“It’s easier to have a higher [SAT] average with a smaller class size.” (#6)
I’d say it’s harder in that varsity athletes comprise 35-40% of the undergraduate student body at many top smaller schools.
In terms of a directly homogeneous comparison to schools within Emory’s own category, what has definitely been overlooked thus far on this thread is Emory’s overall score of 76. Statistically, this would make an increase to even the 18th position (where the score is 82) challenging.