Hey guys. I’m wondering if one would be more likely to get full tuition or full ride schilarship if they apply to Emory or Oxford?
When I visited, the information session lady made it seem as if the two colleges were on the same “tier”.
Thanks
The best bet for merit is Oxford where you would go for two years before transferring to Emory (which is the way it used to be at least–it’s been a few years). But the two campuses are VERY different–go visit before signing up.
Visited Emory yestorday but not Oxford.
I’m visiting WFU tomorrow, I’d assume it’s more similar to Oxford.
So would my best bet for merit be to check both boxes (emory and oxford)? Can you be a finalist for both scholars programs and then chose which one you want?
No, Wake Forest is not like Oxford At all.
Oxford struck me as a large quad of old (but interesting) buildings placed in the middle of pretty much nowhere.
You should visit Oxford. It is small–about 900 students vs. Emory’s 15K-- very small and isolated. (And I think Emory’'s 15K is small just so you know). (Tour-wise my son loved Emory, hated Oxford and I wasn’t thrilled with either of them.)
You definitely need a car to get anywhere. It’s 40 miles outside Atlanta. Not much to do that I could see (both on campus or off).
The academics sound fine however and you do transfer to Emory. But after touring both Emory and Oxford I got the vibe (which may not be true) that Emory students thought of Oxford as “second class” in some ways. And I got the vibe that Oxford students felt extra special–so go figure.
The small campus doesn’t matter to many and may be a plus if it appeals to you.
I do know a student who got a full ride by going to Oxford. It worked out great for him. It was a great way to get a great education. I’ve no idea if he applied to just Emory and was offered Oxford or he applied to both.
@gouf78 : How did you get this “vibe”? Enough students felt so strongly enough about it to comment on it or something? Most students can really care less and wouldn’t know enough to comment. As for them Oxford students) feeling “special”. This is pretty common at schools that have a more LAC curriculum or culture and often bears out to be true in ways that some consider good and other ways that would be considered more negative. It is what it is. Do not see what is wrong with Emory main campus unless you are more into traditional collegiate architecture (lawns and brick or Gothic architecture/ Maybe more suburban? I personally am not too keen on the brick campuses. I grew up in the south. Emory was an interesting misfit architecturally that worked out at least decently well and has plenty of greenery to contrast its differently colored buildings). I’d say it is pretty nice especially considering that it uses so much post-modern architecture. Also, the facilities are more consistently nice than many comparable level schools. Not much to complain about.
Also, admittedly the Emory tour is kind of inadequate. Cannot take into account the surrounding area, Lullwater (and its associated nature preserves), Clairmont and other things that students interact with often. A tour of the core is nice but incomplete. Campus is too sprawly for a full tour though.
Bernie–yes, students actually commented on “oxford transfers”. And Oxford students in turn were a pretty tight knit group (and happy with their experience).
It’s all anecdotal–just a fleeting impression that probably didn’t mean anything. Only what we ran into on that particular day. Just my impression and nothing more.
My main point was a student needs to visit Oxford and see if they want it for their college experience.
Oxford is not Emory.
@gouf78 : And it darned sure isn’t Wake Forest lol. Wake Forest always gave me more of a more mini-Duke/Vanderbilt/Tulane/Virginia/Chapel Hill type of vibe, just scaled down for size. I feel as if Oxford is best compared to smaller LACs (though of course not elite ones, which you don’t need to be to educate well), but even then Oxford is very much its own thing and I think students must take into account social vibe AND their academic goals. Like if a student wants to advance more quickly or jump into special topics work in some disciplines (as many who go to either are capable of due to AP/IB credit), then main campus has a super strong advantage due to size of offerings and frequency of those offerings.
Yeah I understand it is quite different… am also visiting Davidson, another LAC.
I would definitelt visit Oxford, though, if I am a Finalist. I think I’d have to anyways, for an interview.
I don’t like that Emory tried to make Oxford seem on the same level as Emory. It clearly isn’t since it seems people get paid to go to Oxford more.
My question still stands: which school has more high scholarships? Maybe oxford has less since less students.
If I’m okay with the liberal arts feel in general after Davidson do you guys think it would be wise to apply to both in order to maximise the scholarship offer?
Maybe it’s not a good idea since it shows I’m willing to compromise for less.
Idk. Thank you all.
True. i’m thinking premed. Main campus would be much better for that.
