Is Emory a party school?

1081736 · November 2010

Whoa, that's not what I meant. I understand that I could find my own niche anywhere I go, but the idea is that my environment will affect me. For example, I've attended 2 high schools in my life. The first one, I was able to fit in right away, I loved my environment because me and my friends were not the ONLY people (or the vast minority [if that makes sense]) who partied all the time and thought they were cool and were haughty because they drink. I did not feel disconnected with the people around me and was comfortable around them. However, this is not the case in my new school. 90% of the school is the party like people, rich and extremely pretentious, and i'm sick of it. I attend class everyday and they think they're superior than me, which makes me uncomfortable. There are less people to connect with and that I felt comfortable around. Less people that I had things in common with. I have 2 friends in my new school and i still don't feel content with my school, even though I do go out on weekends to do non-partying stuff.

Thus, i understand that there are anti-social and non-partying people, but the idea that more than 50% of the people are the rich pretentious partying type. I don't want to feel like how i feel in my school.

bernie12 · November 2010

The lives of others will affect you less in college, trust me. The environment is much larger for one, and there are many more events hosted on a college campus that function as alternatives to parties (cultural and intellectual events). Plus, despite differences in income here, the academic superiority complexes hardly exist. The environment is very collaborative. In many/most cases, your fellow classmates are very supportive if you request help/ attempt to make friends with them. The spoiled factor here is high, but the snob factor is relatively low (I don't think the two go hand in hand, because snobbery suggests obnoxious displays of how spoiled one is. One can be spoiled without having everyone know it). There is no point in being a snob if most of your classmates/peers are of similar academic caliber and income. Medium-sized/large colleges levels playing fields in certain respect. Also, the fact that this isn't some Ivy, Stanford, or MIT lessens the snob-factor. The fact that students here do not attend or were not admitted into such institutions keeps the ego in check. I suppose the complaining might be considered snobbery, but that is much better than people wandering around with their noses in the air.

The fact that college requires a greater deal of independence is itself indicative of the fact that it should be harder for others to directly affect your attitude.

Also, these niches you speak of are much larger than the high school counterparts. And in Emory's case, the diversity will help you a lot.

Hunt · November 2010

Welcome to college. This is true of nearly every college including the very elite.

This is what people at big party schools always say. It is not what people say at schools that aren't big party schools. Go ask the same question on the Rice or Chicago forums and see what they say.

1081736 · November 2010

Go ask the same question on the Rice or Chicago forums and see what they say.

yeah... which is why i'm really attracted to Rice now!

aluminum_boat · November 2010

Okay. Peace out.

1081736 · November 2010

Also, these niches you speak of are much larger than the high school counterparts. And in Emory's case, the diversity will help you a lot.

what do you mean that they're much larger? Do you mean that they're still there- but consist of more people? Or do you mean that there are more niches (quantity)?

bernie12 · November 2010

Both actually. They are a great deal larger in number, and their are indeed more (especially at Emory and many liberal arts based institutions). The student body is a lot more heterogeneous here for example. And I'm willing to claim that many groups/niches at such colleges that would be (or were) marginalized at a high school, go nearly untouched here. For one, the campus is relatively left-leaning, for two, no one really cares. There is so much to do on a college campus, that there is little time to devote to the social engineering you see at the high school level (where perhaps some niches are bullied or pressured to conform by others). This is what a stereotypical college environment is known for. It's a 4 year period in which stereotypical socialization patterns are less valued. A person considered a nerd or loser in high school may easily become well-respected on a college campus ( this may come to the dismay of a very popular high school student or jock that may remain somewhat narrow-minded upon entrance into college. For such people, Emory or many top 20s are not for them). Whereas those popular in high-school that maintain the same pattern of behavior may be seen as obnoxious in many cases. Again, a more level playing field is established, especially at more liberal colleges and universities (which nearly constitute the majority now-a-days). There is also the fact that high-schools are often homogeneous and strongly influenced by its surroundings and the ideology/values of adults living in the area (if the area is full of snobbish/elitist adults, what type of atmosphere do you expect at the area's high school? If a high school is amidst a community in a rural area known as a hotbed of racial bigotry. What do you expect at that high school?). Many colleges (especially private colleges) are what many consider bubbles and are to various extents insulated from such things. Emory can be considered very insulated from the perceived culture of "old money" in the Druid Hills community or most places that would even be considered southern for that matter.

