Emory 1L Taking Q's Forum

[cendien]

Also Emory 1L, so I'll help out if I can as well.

And, if I may, what section Dank?

[lolol10]

whats this i hear about booze being offered all over the place at emory???

[NonTradHealthLaw]

whats this i hear about booze being offered all over the place at emory???

Totally true 10 yrs ago when I went to a grad program. Dank can speak to current trends, but back in my day <old man voice> it felt like 1/4 of my tuition went to random parties at bars that I always seemed to get to 15 minutes after they ran out of drink tickets.

[lolol10]

so what you are saying is that part of your tuition goes to communal alcohol?

[NonTradHealthLaw]

I doubt the bursar would break it down quite like that, but one certainly got to wondering

[Dankwater]

Also Emory 1L, so I'll help out if I can as well.

And, if I may, what section Dank?

What's up? I'm in section F; how about yourself? Feel free to chime in and correct me if I'm wrong!

Totally true 10 yrs ago when I went to a grad program. Dank can speak to current trends, but back in my day <old man voice> it felt like 1/4 of my tuition went to random parties at bars that I always seemed to get to 15 minutes after they ran out of drink tickets.

At least for the law school, that's still pretty much true. Bar review takes place at 4-5 different locations each week with some nice discounts. There's a keg in Barcardi Plaza every Thursday with numerous clubs having parties on Wednesdays and Fridays as well.

Yeah...there's not a lot of beer or anything...

[lolol10]

ah ok thats still kind of cool that they cater to the JD crowd. it adds a little to the appeal of emory for me.

[NonTradHealthLaw]

Dank, did last year's application open really late? Here it is October 12 and they still don't want to take my $70. That's unlike Emory!

[sgtgrumbles]

The question has pretty much been answered here, but I'll still throw in my $0.02.

To give you some context, I come from a town of ~80,000 people that's roughly three hours south of Atlanta. Most of my town and many Georgians outside of Atlanta think that the city fell from the sky after it was ripped out of Long Island. While this characterization is pretty extreme, Atlanta certainly doesn't have a reputation as being a "Southern" city throughout the rest of the Southeast. From my experience, it's pretty much your standard urban center with some remnants of the South scattered here and there. You'll hear people say "y'all", find restaurants serving traditional Southern food, and occasionally hear someone blasting country music. I have yet to see any flying Confederate flags or a shirtless Bubba hanging his severed dear head out of a broken down pick-up. In order to find the whole "took urr jerbs" mentality, you really have to drive fairly far out of the city to much smaller towns, which I think is really more of a rural vs. urban kind of mentality than a Southern vs. Non-Southern thing (but that's another debate for a different day).

If you're used to a large urban setting, you'll definitely be in your element in Atlanta. Although it's comparatively smaller and lacks an adequate mass transit system, the kids from Chicago/NYC/LA feel right at home here, and most of the Northeastern/Midwestern kids prefer the warmer weather. While it's still a large urban area, Atlanta is comparatively cheaper than most urban areas across the country. If you're used to NYC/DC rent and drink prices, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Even though no one asked, I'm also going to throw in some comments about the Emory area. The Emory/Druid Hills area is definitely an awesome place to live and go to law school. The area itself is generally lined with trees and residential houses. Tons of residents in the area rent out their houses to Emory students for very reasonable prices, and being able to walk to class is far better than commuting in Atlanta traffic. You've definitely got everything you need within a 10 minute drive for groceries and the like. As for social life, there's a great array of trendy restaurants, bars, and clubs in the Virginia Highlands area and downtown Decatur that's all within 20 minutes of campus. Emory Law's Bar Review has a different bar/club every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday that's usually very well attended. If you're itching to sport your bullet-proof jacket, you can go downtown or don your "Buckhead uniform" and drive to the upscale Buckhead area that are both fairly close as well.

TL;DR: Atlanta isn't that Southern; It's decently cheap; The neighborhood is cool.

TITCR.

I was born and raised in Candler Park, five minutes from Emory, and I can confirm all of this. Everyone in Georgia who isn't from Atlanta thinks it's a godless liberal cesspool of iniquity. Likewise, we think everything OTP (outside the perimeter of the city) is racist redneck back-country. Atlanta is NOTHING LIKE the stereotypical south. It is very progressive, hip and cosmo/metropolitan. When I arrived in Boston for college, people kept asking me, "why don't you have a southern accent?" Because Atlanta is one of the largest and most diverse urban centers in the country, not the Georgia backwoods. Not a single person at my high school had a southern accent, nor did many people I knew outside of school.

That being said, Emory is still something of a bubble, mostly because it's fairly preppy and many of the students are from far away (mostly northeast, but Cali, too) and thus don't have the same sensibilities as the locals. While we're not hicks, Atlantans definitely have a more laid-back, slow-moving, unbuttoned style than most elite private school populations. I attended BU and NYU and found the same dynamic, though. It's the town vs. gown thing, just in a city rather than a suburban or rural setting. The locals will grumble about the "spoiled college kids" wherever you are, but I have a feeling you'll find Atlanta a much more welcoming environment than Boston or New York City.

[hellojd]

Not to hijack lol, but I was at Emory for undergrad, and I am anything but a preppy southerner, and I perfectly at home in Atlanta. It's really just an awesome city - if you want to be southern, you can. If you like rap music and clubs, well ATL has more than you can count. Anything in between can pretty much be had as well.

