<ol>
<li><p>I'm been reading about Emory, and I have to say I'm extremely confused about the social scene, some say that it is "dismal" while others say it is thriving.</p></li>
<li><p>Would you say that Emory is the most gay friendly college in the south? and also what is the gay scene like at Emory?</p></li>
<li><p>This question isn't so much about Emory, but how are other schools in the south in terms of how big the gay scene is? specifically Tulane, Rice, Duke, and Vanderbilt.</p></li>
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<p>I’m from the Northeast, so I don’t know about the first two, but basically:</p>
<p>Duke’s gay scene is decent.
Tulane’s is not bad, though I’ve heard bad things and good things.
Rice’s gay scene is very small, but students are very much accepted and supported and whatnot, as Rice is located in Houston, TX.
Vandy’s gay scene is bad.</p>
<p>
That’s basically what I’ve been hearing, except about Vandy, which I hear many mixed things about, it could be because I like it so I’ve been wanting to hear good things, or Vandy students could have a lot of school spirit and be misleading me. </p>
<p>What about the gay scene at Emory?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what about Emory’s social experience is dismal. They have a very healthy (and non-exclusive) Greek system, there are, literally, hundreds of student organizations on campus and they are well promoted and well funded, and the resident life office puts on plenty of events for students on a regular basis.</p>
<p>As long as you have access to a car the entire city of Atlanta is also at your disposal, and for upperclassmen Emory is very close to several districts like Little Five Points and Virginia Highlands that have a numbers of bars each.</p>
<p>I think a part of what you’re running into is the fact that college is comprised of kids from various age groups and with differing levels of maturity. I think, as a freshman with no car who is trying too grow up it might seem more frustrating than it does by your junior year when you have a little more freedom. I also think that Emory, maybe a bit more than most schools, enforces some of those restrictions on underclassmen. Also, some college kids are just a little on the stupid side and don’t know what’s good for them.</p>
<p>All of the above being said, Emory is not a party school. If you are looking for a school with a rockin social life and a bit more craziness, go with Tulane. Emory is more focused on the academics.</p>
<p>I actually also have a question. How prominent is the greek life around campus? I’ve heard (not judging Emory hahaha just something I’ve heard) that drinking is sort of the norm around the frats/sororities and that it kind of trickles into the student body as well. A friend of mine, for example, had trouble finding friends because he didn’t drink. Again, I’m sure maybe the story was diluted by word of mouth but I’d just love some clarification from the source about that aspect of Emory :). And sorry, premed4, for hijacking your thread hahaha.</p>
<p>@iwriter no problem</p>
<p>
I realize this, and I like that about Emory, but are there at least 2 nights a week where students go out and party? When you say things like that it makes it sound like at Emory people just study every night of the week.</p>
<p>Terms like “dismal,” “thriving,” and “party school” are all relative. Thriving compared to what? Thriving in what ways? </p>
<p>From my experience, there were usually social options available Saturday, Thursday, Friday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (in order from most promising to least promising). So yes, there are definitely 2 nights per week that you can go out on. </p>
<p>If you are concerned about the negative comments, here are the two I hear most often and my best explanations:</p>
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<li>The girls are all ugly/the guys are all short and ugly. </li>
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<p>“All” is an exaggeration, as there are attractive members of both sexes. But, compared to some of our neighboring schools, it’s not great. college ******* gives us b- for guys/girls, whereas UGA, Vandy, Auburn, Duke, and UNC all score better. It’s easy to look at those schools, and their alums that are drawn to Atlanta for work, and wonder where the talent is at Emory. </p>
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<li>The [insert group here] makes me not want to go out. </li>
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<p>Without getting too in-depth, if your style is more relaxed, then you’ll probably hate a venue with blasting house music and loud patrons. Conversely, if you live for the club scene, then a quiet highlands bar is not going to qualify as a social option. Since Emory draws from all over, there are people on both sides that think Emory’s scene is not polarized enough. </p>
