Emerson College Top Questions

more or less. you get a lot of really talented people, but their attitudes vary. some people are really down to earth, and some are kind of stuck up.

Some people fit the stereotype PERFECTLY, but some don't come close.

100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} True.

for the most part.

Not entirely. In every major there are some people who do and some people who don't fit the stereotypes. They're stereotypes for a reason, but there are plenty of people who break them. There are jerks and there are cool people, you just have to find people you like hanging out with. And not all of us applied to NYU, some even turned them down.

Yes

As will all stereotypes there are truths however for the most parts these stereotypical students are not the majority of the student population.

I would have to agree some of these stereotypes are true. The majority of male students here at Emerson are gay. A great deal of students smoke, and are very comfortable with themselves. There are a lot of individuals here with their own style and own sense of self.

The full exaggerated degree of the stereotypes never is true, but the deep root of all of them are true. A lot of us aren't hipsters, but a lot of us are cliches. I fully admit being a film nerd, and I'm not a film student. I know nothing when my friends start riffing in technical-film language, but I'll still be one of those people who says "You haven't seen Star Wars?!" I'm not gay, but I don't think I will ever meet this many gay people again. I even had a brief stint with cigarettes. The majority of the people I hang out with, from what I see, are here on their parents dollars. And we all smoke pot.

Of course there are hipsters, liberals, art students, and homosexuals at Emerson. But that really is not an accurate cross section of everyone here. Although in all my classes conservatives have been in the minority, we do have diversity at this school. It is not all a bunch of hippies out on the common talking about abstract film theory.

The sterotypes of course have some truth to them, but it gets very annoying. It is important to remember that most people are not all of those things at once.

Sometimes (yes)

Many people are gay and most smoke, but there are plenty who don't and are nice and open to new things.

I think these stereotypes were MORE accurate 10 years ago, but they are still accurate to some extent. It's a pretty accepting community and some people like to experiment with lifestyles. I think it's great.

This is mostly true, except that CSD majors are typically overly concerned with studying.

sometimes...we are not wealthy, we pay student loans just like the rest of you! we do have some snoody film kids, but the majority of us are pretty chill, laid back creative people.

Yes. All of them.

The hipster thing is only half true, about half the school is hipster kids or wanna be hipster kids, which is funny. We've got a lot of people from California, namely San Francisco so that's were that comes from. I'd say most of Emerson kids smoke, including those who start once they get here. I've personally never felt pressured to smoke, you do it or you don't no big deal, I think it just adds to the artsy vibe on campus. Their are a lot of gay men at Emerson but a smaller lesbian community and hardly any transsexuals so don't be fooled by that stereotype, it pretty much only relates to the gay male community. Hardly anyone on campus is religious and if they are they keep it quiet. Judaism is prevalent on campus, however, but it's more of a cultural practice, I went to a great Hanukkah party this year! Emerson's film program is kick ass for sure. Emerson dominates the Campus Movie Fest competition and three of our film makers are up for MTV's best film maker on campus award for the 2008 MTV awards oh and some Emerson student films are showing at the Cannes Film Festival this year, wow! The acting facilities that we have are great but we need more, badly. They are building more space and that'll be done in 2009 so you're in luck future students!

Obviously, no. There is a large GLBT population, but not everyone is gay. There are a lot of interesting people, but there are also 17 Matt's in my graduating class. I can still do calculus, and most students can figure out tip on a check split six ways. There are also quite a few sports teams at Emerson, and some really good players.

Yes, but they don't apply to everyone.

Yes. Emerson IS a good school, but it also feels like high school because of its small size. If you are a female and are coming to Emerson hoping to find a male soul mate, you will not find this at the college. However, there are thousands of other people in the city, so that's not a huge deal.

mostly, yes. About 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population here is homosexual, and a lot of them do smoke. However, not all are flamboyant although a lot of inside jokes concerning flamboyancy are present.

For the most part, yes. Emerson is not a school where the norm is jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie. People are actually very concerned about looking like they just threw on their outfit in the morning instead of having planned it out. Yes, people are really liberal, but I have met some republicans and of course not everyone is a Jew. And no, it is not true that 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the male population is gay, it just seems like that sometimes.

