Emerson College Top Questions

Emerson has amazing opportunities. Everyone has connections and it is very geared towards real life experience and focuses on your major. There are amazing extracurriculars at Emerson and I really have no complaints, I love it here. The one thing that is difficult is living in a suite. Living with 5 other girls is definitely not all it's cracked up to be.

The school is big enough that you know a lot of people but you definitely dont know everyone, which is nice. Parties here kind of suck, and it's hard to get into the bars around. Everyone smokes weed. It's definitely a college town, but like I said the parties are not as good as other schools, though a LOT of parties here are themed, which is fun. Great classes, small and interesting. There's an artsy style that most kids ascribe to. It's a pretty sweet school, but a lot of people here suck. Like, I'm not saying that with mass hatred towards everyone here, I myself am well liked to I'm not bitter, but everyone automatically assumes everyone else is dumber and not as talented as them, and they will talk down to you. Just dont take offense to it and do your own thing. Everyone here is talented...multi-talented...it's freaky.

Emerson is great if you know what you to do going in - this isn't really a great school for the undecided major. It has a great film program, and anything related to film is fantastic. The opportunities available through Emerson are fantastic for almost every major. The only weak spot I can think of is it's communications major, as well as the dance program. It has an AMAZING location - next to both Chinatown and Newbury street/ Beacon Hill, right across from the Boston Common and Gardens. Though it doesn't have a real campus, all of the buildings are located practically next to each other, so it's not entirely necessary. Most of the time is spent hanging out in friends dorms.

Emerson is a small, liberal, private school in the middle of Boston, which is a major college town. It is most noted for its film program and radio station. It's highly devoted to communications and the arts

Emerson has really put itself on the map and, at least in the world of media production, it's up there with NYU, USC, and UCLA in terms of quality. Students are constantly busy working on ten activites at once--everything from film shoots to plays to publishing, journalism, or stand-up comedy. If you're not ready to dive in and explore a bunch of extracurriculars at once, you're in the minority, at least during your freshman year. The school has been expanding rapidly in the last ten years, and the changes have been met with some praise and some loathing. The good news is that the expansions are leading to top-of-the-line buildings, like the Paramount Building, which'll be unveiled soon and includes a new theatre, sound stage, studio, screening room, rehearsal spaces, and dorm rooms. On the other hand, the cost of tuition is rising rapidly, and the school is making an effort to attract a new crowd of students. Whereas Emerson has often been a haven for artistic high school misfits, it's now catering to the more mainstream bunch--which is cool in some ways, but also causes the college to lose parts of what make it unique.

The best thing about Emerson is how open-minded and accepting the general student and administrative body can be. You can start any group at Emerson as long as it isn't morally evil or illegal. There truly is something for everyone at Emerson, pardon the cliche.

The best thing about Emerson is the networking. My journalism professors have a journalistic background and most professors have actually worked in the business of whatever it is they're teaching. At least in the journalism field, you get people practically begging for Emerson interns because the school has such a good reputation. People in the field are impressed when I tell them I go to Emerson. The school is pretty small but by no means isolated - it's right in the middle of Boston, close to a lot of other colleges, and there are plenty of things to do. Financial aid is a big issue and students tend to get very little. Tuition fees are high and rising by approximately another $2000 next academic year. You are only guaranteed housing for the first year of college - when you're no longer a freshman, you have to get your own apartment in the area. Rent is ridiculous (I live in an apartment 20 minutes' walk away and I pay $1300 a month) so most people live further out and commute every day. The biggest controversy this year was that Emerson ran out of housing so a bunch of freshman are living in nearby hotels for the year. Emerson is building more housing which should be ready in... I think 2010.

The best thing about Emerson is definitely it's size. It's small enough that the students get individual attention from their teachers. If anything, I would change the fact that we don't have a campus, but the Boston Common makes up for that! People are genuinely happy for me when I say I go to Emerson, and it's great because I get to spend so much time in the Theater.

