Hello everyone,
I was fortunate enough to be accepted to both Washington University in St. Louis and Emory University as a transfer (2nd year) for the upcoming Fall semester. I really like both of these schools for different reasons and would like some external advice/guidance.
So firstly, financial stuff, Emory gave me a really decent FA package and about 10k a year more in grants than WashU did. I am currently appealing at WashU to get more money, but if the packages remain the same, I wonder whether WashU is worth the extra money every year. It wouldn’t put me in a lot of financial stress if I went with WashU’s current package but I would obviously prefer to place less of a burden on my family. Also WashU is saying that they will probably not have on-campus housing for transfers which is not awesome because I feel like I’ll be disconnected from the community.
Secondly, my academic interests. So I’m a social sciences and humanities oriented person (pre-law and maybe pre-business) and at Emory I would try to do a double major with Political Science and a Business major at Goizueta. At WashU, they have the Urban Studies major, the Legal Studies minor, and Olin has the cool second major option as well. Going off of US News it seems that WashU is stronger for the fields I like, and I think I’m a stronger academic fit at WashU, but I would really appreciate any current Emory students commenting on the strength of depts I like.
Finally, social life/outside of the class. I’m not going Greek and I like being outgoing but not to an excessive point. I’ve also always been a city person and Emory’s biggest selling point to me is Atlanta because of the internship opportunities and how dynamic the city is. From my view, I’m not sure St. Louis has all that much for me and I’m also worried about the lack of economic diversity and Greek life at WashU.
Any advice and personal experience you could share would be super helpful!
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It doesn’t sound like WashU is worth the extra money to you. They both have strong programs, plus Emory has less Greek life and is in a city you like.
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Worth the extra money in what way? They’re peer schools.
Also, have you checked to see if you could fit in all the classes needed for those double majors and still graduate after 4 years of college?
Will Emory provide on campus housing? As a transfer I think being able to live on campus would greatly enhance your transition into a new school.
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By worth it I guess I meant whether the better academic fit in terms of major flexibility and interests is worth me paying a premium to attend WashU.
As for credits and fitting in classes, both schools accepted all of my credits from my current university and both are also providing credits for my AP courses. WashU’s second major at Olin does have less reqs than double majoring across Goizeuta and A&S at Emory.
I attended an Emory event last night and they very confidently said than any transfer student who wants on-campus housing will get it. They were actually urging us to apply for housing whereas it seems WashU almost doesn’t even want us to apply for housing. Emory also seems to have much more of a solid transfer community than WashU does, WashU doesn’t have any social events for transfers whereas Emory has a calendar full of them.
I also saw you on the Vanderbilt transfer thread and that’s another school I’m waiting to hear back from! I’m worried about Greek life there too unfortunately 
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Outside of the 3-2 engineering program (which is its own separate thing where the folks who come live together), WashU doesn’t have many transfers.
St Louis is a wonderful city…frankly better than Atlanta in my opinion. However it’s clear from your writeup you prefer Emory.
They are similar in so many ways and from a perception POV the same. Rank should not drive your decision. Fit should.
Both are strong but clearly you prefer one. That’s where you need to go. Congrats on two great acceptances.
Emory may be the better choice for you due to on-campus housing (easier integration into the Emory community) & due to location (Atlanta is a great city).
Two great options. Congratulations !
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St. Louis better than Atlanta would be a small minority opinion. lol
If you love baseball, a wonderful stadium. Great zoo. Arch. Zany city museum
Yes the atl has better weather and people but St Louis the better city…but yes in my opinion. All the CC is opinion 
Thanks for your reply! I do see the charm in St. Louis and especially the area WashU is in near the Delmar Loop. I see Atlanta as a strength just because of the more moderate weather (especially comparing to the Northeast) and internship opportunities.
However, my preference is complicated. I prefer the academic program itself at WashU with the flexibility in majors and the option to do a second major at Olin. Emory’s program in Political Science and Public Policy seem decent but very traditional and double majoring at Goizeuta looks like it’ll be tough even with credits. I’m also trying not let rankings drive my decision but I keep having this feeling that WashU is regarded as the better school than Emory.
I don’t think I can that I can justify the price tag however just due my preference for WashU’s academic program. Emory is basically a half tuition scholarship whereas I was just informed that after my appeal at WashU, they increased my award by around 1k 
Congrats on the increase. Get the ranking out of your head. It rarely matters but the two are identical. They are both under the radar elite schools meaning if you asked 100 random people maybe 20 would know. My sister thought Emory was an hbcu. But they are both very well known academically and both will give you a similar outcome.
Go to the one that feels best to you…to me it seems you like WASHU. Your thought on internships is misguided. One won’t give you advantage over the other. Most are hired off the internet, etc. good luck.
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Rankings should not be a consideration as both are ranked near each other by US News. (2021 US News = #16 WashUStL; #21 Emory University. In 2020, rankings were #19 & #21.)
FWIW Emory is probably better known in the East.
How much will the difference in COA affect you & your family ?
The COA would have some impact and I think my parents would take out a Parental PLUS loan to cover the difference which I am not too happy about. I’m just disappointed with how I feel like WashU has treated me. Had there not been this aid difference and housing for transfers was on-campus, I would have already committed to the school. I’ll probably take my spot at Emory and just be glad they gave me a good aid package, but I’ll still wait for Vanderbilt.
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It’s not personal. It’s a business.
And yet some schools definitely treat their students better. I have a good friend whose daughters went to Penn and GW and she used to comment how much better GW treated the students and parents than Penn did.
Some schools spend more time and effort trying to welcome and orient their transfers. They reserve housing for them, have mentors for them etc… Residential education is a service industry at its core.
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GWU knows it has to try harder.
When you read the U of Florida vs FSU chats…one is constantly giving off the vibe that you are lucky to be here. The other gives off the vibe that we welcome you and will work hard for you.
This was about Wash U vs. Emory.
They both laid it out to you. They are both equals. Pick the right fit.
You can’t worry about what someone didn’t offer you. That’s their choice. No point in whining. My daughter is going to College of Charleston. A school like that is ranked so low it wouldn’t be on your radar. They want her. The dean and a professor called. She likes that.
Other higher ranked schools such as Wash and Lee or Miami…they’re great …bigger names…and if we decided to accept, it’d be lucky for us they wanted her. That’s how they roll and it’s fine. She knew up front. She didn’t try to change them.
Truth is, other than what these schools offer or don’t, you don’t know anything about them. You applied because USNews decided they were good. That’s why many apply…and in and of itself that’s a silly reason to apply.
Why are you transferring ? From where
.