@AimingTop50 : Never interpret as displaying or trying to portray whether or not Oxford is on the same or a lower level than Emory (reputation wise, sure its lower so it has more difficulty yielding which is why they of course give high offers. If you apply to both you will be considered for both and only selected for one if a finalist or if chosen to interview). Its goal is to depict that they are VERY different, but both strong academically depending on your needs. Like if you are a pre-health planning to not use any of your STEM AP/IB credits to advance, Oxford honestly does many of the lower division STEM courses better due to its size and primary focus on teaching. So the introductory level training you get will be very good. If you want to accelerate with AP (be a good pre-med/stand out), then main campus has more options. You should not worry about merit so far in advanced because both are so difficult to get. If you are interested in Emory and can see yourself doing Oxford, apply for both and check the Scholars box.
Unfortunately Emory does not let you test out of any classes with APs besides an English class with either Lit or Lang. So yeah it may be easier to maintain a higher GPA at Oxford since smaller classes.
@AimingTop50 : Uhmm no. Emory DOES let you test out of classes with AP (you can test out of chem 150, biol 141, physics, whatever. You just take the second semester and continue with advanced/intermediate courses if you exempt which is not asking for much if say, you AP out of biology 141 and major in biology! They also allow you to do things like take organismal form and function in the first semester with AP credit. Motivated students in chemistry can take organic, special version or regular. There are many options for AP students). Where did you get that from? Also, smaller classes does not mean higher GPA, it usually means more rigor/intensity because teacher has less stuff to grade. In addition, do not think about learning that way. Consider that the MCAT is hard and will require lots of problem solving and understanding of experimental design. I said Oxford may be “better” because they can emphasize more of that in the curriculum. You work harder/get exposure to higher level problem solving but if you do well, the background you get pays off.
I’m pretty sure my tour guide said so. That’s weird.
Well I looked it up. Emory awards up to 24 hours and Oxford 12. (From APs)
Don’t you think if I apply to both schools, I would receive a Finalist notification from Oxford over Emory in all cases (as you can only get invited to one, as you said)?
(This is presuming I even qualify for the Scholars program, bot trying to seem cocky. All hypothetical)
Also, I had the feeling that it is generally easier to suceed in smaller schools.
@AimingTop50 : Depends on the discipline. Could be more supportive but I can tell you grading in STEM won’t differ much unless you attend a place with high grade inflation. You should imagine similar grade distributions as main campus but maybe with more challenging math, physics, and biology intro. courses (main has more rigor in chemistry). Small schools are more workload intensive and may often stress applications when possible (assuming instructor is good).
I posted a somewhat lengthy thread on the Oxford College experience which I’ll copy below:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1977360-some-thoughts-from-an-oxford-parent.html#latest
03-29-2017 at 9:45 pm in Emory University
With my D about to complete her two (2) years at the Oxford campus, I am inspired to write about how pleased I’ve been with her experience and how much she’s looking forward to her next two years at the Atlanta campus.
She comes from a performing arts background and had not taken many of the AP science and math classes that people who strive to be premed or to major in the sciences had taken before enrolling at the Oxford campus. However, my D has loved the science classes she’s taken at Oxford, especially the inquiry based ones that emphasized hypothesis based research, and with her interest and investment in the sciences and math at Oxford, came success and growing confidence.
My D hated math in high school - so much so that she refused to take AP Calculus or AP Statistics. Now, having taken 2 semesters of calculus and 2 semesters of statistics at Oxford, she plans to take on more advanced math courses at the Atlanta campus and to possibly minor in math.
She’s received excellent mentorship and a chance to get to really know her professors with multiple opportunities to TA. With the support of her professorial mentors, she received multiple offers this upcoming summer to do biomedical research at various well-known medical schools and research institutes. Her experience this summer should set her up nicely to continue with research projects at the Atlanta campus.
My D has never taken a class at Oxford with more than 25 students - usually fewer than that for humanities classes. Her largest classes were in the core science and math classes like intro statistics, calculus, biology, chemistry. Such classes tended to be capped at 25 students. In contrast, when I took classes like these at my undergraduate-focused Ivy back in the day, we’d have classes of well over 300 students.
Large science and math classes tend to discourage students from being engaged in class and create incentives for students to rely solely on their test taking prowess to get them by the major exams. In contrast, professors at Oxford expect you to attend class, be prepared, speak up, to write a lot (even in science classes) and to make oral presentations.