Outside of Boston, people have never heard of Emerson. Occasionally someone recognizes it in association with liberal liberal arts schools. In Boston, people usually are familiar with Emerson and assume you're pursuing some crazy career in poetry that will never materialize into any substantial income. Boston is the ultimate college town, but thats not a bad thing. There are plenty of events at other campuses and plenty of students to meet in different schools. Just when you get sick of the Emerson artsy bunch, you can head off to Boston University for some good down time with frat house bros. But at least they recognize that you've been accepted into one of the best schools for starving artists. It's just the right size-- you can make friends and acquaintances without feeling like a face in the crowd, but you don't have to run into your ex-boyfriend on every corner. The administration at Emerson takes pride in the schools reputation. So much so that they spend all their money on expensive new buildings and other, more superficial investments. This isn't the worst thing they could be spending money on, but for students who are paying tens of thousands of dollars to see little pay off, it can be a little frustrating. School pride at Emerson consists of artsy Emerson students hating on artsy Emerson students.

The best thing about Emerson is that people try really hard at what they are doing. That isn't to say that they are talented. But they do think that they are. The majority of people are talented in various forms of art and dabble in a lot of different areas outside of their major. Majors definitely define people. Film majors and theater majors and marketing majors can be seen miles away. The school is small enough to know everyone's friends' but big enough because no one really lives on campus. Something that sucks is that teachers aren't necessarily professors (with doctorates) but are often from the industry that they teach. This is a positive and a negative because they know what they are saying but they don't really know how to say it most of the time. All of the minors and gen eds are pretty ridiculous and not as challenging as any similarly tiered school. It is in the middle of Boston. Yeah, that's awesome. Everyone lives all over the place. People go to each other's apartments a lot. This makes it hard to make friends. If you didn't live in a dorm for a year or two you are pretty much screwed when it comes to making friends unless you are friendly. I don't know much about the clubs. I think the administration is really lazy. I transferred and no one was helpful in the slightest. It's pretty much DIY everything. The dining hall is expensive the food is ok. The dorms are nice but not enough to house that many people. There isn't really school pride. Some people flaunt that they go here but not many. There is little to no racial diversity on campus. Many, many jews and many fallen Christians. Yet everyone identifies as "agnostic". No one is politically conservative.

The best thing about Emerson is that no matter how weird you are, you're never the weirdest one. I could show up to school in a potato sack and a shower cap, and people will still be talking about the girl who glues the strip of mesh over her eyes. When I tell people I go to Emerson, most people either 1) Don't know of the school because it has no sports teams (and the rest of Boston is incredibly sports-centric), so I have to say "you know, that theater school near Suffolk. or 2) Back away, and ask if i'm straight. I don't spend any time on campus because there really is no good congregational space. I'm a commuter, and I don't have a meal plan so I never go in the dining hall. Though there is no hardcore campus scene, it is in a vibrant city filled with culture. You have theater, concerts, sporting events, readings, museums, tastings... tons of stuff to do. Emerson is in one of the biggest college towns- you've got BU, BC, MIT, Suffolk, Berklee, and the MA Institute of Art. So once you're sick of fellow Emersonians, you can always go to some jazz club and find eccentric Berklee kids, or go to a college hockey tournament and find Boston University bro-dudes. And then there's the outskirts of Boston, Allston "rock city." If you don't get housing at Emerson (only 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} do), and love the hipster scene... move here. All-night parties of pot smoking and PBR drinking, Daft Punk dance parties, basement punk shows, everything hipper-than-thou. And this is why the working-class of Boston hates when school is in session. School Pride: There's always mixed feelings about Emerson. Everyone likes to make fun of it, and the hipster scum that attends it. But secretly, everyone that makes fun of it ARE the ones wearing leggings and taking blurry, out of focus, black and white Myspace pictures. They ARE the ones who name-drop obscure literary or film figures. They ARE the ones who love Post-Modernism (or Po-Mo).

