<p>To any Emory Students - do you find that paying enough for a brand new BMW every year is worth the experience you're getting there? i don't mean so much partying experience as the school itself.</p>
<p>Because i am a senior looking into enrolling, but i'm hesitant to spend so much money, especially if i plan to follow emory with an even more expensive medical schooling. Therefore i will most likely attend UGA.</p>
<p>any thought or answers?</p>
<p>Academics for a pre-med (or pre-bus., law, w/e) are much stronger and more rigorous (still doable b/c of class sizes, learning resources, and a student body that clearly prefers collaboration) than UGA, but what would you intend to major in? Also, are you also interested in the humanities and social sciences. If so, this is one of the best places to be. From my experience and what I see amongst pre-med friends, the pre-meds here get so many opportunities directly surrounding them on the campus. However, the amount of pre-meds and some of the attitudes of some of them can get annoying. For many, everything is about building their resume. For example, apparently what was supposed to be a true volunteer activity at our hospital turned into shadowing just because mostly pre-meds showed up only wanting to boost their resumes. Point is, sometimes it (the atmosphere) can get bad, but the education for the most part is excellent, and the pre-med advising is on deck now, and it seems to help more students get into their more prestigious choices. If you change your mind and decide to come here, please don’t contribute to the atmosphere though. Also, I was wondering why is Tech not a consideration for you, and am thinking. You are probably interested in more than just a science curriculum. That’s why you seem only interested in Emory and UGA, which are more similar than Emory is to Tech in terms of course offerings. </p>
<p>I just imagine that you are from Georgia if you are choosing from these two. I’m just not sure though. Again, I cannot tell you rather it is worth the money. That’s your decision. I need to know your academic interests and concerns (be honest, what worries you) about attending here before I even get close to attempting to convince you of anything. Also, have you visited here and UGA during fall or spring semester before. What do you think? Could you potentially see yourself at both despite the large price difference? Again, it is up to you. You “can” get a solid education from both, but for your purposes, you are more likely to get one from here. You just may have to work a bit harder than you would there (heck, if that is a concern also, say so, no shame in doing so, we can break it down and give you opinions on the rigor here).</p>
<p>I don’t know why people like to compare tuition to the price of cars. A college education is an investment. The degree’s value is how much more money you would make in the long run–it’s value doesn’t decline like that of a BMW. Depending on your chosen major, your grades, and connections you make at Emory, it may or may not be worth it.</p>
<p>Exactly, I would imagine the difference with UGA is that there is almost no risk associated because they don’t pay due to the Hope Scholarship.</p>
<p>Since you’re talking about a large price gap between UGA and Emory I’m gonna assume you’re in GA. With that in mind, most people attending Emory aren’t paying the equivalent of a BMW (aka the COA of about $54K/year) each year since Emory has much better FA than than UGA; for some families on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale it’s even cheaper to attend Emory than a state school. And besides, the HOPE scholarship only covers tuition at state schools so even then you’re not getting a full ride, and based on a recent announcement the amount is supposed to significantly decrease or become non-existent by 2012-2013 due to financial problems with the Georgia Lottery …I guess even then Emory would still be more expensive for most people so if money is a major concern UGA would be the better choice in the long run. You really don’t wanna rack up upwards of $100k in loans just for undergrad, even if you’re going into a somewhat more lucrative field like medicine. But if money is not your concern (which doesn’t seem to be that case for the OP), then academics and fit are definitely gonna be your deciding factors.</p>
<p>If you have the money, it’s well worth it, I think. If you have to take a huge amount of money in loans out, then it’s not if you want to go to medical school. There’s no sense in graduating with 300000+ in debt after undergrad and medical school.</p>
<p>The flip side, though, is that if you don’t end up going to medical school (many, many people think that they will, but end up dropping premed), an Emory degree is worth the debt, even at a steep price. I can tell you first hand, as a recent graduate, that having Emory on my resume helps. A lot. And I’m not working in the South either. I know the type of people that my employer interviews for positions like mine, and it’s people from schools like Emory, Williams, Cornell, etc. (top 20ish schools basically). Most everyone who I work with has one or more degrees from these places, and they’re really the only people that get consideration.</p>
<p>Hopefully that’s helpful.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your input.</p>
<p>@everyone - i am painfully aware that Emory’s academics wipe the floor with UGA’s, thats part of what makes the decision harder. And i do live in GA, north cobb.</p>
<p>@ bernie - I would probably double major biology(for sure) with genetics(maybe) at UGA. I don’t exactly know why i have never looked into tech, i just never have. I am actually not interested in going out and getting trashed every night, if thats what you mean than more than just science cirriculum. but if you mean other majors and stuff, i am not 100% sure about medicine, but am 100% against engineering, an am also interesed in political science and perhaps business, which GT does not offer, but of course emory is better at as well 
I have toured both, and did find Emory much more pleasant of a campus than UGA, and im not proud to say this, but im a bit of an elitist so i think the people at Emory would be better too, :/.
