Marie Kondo would love Emory’s beautiful, resort-like Atlanta campus. On the pink and gray marbled surface, there’s little of the academic “clutter” you might see at other top universities: think posted fliers promoting interesting speakers coming to campus, student club meetings, upcoming study abroad opportunities; or plans for student protests. Instead, the campus feels serene and quiet, the students smart and serious. Our tour guide, a senior Quantitative Sciences and Psychology double major from Houston, says, “Emory isn't a big protest school. We like to discuss issues in class.” You get the sense that the joyful messiness of learning is there, it’s just tucked away neatly in a closed drawer.

Students enter Emory without choosing a major. The Pre-Major Advising Connections (PACE) program actively works to help them figure out their academic path up until the end of sophomore year. Not surprisingly, with Emory Health Center right on campus, the university attracts many pre-med, pre-health and nursing students. Students say pre-law is also common. Our tour guide explains the Career Services at Emory is lifelong, and that after freshman year, all students are designated as alumni, so they have access to the alumni directory for networking purposes. He credited a “Resumania” event, which brings in corporate guests as resume reviewers, with helping him to tweak his resume and land a healthcare consulting job in Chicago after graduation

Two Pathways to an Emory Degree

Emory is unique in that it offers students two options for residential living for the first two years. On the Common Application, you can pick one or both options. 

Oxford at Emory – If you want a cozier, liberal arts college environment (about 1,000 total students) in a small town, you can choose to spend your freshman and sophomore year here. Classes on this campus offer the same rigor and appeal to students who prefer smaller class sizes and an undergraduate-only focus. Admissions criteria are the same as for the main campus and students move to the main campus after sophomore year.

Main Campus – With about 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Emory’s main campus gives students a medium-sized liberal arts college experience in a large city environment (although the campus itself is located in a residential section of the city)

6 Fun Facts About Emory

1. The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are nationally ranked; the pool is enormous

2.  There’s a gender-neutral floor in one of the dorms

3. Coca-Cola President Robert W. Woodruff failed out of Emory after his freshman year but didn’t harbor any hard feelings. He went on to become CEO of Coca-Cola and a philanthropist who donated A LOT of money to the university—hence the Robert W. Woodruff Library and the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

4. On Wonderful Wednesdays (every Wednesday), the entire campus celebrates from 2-5 pm with free food, t-shirt giveaways, and fun activities.

5.  A kosher meal plan is available. And gluten-free as well as vegan options are available at each meal.

6.  Students can get certified as EMTs for no cost if they commit to provide free service to Emory students