<p>I’d like to know more about the academic atmosphere at Emory. My impression is that is generally a school chosen by fairly academically minded students, but how stressful is it to be a student at Emory. Of course it will be different for different majors, but how would you describe the overall atmosphere?<br>
Also, do you think the students tend to be more cut throat or collaborative? Is Emory known for any grade inflation or grade deflation?</p>
<p>search function</p>
<p>Most schools inflate grades, even top schools.</p>
<p>My son graduated from Emory in 2007, but I doubt the school has changed much. </p>
<p>Academically, everyone is smart. Everyone works hard…sometimes a few first semester students take their new freedom a bit too much to heart, and it comes back to bite them–and then they settle down. My son’s experience (and my DIL’s–they met at Emory!–is that everyone cares about their grades, but not in a cut throat way.</p>
<p>However, there is one thing to consider. I have told this story on CC before. When we attended the matriculation for my son and his class, the president of Emory asked all of the new students who were in the top 10% of their high school class to stand up. Almost all of the students present stood up. He then stated…that for a certainty, 90% of the students present in the auditorium would not be graduating in the top 10% of their class four years hence.</p>
<p>This goes by way of saying that a lot of the pressure at Emory–and at a lot of top schools–is pressure the students put on themselves. For the most part, students at Emory are used to doing well in school, and expect themselves to continue to do well in school. For some students that first C–or even that first B-- really shakes their self confidence. If a student has always been the dominant fish in the academic pond, it can be a tough adjustment to being in such a tough peer group.</p>
<p>Yeah, boysx3, that loss of confidence would go for most schools, but being surrounded by academically inclined people (as will happen at any top school) will encourage students to work harder than being surrounded by high school kids of all academic levels.</p>
<p>esi–</p>
<p>you are right that being around academically inclined people encourages good study habits. It certainly does. But the loss of confidence can come when one student truly, truly works their hardest…and finds that in this particular swimming pool, it’s still not good enough for the top grade.</p>
<p>You might write a fabulous research paper or great answers on an exam… but the professor has also have just read the super fabulous paper written by one of your classmates, or the exam answer that showed an extra level of insight…and so you get the B+ or the B, despite your best efforts. As Dr. Chace said at that matriculation, all of the students are there to do their very best, but no matter what, 90% of them will not finish in the top 10%.</p>
<p>For some students, they will do fine, stretching themselves and working hard with students who are at least as academically talented as they are. They rise to the challenge and thrive on it. </p>
<p>But there will also be those students who cannot cope with not being at the very tippy top of the top.</p>
<p>boysx3: The latter set (inability to cope) of students you mention sometimes resort to some “interesting” behavior and it’s not necessarily partying, drinking, and drugs, but things that are frowned upon academically that aren’t necessarily at the level of cheating. Often it’s action that reflects a desperation to get that “A” that they feel they deserve. It’s kind of sad, students should enjoy life and learning and avoid letting this stuff get to them. I unfortunately have had to witness this too many times, even among those who I would consider very solid students. I guess being in an environment where everyone primarily talks about the result of a class being their grade and not “what happened” or how much they enjoyed it, in addition to students treating an “A” as the purpose of taking a course (as well as acting as if it should be easy to get in all cases if one merely follows the rules and “works hard”. This is probably why many students here avoid classes that do not have a clear cut path or set of rules to follow/things to do to get that A. The less guidance by the prof., the more risk associated) can get some of those who don’t necessarily always get an A after working hard, down (especially goes for people like valedictorians/salutatorians…) because they feel as if they aren’t good enough, doing something wrong, or are being screwed over. With this said, some folks need to just toughen up. I feel Emory doesn’t encourage this as well as other top schools. It seems to make acting weak or “feeling screwed over” permissible. Professors and relevant portions of the administration are often too responsive to students being displeased with their grades and when students hit that one prof. or administrator who can care less, they misbehave.</p>
<p>I’ve just finished my first semester at Emory. I took a freshman seminar, anthro 201, intro philosophy, and gen chem 141. Managed a 3.775 GPA.</p>
<p>Honestly, I’d say that Emory is definitely more on the collaborative side versus cut-throat when it comes to competition among the students. Stress is as anyone should expect it to be at a top university; everyone here is used to getting As so when they aren’t, they naturally stress themselves out trying to get them. The first year can be tough for premeds because gen chem and gen bio are definitely weed out courses…I luckily managed an A- in gen chem (mulford) and that was through A LOT of work. I know quite a few people that have come out with a bad grade in the class or had dropped it earlier and are forced to reconsider their career paths. Something like that really jolts students at Emory who have been considered “smart” for most of their lives. It’s certainly stressful at Emory, but it’s self-inflicted. I’ve wanted to be a physician since I was like 12 so I have buckets of motivation to get me as close to a 4.0 as possible. So the stress is personal, but the fact that we’re surrounded by smart people obviously influences it. </p>
<p>I don’t really know the pure definition of grade inflation/deflation but I know there were no curves in my gen chem class and exam averages were around 76 for all three exams (i’m pretty sure the final was significantly lower). I’m pretty sure Emory profs are known for giving grades as they are…except business school classes which I believe run on many curves.</p>
<p>Maani: You will have your chance to experience inflation, trust me. My freshman classes (except biology) usually did assign grades as they were, but when you got beyond freshman year courses , many courses did some sketch things w/the grades (this is understood for classes w/low averages like orgo. which I took as a freshman and sometimes biochem, but ones that already had B-/B averages before adjustment like many upperdivision bio and NBB courses…). Stressing makes sense, but fear of being challenged and a constant unwarranted worry does not make sense if a student is actually trying the hardest they can. I’m sure you must notice this in a lot of your peers. I think they often need encouragement that says, “getting a B+/A- is not the end of the world” and a mix of tough love that says, “If you want that A grade, even though you are working hard already, maybe you also try X to become more efficient or engaged in the work”. </p>
<p>Anyway: what’s your prospective major? Also, glad to hear you did well. Hopefully you will become among the many exemplary pre-med students at Emory who may stress themselves out sometimes, but don’t really fear much. You seem to be on the way. And maani, don’t say things like “I luckily ended up X grade” unless there is a curve. You definitely deserved it and you earned it. To get an A- in there, you had to have had a lot of control over your performance. Gen. chem was not easy last semester from what I heard.</p>