Emory University

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Political Science
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Male

Summary

I am part of Model U.N. and I’m in a fraternity.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: I’ve always lived abroad. I graduated from a private international school with an American curriculum in Honduras with a graduating class of 13 students. There was a culture of going to college in the United States.
First-Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Political Science
Minor: None

Extracurricular Activities: I am part of Model U.N. and I’m in a fraternity.
What impact has Model U.N had on your experience?
I joined it last semester so it’s a bit early to say it’s had any lasting impact. I’ve been able to make more social connections through the club and it’s helped me learn to manage my time better because it is a bit of a work commitment and we have to travel. This past weekend I was at the University of Chicago for a conference and that was my first experience representing Emory outside of Atlanta.

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
It’s a lot of reading and I have a handful of exams and papers that make up most of my grade. The week-to-week coursework is very reading-heavy.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
It hires and holds on to very knowledgeable and well-respected employees. In terms of poorly, perhaps having very large introductory courses. So far, I’ve only taken introductory classes and they’ve all been in very large lecture halls. I personally don’t mind them, but I can see a student who prefers a smaller setting taking issue with that.
How would you describe the learning environment? Is it particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s conducive of creating students who are interested in the topic at hand, which can make it both competitive and collaborative.
How accessible are your professors?
I personally haven’t needed to reach out to them all that much, but when I have needed to, they’ve been fairly accessible. It’s just a matter of going into their office hours or scheduling an appointment with them. They’re down to earth people and are approachable from what I’ve experienced so far.
Do you think people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes, I would say so. I haven’t come across too many people who are caught in their own echo-chamber of beliefs. I’ve been able to discuss politics with people I know, whether they’re Political Science majors or not, and I’ve heard a variety of different opinions from different sides of the political spectrum and people who agree or disagree with certain policies. Because of the conversations I’ve had more so outside of the classroom, I would say that people are open to different schools of thought.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Were there any resources in place that helped you?
I didn’t have an entirely smooth transition from high school academic life to college academic life and there are plenty of resources. There is a mandatory one-credit course called PACE 101, which is a one hour a week class that is designed to give adequate resources on how to be better students. But, I found a lot of the material to be redundant because it seemed to be very focused on common sense teaching, teamwork building, and value learning rather than practical information like where buildings are located or how grades are calculated. It was more about building your identity as a freshman than giving hands-on tools. That’s a complaint I have about the resources for freshmen.
Why did you pick your major?
I first envisioned myself as an Environmental Science major but picked Political Science because of my upbringing living abroad, I wanted to continue that by working in diplomacy. I figured that I should probably go to law school to do that and Political Science is a good place to start before going down the policy route.

Reasons to Attend

1) Emory’s location is very, very good. It has a traditional campus but is in a major city. It has the perfect balance.
2) Emory is becoming a well-renowned and prestigious university. Your degree will be pretty valuable as far as name recognition and career prospects are concerned.
3) The quality of education and extracurriculars is very high. There are great professors and many different clubs and organizations to get involved with.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) Emory is expensive. It might be a stress on yourself or your parents or leave you in debt after you graduate. [Total fees for 2019-2020 are $72,604.]
2) It’s on the small side. If you want to be able to get lost in the numbers, Emory is not what you’re looking for.

Around Campus

Where have you lived during college?
Freshman: Longstreet in a suite with two shared rooms and a shared bathroom. I have one other roommate.
How was transitioning from Honduras to Atlanta, GA?
It’s a big change. I’m relatively familiar with American culture, so that part of it was fine. I was ready to start fresh somewhere new and like the city of Atlanta. Living in the U.S. comes with a lot of small conveniences that most people take for granted that I appreciate, like being able to drink the tap water.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I haven’t run into any issues regarding safety, so it’s been completely safe for me. We have a safety department and we have a number of different safety measures in place like the blue light system and a SafeRide service. I don’t have any complaints about how Emory manages security.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Emory?
I’m in a fraternity so I’m pretty much guaranteed to have something going on every weekend. On a typical weekend, there’s something going on that’s fraternity-related either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. If not, there’s a bar that’s popular with students that people go to that. Also, people will go downtown sometimes, although that happens less often.
What’s the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
I joined my fraternity this semester, as most freshmen who want to join do. Since Emory is a small school relative to the big state schools around, I’d say Greek life drives the social scene. There isn’t much else to offer as far as nightlife other than Greek life, so it’s the driving force behind it.
How exclusive are the Greek life parties?
It depends. During the fall, there are open parties where there is an invite list but then other people who show up it’s at the fraternity members’ discretion whether or not to let them in. Those are the largest events. There are also mixers, which are exclusively between a fraternity and a sorority, and date parties.
How happy are you with the nightlife at Emory? Is there anything you would change?
I’m very satisfied with them. Looking back at the fall semester when I wasn’t involved in Greek life compared to this semester, I’m having much more fun as far as social activities.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
A lot of the people I rushed with in my fraternity I was friends with beforehand whether it be through mutual friends, taking classes together, or just running into people in common places like the dining hall. But, I’ve become a lot closer to them through the Greek life process.
How would you describe the overall social scene at Emory?
Since Emory doesn’t have Division I sports, there isn’t a ton of school spirit, so the social scene is a bit more low-key and subtle, which I appreciate. I can see how some students may want a larger social scene because there aren’t a ton of people here and you run into the same people a lot. Overall, I’ve had a positive experience and have a good group of people I’ve met.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
As far as sexual orientations, I don’t have as much data per se because it can’t be overtly seen, but the people who I know who are [not straight], they do tend to find friends who identify differently. I haven’t come into any cases in which people haven’t been inclusive of somebody because of their orientation or identity. As far as race is concerned, I would say that socially there is a good mix within friend groups and the Emory community.
To what extent do international students mix with domestic students?
One thing that I will say is that people who are non-White and American tend to get along well with White Americans, but people who are international students and non-white tend to self-segregate and become friends with other people who are international. For example, there is a large Chinese population that tends to spend a lot of time together.
How would you describe the student body?
In terms of personality, I think it’s relatively diverse. I don’t think there’s a single personality type that dominates Emory. There is a good mix of people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and that correlates well with personality. Because of that diversity, I think there is more variety in personality types here. [Socioeconomically, 36% of students come from the top 5% and 6% come from the bottom 20%.]
How do you like the size of Emory in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has that impacted your experience? [There are about 8,100 undergraduates.]
I came into Emory thinking that it would be larger than it is. Now that I’ve had time to meet a lot of people, Emory feels slightly small for my liking, which isn’t a huge drawback.
Were there any parts of Emory or American university overall that surprised you when you arrived on campus?
There are subtle qualities and mannerisms about American culture that I’ve found interesting, like not using the metric system. Another thing is it’s been difficult for me is to work traditional jobs, like working as a waiter, because most of my friends have already had those jobs and I don’t have that experience from living abroad because it didn’t make sense for a number of reasons.

Careers

What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I went to the career office for help improving my resume and cover letter, and that was very helpful. The person I worked with also gave me interview tips.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that have been or will be especially helpful professionally?
I’ve been learning R through my statistics class.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy are they to work with?
Yes, I am currently receiving financial aid. I think I might be a special case because I’m American but living abroad, so it’s more difficult for my parents and me to fill out financial aid information. When we have reached out to the school for clarifying questions concerning documents, they have been very helpful and very friendly. But, the financial aid office as a whole is not the most user-friendly. There’s a lot of paperwork to get through and it’s not always presented in the most straightforward format.