<p>I don’t want to say because doing so would disclose my identity. I’m one of the only students that’s ever transferred to Emory from there.</p>
<p>@bernie12,</p>
<p>I’m not so sure it’s just a problem of “elite education”. My previous college was definitely “elite” by most objective measures (e.g. top ten ranking, known for rigorous academics and great grad placement), but I didn’t have quite the same trouble with them, even though I had close contact with the administration. My boyfriend’s grandparents just retired from teaching at another well regarded university in the South and they were shocked at the things I’ve told them, saying such would never happen there.</p>
<p>As for the profs, I will agree and disagree. Some are truly amazing and I’m good friends with a few of them. Some of their colleagues, on the other hand, should not be allowed to teach, if I may be blunt. And this is in and out of my major dept/requirements.</p>
<p>@ExpendableAsset,</p>
<p>I know exactly what you mean! My parents were actually thinking of suing Emory and spoke to a lawyer who said we certainly had some grounds. They didn’t pursue it because I told them not to bother. I just want to graduate and be done with Emory for good.</p>
<p>@moimer,</p>
<p>The campus is kind of boring, to me. There is no real sense of school spirit. I’m not into Greek life, so that could also be a part of it, but I try to get off campus when possible. </p>
<p>Since you’re ED the best I can say is try it out and if you don’t like it, you can either suck it up for the next three years or choose very judiciously in transferring.</p>
<p>@EmoryAlum,</p>
<p>No, I mean Clairmont Tower. I’ve lived there for a good portion of my time here and it’s really bad. It smells in the back, the elevators are always broken (which has given untold grief to students who live on the upper levels), one of my rooms was really dirty when I moved in and had holes in the walls and roach bait in the kitchen.</p>
<p>…in the “back?” What exactly is the “back” of Clairmont Tower? </p>
<p>The elevator thing was a little frustrating sometimes, but a minor annoyance at best. And I say that having lived on the 17th floor.</p>
<p>If your room was dirty when you moved in, you should have just told them immediately and gotten yourself put on the transfer list. Did you?</p>
<p>Honestly, you’re the first person I’ve heard to think that Clairmont Tower is an example of a “bad” dorm…especially with such glaring examples as Woodruff and Clifton Towers.</p>
<p>Also, if you were in a top 10 USNWR university…then uh…why did you transfer to Emory?</p>
<p>Agree. Seems to have gotten worse than since I went there, but the culture is the same. I once heard that Clairmont Tower has asbestos insulation so you might want to complain about the holes in the walls. Another thing that I would like to mention, is that people in Atlanta outside of Emory are generally pretty nice. It’s not a very intellectual city, but the average person you meet on the street is outgoing and friendly. However, the people working in the Emory administration are the most bitter, miserable people in the South. They seem to have a chip on their shoulders and resent the students who they think are all spoiled and live perfect lives. Also, I come from a tolerant area of the country. There were a lot of openly gay students at my high school. In fact, Atlanta in general is a tolerant city. There is not a lot of racial tension compared to some other major cities. However, it seems like the vast majority of people in the lowest ranks of the Emory administration are flamboyantly gay. It seems like they just hire people with a similar sexual orientation. And they seem have this intense, almost religious, belief that students come into to college as biased people who have never experienced diversity. My friends just thought ***, and tried to move off campus as soon as possible. Housing in Atlanta is cheap. Move off campus. If they tell you that you can’t have your parents rent the place and tell the administration that you’re living with your parents. If they say that isn’t allowed, threaten to take them to small claims court. They’re idiots and they’ll just stop enforcing the rules at that point. I assume that ExpendableAsset was either falsely accused of bigotry, or the administration stole from him. Seems to happen every year. Now these people are accusing the Emory administration of being racist for closing certain departments and laying off staff. What a joke.</p>
<p>Also, I remember this teacher. One of the most brilliant individuals that I have ever met. I believe that he was discriminated against. He deserves better than tenure at Emory. He is truly an off the charts intellectual. </p>
<p>Nobody was surprised that he got fired. And I say this having been involved in the German department for 4 years. </p>
<p>Also, where are you people getting this stuff? “Flamboyantly” gay administrators? What do you define as “flamboyantly” gay and why does that bother you, exactly?</p>
<p>This thread has descended from legitimate complaints into some outlandishness.</p>
