Prestige?

<p>Hello I am an EDII accepted student from NYC and I am very excited to be a part of the school in the fall. </p>

<p>Weirdly, not a lot of people know that Emory is a good school. I am Asian American so I thought the problem resided in Asian families only, where they are preoccupied with the Ivies, NYU, and SUNY Stonybrook. </p>

<p>However, many of the "white" families here also have never heard of Emory (50%+).</p>

<p>What do you guys think of Emory's prestige?</p>

<p>Note: I am not obsessed with my school's prestige, I am just getting annoyed of having to say - Emory is a top 20 school, President Carter is a professor there (and Dalai Lama), etc. to everyone.</p>

<p>Prestige is something merely based upon namebrand and reputation. Of course Ivies are going to trump everyone even if a school such as Duke ranks higher than half of them. As for the NY schools, that is probably a regional thing. I don’t think many Northeasterners would recognize Emory as a great school when the awesome LACs, NY system, and ivies are in the Northeast. At this point, only Duke (as for “southern ivies”) probably gets as much recognition as those. Let us not forget that Emory’s “prestige” as an academic institution (as opposed to Healthcare system) is relatively new compared to peer universities (I even think the designation as a major research university is relatively new). For example, not one Emory grad. has won a Nobel Prize. We have a long way to go before we develop a more “intellectual” student body more prone to doing Nobel Prize caliber research while pursuing a PhD. A huge portion of us are strictly pre-professional (pre-law, pre-med, pre-bus.), and it would probably help if our graduate programs were much stronger and/or better at getting their names out there.<br>
Also, other comparable schools can easily get there names out through heavy advertising/brochure campaigns, and recognition of their D1 athletic programs. Emory doesn’t have D1 athletics, and certainly does not advertise as heavily. Ability to get one’s name out weighs heavily on the prestige factor.</p>

<p>Either way, chill, your employer should/grad.school admissions committees know. And Emory will probably be a lot better off when you “and” I graduate. It’s amazing witnessing how much this campus has changed/is changing within the two years I’ve been here. And despite the recession, it will not stop after this year. It’s awesome that we lack the huge sense of complacency that can be associated with being “the best school, therefore we must be doing most things right”.</p>

<p>Emory may not be known to the average “dumbass” person. But people who matter, (Graduate school adcoms, employers all know about Emory).</p>

<p>The summer before my freshman year I was doing research in a medical school in Texas, and EVERYONE there, (THE PI, all the people with PhD’s, ALL the Doctors, AND the deans of the medical school–<em>I was lucky enough to meet the deans of the medical schools</em>) told me about how great the school is. They even told me that they expected a lot out of me (expected me to contribute A LOT to the research program) because I was “smart” enough to get into Emory.</p>

<p>Even when I am walking around a mall in Texas, with my Emory t-shirt, some people have stopped to ask me about my experiences there (because they have kids that are want to go there)</p>

<p>Because of its small size and lack of athletics, Emory will never be nationally prestigious.</p>

<p>In the South, telling someone you go to Emory is usually followed by “so you want to be a doctor?” The school is definitely more prestigious below the Mason-Dixon line. </p>

<p>I personally think Emory is undervalued even by recruiters. I have seen plenty of “target school lists” that include random state schools but not Emory.</p>

<p>^ so U. Chicago? JHU? Caltech? Amherst? Williams? I can go on and on… these schools are small and lack major athletics (as far as I know) and they are considered prestigious… Emory has to work on marketing itself better and spreading the message… similar to how Wash U. does.</p>

<p>I don’t think that Wash U has broken into the consciousness of the average person either! I had never even heard of it until we started looking into colleges, and learned about it first either through a mailing or the Fiske Guide (can’t remember which) – now it’s one of my D’s top choices (and mine for her!). Regarding Emory, when I tell people how selective it’s become, they’re shocked. I am a baby boomer, and when I went to school it was definitely not up there in places for a top student to go (at least coming from the northeast).</p>

<p>btw, for reference, I am a caucasian and went to a top 5 USNWR LAC.</p>

<p>@alam1:</p>

<p>I don’t think it’s kosher for a top 20 school to “market” itself in the way you’re suggesting. If I saw a billboard in i-85 with Emory’s undergraduate program advertised, I’d feel embarrassed. </p>

<p>In all my life, I have never seen Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, or Stanford do that. I don’t think the top schools follow typical marketing conventions for their undergraduate programs. So I think it’s more difficult than this.</p>

<p>That is not what I am suggesting… many universities advertise which are considered “acceptable” for top colleges… like sending out emails to top students… I have heard of many top schools agressively marketing and its working. Wash U., in my opinion, is a peer school to Emory… but Wash U. attracts a lot of applicants due to its marketing… which explains their low acceptance rate.</p>

<p>I agree completely about the comment regarding WUSTL. Their marketing is very well done and boldly highlights their beautiful, historical-looking campus. </p>

<p>Their brochures sent to my home did not give me the impression that they are “trying too hard” to expand their name, but instead made me think, wow this must be a good school.</p>

<p>If Emory sent brochures that show off the beautiful campus, the opportunities of Atlanta, and mentioning some figureheads such as President Carter and The holy DaLai Lama, etc. I am sure applications will skyrocket.</p>

<p>So if any of Emory’s admissions/marketing staff is reading this, just a bunch of flyers directed at addresses obtained from collegeboard will improve the school’s prestige tenfolds, and in turn, improve funding even more and quality of students/recruitment opportunities (a great investment if you ask me).</p>

<p>Then you have to worry about people who just want to go for the prestige.</p>

<p>@aluminum</p>

<p>while that is a true statement, I don’t think it is necessarily a negative thing though. You don’t see people at HYP complaining about people who only want to go there because of its prestige.
**
In general, prestigious schools will attract more brilliant students.**</p>

<p>Also, as a quick disclaimer, in no way have I applied to EDII to Emory for its “prestige.” I applied because I loved the school through info sessions and extensive research. </p>

<p>My stats probably could have at least gotten me into Cornell, where the name is probably more respected, but I chose Emory because I would rather be there.</p>

<p>^ I would pick Emory over Cornell anyday… and over NU, over Vandy, over Rice, over Wash U… go to the place where you will be happy… not where you can flaunt “prestige”</p>

<p>^^
yea hyp don’t complain about people who just go for prestige. But people do do that. </p>

<p>I think it’s a negative thing. Some Others do too. Penn and Columbia don’t want hyp wannabes. And aggressive marketing will attract Penn and Columbia wannabes. </p>

<p>Emory needs to get in touch with top students by email and other personal stuff rather than send out countless brochures like wustl
And emory has to get the prestige of Columbia Penn and others before it gets the presitge of hyp. It’ll be a very long time. If it happens at all. </p>

<p>And people who don’t get in at Penn and Columbia do use emory as a backup. To be honest I did too. But I want to go here. For others it’s solely a backup.</p>

<p>Alam…</p>

<p>Uchicago is a top 10 school, JHU is mostly known for its MD program, and the rest are more well known regionally by the average person than nationally. </p>

<p>If you are from California and think Williams is prestigious then you probably also know about Emory. But obviously in MA Williams is well known. </p>

<p>There are many more schools that are on par or just behind Emory (Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, UCLA) that receive national attention for sports, and are thus nationally known by the “average person.”</p>