Emerson College Top Questions

There are groups for every major and interest. Some popular ones are the Emerson Revies (lit mag), Frames Per Second (film) and Musical Theater Society. Next year I plan to be involved with Gauge Magazine. In the Little Building it is much more social. In Piano Row you make friends with everyone on your floor if you try. It's all based on how much effort you put forth. Athletic events are not very popular at all, but there is always something interesting to see or do. People party mostly Fri/ Sat nights. A Saturday night w/ out drinking might involve seeing a movie or a comedy show, shopping, eating, ect with friends.

No realy frats. But that's not the crowd here. Most people can be found smoking outside the dorms in a large pack. There's your drinkers, smokers, and the people with the money for it find the others for the coke. But people are mostly friendly, freshman year all the dorm doors are open, people always up for a walk around the common or just hanging out in the common rooms.

Theatre is a huge draw here since we own five theatres, one of which hosts the Boston Opera performers since it was recently renovated and one of the most beautiful theatres in the country, the Majestic. A new sports gymnasium was also recently added, but I don't think sports are nearly as celebrated here due to the arts-inclined students. I don't drink, so a typical weekend for me includes doing homework, maybe shopping and watching movies in my downtime.

I;ve never lived in the Emerson dorms, but I heard they are a fun time. Lots to do on and off campus, city living helps here.

Orientation week rocks. If you have an ounce of sanity in your brain, go to every sponsored event that remotely interests you. Nine out of ten of them are wicked exciting, and every person there is looking to make friends just as much as you are. For a school that has a ton of motivated print journalism students, the school's paper is almost universally hated for its biased stories and lack of fact checking. If you are a film/TV major, and legitimately want to be come out of this school with enough hands-on experience to survive in the real world, you need, NEED to be a part of the Emerson co-curriculars. Play your cards right, you can work on a TV set every weeknight, and a film set every weekend. As a freshman, I worked my way up to a director position of a TV show going up in Studio A, and at least four producing spots on film sets. By comparison, the earliest I would get into Studio A on the normal track would be some time junior year, and the earliest I would be producing anything film related would be my Film II either late sophomore or early junior year. Best of all, you just need an interest in the organization to become a part of it, as opposed to registration for class, and you'll get taught by a bunch of students who probably have more experience than most of the professors. In short, join co-curriculars. Dating happens more frequently than students will ever admit, but everyone has at least two or three incidents where the girl/guy you've been scoping out in History of Media Arts will A) have a serious drug problem, B) will judge you permanently based on your taste in music, or C) will be gay. Don't let that disappoint you, but if it does, hey, there's about thirty other colleges in Boston to try. Drugs happen at Emerson. A lot. If you're in a lecture class, I promise you at least three of the kids in the back row are high as kites. That said, it's also totally ignorable, should you want to stick to partying with booze, or skipping it altogether. Emerson kids have a good habit of not forcing any substance on anyone, save the natural peer pressure of a situation. If you're doing your job right, sleep doesn't happen at Emerson. That said, it's now 2 AM, and you're hungry. You have a few options. New York Pizza is delicious, cheap, fast, and close; open until 1 AM on weekdays, 3 AM on weekends. Chinatown, though notoriously sketchy, has restaurants open 24/7. The food is hit or miss, depending on where you go, but it's almost all for dirt cheap. Find upperclassmen to give you their personal recommendations for takeout and delivery. Finally, your year is not complete without a trip to South Street Diner. Open until 5 AM, the food is amazing, the servers hip, and the clientele varying quantities of insane. You won't realize how much you missed it until you get there. It's more than possible to spend your four years and never attend a greek function, but most freshman at least go to the SAE frat house in Allston for a stereotypical "college party", complete with cheap beer and frequent cop busts. That's not to say there's nothing worthwhile about the greek scene, but if you fit the type they're looking for, they'll find you, not you find them.

