Welcome to Emory

Colleges & Universities A-Z Emory University
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<p>Hi!
My name is Paul and I am a rising senior this year. I understand a lot of you are from an elitist background (top tier in high school and whatnot) but the truth is that Emory is composed of the really smart ones as well as the not so smart ones (in behavior at least).</p>

<p>Well, let me first tell you that no matter where you go, it will be hard to maintain a 4.0 GPA but it is not impossible.</p>

<p>Unlike in HS, GPA is not all that matters. College is the only, and probably the last, chance to enjoy life. Carpe Diem!</p>

<p>To answer some of the questions posted on this forum... lets see where can I start...</p>

<p>Ok, so... Emory or [insert school name here]. This is one of those questions one cannot answer without being subjective. I personally loved my experience at Emory. Would I have gone to a different school if given the choice? Probably not... I have good memories about Emory and I met great people which was basically the whole "experience Emory" deal.<br>
It's not about where you go, it's about the people you meet. </p>

<p>What are my chances? Ask yourself. If you like to be a pessimist then sure you won't get in. Go to Mc onalds and apply for a job for flipping burgers. If you're an optimist, then sure! you got chances! show Emory you're interested! However, don't waste time calling them over the phone... I never liked the people at Emory over the phone... They are really not the nicest people over the phone. Come visit! meet the people and talk to them! They're great people... just really mean over the phone.</p>

<p>Social life at emory? There is absolutely NOTHING to do around Emory's walking distance bubble. Ok... I lie... there are some places around where you can go eat... and maybe eat some more... but all the clubs and places where you shouldn't be going as a "perfect student" are found within 5 miles from here. You will have a blast if you meet the right people. Once again it's all about who you end up hanging out with. Carpe diem! go out! experience new things you've never done! Try Indian food! Korean food. I don't know... try your first matzo soup! Great things don't come to you, you got to look for them.</p>

<p>How competitive is Emory? You will hear kids talk about "I heard this someone still has a 4.0 s/he must be a genius..." but nothing like in the movies where you'll knock people out to do better than them. I mean there's competition but it's really not noticeable.</p>

<p>How hard is [insert major here] None of the majors are and will be difficult as long as you're interested in the subject and devote the time to learn and work in mastering the subject. </p>

<p>I personally am a double major in Bio and Chem (dual BS)
Did I think they were hard majors? Not really... but I love both sciences... </p>

<p>Lastly, tips for incoming freshmen... Get involved. Don't waste your first year doing NOTHING. There are approximately 200 clubs and activities. Join Mentorship organizations people like myself are waiting for mentees to sign up and look for people like us who thrive in giving people tips and guiding people. MORE is a great example of a mentorship program. Don't be scared to bother upperclassmen! most of them enjoy seeing scared freshmen since we were one of them at one point or another. </p>

<p>However don't ever forget to be yourself. Mentors are there to guide you. Some will try to push things on you and make you go "pre-med" because you end up telling them "I took AP bio and AP chem so I want to go to medicine." Don't forget that there always are bad seeds everywhere no matter where you go... Just because you get a bad mentor or a bad roommate it really doesn't mean that Emory sucks. </p>

<p><a href="mailto:jyang8@emory.edu">jyang8@emory.edu</a>
aim: wogus86
<a href="mailto:wogus86@hotmail.com">wogus86@hotmail.com</a><a href="msn">/email</a> </p>

<p>contact me if you got any questions ^^</p>

<p>I hope you enjoy freshman year for all of you who will be attending Emory and hope you guys have a blast!</p>

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<p>Awesome post. It answers a ton of questions that I find recurring in this section, this should be stickied.</p>

<p>(I just need to figure out what I want to study now that I have no qualms about the difficulty of any major…this is the hardest part)</p>

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<p>It’s really hard to decide what you want to do with your entire life… However, good news is that your major does NOT define what you will end up doing after college. </p>

<p>Grad schools will evidently require you to have a strong background in the subject you will continue studying. For ex. If you want a phD (Doctorate) in Chemistry you might want to consider a Chemistry major. </p>

<p>However pre-med, pre-law, pre-business does NOT have a specific major requirement. You can study philosophy, math, english, linguistics, whatever as long as you fulfill the requirements which aren’t that many.</p>

<p>What I recommend is just google “Emory Course atlas” and look around the courses available (upper level and all)</p>

