a quantitative social science major (fall 2014) and as programs/courses related to things like biostatistics are becoming more popular. Hell, I would give you the scholarship and admission based on your predictive capabilities alone. Maybe we can have you predicting elections and other things in the future lol.</p>
<p>@bernie12
I understand your skepticism in my methods Haha. The Scholars prediction was a little tricky because very few data exists out there, at-least in the very few press releases that Emory has written. I used the past several years threads about Emory Scholars and the numbers mentioned there as well as what the past Emory Scholar from my school told me. The RD applicants numbers are used not as much in the Scholars predictions but just to “fine tune” the increases in Scholars applications. And as you mentioned, the hardest part to predict (although many would call it guess) was the increase in applicants because of the new no nomination rule. I just used some logic and reasoning for that. So in the end, it is not as quantitative as my other stuff but a educated-guess based on numbers and logic as some would call it. But for the actual RD total numbers for colleges in general, there are more quantitative based predictions in play.</p>
<p>And yes, the QSS at Emory is very attractive because of its unique focus that alot of schools in the country don’t have. Human Health, Global Health, Culture and Society, Environmental Studies, and QSS are just several interesting and atractive majors/minors/programs I am interested in. </p>
<p>And as for predicting elections? No thanks.</p>
<p>Emory is kind of weird. It’s a quirky pre-professional school which is just rare with the exclusion of maybe like Harvard and Yale. Generally, pre-professional schools don’t grow in intellectualism/quirkiness over time (they are very, get in, have fun, do well, and get out types of student bodies. We definitely have many such students, but there is much more of a mixture here and even for those who came in like that, many things await them for if they do become more invested in intellectual pursuits than originally foreseeable. Many people who landed the computational neuroscience fellowship for example, may have originally just saw themselves as standard pre-healths/science majors trying to get the degree and move on, but obviously they decided to develop a bit more. The same could be said for many of the pre-law students in majors such as political science, history, and sociology). But it’s no surprise when the school is home to things like an elite debate team, an ever rising English department and undergraduate writers scene that accompanies. There was actually a recent graduate that was so darn good that one of her books is supposedly going to eventually be adapted for a Disney Series. Weirdly, enough, she was pre-med and is at Vanderbilt medical on a scholarship. Stories like this have become increasingly common at Emory. </p>
<p>The development of things such as QSS and the concentrations and majors you mention don’t hurt either (Human Health for example isn’t really just some non-science creampuff pre-health major. You actually have to complete a senior thesis/project as a part of it, meaning students pursuing that option have better be invested and serious enough about it). I guess there is just a very nice intertwining of the pre-professional interests and the liberal arts oriented interests that you don’t see at that many schools. It partly has to do with the types of students we get now and the structuring of the programs. Also, for a school heavy on science and business, the intellectual communities in history, political science, ethics, and other social science and humanities depts. at the UG level are very visible (certainly, the amount of UG internships and fellowships in these areas help a great deal). The level of involvement with academically focused/stemmed EC opps.is the thing that makes Emory interesting. If we didn’t have that much of this, I feel we would basically be exactly like every other non-HYS pre-prof. heavy school. I’m also sure that small things like how Emory won’t assign honors based upon graduation also has an impact on intellectual engagement. The fact that you must produce a body of work to prove yourself worthy of any latin honors leads to more grade conscious (as pre-profs. anywhere are) students not being merely grade grubbers, but actually caring about the stuff they learn and do I reflect back on that and realize that it’s actually kind of neat. I still think it’s too pre-prof. and we should be trying to make a mark in academia, but the fact that it tries(often successfully) hard to get pre-profs academically engaged beyond the grade is impressive when I think about it. At many other pre-prof. places it’s more like: “do the work, and then go party or build the resume”. Not much depth beyond that general scheme. Emory can always do better, but I appreciate these aspects of it. </p>
<p>@bernie12
