After getting rejected from my dream school EDI ( Northwestern ), I lost all confidence in my application and just wanted to get into any good school ASAP. I frantically applied to Emory EDII. My visit there was just “alright” but I just wanted to get the college process finished with. The acceptance rate looked good so I just went for it lol. I sorta disliked Atlanta as a city ( and the South in general ) but I just convinced myself that it would be OK and just went on with it. I thought Emory would be a good fit for me because of the lack of an athletic presence and the focus on liberal arts, but I later realized I could probably find my niche in any school and maybe college athletics aren’t so bad after all…
The problems I have with Emory mostly have to do with its suburban location ( nothing but old white people homes immediately around campus ), it’s lack of an even remotely decent CS program ( not sure if I want to major in CS but if I do decide to it’s not reassuring that I’ll be going into such a weak program ), and Atlanta ( just feels so suffocating and slow compared to what I’m used to ). People at Emory are very rarely passionate about their school and a lot complain to me how boring it is. It also seems like the diversity only comes from ethnicity - I have talked to quite a huge number of students, and I think I met maybe two people who weren’t Pre-med/Business. Also, considering the fact that the Emory brand is really only good in the Southeast, there is a very good chance I’ll end up having to work here (the South); this is DEFINITELY what I don’t want to do. Also, Emory is surprisingly much more conservative than I thought it would be. Also, political apathy is surprisingly high. I brought up politics with a couple of Emory guys on a visit ( after i got accepted ), and they told me they “dont like talking about school stuff outside of class”
I realized that the things I loved about Emory were things that could be found in basically any other good medium-sized school. I REALLY REALLY REALLY wished I applied to (and attended!) USC. I definitely think I would have gotten in and it would’ve provided everything good about Emory… and THEN some. I was initially scared of stereotypes of it being excessively fratty and only for rich kids/douchebags, but honestly, Emory’s wealth and fraternity presence is nothing to scoff at either. I noticed that because Emory’s campus was much smaller, the greek stuff was much more prevalent than expected. I find myself looking up more stuff about USC nowadays more than I do about Emory. Like I have been watching a ton of USC football videos recently for literally no reason lol. Also LA>>>>Atlanta, and I would actually love to live there someday. USC just seems to create more well-rounded and passionate students for some reason.
USC just seems like a much fuller “college experience”.
If I decide that I want to major in CS, I’m 100% sending a transfer application to USC’s CSBA program.
Am I being irrational? I know transferring sucks, but I legitimately do think I will be happier somewhere else.
Also, if you are the type of person that wants to live in a good environment outside of school (most people do, so I understand your grievances with Emory), then you may want to reconsider USC. The area directly surrounding the school is pretty infamous for lacking the typical glamorous LA feel, one of the reasons that I personally didn’t apply to the school.
Looks like you blindly chased prestige rather than fit. Let that be a lesson to others.
If you really think you will be happier elsewhere, then transfer. Think long and hard about whether the next school will truly be better for you.
One thing I will dispute is your claim that the Emory brand is really only good in the southeast. It is very well regarded in the northeast as well, and when it comes to medicine, worldwide.
My guess is you are going to be unhappy at USC or some other school too. Happiness and satisfaction are states of one’s mind. Your reasons for disliking Emory suggest that you have strong opinions, prejudices, likes and dislikes and are unable or unwilling to look past them. This cannot be changed by moving to a different school. For a while you will be happier but then you will start seeing a different set of issues at the new school and then you will sour towards that school too.
Work on your mental representation of what your ideal school should be
Talk to folks who like Emory and find out what they value. See if you can enjoy aspects of Emory that are unique to Emory.
USC “met need” in my daughter’s case, which may or may not be sufficient for you depending upon your EFC. It was not adequate for us since our EFC is substantially higher than what we can afford.
I think you may be putting USC on a too high of a pedestal. Are you an URM? If so I’ve seen pretty scathing anecdotal accounts of USC from URMs. For example, someone who transferred from USC to Michigan had nothing much good to say about their USC experience.
Have you considered trying to transfer to Oberlin? I was surprised at the generosity of their financial aid even after my daughter came off of the waitlist! Still, they only “met need” up to our EFC (it’s just that it was all scholarship and grant – no loan!) Here’s an opinion on their CS program: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/1877391-computer-science-at-oberlin.html
Good luck to you - I think you are stuck going to Emory freshman year (right?) so try to find the positives while keeping your options open for transferring.
I think you are suffering from buyers remorse. At this point I’d say your best option is to start at Emory with the intention of loving it and staying for 4 years. If you go to Emory or any school with one foot out the door then you will never give yourself the chance to develop meaningful friendships, get involved on campus, form relationships with professors etc. and if the transfer doesn’t work out later you will be really stuck.
If you decide to throw in a transfer application or two that is fine, but be aware that merit aid is hard to come by as a transfer and many friendships are developed freshman year, housing arrangements are done etc. so it can be hard to beak in as a transfer. Also you should visit before deciding to transfer anywhere as you don’t want to make another mistake if you go that route. (As noted above, not everyone loves USC…my D’s friend thought the school was fine but she didn’t love the area the school was located in and spent a ton on Ubers over the 4 years there).
And FWIW I’m in the Northeast and Emory has an excellent reputation.
I"m torn on this one. On the one hand, my D and I toured Emory and had many of the same reactions you’re describing. So I get it. On the other hand, Emory truly is a well-respected and known school through the northeast and fairly well known elsewhere too…i think it’s to your benefit to get your diploma there.
There’s also something else here…nobody said you have to love your college experience…i realize that’s often talked about here but its actually okay to have a so-so college time and then have better times ahead.
Just to counter @choirsandstages comment about URMs, my sons had the opposite experience at USC as URM students. They both felt that the school offered a lot of programs and support for URM students (which my sons didn’t take advantage of at all, but they appreciate the effort.) They had rich social lives too, and they love and cherish their time there (especially when job search time rolled around, and they saw that Trojan Family network in action.)
Transfer students generally do not receive good financial aid. If money is an issue for you, don’t start at Emory planning to transfer out. You might not end up with any place that is affordable.
You can ask Emory to defer enrollment for a year. Do something else in that time. Look at some other colleges and universities. Make a different list for yourself. You may decide that you like Emory after all. Or you may decide to drop Emory and apply to other places.
Emory has an excellent reputation in the northeast, Atlanta is supposed to be a very vibrant place to live and certainly very diverse, and most of what I’ve read about the school seems very positive.
I’d say definitely give it a year - go in with a positive and open attitude - even if you decide to transfer a lot can happen between the time you submit your application and the end of the school year so would suggest you not share with your fellow students your negative thoughts about the school and that you want to transfer. You may decide after-all to stay at Emory all four years but by then will have alienated all your co-students with your complaints and dreams of being at a ‘less boring’ school…
I live in Atlanta and I have no idea what “vibrant” means.
And I don’t mean I don’t understand the definition of the word. I mean what does “vibrant” mean with regards to a city? People walking around in colorful socks? It’s a city, and it’s not that bad, and not that great. It’s not on the level of San Francisco, Boston, or DC. It’s better than Omaha. It is not, in my opinion, a “destination” city. The schools here are not defined by Atlanta’s “city-ness” at all. Which is probably why the OP was so surprised by the culture at Emory.