Bloomingdale High School Counseling Department

Emory University may lack the liberal arts prowess of the Northeastern schools with which it competes, but it’s a favorite of preprofessional students from both U.S. coasts. They come for its size (big, but not too big), location, and national reputation. Though most students are clean-cut and career-oriented, a freshman says the population ranges “from preppy, to Northeast and very designer-oriented, to hippie, and everything in between.” Regardless of how they’re dressed, students are challenged, not coddled, in the classroom; they form study groups and work together to succeed. An atmosphere of friendliness and Southern hospitality enhances the vibrant campus life.

Set on 631 acres of woods and rolling hills in the Druid Hills suburb of Atlanta, Emory’s campus spreads out from an academic quad of marble-covered, red-roofed buildings. Contemporary structures dot the periphery of the lush, green grounds. In recent years, Emory has expanded science and math research facilities, constructed an apartment-style living complex for upper-class students, added a performing arts center and a psychology building, and opened freshman residence halls, which make up a freshman quad. “I enjoy our location because it offers a homey, ‘neighborhood’ feel, while providing the optimal location just 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta,” says one senior.

Emory’s distribution requirements aim to develop competence in writing, quantitative methods, a second language, and physical education, and include exposure to the humanities, social sciences, and the natural sciences. Other required coursework helps broaden students’ perspectives on national, regional, and global history and culture. Finally, students take two seminars—one as freshmen (50 to 60 are available each term, limited to 15 students each) and one at an upper level. Entering freshmen seeking a smaller environment may want to consider Emory’s two-year Oxford College, located in a “small-town” atmosphere 30 miles away. There, 725 students earn associate’s degrees and then continue to the main campus to finish up. (Interested students should apply directly to Oxford.) Additionally, all freshmen participate in PACE (Pre-Major Advising Connections at Emory). The program brings together faculty, staff, and student leaders to mentor first-year students on the aspects of college life. Emory belongs to the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education, which lets students take courses at other area schools. The Center for International Programs Abroad (CIPA) offers more than 100 study programs on six continents. Participants earn Emory credit and Emory grades, and they can receive Emory financial aid, scholarships, and grants.

Emory can be challenging, even for those accustomed to hard work. “My friends and I jokingly call ourselves ‘the students formerly known as gifted,’” quips a sophomore. A senior adds, “Many courses are challenging, but they are also exciting.” Just as Emory has invested in its physical plant, the school has spent lavishly in the past to add star faculty members to key departments, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the school of theology, the Dalai Lama, and Salman Rushdie. “They’re passionate about the subject matter and concerned with making sure their students get the most out of their education,” says one student, and personal attention is nearly a given. Chemistry and biology benefit from physical proximity to the federal Centers for Disease Control, while many political science professors have ties to the Carter Center (named for the former president, who holds a town hall meeting on campus each year), and serve as regular guests on nearby CNN.

The most popular majors are business, economics, biology, psychology, and nursing. Dual degree programs allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree at Emory and a bachelor’s degree in engineering at Georgia Tech, or a bachelor’s degree at Emory and a master’s in engineering at Georgia Tech. Emory has received a significant portion of Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney’s archive, and its Irish studies program is said to rival those of Notre Dame and Boston College. There are minors in predictive health, sustainability, and bioethics. 

“Every Emory student angles to be a part of Dooley’s entourage (our unofficial skeleton mascot),” says a senior. “You’ll see talent sprinkled everywhere from breathtaking Theater Emory shows to First Fridays (a cappella concerts that draw crowds on the first Friday of every month).” Only 24 percent of Emory students are Georgians, and one-third are from the Southeast. New York, New Jersey, California, and Florida are also well represented. African Americans make up 10 percent of the student body, Asian Americans 23 percent, and Hispanics 6 percent. Politically, the campus is less conservative than many Southern institutions. “Most people are very aware of what’s going on in the world and bring humanitarian and political activism onto campus,” a sociology major says. Merit scholarships worth an average of $21,047 are awarded annually; there are no athletic scholarships. Under the “Loan Cap Program,” the university has capped loans at $15,000 for families with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000. 

Sixty-seven percent of Emory students live on campus; freshmen and sophomores are required to do so. Lucky juniors and seniors may hang their hats in the one- to four-bedroom Clairmont Campus apartments, which boast private bedrooms with full-size beds, kitchens, and baths, and a washer-dryer in each unit. Clairmont residents also get an activity center with basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts; a heated, outdoor, Olympic-sized pool; and weight-training facilities. Housing is guaranteed for two years, and students can request to live in a building that is co-ed by floor, co-ed by room, or single sex. “I lived in the oldest, smallest freshman hall (Dobbs) during my first year at Emory, but I loved it,” a student says. “The sense of community was stronger than in any other dorm.” They can also request a specific roommate. In addition to the dining halls, there are small cafés, grills, and a food court on campus, each providing tasty fare. “The food is pretty good,” says a freshman.

“Emory has an amazing social life that combines on-campus fun with the best Atlanta has to offer,” says a junior. “There is a very active social scene both on and off campus,” adds another student. Fraternities and sororities attract 30 percent of Emory’s men and 31 percent of the women so, of course, Greek parties are prevalent. Other options include college nights at local dance clubs and concerts organized by the Student Programming Committee.   A very popular highlight of the social calendar is Dooley’s Week, a spring festival in honor of Emory’s enigmatic mascot, James W. Dooley, a skeleton who reportedly escaped from the biology lab almost 100 years ago. If Dooley walks into your class, the class is dismissed, and the week culminates with a costume ball in his honor. Freshman halls also have Songfest, a competition where residents make up spirit-filled song-and-dance routines. Popular road trips include Stone Mountain, Athens, Savannah, and the beaches of Florida and the Carolinas.

Atlanta also offers a multitude of diversions, from Braves baseball and Hawks basketball to plays at the Fox Theatre, exhibits at the High Museum of Art, marine wildlife at the Georgia Aquarium, and shopping at Underground Atlanta or the Lenox Mall, to which Emory provides a free shuttle every Saturday.

Emory doesn’t field a varsity football team, but the Eagles have produced a number of national champs, including women’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis. Men’s swimming and diving, baseball, women’s volleyball, and men’s golf are competitive as well. Men’s basketball competes against such academic powerhouses as the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins, and Carnegie Mellon. Most students join at least one intramural sports team at either a competitive or a recreational level. Popular intramurals include flag football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, water polo, and ultimate Frisbee.

While many Southern schools suffer from a regional provincialism, that isn’t true at Emory, which blends a focus on teaching and research to nurture creativity and graduate leaders who are highly sought after in the working world—and by postgraduate law, medical, and business programs. “Emory provides a rich community that students truly love to be part of,” says a senior.

Deadlines & Requirements

Emory: Early decision: Nov. 1. Regular admissions: Jan. 15. Financial aid: Mar. 1. Housing: May 1. Application fee: $50. No campus or alumni interviews. SATs or ACTs: required. Subject Tests: recommended. Accepts the Common Application. Essay question. Recommend that serious applicants visit the campus.

Profile