<p>Bottom line? I think there are 5-6 schools that offer a similar academic experience, but with a much better social scene. With that said, the social scene here should satisfy all but the most hardcore partiers, provided you take advantage of Atlanta’s vast options.</p>
<p>^What phaeth said. </p>
<p>And iwriter: I’m not greek but from what I can tell the greek scene seems very healthy. I don’t really know much about the politics and drinking and such though.</p>
<p>I’m not a super party-er so only a few days a week is fine with me, some of the social things I had heard about that are bad though are “poor school spirit” and this is starting to make more sense to me. When I talk to people about emory not many of them seem happy with it and they are always suggesting me somewhere else to go, and in forums they are always saying negative things about it.</p>
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<li><p>Usually this is just something you say about rival schools, but is Emory actually filled with bitter Ivy League rejects who wish they were somewhere else?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the food actually that bad?</p></li>
<li><p>Are students actually having fun and happy to be there? Some people have even gone as far to say that there impression of the Emory students was that they were “mean” which I thought was weird because IMO southerners are usually nicer than us northerners.</p></li>
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<p>I don’t know premed, none of the observations of the people you’ve spoken with line up with my experiences.</p>
<p>There may be a little less school spirit because there isn’t a football team, sure. I guess I can buy that. But I wouldn’t say that there is any shortage of people who are proud of Emory and proud to be here. There are plenty of college t-shirts around campus every day, and half the cars in the parking lot have decals just like anywhere else. If you really want to go to a football game it isn’t like Atlanta doesn’t have options…</p>
<p>Emory is a school that has a gaining reputation. Some students apply here as a safety school for their ivy league aspirations, sure. Those students may be, at least for a period, bitter about being here. Honestly, if they exist as you say, I haven’t met them – but I can believe it. However, if you’re concerned that this is the predominate attitude among the student body, don’t be. It isn’t.</p>
<p>Regarding the food, it’s not 5 course 4 star dining, no. It also isn’t your high school cafeteria food either. The main problem is that freshman are required to live on campus and required to purchase the unlimited meal plan. The dining hall in the DUC tries to mix things up to the best of their ability but that’s tough to do for 3 meals a day, every day, for the entire school year. So, just like if you had to eat Olive Garden every day for 9 months…it does get a little old. If you want my personal opinion though, I don’t think the food is “that bad” at all. I am a junior and I actually purchased a (completely optional) meal plan so that I could eat lunch on campus.</p>
<p>People are having plenty of fun. Campus is beautiful and Atlanta provides plenty to do. The weather here is beautiful for all but maybe one month out of the year. You can keep a suntan well into November. In my experience, the students have been very nice. Fortunately though, on this happiness topic, you don’t have to even take my word for it. Emory was actually just selected as the 9th happiest school in the country like last week by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. </p>
<p>[College</a> Rankings 2011: Happiest Schools - The Daily Beast](<a href=“http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/features/college-rankings/2011/happiest.emory-university.html]College”>http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/features/college-rankings/2011/happiest.emory-university.html)</p>
<p>Overall though, it honestly sounds to me like you’re talking to the wrong people. Go take a tour of campus and talk to some actual students while you’re there - I think you’ll find a different story.</p>
<p>If you are nice and social at Emory, most people will be social and nice toward you as well. If you are bitter, silent, or snobbish, or constantly exhibit any other anti-social qualities, others will move away from you.</p>
<p>Other things I’ve been hearing about is that Emory Village is really bad, can anyone talk about this? and also I hear there are projects to make it better, but there is no news on their progress with that. Lastly, apparently the Emory shuttles are really bad so it is hard to get to Atlanta? Can anyone talk about these things?</p>
<p>Also, one thing I was wondering is how separate is Emory from the surrounding area? is it mixed in, or is it gated off?</p>
<p>Emory is definitely the type of place where you can go out any night of the week if you want. It’s also the type of school where there will be people studying almost every night as well. It’s what you make of it really. When I didn’t have tests or papers, I would go out 4 nights a week, whether to a party on or off campus or out to a bar or club. During the busier times, I wouldn’t go out quite as much, but usually on Friday and/or Saturday. I don’t know how common this was campus-wide, but certainly it was with all of my friends, who tended to be in the Greek system, though not all of them were.</p>
