<p>I recently applied from an overseas college (long story, American but decided to go to school in London for my whole degree, applied to a few places to try and transfer back to the States). </p>
<p>Accepted from NYU, Emory and UMichigan and am having trouble deciding between the 3. I'll be studying IR/Poli-Sci. Which is the "best" school amongst them? What are the social scenes like (familiar with NYU but not the other 2)? </p>
<p>I unfortunately can't visit the schools before applying so having to rely on other stuff to make a choice... aghhh! </p>
<p>NYU
- NYC has been a dream of mine forever, spent lots of time in nyc and in nyu but i know it doesn't have the reputation that the other 2 seem to have academically?
- only gave me $4000 in scholarships (ouch..)</p>
<p>Emory- never been to atl
- don't know how much aid I've been given yet
- bit worried about how "homogenous"/preppy/snobby the student body might be.. true/false?
- culture shock after London?</p>
<p>Michigan - never been to Ann arbor/Detroit
- gave me $6000 in aid (again.. ouch)
- too big? not personalized enough? (again, I'm just basing this off of what I've seen online)
- social scene seems to "fit me" best
- again.. London to ann arbor = culture shock?</p>
<p>i know the three are significantly different schools but just wanted to get some info from anyone who is either at one of the schools or has any input. Thanks</p>
<p>Having been in a similar situation (I was transfer accepted to the above schools and a few others), I obviously chose NYU. I also studied politics, but philosophy was my primary major/interest so NYU was the obvious choice. </p>
<p>If cost is a factor, Emory will definitely provide you the most FA, as they will meet need for transfer students. I loved the school when I visited, the campus is absolutely beautiful and in a great suburban location. Emory will have a lot of wealthy students, but it will also have economic and social diversity (since it meets need, it’s accessible to many students). I wouldn’t be overly concerned with the student body being too homogenous. </p>
<p>All three have very good politics departments - in order it’s Michigan -> NYU -> Emory, but are all top 25, so the difference is negligible. </p>
<p>Emory will have the smallest class sizes, followed by NYU - so if you want small class sizes, UM is not the school for you. </p>
<p>Do you have a regional preference? Do you care about frat participation? Physical education requirements? Etc.?</p>
<p>Emory students are NOT homogenous. It’s the most diverse school on your list, economically, geographically (I believe), and racially. The political science department is very good at the undergraduate level and Emory’s international relations program is nothing to sneeze at. However, unlike many East Coast schools, it’s more Asian/Middle Eastern/ African focused than European. That’s not to say the European aspect is lacking, but Emory is currently putting more resources into developing that component of its international studies major. Personally I don’t think you can go wrong with any of your choices, but as you’re aware, all are very different schools.</p>
<p>Emory is probably the most transfer friendly on your list, because of Oxford College. Next is likely U Michigan, followed by NYU.</p>
<p>I don’t consider Emory students to be particularly snobby, but I went to Oxford which has a VERY different vibe than Emory’s main campus (the one you were admitted to). It really depends on the person. There are an enormous amount of extremely humble people, but there is a contingent of somewhat stuck up students, most of whom are concentrated in the frats and sororities (not saying that all people in Greek life are stuck up, but the ones that are seem to join frats/ sororities at a much greater rate than the general population).</p>
<p>Also Emory’s weather is the best. No contest.</p>
<p>All three are excellent academically and strong in Political Science, but they are vastly different from one another. for example, Emory is much smaller than Michigan and NYU. If you like large cities, you cannot beat NYU, but it comes at the cost of not having a very cohesive or active campus community. Michigan probably offers the most well rounded college experience of the three. I would not worry about diversity at Emory, as the school is very diverse (10% international students, 25% Asian American etc…). I would not worry about class sizes either. Political Science is a very popular major and classes will generally tend to be large, regardless of the university. Finally, as a non-American who grew up in a very cosmopolitan city myself, I can tell you that Ann Arbor is perfectly agreeable and welcoming. It may not be as cosmopolitan as New York or London, but it certainly holds its own in that department. </p>
<p>You need to conduct your own research and make a decision based on your findings. Nothing we say here is going to give you the personal insight required to make such a big, and expensive, decision.</p>
<p>Emory. Just spent some time in Atlanta after having been accepted as a transfer student at Emory. I grew up in New York and had preconceived notions about what the South was like. I also thought Emory would be elitest, preppy and snobby. To put in simply, I was wrong. Atlanta is such a hip city with so much to do – not to mention stuff to do at half the price of New York. The food and bar scenes are awesome; Emory’s campus is expansive and filled with marble buildings and very, very friendly undergraduate and graduate students. What’s more, they’ve given you $12,000 in aid. That’s double what Michigan offered you! Trust me, it’s a great place to be. My tour guide is studying Political Science, and he loves it. He talked endlessly about the research opportunities and professor accessibility. And lastly, the people in Atlanta are as friendly as they come. I cannot tell you how many conversations I struck up just waiting on line for food or the bathroom, etc.</p>
<p>“What’s more, they’ve given you $12,000 in aid. That’s double what Michigan offered you!”</p>
<p>Double in this case is only $6k. When you consider the fact that Emory is $6k more expensive than Michigan, attending both school will cost roughly the same.</p>
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