Hunt: That's unfair. Everyone knows that Emory isn't a big party school (most of the party-animals here even complain that it isn't sufficient compared to our peers) . To generalize in that manner is ridiculous. That statement is representative of a "person" who parties a lot. This is similar to a person who drinks a lot that assumes that everyone else does too, when in reality it is not the case.

While Rice and UChicago students may give more sophisticated answers, it is foolish to believe that those at either party less because of that. Rice has a football team on its side. D-1 schools are known for more vibrant party scenes, than say a D-3 school like WashU or Emory, no matter how intellectual the student body is. I would expect UChicago to have less merely because it may be a bit more rigorous and harsh-grading than most of us in the top 20 as it runs on more of a liberal arts model.

1081736 · November 2010

Many colleges (especially private colleges) are what many consider bubbles and are to various extents insulated from such things. Emory can be considered very insulated from the perceived culture of "old money" in the Druid Hills community or most places that would even be considered southern for that matter.

so Emory has the "old money Druid Hills" bubble? Can you expand on that? I'm not sure what that means.. I'm an international student

Hunt · November 2010

While Rice and UChicago students may give more sophisticated answers, it is foolish to believe that those at either party less because of that.

I don't know about Chicago, but my suspicion would be that people party more at Emory than at Rice because of the strength of the Greek scene at Emory. That generally (but not always) translates into more partying, at least into more heavy drinking.

Also, I just have to say that I've read a lot of threads about this relating to a lot of colleges, and I really have noticed that response (people party everywhere) when a poster wants to downplay the party atmosphere at his school.

bookmobile · November 2010

For what it's worth: I attended a large university that had a significant Greek population and big-time Div. I sports. My experience was that you could find someone to party with -- or, someone to study with -- any night of the week. I was not a big partier (though I did enjoy going to games) and did not go Greek. But I never had trouble finding like-minded people to hang out with, esp. friends I made in my dorm. I can't speak for Emory, but I suspect that's one of the benefits of any sizeable school -- something and someone for everyone.

Hunt · November 2010

I can't speak for Emory, but I suspect that's one of the benefits of any sizeable school -- something and someone for everyone.

I think this is more or less true--but how much more or how much less can really matter to some students, and that's what they're trying to find out in threads like this. Obviously, it's hard to quantify. The percentage of students who join fraternities and sororities is one factor, but that doesn't tell the whole story either.

bernie12 · November 2010

Isn't that in 30% range here, this seems on par with many other schools. And there is a sufficient party scene here, however it does not dominate every aspect of the social scene here. A person who does not want to party will not be pressured into it, even if only by a bandwagon effect. The scene here is simply not that pervasive.

phaeth · November 2010

If the party scene exists and you choose not to partake in it than you will only be ostracized by people who think partying is essential (people you wouldn't like anyway)

But, if you decide you really enjoy going out and the party scene is nonexistent, then you will be miserable.

bernie12 · November 2010

Emory essentially falls in the middle, thus nearly everyone wins. When it's at either end of the extrema, then many will lose. Emory has the correct balance in my opinion.

icfireball · November 2010

1081736,

Qualitatively, I can tell you that Emory is the most diverse top-20 school both ethnically religiously. Quantitatively, it has been my experience that Emory is less cliquey and self-segregated than other colleges I've spent time at. Don't get me wrong-- there certainly are circles of friends and niches of students-- but I think students at Emory are very friendly and welcoming to others. This is in part due to Emory's fairly active and open Greek system which facilitates a lot of social mixing. But I think the larger reason for this is Emory's culture. Emory has a culture that emphasizes the importance of the community, and I think this manifests itself through Emory's relatively relaxed and casual atmosphere.

