Visit Report by Papa Chicken (Member since March 25 2005 with 1788 posts) Visit Date - May 2006
Visit to Emory University in May 2006 by Papa Chicken (Parent of Student, HS Class of 2006)
Visit Activities:
Information Session:
Yes - Beyond standard descriptions of the school, facilities, and curriculum, info session leader was fairly open & informative on admissions issues, like how they weighed SAT scores, leadership opportunities, & HS transcript factors. Campus Tour:
Yes - see notes below
Emory University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 4 - Very Good -
as it was summer, we only really spoke with our tour guide.
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent -
The admissions folks have been very communicative, before and after our visit, and have shown interest.
Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent -
I thought it was a beautiful place. Like no other campus I have been to.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 5 - Excellent -
red-tile roof buildings and marble structures made for a very unique campus feel.
Dormitories: 4 - Very Good Security/Safety: 4 - Very Good Overall Campus Impression: 4 - Very Good -
if I were going to college now, Emory would be on my shortlist...alas, son liked the place, but has liked others more since this visit.
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 3 - Good -
decent neighborhoods, some strip malls nearby.
City/Town/Community: 4 - Very Good -
beware of Atlanta traffic.
Campus Visit Notes for Emory University:
Visit Description:
Son & I visited three schools this past June…..this trip report is on Emory. We drove from Nashville after a fantastic Vanderbilt visit to Atlanta…quite a drive, but pretty through the mountains. Traffic around Atlanta can be at best described as awful. Made it to the tour with a few minutes to spare. DS had been emailing a club coach, with whom he spoke via cell while we were waiting for the tour to start (but couldn’t get a face-to-face arranged), and the adcom who had met DS at a college fair some months back, came out prior to the tour to chat & say hi…..I must say I have been very impressed with how well Emory folks reach out & communicate.
The tour was nice, & we had a somewhat nerdy philosophy major take us around. He fit in well with my growing perception of Emory as a very academically oriented place. I was struck by Emory’s architecture…mostly marble buildings with Spanish red-tiled roofs. Was very unique, & we liked it. Buildings were of many styles, ranging from classical columned structures to modern. The place was very well manicured & kept up, probably a symptom of their huge endowment related to Coke. Library and all academic facilities were A+. Emory is a nice size for DS, not too big & not too small. Vibe on strong academics & student focus there was pronounced. Relative to the 2 other schools on this circuit for us (Vanderbilt & Wake Forest), I definitely felt Emory was the most academically focused. Spent some time touring their gym and talking about the intercollegiate (D3) and intramural scenes….I had heard, perhaps wrongly, about general athletic apathy, but I heard on this visit otherwise, with Emory regularly landing in the top 10 of the D3 Sears cup. Didn’t get a chance to wander down to the nearby Emory village, but was told it has some restaurants & shops where students frequent….otherwise, the area is predominantly Atlanta residential, mostly with a suburb feel….very nice though. Biggest take-aways from the info session were (1) Emory is a “demonstrated interest” college (which I had not figured out prior to this visit), meaning they track all of your contacts & they like kids visiting, and (2) SATs are not the end-all…at least they convinced me that they are looking at the whole package & especially at grades & curriculum…..oh, and also that they don’t expect every applicant to be a leader of some huge endeavor or to have cured cancer (yet).
Overall, I really liked Emory, especially valuing the welcoming emails & receptions DS has thus far received, including a recent email from the adcom covering our territory. With the academic emphasis and D3 focus, it felt almost Williams-like. DS liked Emory also & could see himself there….not quite as high up on the list as a few others, but definitely on the list.
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as it was summer, we only really spoke with our tour guide.
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The admissions folks have been very communicative, before and after our visit, and have shown interest.
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decent neighborhoods, some strip malls nearby.