As an acting major all of my friends are either actors or film majors but from all different years. It's really easy to make friends with upperclassmen just from working on plays or films. I also don't have very many friends that I made from class, it's mostly from outside stuff I auditioned for. Your first week at Emerson will be all about getting to know people, some of the get to know you events are fun and some of them suck. The truth is I met most of my close friends that week from a couple of the events and also at New York Pizza, which is a popular place right next to campus. A lot of people also make close friends with people who live on their floor. And a lot of people don't meet any close friends in the first week and it just takes getting involved to meet people. The first two months everyone is really friendly because you're all in the same boat, trying to make friends and form groups. The people at Emerson are generally incredibly nice and open so I wouldn't worry about making friends. No one goes to sporting events, I mean no one and everyone goes to the plays. Every little student show has a packed audience and usually the shows rock. The party scene at Emerson is difficult. I guess the main party place would be the SAE house, pretty much our only social frat. They suck and are gross so after the first month you stop going and it's pretty much the same group of people who go, you shouldn't be one of those people. The best parties are just at peoples apartments or houses. Also a lot of Emerson students go to BU, BC, MIT, and Berkley parties which are really great, especially MIT parties. If you don't drink don't worry, you could see a different student show every night and a lot of kids do other things on the weekends. People go the the Rocky Horror Picture Show a lot although i'd say it's probably way more fun drunk, you don't have to be. Weed is probably more popular than alcohol on campus. Students smoke up and then do creative things.

The theatrical scene is what I know the most about. The Emerson Stage season is very inclusive; everything from the big spring musical to the Newfest play festival, featuring the student winner of a playwriting contest. Most Emersonians don't sleep. There's always something going on, but more often than not it's off-campus at an apartment. Many students move off-campus sophomore year, and the majority move junior year to the surrounding neighborhoods. The fraternity/sorority scene exists, but I personally don't know much about it. It's fairly small compared to other colleges, but it is part of the student activities. Without going drinking, there are hundreds of other things to do on the weekends. Emerson is right in the middle of the Boston Theatre District, and there is a movie theatre right up the street. The Boston Public Library is within walking distance for those who like free movies every now and then, and the Boston Common is usually covered with students as soon as the weather improves, or in the dead of winter snow. Off campus, there is no limit to the possibilities. The T will take you anywhere you want/need to go.

There are lots of organizations that account for many different interests. The organizations can also be very helpful towards learning for students' careers, as well as fun. It's not difficult to start one, either. Students tend to be very friendly. It's easier to fall into a group of friends living in doubles or triples in the Little Building as opposed to suites in Piano Row. The college doesn't provide many interesting events or speakers, but there are a lot of good student performances. RA's are very strict and it is really difficult to drink on campus, and parties off-campus are usually inconveniently far away (a 25-minute T ride to Allston) and overcrowded. Boston is very much a 21+ city, so it can be hard to find things to do on weekends.

I was on the newspaper staff when I was a journalism major a couple years ago. It was a great experience because it helped show me that I did NOT want to be a journalist, and I still had plenty of time to switch majors. I left my dorm room open all the time when I lived on campus because I wanted to socialize. Emerson students are very social, even though some of them tend to emphasize image and the way they dress a lot. I met my closest friends either freshman year when I was on campus or when I went to the Kasteel Well program in The Netherlands last year. That is another thing I recommend to you--GO ABROAD. The Castle is one of the best experiences a college student could possibly ever have. I'm glad I went....I almost passed it up.

I am involved in an extracurricular activity called the "Emerson Review" which is a fiction/poetry/nonfiction literature book/mag that is annually published and backed-up by school funding, and it pretty popular on campus. A lot of students are involved with the SGA which is the governmental hierarchy our school has come up with, and there are a couple of sororities/fraternities, but they are not dromed together, it's more like a meeting/gathering of the students in them every once in a while. There is usually a "party" once a week, in select suites (at least in Piano row where I live) but they are very low-key where one or two suites get together to "drink beverages that have no alcholoh in them" and "behave properly towards each other." I don't go off campus much, but when I do it is to either go ice skating at Frog Pond, go walking in the commons, or lay out in the sun at the Public Gardens or the Esplanade, which is a stretch of park/dock before the Charles River.

