<p>I'm a student from the midwest and I'm deciding between Emory or USC.</p>
<p>As far as academics go, my impression of these colleges is that Emory is better for my field of study (thinking about Neuroscience, Biology, or possibly Biomedical Engineer with a premed track)</p>
<p>Honestly I'd prefer to be in LA, but I've heard great things about Atlanta as well.</p>
<p>Probably the biggest disappointment about Emory for me is the lack of a football team, but I feel like if I actually go there, it won't be that big of a deal as I can just root for the team of my choice then when I watch college football.</p>
<p>Money is not an issue. I received very generous financial aid packages from both universities and the difference is negligible. I love both campuses, maybe with a slight favor towards the Emory campus.</p>
<p>From a very shallow and probably false view, one of my friends put it this way: Go to USC for the girls, alumni network, football, and the beach. Go to Emory for the prestige, academics, and the opportunities. I don't really believe it's as simple as that, but I do think there's some truth behind it. </p>
<p>Basically I'm just wondering what everyone thinks about these two great universities when compared from a premed/life science perspective. Which school has more internship/research opportunities? How does the experience at each school compare? And finally what would be the pros/cons of choosing each school?</p>
<p>I appreciate all input/experiences. Thanks!</p>
<p>I feel like USC is just as prestigious as emory. Also don’t pick USC because of football… Unless you’ve been a USC fan. Becuase they’re on the downhill. Umm you probably know this but emory doesn’t have engineering. You’d be doing a 3+2 thingy with Georgia tech. Atlanta girls aren’t that bad either. </p>
<p>I’m not trying to push you one way… Just some observations made on what you posted</p>
<p>Aluminum Boat should know that the 3+2 engineering program is considered a very strong one, academically. Emory is well-regarded for a liberal arts education, and Georgia Tech ranks highly in certain fields of engineering.</p>
<p>GO TO USC NOW!!! Do not go to Emory. At all. USC is ten times more fun and just as good of a school with better alumni connections. Atlanta as a city is a **** hole and there is absolutely nothing around Emory campus unless you have a car which is impossible for freshman and hard for upperclassmen as well.</p>
<p>I disagree with you, but if that’s the way you feel, so be it. Honestly, are you trying to imply that L.A. is not a car dependent city? You can’t be serious. I would personally think L.A. is somewhat of a ****hole that is glamorized excessively by various media sources. I’m sorry that your experience here sucked, but do not make a statement about a whole city and school because of your own experience. How about citing your actual experience at the school instead (or perhaps the fun experience at USC that you didn’t have). That would be useful. All you said, was that Emory is not as fun. Using that logic, I should have gone to UGA.</p>
<p>"Atlanta as a city is a **** hole and there is absolutely nothing around Emory campus unless you have a car which is impossible for freshman and hard for upperclassmen as well. "</p>
<p>Pure ignorance. Atlanta is an amazing city. If you never explore the city outside of Druid Hills, well, then that’s your fault, isn’t it. Any applicant should know that Emory is in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of the city proper. It’s an extremely safe and beautiful area, but you know coming in that there’s nothing immediately around campus except for houses. </p>
<p>However, if you drive for 5 minutes, you hit places like the Highlands and Decatur. Drive 12-15 minutes and you hit midtown, Inman Park, East Atlanta. Drive 20 minutes and you’re into buckhead. </p>
<p>A ton of people have cars. At least 90% of upperclassmen, I’d guesstimate. And even if you were so antisocial that you didn’t happen to know anyone with a car, Emory provides shuttles every weekend that go somewhere in the city. Plus, the park and ride shuttles operate M-F, which go to Decatur. And even if you didn’t want to go to those places, MARTA (as inefficient as it is) picks up at Emory.</p>
<p>My point is that there are a ton of ways to get into Atlanta and the metro area. You miss out on so much by not taking advantage of it. There’s more there then you could possibly experience in 4 years.</p>
<p>I am going to ignore XoXoCC… he/she is representative of a portion of Emory students who demonstrate no school pride and , in turn, probably blame Emory for the lack of pride. That’s the kind of person I don’t really want to associate with next year… Sorry if that sounds harsh… Go look at the Duke forums… whenever there is even a “Duke vs Harvard” thread, all the Dukies scream DUKE!!! Are they mistaken in saying Duke over Harvard? Perhaps. However, their school pride trumps everyone else’s and that, I think, is an admirable characteristic.</p>
<p>Anyways, I would pick Emory over USC anyday. I cannot offer personal experiences as a student at Emory yet since I am still a high school senior. What I can say is that USC is overshadowed by 5 or 6 schools in California whereas Emory overshadows other schools in the South. Big difference.</p>
<p>I should also mention, to rebut those detractors who say that there is nothing around Emory, that Emory Village is in the midst of a redevelopment and that Emory Point ([Construction</a> Updates Page](<a href=“http://www.construction.emory.edu%5DConstruction”>http://www.construction.emory.edu)) is a project spearheaded by Emory to bring more shops, restaurants, high-density housing, etc to the campus area (near Emory Conference Center), a 10 minute walk from campus. Unfortunately, the economy has slowed plans for that project, because the outside investors who committed to developing aspects of the projects have put their involvement on hold. However, Emory remains committed to the project and to bringing more entertainment options nearer to campus. </p>
<p>I only point these out to show how impressed I continue to be with Emory commitment to making the neighborhood more appealing to its students and staff. To be sure, there should be more to do within walking distance to campus, and I think Emory is making strides to see such projects come to fruition. Even though it might be taking longer than expected at the moment.</p>
<p>There’s also nothing to do around USC’s campus, except the village which is really just a few places to eat and a small movie theater from what I remember. And the area around USC is dangerous, whereas Emory’s surrounding area is safe. LA is dirty, full of smog, riddled with homeless people, and the entire city prides itself on the deceptive and cheap faux-beauty of Hollywood (see Hollywood sign, wax museums, studio tours, star maps, the excessive makeup and fake tans women wear). It’s a very materialistic town. Even though LA does have its advantages over Atlanta (the people are better looking, there’s tons more to do, more art, the beach, temperate weather), on the whole I think LA is an overrated city. You could list just as many pros for Atlanta (the people are friendlier, the city is beautiful, great neighborhood bars, world class golf courses, famous museums, less crime and pollution) as you could for LA.</p>
<p>fatsushi, it might help if you make a visual chart for check list such as student population, prestige, and other important factors that you want to have in the schools you are looking for. </p>
<p>As for premed, I would give the kudos to USC primarily because they have an accelerated program with the Keck School of Medicine. However, Emory, I believe offer a more rigorous courses and academic standings.</p>