To the Emory 1Ls - I know this has sort of been raised before, but I LOVED emory undergrad and would like nothing more than to return for law school. However, the two things that concern me are the sticker price and the job prospects. How were they with you in terms of $$, and as others have asked, how did the class of 2010 fare?

[Grizz]

To the Emory 1Ls - I know this has sort of been raised before, but I LOVED emory undergrad and would like nothing more than to return for law school. However, the two things that concern me are the sticker price and the job prospects. How were they with you in terms of $$, and as others have asked, how did the class of 2010 fare?

That's funny, I hated Emory UG and am very glad I left that hell hole.

[Sandro]

\bh

[mavsman88]

Another 1L to answer any q's. You can look at where else I applied and my numbers in case that helps. http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com/mavsrock

[hellojd]

Thanks for the offers to answer questions.

I went to Emory UG, and loved the city, campus, etc. The main thing that halts me from Emory law is it seems pretty dreary right now in terms of job prospects. What's the general feel like among the students there?

If you wanted to stay in ATL, how're your chances looking to get placed with a good firm?

Hope you guys don't mind answering employment stuff, but the rest of the thread has just been about living in decatur...

[mavsman88]

The job market is definitely a fear with law students, but from what I hear from friends thats common everywhere. The great thing about Emory is the Atlanta market is much less saturated then others. The northeast is full of great schools and that job market is saturated with GW GTown, W&M, W&L, NYU, BU, BC, Harvard, Yale etc all in one small place, but Atlanta and GA for that matter really only have UGA and Emory. The 3Ls are having the hardest time, but its been getting much better, and I've talked to several 3Ls who already have jobs. Career services has also been great, which I had heard was a big weakness coming in, but they've been very helpful and always willing to help. I am pretty sure they are aware of their rep and is doing everything they can to change that. I don't know if that was too vague, but hopefully it gave you some insight.

[BruceWayne]

The question has pretty much been answered here, but I'll still throw in my $0.02.

To give you some context, I come from a town of ~80,000 people that's roughly three hours south of Atlanta. Most of my town and many Georgians outside of Atlanta think that the city fell from the sky after it was ripped out of Long Island. While this characterization is pretty extreme, Atlanta certainly doesn't have a reputation as being a "Southern" city throughout the rest of the Southeast. From my experience, it's pretty much your standard urban center with some remnants of the South scattered here and there. You'll hear people say "y'all", find restaurants serving traditional Southern food, and occasionally hear someone blasting country music. I have yet to see any flying Confederate flags or a shirtless Bubba hanging his severed dear head out of a broken down pick-up. In order to find the whole "took urr jerbs" mentality, you really have to drive fairly far out of the city to much smaller towns, which I think is really more of a rural vs. urban kind of mentality than a Southern vs. Non-Southern thing (but that's another debate for a different day).

If you're used to a large urban setting, you'll definitely be in your element in Atlanta. Although it's comparatively smaller and lacks an adequate mass transit system, the kids from Chicago/NYC/LA feel right at home here, and most of the Northeastern/Midwestern kids prefer the warmer weather. While it's still a large urban area, Atlanta is comparatively cheaper than most urban areas across the country. If you're used to NYC/DC rent and drink prices, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Even though no one asked, I'm also going to throw in some comments about the Emory area. The Emory/Druid Hills area is definitely an awesome place to live and go to law school. The area itself is generally lined with trees and residential houses. Tons of residents in the area rent out their houses to Emory students for very reasonable prices, and being able to walk to class is far better than commuting in Atlanta traffic. You've definitely got everything you need within a 10 minute drive for groceries and the like. As for social life, there's a great array of trendy restaurants, bars, and clubs in the Virginia Highlands area and downtown Decatur that's all within 20 minutes of campus. Emory Law's Bar Review has a different bar/club every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday that's usually very well attended. If you're itching to sport your bullet-proof jacket, you can go downtown or don your "Buckhead uniform" and drive to the upscale Buckhead area that are both fairly close as well.

TL;DR: Atlanta isn't that Southern; It's decently cheap; The neighborhood is cool.

TITCR.

I was born and raised in Candler Park, five minutes from Emory, and I can confirm all of this. Everyone in Georgia who isn't from Atlanta thinks it's a godless liberal cesspool of iniquity. Likewise, we think everything OTP (outside the perimeter of the city) is racist redneck back-country. Atlanta is NOTHING LIKE the stereotypical south. It is very progressive, hip and cosmo/metropolitan. When I arrived in Boston for college, people kept asking me, "why don't you have a southern accent?" Because Atlanta is one of the largest and most diverse urban centers in the country, not the Georgia backwoods. Not a single person at my high school had a southern accent, nor did many people I knew outside of school.

That being said, Emory is still something of a bubble, mostly because it's fairly preppy and many of the students are from far away (mostly northeast, but Cali, too) and thus don't have the same sensibilities as the locals. While we're not hicks, Atlantans definitely have a more laid-back, slow-moving, unbuttoned style than most elite private school populations. I attended BU and NYU and found the same dynamic, though. It's the town vs. gown thing, just in a city rather than a suburban or rural setting. The locals will grumble about the "spoiled college kids" wherever you are, but I have a feeling you'll find Atlanta a much more welcoming environment than Boston or New York City.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, Atlanta is quite Southern, it's just that what most non Southerners think of as Southern is really rural--not Southern per say.