Social life at Emerson is endless. Because we live in a city there is no end to the list of things open for us to try and do on any given day, once you have that crew or group of friends, exploring the city becomes something to be looked forward to. Getting to know people isn't hard because the school has a whole week of orientation to make sure freshmen get situated and comfortable. Also, dorm life is strong. In the Little Building, which is more like a regular dorm with doubles, triples, and quads, doors are always left open and it is common place for the entire floor to become a tight-knit community and like a huge group of friends. In Piano Row, the other dorm, the floors are all six person suites so it's like coming to college with an automatic group of five friends. This is helpful and usually you bond closely with at least three or four other people in the suite. Beyond that people meet other people in class, student organizations or just randomly so your friend group grows throughout the year.

I am a commuter so I have not really gotten involved in any groups yet but my goal is to soon get an apartment in Boston to get more involved.

Activities are excellent, there are a lot of extracurricular activities, and a lot of ways to really prepare yourself for the future. This is where paying 34 K a year might actually be worth it. Maybe. You're in Boston, so there's a pretty decent social scene. Late at night on weekends you have the added bonus of watching knife fights in between the two dorms at the Gypsy Bar. That's both awesome and terrifying at the same time. Frats/sororities are unimportant and fairly toolish in general. The party scene is mostly nonexistent--eighty-five percent of parties are at the same two houses. You're in Boston, which is great for entertainment, but you only have so much money to spend in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

Emerson is in Boston. That's most of what you need to know. Boston is a drinking city, and so there is always trouble to be found, any hour of the day. The city has priceless events of all day drinking including but not limited to: Head of the Charles weekend, St. Patrick's day, and Marathon Monday. The city has also been known to throw a mean world championship parade. All of these are great opportunities to have memorable weekends and are also great weekends to have friends visit. The city also offers a full slate of cultural activities, spearheaded by many at our very own college.

Each major has several clubs and activities for people to participate in, and their are activities that do not relate to majors. Sports are really not emphasized at Emerson, but they are still existent for die-hard fans (and yes we do have several of them). Also, the Celtics and the Red Sox are right here so you can always find cheap tickets for games online and go. If you are a party person theirs almost always a party for you to find, usually off campus in upper classmen's apartments. Some people leave their dorm rooms open while others don't, it's really your preference. Even though we have quiet hours at the dorms when we're not supposed to be loud people can still be heard laughing, shouting, running, etc. during all hours of the night (at least on weekends) not as much during the week but it still happens. Being in Boston there's a bunch of places to go you can walk down Newbury or go to the North End. There's ice skating in the winter. Bowling all year round and the movie theatre is right around the corner one block away.

Emerson is not really a party school because it really can't be. Most students go to Alston houses and party there, but it's next to impossible to get away with an alcoholic party on campus. There are so many things students can do without alcohol, like going to movies or theatre productions for free at the school. The Emerson RAs also put on some fun events for their floors that are open to anyone. Also, the Commons is a great place to hang out and see celebrities on movie sets as well.

I have met so many great people here. Never have I met more people who have so much in common with me and who like to do the same things I do. All the crazy stuff I used to try to get my friends back home to do with me, just making silly films and exploring the city, etc., which they would never agree to all of my friends here love to do. Hanging out here is just so much fun, everyone is really creative and imaginative. There is a niche for everyone.

I get a lot of emails regarding events. Students in the film department meet each other on film shoots, which is great because it is a social environment that also acts as a learning opportunity as well as a chance for students to work as a team. As an off campus student I am not sure how often people party. We don't have sororities or frats, but Emerson is just like any other college. Excessive drinking and drug use. I spend my Saturday nights going to films or working...alone haha

Emerson activities are, arguably, what makes the school what it is. Emerson has a very do it yourself mentality, meaning that while you will certainly learn essential skills in class it is up to you to practice them outside of the classroom. And there is certainly ample opportunity to do so. Partying aside, there are a ton of things one can do for entertainment. On any given night of the week it's likely that there's some sort of performance going on, whether it be a comedy troupe or a play.