I guess I like teachers the best. I haven't been able to bond with a lot of students, maybe 2 or 3 at the most. I feel teachers are understanding and fun. However, I think Emerson is just the right size for someone who likes a lot of attention in the classroom and likes to stand out. classes are toooo big so that no one know who you are or too small to completely stand out. I don't like the whole signing people in to the dorm process...its a little complicated.

Emerson is a get it done yourself school. If you aren't organized, don't bother. You need to be able to figure everything out. People aren't just going to hand opportunities to you. If you go after them, opportunities are everywhere.

Emerson is a very directed, goal oriented school. We are very media- driven and if you don't know exactly what you want to do or at least that you without a doubt want to be in the communications field you may want to consider some other places. It is a pretty small school, with the campus only spanning about a block and a half, which means if there is someone you don't want to see-- you will see them everywhere. It also means that you will almost never have a class of more than 40 students and you won't get classes taught by TA's. Your professors will all know your name and will be more willing to help you if you are having a problem with something. I have found that when talking to people in the media industry, they hear that I go to Emerson and I might as well have said Harvard by how impressed they are, however anyone outside of the industry hears Emerson and says; "that's in Georgia, right?"

Emerson is the perfect school for all the kids who were never jocks in high school, we take pride in what we like to think of as our individuality--the one we share with all the other 3,000 liberal arts majors who go to school with us. When you first come to Emerson, they tell you that you'll be living in the heart of Boston and you will see the city, but most students don't really see much until they move off-campus sophomore or junior year. For some reason most people will stick around the LB and P-Row most of the time with a few trips to the North End, but the real fun of living in Boston begins when you get your own place somewhere in Allston or Central Square. One thing I hate about Emerson, especially as an international student is that they don't give any financial aid to foreigners, and barely any to Americans.

Emerson is a small city school and a lot of the time it is easy to forget you are at college because of the lack of a proper campus. I actually enjoy this aspect of the school because it feels like you are a part of the city, not shut away from it like some college campuses. A lot of students complain about the amount of security faced when entering the buildings (mostly when it comes to having guests) but I think most realize it is a necessary step given our location. Another thing that bugs me about Emerson is the lack of athletic opportunities. I came to college with hopes of getting involved with intermural basketball, however no such program existed. Not only that but there is very little support of comradery behind the school's teams. There seems far more support for the Emerson ethos of being special or different. Many take pride in the fact that Emerson is a bit of a "freak school." This can be both annoying and entertaining.

It is a small school, and if you want your traditional college experience, this school probably isn't right for you. This is a school that caters to the small population of adults graduating high school who have a clear focus. Much of Emerson acts as a microcosm to whatever industry you are studying and hoping to enter after leaving school, and to a wise student it allows you to enter into that industry while still in school and allow you to have a greater sense of security. As with most schools, the professors can be hit or miss here, however if you are one who believes that true learning and education comes from seeking it out yourself, than you can thrive here. If you'd like to sit back and work hard at what is handed to you during your college experience this is really not the right fit for you. If you are a motivated individual who is curious and resourceful, you can really make your education here invaluable.

Emerson is REALLY good for it's education but it lacks in athletics and alot of other things you might look for in a school. The problem right now is that Emerson is pretty much a conservatory looking to become a school. We're kind of in the middle. We are definitely becoming a school though. There isn't much of a campus here that is school property, however we are literally across the street from the Boston Common and the Public Gardens which are more than fun to mess around in during the summer and especially the winter! You can skate and play in the snow and it's awesome. If I had to pick one great thing and one bad thing, I would say that our best thing is our real world education and quality professors and available resources and our worst thing is our lack of athletics. The athletic department, however, is definitely building. We have a new gym and don't let your tour guides tell you otherwise, we DO have an Ice Hockey team!!

Emerson is a good school for the programs it has but it is too small in my opinion not on in physical size, students are always looking for space to have meetings rehearsals etc. and dorm space, but it's student body is too small and not diverse enough. Students at emerson don't get exposed to a wide variety of cultures compared wiht larger campuses. As an off campus, international ethnic student i spend most of my time in the multicultural centre, because it's like home away from home. literally and figuratively speaking. i find other students much like myself and we can relate to each other about similar problems we are having.

