<p>Hello,</p>
<p>My son got into the following schools. He is extremely torn between both. He visited both and liked both, but he especially loved Emory's campus. He is interested in biology, btw. Considering the financial aid package is similar, which school would be a better option for him. He likes mid sized universities with a good intellectual atmosphere... but does like to hang out with friends and is a sociable teenager. Can anyone compare the schools and give us some feedback?</p>
<p>Please Help … thanks!</p>
<p>You’re not getting much feedback from the parents… I personally would choose Emory. I’m obviously biased.</p>
<p>no one can offer help ? :(</p>
<p>I haven’t visited Northwestern. But Emory has strong programs in the life sciences and the CDC is right there, offering students all sorts of internship and research opportunities. I’d choose Emory in a heartbeat, but again – the only thing I know about Northwestern is that it’s also a great school and cold and windy in the winters.</p>
<p>I was accepted to both of these, too – but, yes, it was a long time ago. One look at NU’s campus and I was sold. Absolutely loved the college and would go there again in a minute.</p>
<p>CalAlum’s points are well taken for your son’s major and, admittedly, I don’t know about NU’s science programs. (I studied communications.) Chicago has a wealth of medical institutions, though, and I would guess there would be a lot of opportunities.</p>
<p>I am a summer/beach person, but the NU winters did not deter me. I did love the Big Ten sports atmosphere (even though we set the football futility record while I was there). This is very different than Emory.</p>
<p>I found NU extremely sociable – even the 9 pm breaks at the library were the place to be. That’s what you get at an academic school! But there were tons of parties - Greek and non-Greek. I had a blast!</p>
<p>I am obviously biased towards NU, but you can’t go wrong at either school. (My S is a HS freshman, at the moment interested in chemistry, and both of these schools are on my list for him to consider when the time comes).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Sent a daughter to Northwestern (grad in 2008) and a son to Emory (now a soph). On faculty at Emory Med School. </p>
<p>The situation you describe is really a no lose situation. Both are great schools but I will try to address certain topics that may go into the decision and give my perspective. </p>
<p>Financials. From what you wrote, the financials seem similar. Do not ignore the monies (and the hassles) of sending your child to a school that is not drivable. Unless you live in Kentucky, it is doubtful that BOTH Emory and NU will be drivable. The hassle of airline reservations and cost AND the difficulties of sending and STORING college stuff is one that is often overlooked. If everything else is equal, that is a consideration. But it should be a very minor one. </p>
<p>Social Life: the social life is pretty similar from what I have observed. Both schools have a greek life presense which is important but not dominant. I sense that frats/sororities are slightly more open to nongreeks at Emory compared to Northwestern but not a lot. Both schools’ greek life is very different from large state schools,ie, the ‘drunken frat boy’ stereotype. </p>
<p>Academics: Not much difference here, either. Biology is very good both places and, if med school is an aim, neither school holds much of an edge. Premed rigor is high both places.</p>
<p>Campus dorms: Serious difference here. The dorms, especially the freshman dorms, are infinitely nicer at Emory. I cannot believe what Northwestern gets away with. The NU dorms are not in good shape and the University does not seem to care. Emory has two new dorms for freshmen and a third one on the way. Facilities win at Emory hands down. However, the food at Emory seems to receive more complaints than at NU.</p>
<p>Administration: Students seem to complain about the administration wherever you go. I did not see a big difference. That said, a story about the President of Emory: When my son was moving in to his freshman dorm last year, the PRESIDENT of Emory and his wife were helping the students move boxes/suitcases into the rooms. Sorta sends a message.</p>
<p>Classes and class size: Again not much different. My daughter seemed to have a few more large classes (>100 students) than my son who has not had a class over 50 students yet. Most classes have been 20 or less. Access to professors has been excellent both places. My daughter met a professor her jr year who really changed her life (in a good way). Son has not but he is only a soph. </p>
<p>Sports. Difference is noteworthy. NU has Div I sports and Sat football games still carry the day. NU is generally not in the running for the Big Ten titles in football (although occassionally it does well) or Basketball (never made the NCAA) but the two sports do carry weight on campus. My D was not into sports but went to the fb games often and follows the team now that she graduated. My son is very into sports but does not seem to mind not having a Division I team. He is very into the NBA (In fact, he has a one day a week job at Turner sports’ NBA TV) and roots for the college team of his choice. When the issue came up in college selection, I told him going to Emory a) he could root for whoever he wanted and b) Division I sports are really just entertainment for the average student. Your life at college is really not that different if you have a strong division I team, a weak division I team (aka NU) or no Division I team (read: Emory). He completely agrees now.</p>
<p>City: Both schools give access to great cities. But both are rather different. I grew up in Chicago and have lived in Atlanta for >20 years so I feel like I know them both pretty well. Chicago is more urban and at NU one can go to school without ever owning a car. Public transportation to the city of Chicago from NU works. The Evanston downtown is sufficient to live without a car. None of that is true in Atlanta. Having a car or access to a car is essential in ATL. Nuff said. Additionally, there is more going on in Chicago than Atlanta which is both good and bad. NU can get a bit more lost in the sea of Chicago events/institutions than Emory does in Atlanta. But depending upon your frame of reference, Chicago can be a bit more intimidating and harder to navigate. Both cities have high crime areas which need to be (and can be) avoided. The campuses are both pretty safe. </p>
<p>Weather: Do I really need to go into this? Atlanta >>>>>>>>>> Chicago weather. I don’t know if I could deal with a Chicago winter after living in Atlanta but college students can put up with a lot and weather is not that much of an issue if you really want to go the Northwestern. Altanta’s summer are very hot and long but Emory students are usually not around for the time of year when Atlanta’s weather stinks. </p>
<p>Lastly, it gets down to the feel of the campus for your son. If one of the two campuses really hits a cord for him, that may be enough to make the decision. Choosing between the two, he cannot make a bad decision. But he is going to have to live with the decision and where he feels more comfortable could end up winning the day. I am very impressed with both places so from a parent’s perspective, this is an embarrassement of riches. Good luck what ever choice is made.</p>
<p>wow.
haven’t been on this board for some time, and to be here now, and see this post, and see my husband’s response here is pretty remarkable.</p>
<p>i will say that the only thing he did not go into is the gender and the car issues.</p>
<p>our daughter hates to drive, and our son loves to drive. our daughter is not a good driver, and our son actually has a car. lots of the girls at emory find little need for a car, but their male counterparts prefer to have the option of wheels.</p>
<p>so if your son will be the type who’ll want a car or one who could care less, i would add those factors into the fix.</p>
<p>i think my husband covered everything well and i concur.</p>
<p>best of luck, and should you chose atlanta and have a question we can help with, don’t hesitate.</p>
<p>I don’t really know very much about Emory, so I can’t comment on the comparison. rpg’s post is great above. I can add one data point for Northwestern to the “Administration” category on rpg’s list: Northwestern has a new president this year , Morty Schapiro, who is very hands on when it comes to undergraduates; he too was there on move-in day this fall, walking around the dorms and meeting the students and their families, and he is teaching two undergraduate classes this year. I think Morty (previously the president at my alma mater Williams) is a real asset for Northwestern.</p>