We don't really have a campus which makes getting together with people pretty limited.

Athletic events have tried to become popular but most students have never gone to a single event. The school recently built a basketball court and most students are not pleased with the schools' decision. We all wanted more performance or practice space. For me I wanted more studio space because we currently only have two television studios that are often booked up.

80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students have done theatre before. I made that up, but it's pretty much true.

EmComm-marketing organization, SGA, EAGLE (LGBT group), Athletics, Theater. Anything really.

Social life at Emerson SUCKS. If you want typical college parties, Emerson doesn't have any. Sorry, but these people are more interested in sitting in and complaining about life. Usually Emerson kids are not that into sports except for when it comes to Red Sox. Theatre and movies are definitely some of the most popular fields of activities here.

Some of the most popular organizations on campus are the EVVY Awards and Frames Per Second. The EVVY Awards are Emerson's version of the Oscars and are run almost just like them. It is an organization that focuses heavily on professionalism and commitment. There's something for people from every major to do from the Marketing Team to the Script Team to the Graphics Team to the JPR (Judges, Presenters, and Roll-Ins) Team and more. Frames Per Second is Emerson's largest filmmaking organization. They host workshops and have guest speakers, and produce 2 short films a semester, opening up every single crew position to its members. Athletics are definitely not a focus of Emerson life, but we do have some pretty good sports teams, and I'd say that I know at least one person involved in each. Emerson students tend to date other Emerson students, but with so many other schools right in the area, it's easy to met people from any of the schools. I met my closest friends because I live on the same floor with them. Other friends that I've made have been through the organizations I'm a part of. As far at parties go, there aren't any on campus. Most juniors and seniors live off campus and sometimes have parties, and BU and MIT are just a few T stops away and have frat parties. Not everyone at Emerson drinks, so you can definitely find people to hang out with on weekends if you don't.

The most popular groups and organizations on campus is SGA the student government and The Berkeley Beacon, which is Emerson's weekly newspaper. Most students leave their doors open, so I guess you could say it is a very friendly atmosphere. I have not met my closest friends yet, but I have been here for only a semester so I have time. Sororities and Fraternities are not that important, but if you have nothing to do sometimes the parties can be fun.

Most on-campus groups are related to the majors here. Whether it's film groups, tv groups, musical theater groups, literary magazines, or marketing groups, that's basically what's going on. There's a large LGBT group on campus, and one thing that I feel might be pretty rare is there's a huge amount of comedy groups. PArtying is available but not the only thing. Lots of hanging out with close friends.

Depending on what circle you run in there are going to be different organizations that are in vogue. If you're into greek life, Zeta and Kappa are the ones to join, although Greek Council makes sure everyone has a great time at the events. The professionally oriented groups (EmComm, EVVY, WERS, etc) all give you great experience for the workplace, but get in on them during your first year, otherwise you'll constantly be behind.

We're not really a big athletic school but I'm sure people come to support the games. Theater is more popular. If I'm awake at 2 am on a Tuesday I would be working on a big project or paper that is probably due the next day. I didn't really realize we had fraternities or sororities until halfway through the year.

There is really only one good fraternity, but other than that its not important. Sororities are popular but there are only 3 so, the 3 sororities are popular, if that means anything. There are not a lot of Emerson parties, I usually find myself hanging out with my friends at other Boston schools on the weekends. There are plenty of things to do no the weekends that don't involve partying, but if you are looking for a good party, make friends at BU or Northeastern.

I spend about 20 hours a week working on a play or meeting with my theater group. There are several organizations on campus and always something to get involved in.

Piano Row is great for socializing, despite what people might say. We left our door open the first week of school and probably met 60 people who came in to introduce themselves. If you put yourself out there, you'll meet people. There are a few frats, and some parties are lame but others can be a really good time (Halloween Party in particular). There are other options - there's a karaoke bar nearby and a lot of people have apartments they party in. There always seems to be something going on.