The communication within the school is lacking, but the staff is very knowledgeable. The size of the school is rather small but makes it more of a community. Most students live off campus and spend their time in apartments or on the commons hanging out. It's in Boston, which is a great city to live in. Emerson is super liberal and fight the administration on things such as multigender bathrooms since there are a large amount of homosexuals on campus.

Located in the heart of Boston, Emerson presents a great opportunity for its students to excel in the field of communications and the arts. There are always events going on and off campus and students have no excuse to be bored. The city itself also offers many job opportunities as I work at a downtown comedy club which is about a mile away from campus and several of my friends work at nearby restauraunts and movie theaters. The students are generally friendly but are oftentimes thought to be pretentious liberals as they have a fierce hatred for far right ideals.

Emerson is a very small school, which I like because you get to know the people fast and they are going to be the people that will go out with you in the weekends. Also, the fact that is in the city gives you the opportunity to get out of class and walk around for a bit before doing work if you want.

I love the small size of Emerson and that it is located across from the Boston Common. When its nice out students go read and do homework in the Common while listening to Belle and Sebastian. Emerson has a great faculty. Everyone loves Emerson and everyone is able to share their unique attributes and skills with everyone else. I love this school. Everyone is open to diversity and new ideas.

Emerson is known for it's small, city campus. It's in the heart of Boston and often gets overshadowed by other schools like Berkeley, Boston University, MIT, Tuftes, and Harvard. However, the fact that it's small makes it much more community based and allows you to feel safe in a big city. It's great living in a city, too, because you have assess to so much around you and the "T" is right outside the dorms so you can hop on and go to a party, musuem, show, etc. anywhere. For the most part, everyone seems to get along and it's always great to see friends working on each other's projects and trying new aspects of their major. The city gives you room to explore and gives you a variety of different foods and people to meet.

Emerson is great being a small school. The majors are well separated and you get to know all people in your concentration. The student body is all the same in which the trend is to be different, yet everyone has the same idea. Student Governmen is ineffective and disregarded by staff and students. Food is great. Dorms are gorgeous.

Very small school around 3500 undergrad- as a commuter I had a hard time fitting in until my last semester. You will see the same students in your classes semester after semester. If you want to be invovled in something extracurricular go for it your freshmen year or you will have a harder time joining. Not as commuter friendly as I would have liked and the reason I consider myself a commuter is because I don't live in the vicinity like other students here who live a few t stops away. I live at home with my family and commute in and its been difficult from time to time... getting people/teachers to help me with projects etc. We are a specialized school so students are really in tune to what they want to do right off the bat. I have never heard of anyone coming in here undecided or under liberal studies.

Its a great school. You will get experience here that you can get no where else, and Emerson's name in LA is like a fucking password for anything. It isn't a typical student body (lots of crazy theater kids, artsy film kids, nerdy tech kids) but we all fit together really well somehow, and its great. Boston is a great city and there is always so much to do. As far as parties, you may have to go to other schools, because ours arent that great. But most people just party in our dorms anyways so its cool.

we're the biggest slacker school ever. there is no real work assigned.

The school is pretty small, but you still see new faces all the time, which is nice. The best thing about Emerson is that there's no real work involved. Students and professors alike recognize that kids are hear to learn their craft, so classes are geared towards that. However, especially for athletes, several policies (such as the attendance and absence policies) are not very lenient and don't allow for a lot of wiggle room, even when perfectly acceptable explanations are provided. The "other best thing" about Emerson is being in the heart of Boston. There's always something going on if you're old enough and have the money to pay for it. But even if you're poor and underage like a lot of kids, there's always something to do.

