<p>Does Emory University have any freshman-only opportunities? Like some schools have a small group community service program to help freshman get to know each other, does Emory offer anything like this? Or any special freshman-only classes? Freshman-advisor? Thanks so much, I cant find any of this on their website.</p>
<p>Emory has many great freshman programs! Your first few days at Emory will be spent with your orientation group, which is a small group of 20ish students, which is a great way to meet fellow freshmen! There are also Outdoor Emory Orientation trips the week prior to school starting in August, which is another great way to have a fun experience and meet other freshmen before move-in day! All freshmen are required to take a freshmen seminar class, which is capped at 16 freshmen and can be focused on anything from Greek tragedies to Clowning! They’re extremely interesting classes because the professor gets to choose one of their favorite subjects in their discipline and teach in depth about it for an entire semester! Additionally, there are many classes which are reserved solely for freshmen. And throughout the semester there are many special freshmen events, such a semi-formal at the Fernbank Museum and Jimmy Carter’s annual address to the freshman class. You won’t have any trouble getting to know your peers at Emory!</p>
<p>Oh–and each freshman is assigned a faculty advisor to help you decide on courses and get settled in on campus!</p>
<p>In addition, several of the freshmen dorms are “communities” built around shared common interests.
You do have to write an essay on the community interest, but it is a way of avoiding a random dorm assignment …</p>
<p>I don’t know about the concept of these communities and I take huge issue with the concepts and the way they are executed (I think they have great potential and intent however). It is actually difficult to build such communities to be honest. People will right just about anything pandering to the dorm’s initiative to get nice housing as opposed to Harris, McTrimble, or Dobbs. Fortunately I can say that I see the global cultures vibe going on at Longstreet, but this is really only by chance. I’m pretty sure that most people did not write the essay because they were truly really big on “functional” (as opposed to extremely high self-segregation, but a bunch of ethnicities living amongst each other) diversity. It seems rare or at least hit or miss for a dorm to actually live up to its theme. I wish the other dorms lived up to expectations. Most of the students in Fevans for example seem to hardly be involved in sustainability efforts by desire and I don’t even know what Turman’s citizenship theme is about. Not to mention, I am trying to figure out how the hell we are going to make the new dorm oriented toward creativity and innovation when that is not the bulk of the students we attract. How can we facilitate making such a community successful or even realistic? I would be down for members of such a dorm building a random robot or playing music on the freshman green or putting on a random theatrical show for the sake of doing so, but again, we rarely get a multitude of types willing to do this at random without incentive. You’d have to attract students dedicated to such things beyond the dedication simply needed to write a good (but perhaps canned) essay about “creativity” so that they can get nice accommodations. I suppose it would be softcore creativity theme like encouragement to attend performing arts events and go to the museum and things like that, instead of things actively encouraging members of Hamilton to participate creative processes themselves (as in outside of really formal events). I suppose it would be cool if it was large enough to have a common room (like Longstreet’s lobby with the fireplace) that had a stage like set up (students can randomly play music or even start a band. Lobby can become a lounge and others can watch them perform). Or perhaps the dorm can have its own film competition (Hamilton Film Fest or something. I’m actually down for incentivizing something like this. Not only this, but a freshman film fest can develop, so this can also expand to other frosh dorms and maybe they can compete. Choose the best from each and pit them against each other). Something interesting. Just wish the idea of these communities can incorporate a more student focused component encouraging the theme to manifest itself rather organically. I feel as if a better job needs to be done to build community within and between the freshmen dorms and there are many ways to facilitate this in my opinion.</p>
<p>So Bernie, is it decided that the theme for Hamilton Holmes will be creativity? Are you saying that this is theatrical and not scientific? Just wondering.</p>
<p>No, it will be creativity and innovation apparently, but no specific details have really been reveal. Actually perhaps one was. I was only speculating to how it will “actually” play out. Here is an article in The Wheel on housing changes that mentions it:
[ResLife</a> Reveals Upcoming Changes for Campus Halls | The Emory Wheel](<a href=“http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=30480]ResLife”>http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=30480)</p>
<p>I will have graduated, but I’ll be curious to hear from friends whether or no it does end up living up to its theme and having something interesting to offer or spearhead. I feel like this a good theme to both give a freshman dorm a distinct character (which is kind of lacking among the newer dorms) and also unite the others and slowly make Emory a place more conducive to spontaneous displays of creativity and innovation starting freshman year. I think the fact that the university now finds such initiatives important is at least a step in the right direction. Now it just comes down to implementation.</p>