<p>Let me take back some of my last statement. I don’t know if he was discriminated against for being Jewish. I was never really sure if he was Jewish. Someone told me about this case a few years ago and I thought that he was just alleging that the department discriminated against him for not being German. I don’t really know the guy that he is accusing. But this guy, Erik Butler, was a born professor. Knew five or so languages. Probably read 10 books a day. Maybe he was a little inappropriate at times but with college kids. So what? He was too smart to do anything that could get him fired. The university believes every other accusation of discrimination. I can’t imagine what they were thinking when they fired him. This could cause a media circus.</p>
<p>Nobody is disputing his academic chops, trex.</p>
<p>In all of my exchanges with Butler, nothing led me to believe that he was “too smart” to get fired. Quite the opposite in fact. He was so smart, that he thought he could get away with anything and that was his undoing.</p>
<p>Every single person I encountered in the undergrad German department reacted to Butler’s firing with something like, “I’m not surprised.”</p>
<p>He didn’t know how to be professional. Period. And yes, it extended to more than just being “a little” inappropriate. It was “a lot” inappropriate.</p>
<p>Sometimes people who are brilliant shoot themselves in the foot by being rude and alienating their peers. That’s how the world works.</p>
<p>Sorry, but compared to many elite schools or schools in general, Emory housing is really nice, even if you factor in older reshalls. And also, about elite education, many of the elite institutions do indeed have administrative problems (they almost all run off the lame corporate model which values seriously educating people but so much) whether you experienced it when you were at another one or not. How do we know that I would not have been unfortunate and have not had experienced issues w/such a school if I had decided to transfer? We don’t know, but if I did, it would not be surprising. Neither would it be surprising if I would not have had such an experience.</p>
<p>My advice to current high school students, is to apply to an engineering program somewhere. I went to Emory’s business school and did very well. But it was really easy and I don’t feel like I learned that much. Other students I knew, who were liberal arts majors also said they didn’t learn much. However, the administration in the business school is actually better than in the liberal arts college, because they realize that they need good reviews for the Businessweek rankings and for the alumni to market the school for them. But I got all future jobs through family connections. It’s hard to get a business job in New York, Boston or Chicago without local connections, if you go to Emory’s business school. However, if you do an engineering program almost anywhere and get good grades, there are several advantages. You can apply for engineering jobs, but also finance and consulting jobs. Companies look favorably on engineering students because they have a good math background and a skill set that is required for many complex jobs. Then you can still apply to medical school later, or even get a PhD in finance. Finance and economics PhD programs want students with good math backgrounds.</p>
<p>I’ve never posted on this website before and I never thought I would until I read this thread. I believe that it is unfortunate that only a small collection of opinions are being taken as an accurate representation of Emory. Emory is a very unique school. As others prior to me have posted, some students do have issues with the administration, the dorms, the focus on the rankings. However, these three examples of Emory life do not delve into the real meaning of what it means to go to Emory University. I am currently a senior and maybe this post is a small piece of the nostalgia I am starting to feel for my school, but I think its necessary to clear up a few things about Emory.</p>
<p>As a tour guide, I often have to address the issue that Emory has no spirit. Although we may not have a football team or D1 sports, I do not think our school is compromised in terms of spirit, we just have a different definition for it. I think of Emory as an experience-driven school. Emory has provided me with so many opportunities, such as a close-knit a cappella community, an inclusive Greek environment, numerous opportunities to combine service with my other interest such as music and healthcare. I have taken advantage of these opportunities and have allowed these experiences to shape my college carrear. However, in order to find these opportunities, I took it upon myself to try new things and seek out different clubs and organizations. I believe people like me who believe that Emory has really been formidable in shaping who I am have taken advantage of the experiences Emory has to offer. Those who have not tend to be the ones who have negative opinions about school. Therefore, those who actively seek a wonderful college experience will succeed in doing so because of the wide variety of activities Emory provides. Unlike some other schools that may hand out school spirit out on a platter through huge tailgates or basketball games, Emory strives for its students to be independent and find the parts of college with which they really identify.
As others have posted, administrative, residence, and food woes happen on every campus. Perhaps these issues are magnified on the internet because people need things to debate. However, don’t let this deter you from the place Emory really is. If you are a passionate person and care, you can craft your Emory experience and your friend groups to mirror the same ideals you have.