The Emerson activities are next to non-existent. The "film society," Films on the Margin, doesn't even screen actual film prints -- just DVDs. Don't bother, its an absolute waste of time.

there are a ton of activities from sports to working on a film. we have singing groups and theatre groups, anyone can join and if you know nothing it is not a problem. you can host a sho or write a new one.

I live off campus now, but i lived on campus for my first two years. my suggestions: 1st year at emerson live in the Little Building. It is the best place to build your place in a diverse emerson community and the students really have a sense of unity and simple togetherness there. If i didnt live in the LB my freshman year i would not have had all the opperatunities to meet all my great friends i have now. 2nd year: if still on cmapus live in Piano Row: take a group of good friends you know from the last year and get a suite together. It really helps you adjust to apartment living with a larger group plus it gives you a great sense of independence while still sheltered oncampus so food, utilities, rent are not really a problem. Plus it is non-stop the most bitchin time ever. Now that i live off campus i have discovered a awsome new Emerson community off-campus. it rocks. move off campus while you are still in college, or you will regret it.

I'm involved in the Public Relations Studen Society of America (PRSSA). We have guest speakers once a week that are currently working in the public relations field. It is very interesting to hear what they have to say. I am also involved in The Emerson Group which takes on real public relations clients; it is great experience. There are always things going on at Emerson whether it's a weeknight or a weekend. And in the rare case that there's nothing to do you're in a city so you're guaranteed to find something! The one negative aspect about being in the city though is that it can get expensive.

Lots of activities, social life is what you make of it.

You aren't truly going to Emerson if you don't engage in extracurricular activities. Many claim that they learn more from these than they do actual classes. They provide many students - especially film - with the hands on experience that they don't receive initially starting out. It's a great way to make friends, and lots of activities will earn you non-tuition credit. The EVVYs (an entirely student run awards show) in particular are a great way to get involved - nearly everyone in the school participates in them, so it's a great way to meet people, and it looks really good on the resume. Extracurricular activities also provide students with lots of opportunities for networking - I've heard of countless students who have gotten summer internships and even jobs through people they've met and worked with at the EVVYs. I myself am on two literary magazines, and have made lots of friends and gained lots of experience from being on both.

First off, sports at Emerson? Nuh uh. We probably have decent teams, but nobody at Emerson really cares besides the athletes themselves. However, you can always find plays and musicals to see, because Emerson has a huge abundance of musical theatre majors (all the singing in the dorm hallways affirm that). Emerson has dances every so often, but really...those have so much potential to be bad, that nobody really goes. Although, you gotta give Emerson credit for trying. The most popular clubs on campus are probably the film ones. If you decide to go to Emerson, you should probably try to participate in at least one film shoot. The party scene? Not really happenin at Emerson, but you can probably find parties easily enough. An amazing thing about Emerson is the location. It's right in the heart of downtown Boston, so you got Loew's theatre 100 meters away, Chinatown down the road, the Boston Common right outside, the Public Garden down the road, and it's in the theatre district, so there are lots of.... theatres! Emerson is on the intersection of Boylston and Tremont street, very major roads, so there's a lot of activity and car traffic. As a result of Emerson's lack of campus grounds, you're basically living in the city. City life may not be for everybody, but if you're a city person, you'd love it.

The school revolves around its extracurricular opportunities. There are a hundred or more clubs to choose from during your freshman year; a lot of freshman jump into any and all that interest them, get a wealth of experience fast, and then focus in on the areas that really interest them (whether it's working for a film club, literary journal, comedy troupe, social justice group, or musical). Clubs are also the best and quickest places to make friends, many of whom you'll work with repeatedly over the years in and outside of classes. The party scene exists, so I hear, but is easily ignorable. Many people are more likely to go to small gatherings with friends, rather than insane-o house parties. Some students drink and smoke like yer average college students, but in the meantime, there's a substance-free dorm floor called the Wellness Floor, which is fantastic and full of the "high on life" types of students, if that's more your style. Since Emerson's campus is also smack in the middle of downtown Boston, there's more than enough to do in the area--countless movies, shows, shopping, and restaurants within walking distance, plus hot spots like Fenway Park just a tiny T (subway) ride away. It's well worth it to get out and explore the city.

