I'm an international student. I was admitted to Emory and USC recently, but both of them are CLAS. I want to apply to Goizueta or Marshall(then Leventhal) as an internal transfer student.
I can transfer more credits to USC than Emory. Since my A-Level grades is a little bit low, I can only take those credits to USC.
Personally I prefer LA, but ATL is fine for me.
Also, I'm Asian. USC clearly has much more alum and higher reputation in Asia. I don't know if that'll help me find jobs in my home country if I can't find a job or intern in the US.
I noticed that Marshall has a lower acceptance rate than Goizueta. My aim is to major in accounting. I love it and I think it'll be easier for me to find jobs. If I didn't get into Marshall(leventhal), I don't really know what to major in, probably econ+political sci.
I think the slightly higher acceptance rate of Goizueta may let me pursue my accounting major.
Someone please give me some advice please!!!!!
Of course USC has a higher reputation, it has way more people and alums (it's a bigger school). With that said, Emory (especially entities like the prof. schools) is doing pretty well in Asia (in honesty, we have about the same amount of internationals in our undergraduate student body). If you prefer LA that much, just go to USC. However, I have a friend who goes to USC, says he likes LA, but prefers the teaching at Emory (he always does transient study during the summer here. If teaching is better during summer here, than that is kind of embarrassing). He suggested that the approach and level of care for teaching seemed fundamentally different. It's just a smaller school with a different experience. You shouldn't choose based upon acceptance rate (you'll likely get into both) to the business school or how many credits you get (fulfilling graduation requirements is not that hard, and honestly, you should explore at liberal arts schools like Emory before going to the B-school. No need to be so extremely set on accounting. You may find you want to do otherwise, yet still pursue business of some sort. Students here have made film companies and competitions based upon an interest they gained in the college; they then cultivated and took it to another level with the things they learned in the b-school. At least enjoy gaining knowledge of other fields while you can). Just saying, take the experience into account. If you want a pretty big school with a huge, party/sports scene, USC. If you want a more serious academic school with intense peers and a more intimate learning environment (and more focus/incentive for solid teaching), Emory. If you are merely looking at your degree or time as a ticket to a job back and Asia and not a learning experience (as in, you care moreso about making it through the school with solid grades, than having a transformative experience), I would choose the one that is considered "more fun". Another difference may be how tight the academic communities (among UGs) are at each. USC has way more undergrad professional schools than we do. We only have 2. The creates the presence of a more common academic experience. Outside of parties/sporting events, it can be questioned how much students from other entities interact (especially if those other schools are kind of like silos). Having a central college that the vast majority of people are in (USC's college only holds less than 1/3 of the students) and that everyone starts at really helps (as one is more likely to meet and have legit interactions with new people beyond the residence hall in a class setting than at a sporting event, where people tend to go with their clique/friends). Oh, and if rejected from B-school at either school (again, unlikely), you have awesome options for you. Since you are interested in political science (maybe), Emory is amazing for it. If you decided to come to Emory, you should definitely take a special topics course in it or maybe one of the more well-taught introductory courses. The faculty are awesome teachers and researchers and there are pretty solid internship opps (like with Carter Center, which is directly affiliated with Emory). Also, you shouldn't have trouble finding B-school internships. Atlanta has twice as many fortune 500 headquarters as LA, and there are some b-school classes that are project based that will have you working for Coca-Cola for example (as we, of course, have very close ties to it).
Thanks Bernie. How is the intensity in Goizueta? I think it has less grade deflation than Marshall.
Also, how is the career center? Do you usually have chances like studying abroad?
I am not sure if either has true grade deflation and I honestly do not feel bad for students in either business school as a science major (it has been researched and shown that business majors do the least amount academic work outside of class). Their workload tends to be much lower (and exams , so they are graded harsher). I think Emory may be a little tougher when you take the core classes because the school actually has a legit (as opposed to a "whispered about") grading distribution criteria where cores are capped at a max of 1/3 of the class having an A. This usually results in a grading distribution where the average is 3.15 or lower in these courses and if you don't do well, you'll need to use the electives to bring it up. In addition, the economics department, where many students will take their pre-reqs, has apparently adopted the same distribution. I'm going to guess the distribution is going to be similar at the two schools (USC caps electives at about a 3.3, and Emory is about the same as only 5% more As and 5% more Bs can be given in electives at Emory. A 3.2-3.3 average seems right for an Emory course). Oh, you may want to be away that there seems to be more structured and well-defined area depts at GBS (beyond accounting) and that can make a difference in your ability to take a diverse array of courses. And honestly, don't worry about rigor. The more rewarding classes (this especially goes for Emory) tend to be the ones that are more rigorous and perhaps have challenging projects that involve you interacting or directly assisting top companies and those that run and represent them. But as a whole, business schools are just not but so rigorous. It is important that you are able to participate in discussion. I remember a friend who is international saying that she wouldn't do as well in some classes because she was not used to actually answering questions and offering input on the spot. She was from China and was used to mostly being lectured to and taking notes. Interaction was not a part of learning she was used to so the heavy interaction in b-school classes needed to get a solid participation grade, would harm her.
I have had daughters at both USC and Emory, and I would favor Emory. The business schools are equal, but the quality of life at Emory is MUCH better. Four years of housing, safe, close to the airport, etc. Also, Emory has a very large international population as well as most students come from outside of Atlanta. USC draws heavily from California, and the housing stinks after freshman year. I think you might like USC better your freshman year, but overall would be happier at Emory.
Also, Emory has a fantastic study abroad office and program. They make it extremely easy.
Yeah, one of my friends who is doing transient study this summer at Emory complains about the housing (there really is none, he has to stay in an overpriced apartment off-campus) and how expensive it is in LA (basically, if you are even remotely broke, you're screwed. In Atlanta, a smaller amount of money can go a lot farther). Oh, and the career center for the B-school specifically, is supposedly amazing (from what I hear. I don't hear complaints about it and many say that it's a very strong point for the school).
