@Goforthestar : Similar but different, like most schools in its (Emory, basically those ranked 15-25 or so) ranking tier. And by that I mean will naturally have different academic strengths. I will say that it is often more “edgy”(innovative) lately in terms of the new programs it chooses to open and how it tends to run or teach in them at least in comparison to many private schools (publics tend to be ahead of the curve on pedigogy whereas privates merely rely on smaller class sizes and selectivity to keep “quality” education). That major above is one example, the Human Health major:http://s165322.gridserver.com/wordpress/curriculum/ (this is also known for its serious student teaching oppurtunities)
which, BTW, you would think just takes in all pre-meds do to it being may more easy/less “sciency” than STEM majors, but in actuality, much like the ILA program majors, also known to be quite innovative, requires senior projects.
With a senior project requirement, only students more deliberate in their interest in their interests and desire to learn will join: http://ila.emory.edu/programs/ so these do not become more or less default majors for folks.
The Voluntary Core was and still is a very interesting development: http://college.emory.edu/voluntary-core/about/index.html
There is plenty of evidence that can be found just by surfing the departmental websites, that Emory is very strong academically, often in ways that have a surprising “academic” slant. And by that I mean, offers multiple opportunities or even requires students to engage course work beyond a very basic coursework level (and sometimes just beyond course work in general). I think this is a part of being good academically. Do many departments actively try turn more of the great students into scholars by getting them much more deeply involved in the discipline? Or do the majors mainly just exist to serve up a menu of courses. At Emory, the more academic slants of departments likely exist to a) help revitalize the liberal arts, b) create more intellectual engagement on campus, c) prepare students better for whatever.
I think even the b-school is attempting to implement a capstone project or course.
*Part of the reason Emory can have so many departments moving in the direction of offering numerous fellowships/scholarships, and Study abroad opps (it is notable that even natural science programs at Emory have their own pet study abroad options which I did not observe as common elsewhere. In addition to this, Emory also has internal post-grad. scholarships such as Bobby Jones, again, not as common among peers at all), and re gearing many of the curricula towards what it would look like to help those who would actually work in the field is straight up due to faculty desire (the professors truly make Emory IMHO, especially the College. Much more warm and nurturing than some other places, even as its enrollment has grown, faculty are really accessible and try very hard to be engaging and even mentor students). Compared to peers, I do not think Emory College (or the b-school) has a huge or even large endowment, but yet it performs very well (again, despite lower scores and even admitting more low income students) vs. those places in terms of accolades, and some how finds a way to raise the money to support the things I mentioned above. Without a faculty that still cared about the students and the institution, I can tell you for a fact that things like the ILA and the Voluntary Core will cease to exist (hell ILA almost did bite the dust). Movements in the right direction in terms of educating students in meaningful ways simply do not happen at schools that aren’t good (and even many that are considered good).
*Also, your questions really don’t make much sense and just invite ■■■■■■ pretty much. How can one directly compare those schools overall? You need to figure out what your interests are and then go look on various departmental websites kind of like what I am trying to show you so that you see if the school offers anything interesting for YOU. There is no need to compare whole schools to each other. Even ones of similar caliber run and do things very different. Students and parents should be aware of this and align their logic and research goals (for selecting a school) with this fact and not with say…what tour guides have to say. Like it is hard to compare a place mainly known for its social sciences (Tufts) to a place known big time for Health and Life Sciences (Emory), but also shines in certain social sciences and humanities (namely, history, psyche, polisci, and English/Creative Writing,anthro. but of course polisci and its related area, international studies do not shine as brightly as Tufts in that are much like…life sciences at Tufts will not shine like Emory. In fact similar things could be said for GTown vs. Emory except both do share strong b-schools). Zone in on possible areas of interest and let us know and then you can research better or we could give more information. Otherwise, continuing this thread is useless.
If you are talking a school to do business at then Emory is stellar of course and in a good city to do it. Also, the movement toward entrepreneurship on campus (which may have been occurring since like 2010 or 2011) makes it a very interesting place to be. In such cases, I would have to give the b-school/Emory’s vibe an edge over those other places. For a business or entrepreneurial minded person, Emory looks like it is starting to spark.