<p>and search for what sounds the most interesting to you.</p>

<p>I have a friend who was just interested in everything. So he just kept a Biology major (for Pre-med + interest) and he took history classes along with Asian studies to fulfill his interest. After all, you would be a much stronger applicant for showing them that you have leadership in pursuing what you want to do.</p>

<p>Oh… one thing I forgot… Although Emory is a liberal arts school, our Dance/Music/Drama/Film departments are not the strongest around the globe… Sure, they are awesome and yet many of my friends after finishing these majors just wonder what to do with life afterward… So if you do have an interest for these subjects, I recommend keeping them as a 2nd major… and having a “back-up” bank of knowledge that people will be impressed at. Unless you want to continue studying those fields which is perfectly fine as well.</p>

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<p>Paul/Wogus,</p>

<p>This is a great post! You provide some good personal insight that I think a lot of prospective/incoming students will find valuable.</p>

<p>As a parent of an Emory student (from Bay Area/California), I have found that most of the people I have spoken with are NOT “really mean over the phone”. Maybe I was just lucky, but maybe not. At any rate, I think many of them are busy and like most people, they don’t always have time to devote to constant phone interruptions to their daily schedules.</p>

<p>I entirely concur with your advice to freshman to get immediately involved. The transition to college for many incoming freshmen can be deceptively complex – such as with adjustments to a new social environment being non-intuitive to many who have come from comfortable homes where they’ve known their friends since kindergarten. Because Emory does not have Div. I athletics, there is a lack of an established focus for students to come together, especially in the vein of say “school spirit”. As you say, there are hundreds of organizations available to students, and the toughest thing to do is to choose which ones to get involved with. One thing seems certain, however, and that is that the student must reach out.</p>

<p>I have found that the resources available to students at Emory are vast. That said, it’s sometimes difficult to know where to start if you have a problem. I have always recommended that if somebody (whether it be a student or a parent) is confused, start with the Office of Undergraduate Education. Their resources alone are very broad, everything from academic advicement to learning specialists… or directing you to the right person elsewhere at Emory. Whereas Emory is not huge, it’s still a big place that especially for freshmen can be daunting. </p>

<p>Here are some quick thoughts on other touchpoints that I think are beneficial:</p>

<p>Woodruff Library: Take the tour; talk to the librarians; there are dozens of Ph.D. research librarians working there, just waiting to help you with your topical research. (Also, check out all the other libraries, such as Music & Media – just fabulous materials to know about.) </p>

<p>Science Advising: This is part of the Office of U/G Education. Focused on science students, this resource can be helpful in steering you toward the maze of science classes/requirements. Here is their link: [Emory</a> College | Current Students | Science Advising](<a href=“http://www.college.emory.edu/current/support/science_advising/index.html]Emory”>http://www.college.emory.edu/current/support/science_advising/index.html)</p>

<p>Also, at the above site, you can click on another link to “Clued In: A Survival Guide for the Science Student at Emory”. If you are an incoming freshman, you will need to use your student ID and Password to access. For science students, it has a wealth of information.</p>

<p>Office Hours for Professors: Take advantage of this. All professors have posted office hours, and many feel that many students do not visit them often enough. They are there to help and guide you.</p>

<p>Tutoring: There are so many, it’s difficult to name all of the resources, but for incoming freshmen, know that there are places such as The Emory Writing Center ([Welcome</a> to Emory Writing Center](<a href=“Error 404 | Emory University | Atlanta GA”>http://www.writingcenter.emory.edu/)) that provide graduate student and peer tutors that can help improve your writing skills. What’s apparent is that they won’t come to you, but if you need any kind of academic help, reach out to them.</p>

<p>Learnlink: I think that organizing one’s life (contacts, schedules, events, tasks, homework, assignments) is imperative to being successful – and this holds true for students as well as professionals/adults. Personally, I have a smartphone that has an integrated PDA, which I find essential to my professional life, and I think the same types of tools can be highly valuable to students. The Learnlink facility at Emory can be a very beneficial focal point for organizing yourself. Unfortunately, it’s not what I consider to be highly intuitive, so it serves all students well to go through the Learnlink guides and know how you can use it.</p>

<p>Balance: Whether it’s doing intramural sports, working out at the WoodPEC, or doing volunteer work through Volunteer Emory, try to find balance. Don’t just study 24/7. Diversify your academic classes. Look for things that will broaden your horizons. The college years can be the best years of your life if you explore all your options.</p>