To the senior who applied ED, don’t worry just yet. Come see for yourself. I can’t promise you’ll love it, but I know that if you are the independent and driven person Emory often looks for, you will find your niche and succeed.</p>
<p>We’ll have to agree to disagree on other colleges having these peculiar issues and to the same extent. Although whether any university does or does not have similar failings is beside point. Emory should tackle its own issues, just as any other college would deal with their particular issues. These are problems that many have with Emory and which the University fails to confront or be open about, tending instead to sweep under the rug.</p>
<p>@eusenior,</p>
<p>I find it disingenuous of you to say that those who weren’t 100 percent satisfied with their experience at Emory were lazy and expected to be catered to. Like you, I was closely involved with touring and prospective admissions, as well as other activities. That’s part of the reason I am privy to the manner in which the back-end of the University works. </p>
<p>I’m glad that your time at Emory has been positive, but that doesn’t make mine or anyone else’s less representative of the Emory experience nor does it imply anything about our motivation.</p>
<p>What the last poster said is true. Most students have the same problems with Emory, year after year. There are a few people who like the school because they think that it is fun. But it is not in any way an intellectual school. I know someone who loved their experience at Emory, but he said that the one big problems that he had is that he didn’t learn much. He said that doing well requires more memorization and less critical thinking than in high school. Also, most of the people who don’t think that the school is fun, found a way to move off campus. You won’t meet a lot of these people when you’re on a tour. The school is nothing special. It’s not awful, but could do so much better given the resources that it has available. But the administration is like the Greek civil service and is full of people who do next to nothing and know they will never be fired for incompetence. Ask to speak to Rodia Vance if you go to the campus. She’s in charge of law school counseling. Why she’s still there, I have no idea. Perfect example of important jobs going to unqualified people; she wouldn’t even be impressive if she was working as a high school counselor.</p>
<p>I’m a little shocked by this thread. I haven’t signed in to CC in ages, but I did just to say this.</p>
<p>I am happier at Emory than I have ever been anywhere. I’m involved on campus. I love almost everyone I meet. Classes are hard, but I never expected that they wouldn’t be. My professors are super accessible; if I choose to talk to them, they are more than willing to help me out with anything I need. I usually make the first move, but they aren’t here to coddle me.</p>
<p>Yes, the recent cuts are pretty bad. I’ll never take a journalism class, or probably a Visual Arts class, because when I applied for them I found that the waiting list was way too long. But that doesn’t negate how much I have loved my Emory experience so far.</p>
<p>I’m a second semester sophomore. Maybe the campus walls just haven’t started closing in yet, but I love Emory. Flaws and all.</p>
<p>Futurefrosh - can you recommend options for sophomore housing. My son is looking for a single next (sophomore) year? Btw - he also is happy at Emory.</p>
<p>I would personally recommend Woodruff, just because that’s where I live, and I love it. We have the Grill on the 3rd floor, which is awesome for late night food, and we also have a small gym on the 2nd floor. Its a little bit of a walk, since its across Clifton, but its kind of nice if you have a morning Bio class like I do, since its right across the road from that.</p>
<p>Only down side: singles are really hard to get. I know there are a few, but you have to either be a Scholar or happen to get lucky with an early sign-up time.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about the single situation in Complex. He could live in Harris, which I’ve heard is going to be redone, but I’ve also heard its currently pretty crappy.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the intellectual thing. I feel we of course have “pockets” of it, as do many non-Ivy “elite schools” and whether or not you learn depends on the classes and professors you take, and one has a lot of discretion over that. Unfortunately, choosing a route that results in learning makes “life harder” (let’s remember, most students aren’t really that intellectual, so they will of course choose the easiest path they can and try to get the most out of it. I don’t care for how this mentality affects the Emory atmosphere, but I somewhat accept it nonetheless) for many students because these courses are usually more difficult. If your friend learned less here than in HS, they either had a solid HS, or perhaps should have chosen a less traditional route w/prof. and course selection. </p>
<p>Fun-Seems like a lot of people find it “fun” enough to stay on campus. Emory seems to do better than many other schools (even comparable ones in and outside of the “top 20”) at keeping students on campus. Seems good enough. Not a giant state school or a D-1 private w/a famous sports team, but given what it offers, it seems to do decently well, and campus events seem to be getting better (like pre-2008/2009 good). </p>
<p>As critical as I am of this school, and despite the fact that I basically agree w/that Wheel Article (actually, I think Emory students have passion, but since too much emphasis is on pre-professions, people ultimately are just trying to get by on academics or “check stuff off of a list”. I think the author meant, “academic passion”. Emory students are extremely dedicated to awesome EC’s either out of passion, or for resume building…hard to tell the difference.), I didn’t have as many of the types of problems that others mention. Just wish the school would try harder to promote a real intellectual environment instead of the pseudo, grade-driven one we have now. This can work alongside pre-professionalism easier than many think (works at places like Harvard for example). I don’t know how it can do it (though I have suggestions), but it should at least try, especially if it wants to grow its reputation ( more non-conventional or big time success coming from Emory students would help, and the frequency of such a thing depends on entrepreneurial and intellectual spirit of the campus).</p>
<p>futurefrosh: I would continue to hang around your current peer group, so that you don’t really meet many of these people (some have legit concerns about the environment like many critiquing it on this thread, but many simply want a bigger party school). I find that those who “don’t like it”, often “don’t like it” for trivial reasons that reflect a misunderstanding of what going to an “elite” school is supposed to be like. Stuff like the “the parties aren’t good enough” or “If I went to my local state school, I would be making A’s”, and “the girls are ugly”, all shallow concerns. Many of such people were indeed hoping for the “country club degree from top U” experience. I wish them the best of luck with this after the credit hour changes.</p>