Athletic events are not popular at Emerson, which is pretty depressing. The athletes at Emerson put a long of time and effort into their sports and it would be great if the student body could support them better. We have good facilities for being in the middle of a city, regarding fields and gym space.

The most popular organizations are EAGLE, the GLBT group, and the fraternities/sororities. I'm involved with the school newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon. It's recommended that journalism students get involved with it, so I copy-edit one evening a week. Athletics have never been Emersonians' strong point but a new gym was built in the past couple of years and Emerson is trying to build up its athletic teams to attract prospective students. There are always a lot of speeches, plays, and other events scheduled. I transferred to Emerson at the beginning of my sophomore year so I've never lived in the dorms and can't answer any questions about dorm life. I don't usually hang out with Emersonians outside of when I'm there for class or in the dining hall before or after class, I've never dated an Emersonian and although I do have acquaintances there, none of them are close friends. There's a pretty heavy drinking scene and most people do it. Off campus, I see a lot of movies and go to a lot of concerts.

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Dorm people all hang out and often go to apartments to party. It's hard to meet people if you never lived in a dorm. There are no social events at schools unless it is a performance put on by one of the clubs. No one goes to sporting events. There are like 3 bleachers in the gym. People party pretty often. Not a very beer-pong school. Mostly hard liquor. Lots of weed and other drugs. Everyone is always online. If you don't want to drink you will play video games and watch movies with everyone else. That's what people do drunk too. And dance lots of poeple like to dance. Off campus is pretty much where everyone goes. To apartments. Boston closes early so no one really goes around the city unless they are going to someone's specific apartment.

Biggest groups involve gay, lesbian, trans, women's rights. They're totally into "open-mindedness" and being progressive. Athletics are virutally invisible. There's a shirt that the bookstore sells that says "Emerson Football" on the front, and "still undefeated" on the back, which is funny because we don't have a football team. I'm pretty sure we've got a baseball team and maybe a hockey team. But they slip under the radar of importance. If you're super into sports, you'll have a real hard time finding anyone that cares, or looking for a good sports debate. Partying involves lots of dancing to daft punk, hipster music, or obscure techno. It also involves either cheap beer like PBR and Miller High Life, or energy drinks and vodka. Lots of pot smoking, cigarette smoking, and clove smoking as well.

I haven't made a whole lot of friends because I dont live on campus so I can give you good output.

Parties happen at least once a weekend. Its not the craziest party scene, but it's good.

There is not one blanket group that everyone joins. Most of the organizations have some affiliation with a certain department. Your major plays a huge part in the organizations that would be beneficial and suggested for you to join. All of the organizations however, are run professionally and give you great real world experience. In the dorms we don't leave our doors open (they don't stay open) but most of the time if someone is in the room their door will be unlocked. Athletics are not very popular here, we are not a very big sports school and most students go four years never attending a game. Fraternities and Sororities are not extremely prevalent on campus, we have 1 all male Fraternity, 2 Sororities, and 1 co-ed fraternity on campus. A few of the fraternities/ sororities are professional, and some are your typical greek life experience. Since you are in the middle of Boston, there is lots to do that has nothing to do with drinking and partying, there are always shows going on at and around Emerson, there is a movie theater across the street, and there are other random activities in the city that you can find.

They will tell you that the Beacon is the shit. It is not. It is a great place for you to work, but it's not as competitive as the Times or something, you can start and stop writing any time you want. There's lots and lots of things to get involved with, if you have the time then you'll probably find an organization to join, and if they don't have it then you can probably start it yourself.

Emerson is not a big party school, and if thats your thing than some outsourcing must be done in order to go out and get silly. I'd say less than half people actually drink but if you want to find a party its not too hard. There are lots of theatre events and plenty of speakers but not too many big names. As far as bands and comedians coming through, thats a no go, but there are numerous music venues within walking distance and Boston has a solid scene.