Emerson College

Date: Mar 21 2008
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
i'm going to start off by saying that i love emerson.

but i'm putting this review in the neutral section, because i think being neutral is more credible (and because i think there are some things about this school i don't like, but as a whole, i like the school).

first, let me say that i am a wlp bfa major. in my opinion, if you are artistic—film, performing arts, or writing—you will thrive here. you will have so many opportunities for your career and education. the classes i've taken so far, i've loved. i've had professors with great personalities and amazing syllabi. my american women writers class with shannon derby is amazing if you love to read (which you should if you are a writing major). my research writing class (mandatory for all frosh) with kim liao was unique and fun. even the general education requirement classes i've taken were bearable, and i was able to use the info i learned from them in other classes. i took a workshop in my FIRST YEAR.

social life—i'll admit, i'm not a big partier. but if you want to go out, there are places to go, you just have t travel off campus and usually take a cab back. so whatever. but what i like about emerson is that it's cool if you in fact don't like to party. the general idea of emerson students is that they are all "weird" or "socially off." no no no no. these are stereotypes. of course, my friends and i joke about the lack of normal people at emerson. but my friends are all down-to-earth people who like to have fun but also know when it's time to work.

extracurriculars here are great. there are sooo many publications. for a writer, i really enjoy working on different editorial staffs. get involved and you WILL have fun here. an anomaly, i also play SOCCER at emerson. YES, WE DO HAVE SPORTS. AND SURPRISE!!! WE ARE ACTUALLY GOOD!! For an artsy school, emerson has GREAT athletic programs. it's a shame that most of the student body doesn't recognize its teams. we play in the admittedly lackluster GNAC conference, but we also rule it. the women's soccer team went to the GNAC finals, as did the men's basketball team. both lost, but are promising every year—BUT the softball team actually won the conference and has been to the NCAA tournament. i've been to games for most of the sports, and they are fun to watch. there is a small group of students who goes to every game, which makes it intimate, but also feels like you are a part of something. (also the sports teams throw the best parties).

MY ONE HUGE COMPLAINT ABOUT EMERSON????? HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE!!!! this is not to say that the dorms suck. they are great. prow and the lb each have their advantages. BUT THE HOUSING OFFICE SUCKS. in general, the process for housing is horrible. i was just screwed AGAIN out of my housing preference for the second time in a row. if you go to emerson, expect to be disappointed by housing. i think the application processes for housing should take into account gpa and extracurricular involvement, but it's al completely random. you can lose your suite that you were planning for all year with your three best friends—all of you extremely involved in the school—to a group of people who sit on their asses and smoke pot all day and generally don't give a shit and are close to failing every class. the application for the netherlands also works this way. you have to apply LITERALLY the SECOND the application is made available. i submitted my application a minute after the application process opened and STILL got on the waiting list (they do it on a first-come, first-serve basis). it's such a toss in the air that you could kill yourself in academics and with extracurriculars and never be rewarded, in a sense.

other than that little concession, i really love emerson. some of my friends talk about transferring ot bigger schools, but i think that's only because they didn't think about personality match with the college they chose to attend. if you know yourself and are diligent about picking a school, if you do your research and listen to the advice of the reasonable people who go here, you will be fine. you will love it.