I’m not too worried about rigor, i have pretty good work ethic and i’ve coasted into A’s all of HS.</p>
<p>@ doryphorus - its just a tangible example is all, and a pre med major exactly makes Emory a good investment, but im not sure how good.</p>
<p>@ collegestu816 - yes i’m aware of Emory’s endowment, but i am pretty solidly in the middle class so im not sure how much i get. I’d say if emory ends up costing less than 25,000 a year i’ll surely go. And yes HOPE is actually being raised to a 3.5.</p>
<p>@dgebll - that is very good to know about the non-medical degrees, as i am not dead set on medicine(probably 70% set). however adults all say that after you are out of school for ten years colleges hardly matter, its all about previous work, so why spend that much money on a 1-3 time investment, right? If you dont mind me asking what career have you taken?</p>
<p>I think that 3.5 only applies for people a) in your class or b) eligibility after high school. If not, then Tech students are screwed, and so are many Emory students. Such a requirement at the college-level screws those at tougher institutions. If they are going to do that, they might as well eliminate Hope. Freshmen here don’t perform that much better than Tech students do for example (for example, many science majors take social science courses for GERs first year, and don’t do well at all. They also overestimate their competence in science courses, and end up screwed). In fact I think it is about the same (3.0 average). Also, most people at Emory have great work ethic and coasted through High School with As. There are classes like orgo. and biochem. here that seem to bring people putting in lots of time to their knees. Some sections of orgo. here are much tougher than the ones at UGA or Tech, or lots of peer institutions. The same could be said for gen. chem. or gen. bio. However, at least in gen. bio and chem, there is normally a connection with the amount of effort. However, I’m gonna retract and say, not to worry about such things until you are enrolled at any institutions. GT offers business, but I believe ours is much better for undergrads. and it is not used as a cop out major here b/c it is actually pretty tough. Political science here is extremely solid. Also, even if you are elitist, you will not like the attitudes of some of the students (even though many are perhaps more high-powered than UGA students, which makes for an interesting intellectual atmosphere), especially when it comes to academics (problems I already touched the surface of). And yeah, I was referring to other courses of study and majors.</p>
<p>I’d agree with the notion that once you’re established in a profession, your experience matters more than your degree. But if you look at the top of ANY profession - CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, professors at major Universities, politicians at the federal level (and even many at the state level), partners in major law firms, etc. etc. - you see that a select group of universities educate a disproportionate number of these people. It’s not that someone who attends Directional State University cannot achieve what someone with a 3.8 from Harvard (or in this case Emory) can, it’s just that the Harvard degree is going to get you noticed during your first decade of employment before those from other schools. No matter what your interest is - to work as a consultant at a multinational firm, Teach for America, or an NGO - you’re going to get a closer look (and probably the job) if you have the grades compared to someone who went to a lesser school. All else being equal who would you give the job to… an Emory grad or a GA State grad? It’s up to you to work hard and work long hours to impress your employer in order to move up, but you have to get the job first.</p>
<p>I think the best example of this is the adage about becoming a professor - you will never get a job at a university that is ranked higher (in your field) than the place where you got your PhD, except for in the rarest of circumstances. I point this out to show how getting the best degree from the best professors who have the best experience and resources really leads to more success. That doesn’t necessarily mean more money, it just means you’ll have more opportunity to do what you want with your life.</p>
<p>I work in a consulting/legal-type job in a major city on the East coast.</p>
<p>Oh and despite what some may say, Emory does have the name recognition up north, particularly in NYC, Boston, and DC, from my experience.</p>
<p>PS - This is my opinion based on my life experiences and those of my friends. Everyone I graduated with at Emory is employed, many in very good jobs. Most seem to give Emory the credit for getting them to where they are. Not to say that the school is perfect, but it certainly was a plus on the resume. Some may disagree with me on various points, but it’s what I believe.</p>
<p>@ bernie - yeah the 3.5 is very ridiculus, but i think they’re estimating the lottery will lose 40 million dollars this year or something like that, and HOPE is a good place to cut the losses from the lotteries stance, and raising the bar will most likely do it. & the whole being brought to my knees is another reason im hesitant about Emory, UGA will protect my ego more :p</p>
<p>@ dgebell - i agree with you that a high education will (and should) be very important, i was more stating the isue as a corollary to my price dilema.</p>
<p>You’ll be fine if you come phillipo, but just take your ego out of it. The goal in these tougher courses is to study efficiently/effectively. You may have to experiment with various methods to do well. Also, working in groups is very important in classes like orgo, upperlevel bio courses, and even intro. bio. The SIs can be a good place to kick off such habits. Also, Emory seems to do a great job designing the academic spaces (and even many of the dorms, especially the new freshmen dorms) to facilitate cooperative learning. The best example is Cox Computing Center, but also include various spaces throughout academic buildings such as Callaway, new psyche, level 1 info.commons, and level 6-7 of the stacks. Also, many buildings have lots of unlocked classrooms even after all the classes are done. I’m betting that in many cases it is intentional.</p>
<p>So then it’s a cost-benefit analysis. What price makes the degree worth it to achieve your goals? You said that there’s a 30% chance - about 1 in 3 - that you’re not going to go to medical school. If that happens, would you be happy at UGA knowing that your degree isn’t as portable outside of the southeast? Sure, you’ll be competitive with many firms in Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, etc., but what if you want to move to DC or NY or Chicago or Dallas? I just don’t think a UGA degree will get you where you want to be as easily as one from Emory. In that case it’s worth the extra money.</p>
<p>It’s not nearly worth it if you want to be a physician, though. Medical school is medical school.</p>
<p>I can’t give you an answer. Only you know how certain you are about med school and the amount of debt you are willing to accrue. No matter what, you should apply to Emory, though. Many are surprised at how much financial aid Emory will give you. If you only have to take out 40k in loans over 4 years, going to Emory may be worth it, even if you’re thinking of med school.</p>
<p>well thanks for all your help.</p>
<p>my plan has always been to apply and see what kind of FA i get, but the trick is trying to find the right number, so we’ll just see how it goes.</p>