WashU and Emory

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Np- thanks for all the helpful responses. My dd is also considering ed2 to both emory and washu at the rec of her school counselor. She actually thought washu campus was nicer but thinks kids may be 'happier' at emory...whatever that means. She's a city kid, so we're less concerned about safety. She's more focused on the student social experience. Are sororities active at both? Anyone with experience on that issue? Also, more flight options to Atlanta vs st Louis. Should that be a consideration? Thanks

Neither of these schools are known for their social scene, it’s actually the opposite. I would not ED to either unless they are a good “fit”. Flight frequency shouldn’t be a consideration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

Have you visited? It just a very quiet place, given its student population. And even most D3 schools have a sport like football, hockey or lacrosse that drives some spectator interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

Have you visited? It just a very quiet place, given its student population. And even most D3 schools have a sport like football, hockey or lacrosse that drives some spectator interest.

Except they don't really. Even football has scant attendance...if maybe 10% of the school even knows a sporting event is taking place that's a win.

You don't pick any D3 school if you are interested in school spirit.

[Anonymous]

WashU parent. DC has had a great experience and made great friends. For me the best part of the school is its flexibility. DC changed majors 3 times and had no problem fitting in a double major and minor. Explored lots of classes. Some friends transferred into the business school and one easily transferred into the engineering school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

Have you visited? It just a very quiet place, given its student population. And even most D3 schools have a sport like football, hockey or lacrosse that drives some spectator interest.

Yes i have, it's a school full of type B personalities. They seem to like it that way. They have wonderful Wednesdays, and carnivals all the time. And again Atlanta is a club city with plenty of 18+ clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

Have you visited? It just a very quiet place, given its student population. And even most D3 schools have a sport like football, hockey or lacrosse that drives some spectator interest.

Yes i have, it's a school full of type B personalities. They seem to like it that way. They have wonderful Wednesdays, and carnivals all the time. And again Atlanta is a club city with plenty of 18+ clubs.

I don’t doubt that it suits most of the kids who go there, it just isn’t a great fit for a kid looking for a work hard play hard rah rah experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

Have you visited? It just a very quiet place, given its student population. And even most D3 schools have a sport like football, hockey or lacrosse that drives some spectator interest.

Yes i have, it's a school full of type B personalities. They seem to like it that way. They have wonderful Wednesdays, and carnivals all the time. And again Atlanta is a club city with plenty of 18+ clubs.

Wonderful Wednesday is what turned my kids off, it’s just a bunch of food trucks/farmers market. At most other schools, that’s just Wednesday and not considered an “event”. It’s definitely for kids who want a quieter type of “fun.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory has a very international student body- tons of cultural events hosted by different student groups.

That’s true, Emory has one of the highest percentages of international students of any top university. That, in part, is also why it it’s perceived to be less fun, and not a college with a lot of school spirit. I’m sure some kids see it as a positive as well.

It was ranked best quality of life by Princeton review for what that's worth.

Honestly, I don't know of any D3 school that has much school spirit. That's a D1 thing and even then Power 4 D1.

This! I truly don't get why Emory seems to get the brunt of the "no schools spirit" discourse. Yet other similar schools and LACs don't.

Have you visited? It just a very quiet place, given its student population. And even most D3 schools have a sport like football, hockey or lacrosse that drives some spectator interest.

Yes i have, it's a school full of type B personalities. They seem to like it that way. They have wonderful Wednesdays, and carnivals all the time. And again Atlanta is a club city with plenty of 18+ clubs.

I don’t doubt that it suits most of the kids who go there, it just isn’t a great fit for a kid looking for a work hard play hard rah rah experience.

Neither is WashU…so not sure the point of the comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Np- thanks for all the helpful responses. My dd is also considering ed2 to both emory and washu at the rec of her school counselor. She actually thought washu campus was nicer but thinks kids may be 'happier' at emory...whatever that means. She's a city kid, so we're less concerned about safety. She's more focused on the student social experience. Are sororities active at both? Anyone with experience on that issue? Also, more flight options to Atlanta vs st Louis. Should that be a consideration? Thanks

I'm the WashU parent who posted about campus safety. DD is in a sorority at WashU and enjoys it, but it's fairly low-key. The sororities don't have houses, but do have designated meeting rooms on campus. They participate in all the standard sorority things, including philanthropy events and social activities.

In 2020-21, there was a BIG push to abolish greek life at WashU and several sororities did leave campus, but those that remain are all very strong nationally. You could not go wrong with joining any of them, especially thinking ahead to alumnae activities and connections post-grad.

I do believe one sorority was suspended for some sort of antics last year, but DD’s sorority does not haze and has been good for her overall.

Fraternities seem to be much more of a “thing” on campus and have designated dorms where the students live. Each dorm has greek letters on the outside. The frats have parties.

One could easily have a wonderful experience at WashU and not be part of greek life. If a student wants something closer to an SEC greek-life experience, then WashU is definitely not that, from what I can tell.

