<p>@aluminum_boat - That’s basically my synopsis
@dotori : Please do not worry about it, you are in the b-school. Take advantage of the social events, networking, and comraderie you get there if you need the feel of traditional school spirit (as opposed to the slight quirkiness associated with the college) you like. Also, there is Greeklife that is pretty standard at every school so that is an option. But seriously, try to take advantage of the academic opportunities Emory has, especially if you are into business or entrepreneurship. At this point, I am pretty sure we are having more success and interesting things happening at the undergrad. level than many other schools including them. </p>
<p>And yes, if the traditional spirit is still what you are most concerned about, then Vanderbilt may have been the better fit (I suppose you could have done something through peabody), but regardless, if you are getting a BBA or anything, you’ll hardly regret being at Emory despite what may be more academic intensity than Peabody (I heard Peabody is a pretty laid back unit at the UG level academically whereas our b-school, not so much…). Also, I am not talking about “academic drive”, the students at Vanderbilt AND Emory both have that, but I believe the environments at each facilitate different orientations toward the academic and socialization balance such that more Emory students are more likely to exploit or explore the academic elements at a deeper level.<br>
Also, things such as honors requirements (like students cannot get honors in Emory College by just obtaining a high GPA. You can in the business school though, but the business school also has other intellectual activities such as case and business plan competitions that are great for networking and developing an innovative spirit. Vanderbilt does not host a hack-a-thon yet. Emory does despite not having an engineering school. They also do not have undergrad. case competitions…) departmental and school wide awards/recognition also cause a different sort of achievement orientation (academic “drive” could often mean is serious about academics for the sake of doing well as many people are). If one school has most departments awarding top departmental awards based upon GPA and the other having it as some mixture of academic achievement through grades, writing/other intellectual works (such as a thesis), and the like (maybe taking certain level courses), there will be a different vibe on the latter campus as opposed to the other. </p>
<p>I am saying that you should take advantage of that difference that Emory has versus them while also realizing that the business school offers better social opportunities for those who really, really like that sort of thing as well. As for my concern, it’s legitimate. Some students come in with this bitterness of Emory not having football or a big D-1 sports scene or the type of spirit generated from that thing, and while they maintain their academic “drive” (ability to care about their courses to some extent), they usually are not the people taking full advantage of those sorts of opportunities (whether they be formal academic opportunities or the more “on the spot” things like participating in hack-a-thons, case competitions, or competing for grants from the sustainability office, whatever). Basically, they were almost blinded by the fact that there isn’t D-1 level “rah rah”. Don’t be, we offer so much more and overall the place is pretty fun (SPC does a pretty good job with events and concerts and again, the b-school hosts many of its own events). So again, I think once you get here and engage in all of the stuff, you will indeed get over it. There is quite a bit going on at Emory lately for you to get involved in or excited about. Emory is literally very much about being involved in things and less about cheering for a team or boosting the school unrelentingly. </p>