As far as socioeconomic status goes, sure there are a lot of wealthy people at Emory (it is after all, an elite institution), however, there are also a lot of people who come from very modest backgrounds. In fact, I think that Emory is less socioeconomically homogenous than most flagship public schools. The reason for this is that elite schools like Emory and its peer institutions are able to offer great merit and need based aid to students who ordinarily could not afford the cost of attendance. Over half of Emory's students qualify for some need-based financial aid. Comparatively, while top public schools are cheaper, they are still quite expensive, and are not able to offer anywhere near the levels of aid elite schools can. The result of this is that the few high-achivement students coming from underprivileged backgrounds are driven to attend elite institutions that can make the cost of education competitive to that of a public school. This leaves the top public universities with large pool of middle class and upper-middle class students who had the opportunities and background to succeed in high school, but relatively few lower-income students as a proportion of the student body.

What I'm trying to say is that you will find a very broad range of wealth at Emory from the very wealthy to the underprivileged. In addition, like bernie mentioned earlier, the wealthier students at Emory are snobbish and don't flaunt their wealth.

As a personal account, I've had serious conversations with some of my friends about how they're trying to make ends meet to pay for Emory. I myself am in that position.

As it relates to the party scene at Emory, people of all kinds of backgrounds party. It's certainly not anything where only the wealthy kids are out partying frequently.

bernie12 · November 2010

Druid Hills is the wealthy community/suburb directly surrounding Emory (the extremely wealthy portion is runs from North Decatur east toward Ponce de Leon basically). While it has some "new money"(a household not really associated with generational wealth, and rose from ground up kind of) families, it has a lot of old money (money passed down in families, or families spawning from a wealthy predecessor). It's kind of like some of those neighborhoods in the northeast/mid-Atlantic, but is actually southern. It, I believe, is still the wealthiest neighborhood in Atlanta city (if I'm right, I'm sure new money Buckhead is close). Going trick-or-treating (that's right, my friends dragged me lol) last year, I realized that it has a great deal of conservatism (though many are still liberal as they can live there comfortably due in part to Emory), while Emory does not. Emory is isolated from this culture. Emory is also isolated from the "new south" culture that pervades throughout the rest of Atlanta. In essence, Atlanta is still the south. I'm tired of students not from here saying that Atlanta does not feel like the south (as if this is inherently bad.) as if they actually know what it's like outside of movies/media. Atlanta still has many/most of those characteristics left too. It's just more left leaning than the rest of the southeast b/c of the various social movements (most/all involving race) that took place here. Lefter leaning does not make a city less southern in my opinion. They should get out of Emory and look around and maybe they'd find that the south isn't horrible (some come in with this opinion) as if the Northeast does not have intolerance, shall we cite snobbery, or the ground zero Islamic community center controversy? NYC itself (the "great" city of the north) has racial tension aside from this incident (so do most large cities). Some students here are as ignorant and narrow-minded as the caricatured uneducated southern person. They've been blinded by their wealth and their surroundings. A person's wealth can allow them to go w/o seeing or caring about the problems up there. Unfortunately, this goes for students at every top school, including the privates. Luckily, like ic said, we have quite a spread in this area as the campus is economically diverse, so fortunately it'll be harder to run into such students.

dgebll · November 2010

Bernie, maybe I'm a bit confused, but I think your rendering of Emory as isolated from New South culture is anachronistic and really just doesn't make much sense to me. From what I understand - and please correct me if I'm wrong - the New South was a term coined just after the civil war that related to the introduction of progressive (though I'm not certain that term was even coined at that point) and post-agrarian economic ideas, including less focus on race (but certainly not ending racism), an increase in industry and economic development (with the North and Internationally), and, more recently, urbanized and increasingly cosmopolitan areas (Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, etc.).

I think that's exactly what Emory is. It's a school in the South whose history is intimately linked with Atlanta and the South, but only recently has Emory grown from a position of limited influence as a regional school that educated wealthy whites into a truly national university that draws a diverse, intelligent student body. I think Emory is a great example of what the New South movement was attempting to build - a place which offers amenities and opportunity on par with most any in the country.