DD has never had a problem getting flights out of STL Lambert. Last year, one of her roommates was from a far-flung place and decided not to go home at Thanksgiving because it would take too long/cost too much to fly home. But WashU only has a Wed.-Fri. Thanksgiving break (which is odd, IMHO) so it’s not unusual for a student to stay on-campus. They have plenty of opportunities to celebrate Thanksgiving with faculty or local families (back to the part about everyone being so nice).

DD is a social person and people seem to gravitate toward her, but she is also focused on academics, so WashU is a good fit. When she applied to colleges, DD was a National Merit Semi-Finalist and had several free or reduced-tuition options at several SEC schools. However, that is not her vibe. She didn’t even want to attend our state flagship. So “social” is a relative thing. If a student wants more of a “Bama” experience, then WashU is not that.

Anecdotally, the daughter of a close friend is applying to Emory this year as a business major. She is a top student at her high school who did lots of research on colleges, based on what she wants out of one. She reminds me a lot of DD. I don’t think a student could go wrong with either Emory or WashU, assuming they spend time really thinking about what they want from the college experience and those schools align with their goals.

I hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Np- thanks for all the helpful responses. My dd is also considering ed2 to both emory and washu at the rec of her school counselor. She actually thought washu campus was nicer but thinks kids may be 'happier' at emory...whatever that means. She's a city kid, so we're less concerned about safety. She's more focused on the student social experience. Are sororities active at both? Anyone with experience on that issue? Also, more flight options to Atlanta vs st Louis. Should that be a consideration? Thanks

I'm the WashU parent who posted about campus safety. DD is in a sorority at WashU and enjoys it, but it's fairly low-key. The sororities don't have houses, but do have designated meeting rooms on campus. They participate in all the standard sorority things, including philanthropy events and social activities.

…

DD is a social person and people seem to gravitate toward her, but she is also focused on academics, so WashU is a good fit. When she applied to colleges, DD was a National Merit Semi-Finalist and had several free or reduced-tuition options at several SEC schools. However, that is not her vibe. She didn’t even want to attend our state flagship. So “social” is a relative thing. If a student wants more of a “Bama” experience, then WashU is not that.

Anecdotally, the daughter of a close friend is applying to Emory this year as a business major. She is a top student at her high school who did lots of research on colleges, based on what she wants out of one. She reminds me a lot of DD. I don’t think a student could go wrong with either Emory or WashU, assuming they spend time really thinking about what they want from the college experience and those schools align with their goals.

I’m an alum who loved Wash. U. In parent times, I saw plenty of hard partying.

If a student wanted Wash. U-level academics with a more tailgate parties, maybe the best options would be UVa., UNC or an honors program at a place like Rutgers. The freshman classes might be bigger, but the professors would be the same types of professors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Np- thanks for all the helpful responses. My dd is also considering ed2 to both emory and washu at the rec of her school counselor. She actually thought washu campus was nicer but thinks kids may be 'happier' at emory...whatever that means. She's a city kid, so we're less concerned about safety. She's more focused on the student social experience. Are sororities active at both? Anyone with experience on that issue? Also, more flight options to Atlanta vs st Louis. Should that be a consideration? Thanks

I'm the WashU parent who posted about campus safety. DD is in a sorority at WashU and enjoys it, but it's fairly low-key. The sororities don't have houses, but do have designated meeting rooms on campus. They participate in all the standard sorority things, including philanthropy events and social activities.

…

DD is a social person and people seem to gravitate toward her, but she is also focused on academics, so WashU is a good fit. When she applied to colleges, DD was a National Merit Semi-Finalist and had several free or reduced-tuition options at several SEC schools. However, that is not her vibe. She didn’t even want to attend our state flagship. So “social” is a relative thing. If a student wants more of a “Bama” experience, then WashU is not that.

Anecdotally, the daughter of a close friend is applying to Emory this year as a business major. She is a top student at her high school who did lots of research on colleges, based on what she wants out of one. She reminds me a lot of DD. I don’t think a student could go wrong with either Emory or WashU, assuming they spend time really thinking about what they want from the college experience and those schools align with their goals.

I’m an alum who loved Wash. U. In parent times, I saw plenty of hard partying.

If a student wanted Wash. U-level academics with a more tailgate parties, maybe the best options would be UVa., UNC or an honors program at a place like Rutgers. The freshman classes might be bigger, but the professors would be the same types of professors.

WashU-level academics but more social would be ND or Vandy

[Anonymous]

Thanks, all! I was half expecting a pile-on of St Louis is Dangerous etc type comments - it is a relief to hear about so many good experiences!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a college sophomore with friends at both schools. I think your daughter’s perception is on point.
There are schools that she can go to that are strong academically but much more fun.

Like what?

With varying degree of acceptance difficulty:
Duke, UNC, UVA, Michigan, Wisconsin, Vandy, BC, Wake, Richmond, UCLA, UCSB, Notre Dame, Miami, Tulane

Forgot USC

And add SMU as a safety as their football is now power 4 and it’s a fun campus