<p>I am an undecided student (thinking about pre-law concentrations) from North Carolina. So far, I am considering final 5 schools, and am trying to break them up into categories. </p>
<p>The question is Simple:</p>
<p>Wake Forest University v. Davidson College v. Oxford College of Emory University.</p>
<p>My main concerns are the undergraduate student reputation, along with the academic quality, and the opportunities that the school will provide.
All options would be around the same price, so it is not a concern.</p>
<p>Wake (from what I have heard) has a horrible reputation and is fairly unknown
Davidson is considered to be an Ivy of Liberal arts, but when I was researching it, I discovered that most of its graduates end up studying at WFU, which makes me wonder why shouldn't I just go straight to Wake
Oxford is known as the Dumb Emory, but regardless, my diploma will say "Emory" and not "Oxford"</p>
<p>ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!</p>
<p>WF most certainly does not have a horrible reputation, though I don’t think it is as widely recognized outside the South as it may deserve to be; if you look at USNWR you will find it ranks quite high. Equally certainly, “most” Davidson graduates certainly don’t end up at WF for professional or graduate degrees, though obviously some do for very good reasons. Also, most good undergraduate programs don’t have “prelaw” concentrations–you could major in art history, physics, or English and still go to law school–and an excellent law school at that as long as your GPA and LSAT score were good. I think you need to look at the schools more specifically in terms of what feels most appropriate for you in terms of size/feel/location and what college will be about in every sense.</p>
<p>Reputation - I am from North Carolina as well, but it seems like Wake Forest is better known than Davidson even in Charlotte area. Emory is Emory, but Emory’s undergrad reputation is not that much greater than Wake, let alone Oxford’s.</p>
<p>Opportunities, Academic Quality -
Among the three schools, Wake seems to be the only school that will provide a full fledged university experience (full courses in most majors leading to graduate school). And that is the quality. The academic quality is not simply about whether you have 10 people or 15 people in a classroom. It includes the quality of the courses, what courses are offered, what kind of professors are teaching, and what kind of students are in the classroom. In all areas above, Wake Forest is better than the two other schools that you mentioned. It’s just better. Plain and Simple.</p>
<p>More words on Oxford -
Oxford is tricky. If you want to go to grad school, law school, or basically do anything that requires recommendation letters, it is better to get to know your professors for four years not two years after transferring to the main campus.</p>
<p>Davidson would be my personal pick, though I’m very fond of Wake and recommended it to at least two other people today. Davidson is a bit more selective and rigorous, and I think the overall social atmosphere is more well-rounded and relaxed. The only NC school I would (and did) choose over Davidson is Duke.</p>