Some very insightful comments about Emory that I am sure is a perfect way of describing Emory. I think alot of what you said is consistent with what I have heard about Emory from alumni and current students. Are you a parent or alumni? </p>
<p>Also, the Human Health program is very very unique and one of the many reasons I like Emory is that major. It is a perfect combination of different fields and is different than a lot of typical pre-health majors that people do at other schools like you mentioned. Emory’s involvements with organizations like NIH and CDC just add a dimension to the school that very few schools can claim. Although Emory is by no means “better” than the schools above it on the list, it is a great great private school that has very successful students who go on to successful careers. The Pre-Med culture is indicative of that. </p>
<p>Alumni. It definitely isn’t better (we have a lot to learn from the truly elite schools and even Duke who has truly made great strides that reach far beyond its admissions scheme which as we can see, most schools have now). It’s just weird and different. It has work to do to truly stand out and successfully market what makes it unique (though if your and aluminums predictions are correct for this cycle’s admissions, the changes it recently made may suggest that it’s going in the right direction). In addition, it has to keep investing in academics. I’m really glad we started to shift focus onto development and rearrangement (though some rearrangements make me sad 
) of academic programs and are rounding out of a building boom of random amenities (the freshman dorm village is wrapping up and I guess, if whatever reason you went, you would have to deal with the DUC renovation/expansion. Yuck, annoying…). At least now a majority of projects focus on academics/research and healthcare, and we’re actually paying some attention to curriculum development which means it’s attempting to become “great” beyond the superficial. I just know that Emory is going in the right direction when it publicly reflects on its academic programs in this age as opposed to “build, build, build”. The latter gets you but so far. The really amazing schools (or those who have moved in caliber beyond belief in more than just the admissions category) took a step beyond by continuing to build but always assuming that academics could be improved and innovated (unfortunately, even getting perfect students will not help if you aren’t doing this. All sorts of rankings show it. The most successful schools more readily enter new and better paradigms of education and research innovation. They don’t drag their feet or equate admissions progress with success). I went to Emory during a huge chunk of the “build, build, build” phase. If you end up going, you’ll hopefully have something much better in store for you than the maintenance of a happy student body and a nice campus and that honestly goes for anywhere you matriculate. . What places and experiences at various places will go beyond making students happy (which apparently doesn’t take much) and actually develop the student should always be the question. </p>
<p>Lots of great insight on Emory but back to this thread… three hours for Emory Scholars invitations. I don’t know how nervous my S is right now but I am feeling it. Emory is one of his top two choices and without this scholarship, the chances are pretty small that we would be able to pay for it. Keeping my fingers crossed and reminding myself that he will end up where he is meant to be.</p>
<p>@jrmama496
I am pretty nervous right now just as you and your S are probably. Emory has good (not great) financial aid. Are you middle class and below? If you are, I am sure the financial aid might help a little bit even though I am sure it might still be unfeasible. I would be grateful for ANY scholarship. I am ok with just the 2/3rds scholarship even because the financial aid would make up the difference or something like that to atleast make it affordable and close to state flagship cost.</p>
<p>AND THE WAIT IS ON. See you all at 6, and good luck. </p>
<p>Good Luck to all. Hopefully most of you guys will get to enjoy a nice spring weekend at Emory. </p>
<p>Yes, middle class but I’m sure not going to get very much financial aid when they add in the non custodial parent. We’ll see what happens.</p>
<p>Hh…yes with circumstances like yours, financial aid is almost never accurate to a family’s actual need. Good luck though! You never know what aid you might get!</p>
<p>A mere 43 minutes remain!!</p>
<p>Good luck to all!</p>
<p>didn’t get finalist so much for being my top choice…</p>
<p>neither did I :(</p>
<p>3.8 GPA, 2390 SAT, NMSF, bunch of other Latin Awards, USNCO Finalist, etc. </p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
<p>Didn’t make it. high GPA/SAT/ACT/decent ECs. Congratulations to all that did, I am sure you are very deserving. Hopefully I will see some of you at Emory if I am accepted. </p>
<p>Nope! :(. Guess everyone who got it is celebrating right now.</p>