If you're interested in any of these majors, or organizations or fields, and want to go to a small school in a city and are okay with dealing with a bunch of pretentious people, this is the perfect place for you. It's true what they say about the real life experience. If you know what you want and have the time for it, you can go places. And if you don't know what you want, you can dabble around, find what you like and go places.I did the latter, and I'm way glad I did, coz it makes me more confident about my chosen path. There's always days when I wake up (usually in the winter) and I hate that I'm at EMerson and i wish i went to a "Real" school. But really - i love it here. I've had my share of shitty experiences and being mad at the school, but i've met awesome people, i've had some awesome classes and i've had a great time.

The best thing about Emerson is the fabulous cafe in Piano Row where you can get waffle fries. I'd definitely add steak tips to the caesar salad over chicken (which is cold btw). I don't really hang out with Ivy-Leaguers so people think I must be smart to go to Emerson. Can't stand the library though, or studying. Love novelty and pats on the back. Boston's a rotten whore inside, most blatantly so around the Emerson area of Downtown. Crackheads, hipsters, old architecture, narcotics, and social control. Independent thought is an illusion! Just give in and enjoy the branding. Starbucks for the elite, Dunkin' Donuts for the masses. Whose side are you on?

The best thing about Emerson is the plethora of opportunities made available. We have a great location in the heart of downtown Boston. With a student body of about 3,200 undergrads and 900 graduate students, the school has an intimate but not stifling feel. The majority of the students are white, although Emerson is actively trying increase diversity.

Emerson has amazing programs in the arts, and a location in the heart of the city. People always react positively when I say that I go there, citing some famous alumni or successful grads. There isn't really a campus to speak of, but I like that, because campuses feel like isolated bubbles to me and I'd rather be in the "real world." The administration is notoriously disorganized, though. Financial aid is tough, there isn't enough space on campus for performances/meetings, and registration is a nightmare. They have, however, acknowledged that the school is growing, and they're building more dorms and meeting space.

Everyone is very focused on their major- which is all well and good, because it's good to be passionate about what you do, but some people are so focused it's like nothing else in the world exists. There are film majors who know every single thing there ever was to know about film, but who act like don't know anything else. Crack a book once in a while!

The best thing about Emerson is the location. I've never been content to sticking to the same 3 blocks constantly, because the Boston Common is one of my favorite places in the world. We are in such a primo location - close to all T lines, Newbury Street, Government Center, a 25 minute walk to North End.. all amazing. School's a great size. Overall, I've enjoyed the Emerson experience except for my fellow students. I find it is very hard for me to fit in because I don't the fit the mold of the trendy, hipster kids who are all skinny and listen to Azure Ray and wear big sunglasses and get drunk 3 days a week. I wish there were more down to earth people here that could go past the stupid facade and just get to know people for who they are.

The best thing about Emerson is that it doesn't have a traditional campus. College life is still big on campus, but it's not really in your face. Especially if you just show up to go to class. There are also many bars located in the immediate area, which definitely made class more bearable. It's in the center of downtown, so the location is great and Boston is the biggest college town in the US, so it's alright in that regard. The administration seems to be your typical business people who are lining their pockets. There is a lot of school pride I guess, but not from me. The real best thing about Emerson is you can live in a castle for a semester for about the same price as a normal semester and all you need to do to get accepted is write an essay stating why you'd like to go.