Her classes in a wide variety of humanities classes have been well-taught and challenging - especially the inquiry based ones.
My experience in the real world tells me that my D’s gotten better preparation for life in the real world work force by virtue of the teaching style at Oxford, which is made possible by the small class sizes.
So far, I’ve focused on academics but one of the best parts of my D’s experience at the Oxford campus has been the opportunities she’s had to be part of a friendly, cohesive community. She’s had a chance to lead and serve in student government, through service projects and by founding a club. She’s also had a chance to lead and mentor as a TA.
She’s had a chance to befriend people from backgrounds very different from hers. Her freshman year roommate is from a rural, western state; we’re from a big, southern city. They’ve become friends and plan to room together at the Atlanta campus next year.
I consider Oxford College of Emory a real hidden gem. Judging from the surge in applicants this year, I surmise that others now see it the same way.
Thank you @FourScoreFour for the insight.
I haven’t made a decision yet (quite frankly don’t have to for a few months, though)
I did recently visit a southern LAC (Davidson), and it was a viable option.
I think checking both boxes would basically mean getting a scholarship at Oxford… it make sense for it to be this way (if it is true that you only get Scholars offers from one of the two schools).
Can someone verify this ^ for me? It wasn’t too clear for me online, and I forgot to ask on my tour.
At the end of the day, every student ends up with a degree from Emory or Goizueta (business school). Emory students do not look at Oxford students in a negative way. Most of them are just curious as to the campus life and experience at Oxford compared to main campus. Additionally, Oxford students see themselves on par with Emory students. Just because Oxford is slightly easier to get into, does not mean it is an easy school. The work is very rigorous and according to some former Oxford students, it is even harder than the work at main campus. This can be attributed to smaller class sizes and thus a more in depth view of the curriculum and material. This tradition of rigor is resulting in the transformation of Oxford into the future honor’s college of Emory. Emory is investing a lot of money into Oxford and within a few years when it is announced as the honor’s college, students will turn a full 180 and hope they get into Oxford instead of Emory, for whatever benefits the future honor’s college will give them. And trust me, an enjoyable social life at Oxford is definitely possible. Most students are in Atlanta during the weekend anyway, so they end up going to the same social events that Emory/Georgia Tech students go to.
@undergrad20 : Where did you hear that from? I mean, I think it is reorienting its curriculum to the point where it is a de facto honors college in some ways, but where did you hear that there is literally a plan for that sort of thing?
In addition, keep in mind that many prospective students are petty, especially many applying to elite privates. They are more about the name, rank, and social life and are willing to get a “so so” education (which they can convince or trick themselves into believing is awesome simply because the school ranks high) at a large or medium research 1 university than to go work hard and be “intellectually serious” (seriously, people considering many elite schools trash the likes of America’s more intellectually intense undergraduate programs at R1 universities like Harvard, MIT, Caltech, CMU, and a few others merely because the social life is not as glamorous and they might be more “stressed” than normal. But guess what? These places are super successful in acquiring and producing top leaders. The elite privates that are newer and got on the map by having great quality of life can truly benefit from having a larger chunk of students that are more on the serious side and not just into the standard 3 pre-professions and finance) at a more focused liberal arts type of institution or even a great honors college at a public school. What could happen, and what I hope for, is that Oxford can draw a more independent crowd that is specifically interested in IT and what it has to offer more so than its connection with Emory main as a whole.
I think when this becomes more of the case, that Emory will benefit from acquiring large cohorts of students who are perhaps different from mainstream and do indeed take the academic aspects more seriously and demand more in that arena. Also, what could evolve is a larger cohort of students pursuing doctoral degrees, industry, and academia. I think a large part of this method of getting Emory more on the map does in large part depend upon Oxford because it is less resistant to change than Research 1 schools (even great ones like Emory) and already has a track record of success in producing these types. Oxford can even better serve as the entity that increases the chunk of graduates that don’t go toward Emory stereotyped career pathways. Though honestly, if main were less conservative (admittedly, it is more progressive than “some” peers academically, but I would not say it is truly on the forefront of a lot of things in undergraduate education. It just keeps up with trends better than some peers) and tried harder to borrow from Oxford’s handbook where possible (mainly finding ways to integrate more experiential and inquiry based opportunities directly into course work, especially in STEM. Main has done this quite well in social sciences and humanities, but STEM is not really there yet except. Environmental Science is good and NBB and biology have interesting pockets I guess)