Also, by far, Tuxedo Hill is the wealthiest neighborhood in Atlanta proper. There are many nice houses in Druid Hills, but there ONLY beautiful mansions in Tuxedo Hill. Take a drive down West Paces Ferry and see. (Google probably knows the answer if anyone wants to be certain.)

Groundzero14 · November 2010

I had the same issue when I thought about coming here.

IMO, it's really not that different from high school or any other colleges. Not everyone gets **** drunk all the time.

In fact, you have your fair share of oddballs and religious people. If you try, like everywhere else, you can ALWAYS find stuff to do here on weekends that don't involve drinking. And I can even guarantee you that you can find a decent sized group of people who will take part in this said non-alcoholic activity with you.

People here are really friendly and open towards one another. It can be a bit cliquey, but it's not THAT cliquey to a point where it's harmful to the social scene.

That is unless you are one of the international Korean students. But even so, it's not like they're going to be a**holes to you and ignore you.

Um, other than that, everyone tends to wear v-necks in the spring and Northface jackets in the fall. So.....yeah.

bernie12 · November 2010

That's Buckhead, so I find it extremely believable. As for the new south, you could be right, perhaps I confused myself, but in generally I think Emory's rise indicates the "results" of the rise of the New South, but the culture of the school/student-body itself seems somewhat removed from the south as a whole. The only time it does truly come is when we host various debates regarding political offices in Atlanta The school differs quite a bit from places like Georgia Tech (screw rankings, the school is very solid. If it wasn't for the rigor, thus, grad. rate and retention, faculty-student ratio, they would be ranked higher. I also consider "selectivity" BS) and UGA. I'm trying to say that Emory has less of a southern feel/culture partially b/c of its student body. I think most of the "success" of elite southern schools such us Rice, Vandy, Duke, etc. is an embodiment of the new south, but the social/political atmosphere inside of the college itself says otherwise. Schools like UVA and Vandy (this is somewhat of a bubble, but not in the sense that it is devoid of the "southern" feel of the area) have such an atmosphere (I personally don't think this is particularly good, but..they just do). Even Tech, which is quite diverse, has a bit more of a southern spirit going on. For this case, I am viewing New South in more limited view. It's what you said (industrialization, economic development, more of a wealth-generator), but with some of the southern attitude/customs/mannerisms/spirit left (not all bad in this case). I think Emory is more or less devoid (okay, technically devoid can't have degree, but let's roll with it) of this latter part (doesn't have but so much spirit at all really), and this can and does have it's advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately, being a more stereotypically southern school and having a meager thing such as a football team could have served Emory well in some aspects since everyone is so worried about prestige and whether people know about us or not (in actuality, being popular has drawbacks for the academics, but let's not go there now), it would help in this category, and thus generate more pride amongst such folks.

icfireball · November 2010

Bernie,

I have to disagree with your assessment of the Druid Hills areas. There's no doubt that Druid Hills is an affluent area, but it is hardly an example of "old money," nor is it notably or ostentatiously wealthy.

Druid Hills has the 13th highest per capital income at $34,829, but this well behind Georgia's #1 location for per capital income, Sandy Springs with $70,504. Buckhead, which neighbors Sandy Springs to the south, is listed by Forbes as the nation's 9th wealthiest zip code.

And for further comparison, there are 62 locations in Illinois, 152 locations in New York, and and 137 locations in California that all have higher per capita incomes than Druid Hills.

I think Druid Hill's wealth is really more indicative of the people who live and work in the Druid Hills area: Emory professors. Many of the professors at any elite, highly-ranked college are going to fit into the upper/upper-middle class income range.

If you're trying to find "old wealth" in Atlanta, I think dgebll has it right Tuxedo Hill, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, etc.

I think we're straying a bit off topic though. The take-away point, I think, is that Atlanta is a very cosmopolitan place, with a lot of diversity, just like any other major U.S. city. Sure there are some cultural differences, but these differences are by no means pervasive. Furthermore, Emory, like any other elite college, is even more cosmopolitan with students and faculty coming from all around the U.S. and the world.

Is Emory a party school?

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