For the most part, yes.

All of them. Maybe not the lazy part. That's only half accurate.

To a certain extent-- Emerson is filled with a lot of really great people, but some of them try too hard to be original instead of just being themself.

not really, I mean it's just like every other college (or even like at high school) where the stereotypes apply to some people but not to others.

Most people are pretty care free with money. A lot of things are bought by Mommy and Daddy.

Many students are smokers and some are homosexuals but not everyone.

Somewhat, yeah.

The stereotypes are accurate, yet clearly that only represents a faction of Emersonians. There are, of course, theatre dorks, your average granola people, the activists, the marketing majors...

Yes

We were all different in our high schools but now what made us all different makes us all the same. It is hard in the beginning to get used to the fact that you are so similar to people.

I would not call Emerson an indredibly progressive school, especiall in regards to the Writing and Publishing dept. for undergraduate students...incredibly conservative ideas, focused on very Western, linearly-driven narratives, very genre specific ("fiction," "non-fiction," "poetry,")...the same would go for the "artsy" stereotype. a lot of students parade around as progressive or open-minded, but in the intellectual or theoretical sense they're not very well-versed and have a very close-minded view on "the arts," usually that "art" emplies something that is entertaining. a lot of the "art" here is incredibly literal, like watching a visual display of an (oftentimes poorly written) critical/analytical essay. there are a lot of theatre majors, but i think they take themselves very seriously, and are able to transition into the job world quite well because of the internship oppertunities emerson provides. there are also a great deal of marketing/communications majors...a lot of emerson students move on to become quite successful in the buisness world, despite the notion that the school is full of "non-academics."

Oh yeah.

There is a large gay population, there are many opportunities for jobs, not hippie-like, many smokers, not only an art school (communication sciences and disorders, marketing, etc), athletics as well.

To a degree. There is a large population of artsy yuppies, as well as a large homosexual population but it's not to the extent that is believed to be true.

You will definitely see those types of people a lot. However, if you look hard enough you'll see that there are other kinds of people as well; stereotypical Emersonians are just more prevailed.

A lot of Emerson students do tend to try to stay away from typical mainstream entertainment, but not entirely. Some students genuinely like the lesser known artists and filmmakers, and some say they do to try to seem more "artsy". I definitely wouldn't say that everyone at Emerson is pretentious. Are they some pretentious, people? Yes. But where don't you find that? It may seem to happen here a lot more than elsewhere just because most students are pursuing very competitve careers and confidence is essential. I have found that it is very true that the vast majority of students have very liberal politcal views. I don't think that means that other views aren't listened to and accepted as an individual's personal opinion, though. Religion is a very personal aspect of anyone's life. I would consider myself a religious person and I have friends here that both are and aren't, or don't even know where they stand. I've never felt judged for my beliefs.

Yes, but not completely. There are tons of pretentious people at Emerson, but no matter what you'll find the people who you get along with- I'm not very pretentious and I did.

Some of them, defininetly the quirky personality part.

Not really. I find that despite their angstiness, the film students at this school are remarkably talented. And not all the men here are gay by any means. Sure there's a high percentage, but it's not like there aren't any available straight guys anywhere.

sometimes, usually not and you can find your own group and stick with them

I think the artsy and ecclectic stereotypes are accurate. The others are a matter of opinion.

for the most part the stereotypes about Emerson are true. There is a large homosexual population and a lot of people that tend to dress toward the indie styles and listen to the music that coincides with that. That is not to say everyone is like that, just the majority. You'll find your jocks, bro types, sorority girls, and anyone else at Emerson, you just have to look harder.

No. There is a great percentage of us who are open about their sexual identity and creative expression, but we are not hippies, we are real people.

Only a couple of them. Not all boys are gay, and I've only met a few people (mostly Musical Theater majors) who are stuck up. Most people dress nicely, the financial aid DOES kind of suck, and the campus is gorgeous- our front yard is the Boston Common.

For the most part, yes. There are a few people at Emerson who aren't completely moronic, but the vast majority are emo dullards who think the world revolves around them.

although there are some peple who think they know what movies are the best and they are right, there are many who are willing to see films you reccomend. Also, there is a large gay population here.

Yes