Just as Ludacris once said, “Welcome to Atlanta.” Emory is Hotlanta’s No. 1 private research university. Emory has a lot going for it. They are best known for their health/premed programs (the CDC is pretty much in their backyard), the Goizueta Business School, and a strong liberal arts curriculum. They are also home to Oxford College, a smaller school for freshmen and sophomores looking for a LAC (liberal arts college) vibe before being folded into the greater Emory community for their last two years.
Emory is one of those schools that has always been competitive to get into, but it is only getting more popular. Their acceptance rate last year was only about 10%. To get in, you need to be an outstanding applicant. This means an exemplary transcript, strategic activities, and bulletproof essays. (While Emory is test-optional, amazing scores will help you as well!) When we work with applicants hoping to get into elite schools like Emory, we ensure they have all of this and more.
If you are thinking about applying to Emory, we highly recommend working with a counselor. We help students no matter where they are in their college application process. Whether you are a rising sophomore or think you are ready to press that submit button, working with a professional can make all the difference. Contact us today for all things college. That being said, we want to share a couple of our favorite tips for approaching the Emory supplemental essays.
Emory asks everyone to answer the first question:
What academic areas are you interested in exploring at Emory University and why? (200 Words Max)
By the time you apply, it should be clear from your application what you hope to study. When we work with freshmen and sophomores, we strategically build up their extracurriculars and classes to tell a story about their academic interests and plans. Your choice of major can’t feel random or rushed at elite schools.
You also need to be an expert on Emory. You should be able to speak to specific classes, professors, and academic opportunities at Emory that would help you to explore your interests. Connect these classes to experiences you have already had. You want to show the overlap between your interests and Emory.
For example, we had a student who wanted to study accounting at Emory. He connected taking Emory’s Strategic Cost Management course to a research paper he published about hotel management. He also wrote about working with a professor who was researching a similar subject to a community college course that he had recently completed.
This is a very short essay. You might be thinking, “Awesome! Less to write.” However, tight word limits actually make these questions harder. You need to make every word count.
Emory’s second essay lets students choose one of four prompts to respond to.
Please answer one of the following questions: (150 Words Max)
Emory University has a strong commitment to building community. Tell us about a community you have been part of where your participation helped to change or shape the community for the better.
This is a really common question asked by colleges. It is also pretty broad. A community is really just any group connected by a common interest or goal. Your job, if you take on this prompt, is to choose a community you care about and share a story about how you have helped it. For example, one of our students wrote about the monthly dinner parties he threw and how they brought his friends together. Another wrote about stepping up to take on responsibilities on her debate team. Many stories work for this prompt; you just need to choose the right one.
Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.
Most of our students don’t choose this question, but we love it. Maybe you went to a Greek festival with your best friend or a passover seder for the first time. Maybe you gave yourself a challenge to learn about French films or how to cook a Sri Lankan dish. Maybe you helped your school’s QSA throw an event or attended a museum exhibition series on Black art. Share what you learned from that experience and not just what you learned about the other culture, but about yourself. The reflection is the most important thing here.
Emory University's core mission calls for service to humanity. Share how you might personally contribute to this mission.
This question is just for our community service all-stars. To answer it, you should share a short story about service that you have done and connect it to who you might be or how you will get involved at Emory. For example, we had a student who was a peer mental health counselor. She told a story about connecting with a student who was nervous to open up. She then connected it to the student-run Emory HelpLine and how she would continue volunteering in peer support at Emory.
In a scholarly community, differing ideas often collide before they converge. How do you personally navigate disagreement in a way that promotes progress and deepens meaningful dialogue?
This is a really big question to answer in under 150 words, but it is a great topic if you can pull it off. These essays introduce a disagreement and how you approached it. Because this is so short, we wouldn’t try to take on something too big or too political. It’s 150 words; you aren’t going to end racism or fix the US educational system.
We have had students write about disagreements with their sister, not understanding their friends' preferences, intraclub arguments over next steps, and ideological differences. We love when students choose topics that allow for gray areas. These essays are better when you are 100% right, and the other person is 100% wrong. Black-and-white issues don’t really allow for growth or reflection. We love when students write about finding common ground, having their minds changed, or gaining perspective.
Don’t be fooled by Emory’s short word counts. You have to pack in a lot, which is hard and will likely take some serious editing. Give yourself time, and remember if you need help, we have you covered. We help students navigate the challenging world of college applications every day. We would love to set you up with a bespoke strategy for applying to top schools like Emory.
Contact us today if you want expert advice and an increased chance of getting in.