<p>As far as being gay-friendly, I think you’ll find Emory to be very much so. Atlanta has a very large and welcoming gay community.</p>
<p>The only thing I wonder about the social scene is, what if you’re socially awkward/inept? Will people still accept you or will they move away from you? Or do socially awkward students not exist at Emory?</p>
<p>@contract. I don’t think it’s even possible to answer those first two questions. There are all different types of people at any University. One of the beautiful things about college, though, is that you can reinvent yourself however you want. You probably won’t know a single other person there on your first day, so it’s ok to be yourself, unbound from whatever label you had in high school. Someone in high school might be intimidated by other students in their class, but on the first day of college, every freshman is pretty much equal - there are no cliques or groups, no one is a member of any club or organization. You have the opportunity to meet tons of new people, some very different than you, and some who you will get along with very well.</p>
<p>There’s a kind of truism about college - you have your first semester/freshman year friends and you have the people who you actually are friends with when you graduate from college. More than likely, you’ll hang out with people your first year or so based on convenience because they live in your dorm or are taking the same classes as you. Then you’ll meet more people and figure out who you get along with. Again, just be your true self - don’t limit yourself based on who you think you were in high school. College is definitely not high school, and stepping outside your comfort zone is definitely ok and probably expected.</p>
<p>Don’t let posters and websites over-rule your gut. When my kids were looking at schools, I would often plant myself in the caf, the library, a coffee shop and just listen and observe to get a sense of how happy the students were. When I read that Emory students ranked 9th as the happiest - I was not surprised. My observation as a parent has been that Emory is a nice blend of serious and credible academics with a lot of social options. There are all kinds of kids - outgoing, introverted, theatrical, creative, etc. Go visit and decide for yourself, if you can. Emory Village is so much better than when my oldest attended. We dropped my youngest off a few weeks ago and I was encouraged. There is also a plan for developing on Clifton that looks underway - more shopping, housing, etc. Personally, I would love to see another hotel pop up nearby and give the Emory Inn and Emory Conference Center some competition!</p>
<p>
I was looking for changes in Emory Village, but all I could find was that they were converting an intersection into a rotary. Could you post a link to something that talks about the new stores and other changes?</p>
<p>Here is a link to the Clifton project: [Construction</a> Updates Page](<a href=“http://construction.emory.edu/active.cfm]Construction”>http://construction.emory.edu/active.cfm)</p>
<p>Update on Emory Village: [Alliance</a> to Improve Emory Village - Atlanta GA USA - Home Page](<a href=“http://www.emoryvillage.org/]Alliance”>http://www.emoryvillage.org/)</p>
<p>Some of the improvements that I like – the roundabout is attractive and nicely highlights the main entrance to Emory. I also really like the Barnes & Noble and Starbucks, the new restaurants and the nice sidewalks. More to do for sure, but nice upgrades.</p>
<p>Premed, I also want to point out that Emory Village has nothing to do with the school. Just in case there was any confusion. It is simply one of several shopping and dining districts around the Emory area. It is, admittedly, the closest – but even if you don’t like it there are plenty of other places to go and the Emory transportation will take you there even if you don’t have a car. You’ll be making friends that drive soon enough anyway.</p>
<p>Overall though, I want to reiterate that the type of questions you are asking would best be answered with a simple campus visit. If you are interested in Emory at heart, and it sounds like you are, then you owe it to yourself to visit the school and tune out some of the negative opinions you’re getting.</p>
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I just want to say that I am very interested in Emory, I would say that as of now it is either #1 or 2. I just wanted to make sure that I would like it, because unless it is a top pick, it is very out of the way to go all the way from New England to GA, and also, I’m not interested in almost any other schools in the South East, so if I go there it will likely be only for Emory, and if I don’t like it, that’s a waste of a lot of time and money on that trip.</p>