Our school is a small, pretentious, private school with little major variation. I would have been happier with more major choices. The classes I really enjoyed were the ones I did for my minor, not major. I always felt trapped in my major...like I had no way out. People usually react to the "I go to Emerson" phrase positively. They usually say something along the lines of "That's a good school" or "So you're into Theatre?". Emerson is known for being one of the best performing arts schools in the nation while still having high academic standards. Emerson's Administration was pretty bad when I was there. We had a "walk-out"protest against the president Jackie Liebergot when I was a sophmore. Just about the entire school ran around the city of Boston with orange scarves, chasing down Jackie chanting "Rob and Jackie have to go Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho!" The most frequent student complaints come from cafeteria food both in Boston and abroad. People also complain about how we don't really have a campus because of our location. Another popular complaint is that Emerson does very little to help students transferring in adjust. My first few semesters were somewhat lonely because I was living with my parents (i was not offered any form of housing). People who spend their freshman year in an Emerson dorm meet so many people and love being at school and doing extracurriculars. I knew many transfer students who didn't really know anyone but me and were living in random apartments with people they barely even knew because Emerson wouldn't offer them housing either. One experience I will always remember was my semester abroad at Kasteel Well. Emerson owns a castle in the Netherlands (not Holland! That is politically incorrect to say) and every semester about 80 kids get to go there. I had a Eurail pass and was only 20 minutes from the closest (and one of the cheapest) airports in Europe. I went to 13 countries in the course of 4 months and had experiences like Para-gliding off of the top of the Swiss Alps in Gryon, going on a pub crawl to Reykjavik's best bars that lasted until 5am, and meeting one of my all-time favorite metal bands Dragonforce at a concert in Groningen, Netherlands. The best part about this program is that it is through Emerson, so you can go abroad & not worry about credits transferring correctly or that there will be no one speaking English in any of your classes :-)

If you go to class, you're going to get a great education. The Netherlands study abroad program is probably the coolest thing you could ever do. The best part about Emerson is it's located in the heart of Boston. Your campus is the Boston Commons and your a hop, skip, and jump away from the Charles River, Theatre District, Chinatown, Fannueil Hall, etc. Just know you are going to encounter a lot of truly opinionated, "entitled" kids. This is an artsy fartsy, pseudo-political school. Moderates/Republicans beware.

Emerson is the best. We're elitest about our school. We produce great work and have the experience other kids don't. Our campus really is the city, especially once you hit your junior year and most students life off campus. Oh and we do have good sports teams!

The school is too small, there's no real common area for student socializing. I spend pretty much all my time in classrooms. The administration has poor communication skills. We didn't receive something as simple as our student email addresses until roughly three weeks before move-in.

Emerson really allows you to be yourself and independent. The environment is so welcoming. It's a great fit for a lot of people. There is school pride. The biggest controversy was when the administration left out student rights when the student handbook was published. I have awesome professors and friends here.

The best thing about Emerson is definitely the enthusiasm by the students; not to sound cliche but there's literally a place for everyone, you can always find some sort of extracurricular to get involved in no matter what your interests are, as long as you give some effort you can definitely find some activities to keep you busy/ bulk up your resume. One things I'd change is the prices of everything, the school is VERY expensive and it doesn't get you a lot, for example, you still have to pay to print at the school printers (I know schools that give you 20 free pages a day at their printers) and they only give you enough money to print like 100 pages for free before you need to start paying, and when you're a writing, lit & publishing major that's NOTHING. It's also 100 dollars just to set up your groundline phone not to mention you can only get incoming calls! Plus the prices at the c-store are SO expensive your 650 baord bucks goes quick!! Emerson is pretty small, but it's kind of comforting to be in this community in a big city, where everyone knows everyone. When I tell people where I go, they either have never heard about it or ask if I'm majoring in musical theater (which I'm not!) because that was Emerson is really famous for. When I'm on campus I'm usually hanging out in my room or in someone else's room, seeing a show @ the Cabaret or one of the theaters, or at the dining hall! I could spend so long there at the all-you-can-eat buffet. MM-mmm. It's DEFINITELY a college town, I've heard some statistic like 1/4 of Boston residents are college students or something ridiculous like that. But everyone you meet literaly goes to Suffolk, Northeastern, BU, etc. The only thing I hate about Boston is that most places close early if you're not 21 which is so frustrating to freshman!!! Emerson's administration has been really helpful to me thus far, although I haven't had a whole lot of contact with them, the only problem I've had is with getting an on-campus job, because they always go to work-study students first. The biggest recent controversy on campus was probably the fact that the SGA granted an appeal for $30,000 to an event known as "Hand Me Down Night," in which students who are in organizatons are recognized or something like that. Why it needed to be so expensive, I have NO idea, but apparently it was a big scandal and some SGA members walked out of the meeting, etc. It's frustrating that our money is being spent so frivolously sometimes. There's DEFINITELY a lot of school pride, everyone who sees tours going by says like, "come to Emerson!" or something equally cheesy, and there's a lot of people who find they don't belong here and transfer, but the people who do really thrive. Emerson is unusual in that we don't really have a campus, the closest thing we have is the Boston Common as far as a "campus green" goes and all our buildings are contained in a few city blocks. It's not really an experience I'll remember, but a class; my theater class last semester was so awesome, and our professor was really personable and got to know everyone. The most frequent student complaints is probably about the hour of the dining establishments on campus, which all close pretty early and even earlier on the weekends (which makes NO sense to me).

