<p>Truth be told, I was a little put-off by the info session-esque, presentation/sales-pitch marathon I had to sit through during my visit to Emory during Accepted Students Day. (Having applied to mostly liberal arts colleges, I guess I'm used to visits of the 'free-to-wander' variety. Obviously, Emory has several times more people to account for.) I barely had time to go explore campus (outside of the tour) so if any current students could answer a few questions for me, I'd greatly appreciate it! :)</p>
<p>Classes: We were sorted into "simulated lectures" during the visit (probably so as not to disturb regular classes with large influxes of people), which meant I never got to see an actual class. Are the class sizes for science courses (Chem/Bio/Physics/etc) really around 30-40 people at their smallest? Is there opportunity to develop close relations with the professor in these settings? Should I chance it and take Freshman Orgo? On a different note, how hard-to-get-in are the creative writing courses?</p>
<p>Research: The facilities looked excellent and there was a lot of "Emory emphasizes undergrad research", but how often do undergrads really get research opportunities? Is prior experience preferred over no experience? If so, is it difficult to "get your foot in the door"?</p>
<p>Dorms: We toured Turman, but knowing my luck I'll get stuck with Dobbs xD How are the showers? Bathrooms on a Sunday morning?</p>
<p>Food: How are the late-night options? Sparse? Plentiful? Cheap? Criminally-expensive? Delivery fees?</p>
<p>People: As of now there are two still-blank reply cards on my desk: Emory University and Carleton College. I was disappointed to find out that Emory doesn't have an overnight option, so I wasn't able to talk with any students except the ones at the panel and the ones that took us out to lunch, whereas I had a two-day overnight at Carleton and got a better feel for the 'character' of the campus.</p>
<p>I realize a large portion of the Emory student body is pre-professional, so the atmosphere probably differs from a liberal arts college in the Midwest. Nonetheless, are there students at Emory who are not just trying to fill prereqs for med/law/etc school, but instead consider Kant and chemistry suitable lunchtime talk, find calculus pick-up lines cheesy but cute, are perfectly happy to discuss neuroplasticity and politics at 3AM, etc? Is there, for lack of a better term, a "nerdy clique"? While I'm not at all interested in spending my four years hanging out with clones of myself, it'd be nice to have a "home base" of friends if this whole be-social-and-take-risks thing flops. :P</p>
<p>Parties: I'm not a huge party-er. Loud music gives me headaches (much to my embarrassment). My ideal Friday night involves a good session of Dungeons and Dragons (or Pathfinder!), natural 20s, friends, heart attack-inducing amounts of pizza and cola, and lulz. Is the party scene obnoxious or more of a "there-if-you-want-it"?</p>
<p>Etc.: What's there to do around Atlanta besides food/shopping? Any parts of the city I should stay away from? Is the alumni network particularly strong/helpful? Does Emory have a Quiz Bowl team?</p>
<p>Sorry this turned out to be much longer than I anticipated! If anyone can take a stab at even a few of these questions (especially the one concerning the student body!), that'd be awesome! Thanks so much! :)</p>