Emory University Top Questions

Intellectual, but career goals are less ivory tower, more doctor/lawyer.

My classmates are independent, determined, culturally sensitive individuals that aim to make a difference in the world using their educational background and life experiences.

Pompous rich kids that give less fortunate students a feeling of absolute inferiority.

My classmates are driven individuals who strive to do their best in every arena of life.

As someone who is friends with all types of people, I found it even easier to make friends at Emory for this reason. Everyone here is different in some way, whether itd be interest or race, and I think the campus groups show how diverse Emory is. I recently attended an Indian Cultural Exchange event at the Omni Hotel, where Indian culture was celebrated throughout the night through food, dance, song, etc. A lot of my friends are from Southeast Asian and I love the fact that I had the experience to partake in their culture. There are multiple other groups on campus too that host events promoting their culture and background which I find highly important to experience in college. Everyone should have an open mind when meeting different people, because you can always learn from something new. Most students do not feel out of place at Emory because everyone is so friendly and there is so much to do, I can't imagine someone not being able to fit somewhere! Most students wear gym clothes to class because of the weather in addition to going to the gym in between classes. Working out and exercise is a big thing for Emory students, almost as big as academics. I would say this is another factor of Emory students' attractiveness, they not only like to work hard in the classroom, but also work out at the AWESOME gym that Emory offers. Most students who come to Emory are from New York state and/or somewhere in Georgia. There are also a great number of International students from Korea as elsewhere. I'd say most people here at Emory are from wealthy upper middle class families, but there are a bunch of people from everywhere on the financial spectrum. I think students here talk about politics quite a lot, but not in overwhelming amounts that start activism. I think Emory students' big thing that unites them together is community service, because I think a lot of the students here pursue careers in the preprofessional disciplines to help others, and just that in itself is enough to unite a great student body.

As I said, Emory students are very diverse. Students come from the East Coast, the West Coast, place in between and even from overseas. I think everyone can "find a place" here and the stereotype that we are institution of rich brats is entirely untrue. My family is by no means rich and a lot of kids have jobs on or off campus. Politically, most students tend to lean toward the left but if you're a conservative, you could probably find someone with views like yours if you looked. My roommate, for example, is politically more conservative.

Students at Emory are motivated and intelligent. But that doesn't mean they don't have fun. There are around 10 frats that have parties every weekend. Most parties are themed and past themes have ranged from trailer trash to beach party, or nerds, etc. People here work hard during the week, but let it all out on the weekends. After parties on weekends, everyone goes to Maggies, a local bar, for some fun. They are lax on IDs, so everyone crowds into this bar around 2AM to socialize more before the night is over. Students at Emory are also very stylish. People do care about what they wear. Many students wear designer outfits every day. Leggings are also a popular item here. However, there are many students who don't care too much about they wear. No matter what clothes you have, you'll fit in.

The average Emory student definitely comes from a wealthy background and tends to be from the Northeast. But Emory also has students that come from all over the country (I'm from Portland, Oregon and no, we do not drive around in buggies) and all over the world. Emory is home to a much more diverse student body than I had expected coming into this school. I have friends from all over the world including England, Cuba, Thailand and Bulgaria. The foreign students tend to be some of the most wealthy but they also tend to be some of the brightest. In addition to being diverse, the emory student body is very very very smart. Emory was a reach school for me academically and I was thrilled when I got in. In High School I considered myself to be a motivated, intelligent and capable person and while I still view myself in that light, I am now more aware of how many other people (6000 I believe is the size of Emory currently) share those same qualities at this school. Emory may not be an Ivy League but I doubt there is another school with students as driven to succeed as they are here. While this factor can be intimidating at first, it ultimately contributes to a campus experience rife with energy, creativity and filled with great conversations.

Majority of the students of my school seem to be sheltered or at least not used to areas like NYC (excluding Manhattan). They are very goal and study oriented.

Our student body is almost stereotypically liberal suburbanites, and I mean that in a good way because I happen to be one of those.