Emerson has a very focused education so it caters mainly for those who are very determined and career focused, and who have known what their passions are for a very, very long time. I chose Emerson because of its defined majors. Their Writing, Literature and Publishing major will help prepare me for the careers I want to pursue much more than a broad, literature based English degree would. Because of this Emerson draws a lot of passionate students. Everyone is interesting and has something exciting to offer. This is not a school where you can learn a little bit about everything just for fun, but one where you dive deeply into an area of interest and graduate with a level of expertise I believe would be unmatched even by schools with a more famous name. Also the strong focus on networking guarantees a step up in the search for a career after graduation. Even from freshman year you will be gaining valuable experience in the classroom and especially in the extracurricular activities you pursue. Speaking of, the extracurriculars are a must. Almost everyone is involved with at least one club or activity and the experience is priceless. Another fantastic thing about Emerson is that it is right in downtown Boston. Sure our "campus" really just consists of a few buildings scattered in a few blocks but I definitely do not miss a quad when I can be in the heart of a city like Boston. Everything of importance is either in walking distance (and you will learn that a great amount of places are in walking distance) or a short T ride away. Not being sheltered in a campus makes me feel more independent and the access to the city always provides for fun adventures and supplements to my education.

The best thing about Emerson is that the entire student body is supportive, passionate and creative. As a specialized communications and fine arts school, we are all interested in the same arenas and outside activities. Film majors can star in the fall musical while writing majors direct our awards show. There are amazing opportunities in all of our fields available to us, and our students are motivated enough to take advantage of them. The school is the perfect size to make friends, see them on campus, and have small enough classes to really get to know your professors. No hundred-person lectures here - the largest classes are generally 30-40 students. The campus is located in the middle of the biggest and best college town in the nation - Boston, MA. Our location is perfect - right outside the beautiful Boston Common, minutes away from the best upscale shopping and dining in the city.

If I were to tell someone outside of the industry that I went to Emerson, there is a good chance that they will think that I study theater. However, Emerson is a well known institute among the professionals of our respective fields, which I guess is the point of attending the school. Sometimes I wish that Emerson had more of a campus, but any die-hard member of the college will tell you that Boston is our campus.

Size of emerson is perfect. I came from high school comprised of 50 students (in the ENTIRE high school) and graduated with 12. Emerson turned out to be the perfect fit for me, it is definitely bigger than I am used to (EVERY school would be), but its small enough for me to feel like I belong to a real community. My favorite part of emerson is definitely the people. everyone is so cool and easy to hang out with. I spend most of my time in my dorm room. because we dont have a campus proper, theres not many places to just hang out, especially in the winter. When summer comes around we will usually hang out in the Common.

Emerson is an incredible school for those who know what they want to go into- whether it's film or theater or communications. The courses and extracurriculars here allow students to jump straight into their majors, regardless of how much experience you might have. I'm a screenwriting major and I was able to start writing for a show broadcasted on the Emerson network during my first semester as a freshman. On the negative side, Emerson is a school for those who know exactly what they want to go into. The curriculums here are very specialized and double majoring is extremely difficult, if they allow it. In the film department, for example, you have to choose from a wide variety of concentrations from cinematography to audio design, which is difficult if you aren't sure of what field you want to commit to. If you are certain, however, this can be a positive thing since the courses are designed to cover everything you need to know about your specific area. I find that when I tell people I go to Emerson, most think that it's an artsy school full of indie kids in tight pants. They aren't entirely wrong. Most of the students here are very creative and open minded, but a number of students also shop at Abercrombie and so it's difficult to lope everyone into the same categories. The fact that students are currently organizing a nude photoshoot for our school magazine and the administration is thinking of allowing coed dorms should give you an idea of what sort of things go on here. Emerson's location couldn't be more ideal. It's directly across from the Boston Commons and the public gardens, and at the same time we're in the heart of the city of Boston. Even though the T Stations are close, just about everything you need is in walking distance. Also, since there are so many colleges in Boston there's never a lack of college age students to hang out with if you find you aren't fitting into Emerson's social lifestyle. There are obvious downsides to not having a campus, and many students here are wrapped up in city living, but Boston is a fantastic place to go to college regardless. Emerson students take great pride in their school, and yes, they can be a pit pretentious about it. While most schools might take pride in their sports teams, we take pride in our television shows, film programs, theater productions, and so on. Every student here is very passionate about their work and it shows. It will be hard to forget my experience of living in a hotel for my first year at college. Emerson accidentally accepted too many students into the class of 2011, and as a result some of us were put into hotels to live in. You wouldn't believe the reactions I get when I tell them I'm living in the Marriott with my own bathroom and maid service. Even though I am missing out on the typical dorm experiences, the 40 or so of us in the Marriott have bonded over our situation and we've formed relationships with the staff. I do believe I'll miss the hotel life next year. One of the most frequent student complaints is related to our inability to double major. Certain departments, such as journalism and marketing, allow you to double major. Film and theater departments, however, do not. It's frustrating when your interests lie in more than one area but you can only pursue one of them as a minor. Financial aid at Emerson is a also very flawed system and doesn't relieve much of the gigantic costs of attending.

when i tell people i go to emerson they say, "oh that's a good school!" younger people assume that you're artsy. emerson is good for meeting people and networking. everyone assumes they'll be the next big thing and some of them actually will be. if i could change one thing i would change the curriculum. or at least the way it's portrayed. before i came here everyone made it sound like my liberal arts requirements would really get to blend in with my major but it's not like that at all. they're irrelevant and boring. the majority of the liberal arts classes are not challenging at all. also they have a new attendance policy which sucks. and you can't switch into film/audio from another major. a lot of the security seems really unnecessary. the resources for film/audio/etc. are only available to upper level students. the dining hall is mediocre and the cafe and max (other cafe) are overpriced and disgusting.

Emerson is great for the people who know what they want to do in life. I wish there were more majors to choose from. It is a good size but there is obviously not enough housing for everyone. Most people don't know what Emerson is, other than its location in Boston. Emerson is totally unusual, mostly because there are so many actors and filmmakers and singers, most schools just don't have that.

Emerson can sometimes feel too small. I am familiar with most of my grade already. I love to meet new people, and this can be slightly difficult on our small, cramped campus. People react well to Emerson, often because they haven't heard of it. If they have they don't know much about it, except that it's a "good" school. The best thing about Emerson is that it's in the middle of Boston. The theater district is amazing! Don't knock Chinatown until you've tried it! It's beautiful at night, there are endless restaurants, and everything is pretty much affordable. In the other direction is Newbury street, which can also be fun. We're only a couple blocks down from the Orphium, so it's easy to catch a show, and we're even closer to the AMC theater (perfect for all the film majors). Sometimes the AMC has premiers (which is cool, I got to meet Ben Afleck and Matt Daemon). There are great restaurants in Cambridge. There's a 24-Diner near South Station. The Boston Public Gardens are maybe two minutes away, and it is beautiful there when it's warm. The T takes you anywhere you need to go that you can't walk to.