What is Emory University Known For?
The second oldest private institution of higher learning in the state of Georgia, Emory University of Atlanta, was established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1836.
More than a matter of age, Emory’s reputation for academic excellence has established it as one of the country’s elite private schools, often mistaken for an Ivy League institution.
thanks to your $11 billion endowment Emory has become a leader in many fields, earning a top-tier rank for its very high research activity.
Emory does not undertake these activities alone, but in cooperation with other impressive insights. In collaboration with Peking University of Beijing and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory houses the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.
In cooperation with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Emory provides students with access to cutting-edge resources. Along with Nanjing University, Emory operates the Confucius Institute in Atlanta and has a research partnership.
Through these connections, Emory has partnered with the most influential people in the world.
Several heads of state have graduated from Emory, including US Vice President Alben W. Barkley, and the Prime Ministers of Georgia and South Korea.
Emory alumni and faculty have won nearly every major award, including the Pulitzer and Emmys. Numerous MacArthur Fellows worked with the school, as did CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
As impressive as this list of achievements is, these accolades are not all that Emory is known for. The school features respected academic programs, fun traditions, and even sports championships.
What majors and academic studies is Emory known for?
As one of the most elite private schools in the South, Emory University boasts first-class programs in various fields.
Some of those great programs are part of the Goizueta Business Schoolincluding Emory’s exclusive JD/MBA degree.
Offered in conjunction with the university’s Law School, the degree prepares students who wish to use their legal degrees in the business world.
In a joint program designed for efficiency, students can finish their degree in four years, allowing time for internships in each of the three summer sessions.
For those who want to start their job even faster, there is the one-year MBA program that Goizueta offers to those who have completed two years of law school.
Participants may have just two summers for internship opportunities, but can earn their JD/MBA degree in just three and a half years.
From the religious history of the school, the Candler School of Theology‘s M.Div. degree is one of the most respected in the nation.
A professional degree designed for future church leaders, ministers or social workers, the M. Div. degree places an emphasis on practical skills.
Drawing on the theological tradition of the school in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Candler covers everything from leadership practices to critical thinking.
Emory’s medical school is one of the best in the country, especially its award-winning dermatology program.
Working in conjunction with the 587-bed Emory University Hospital, the program seeks to train professionals from diverse backgrounds, paying equal attention to classroom and clinical training.
With a variety of service opportunities available, the program ensures that graduates become excellent physicians.
Is Emory a good school?

If you think Emory may have only a few good programs and is otherwise a run-of-the-mill university, a quick look at the ranking point lists will prove otherwise.
According to the most respected media US news and world reportEmory is 21st best school in the nation, beating the University of California at Berkley, Georgetown University and the University of Michigan. The school earns similar recognition on the site’s Best Value Schools list, also ranking 21st.
niche.com agrees with the findings of US News, giving Emory an overall grade of A+. The site highlights Emory’s academic strength, overall value, and diversity.
Emory also does quite well on the site’s specialized list, ranking in the top ten on lists of America’s Best Christian Schools, America’s Best Nursing Schools, and America’s Best Chemistry Schools.
As these numbers show, Emory is one of the best schools in the United States.
Emory Traditions
Emory’s proud history doesn’t stop with just academics. For decades, Emory students have established unique traditions to connect newcomers to the school’s past.
Every week, students and teachers celebrate Wonderful Wednesday, an opportunity to break from the usual routine to relax and spend time together.
Sometimes Wednesdays are low-key affairs, nothing more than a good meal in the food court.
Other times, Wonderful Wednesdays are a significant event, as in the case of the annual releasewhich takes place in Atlanta.
To help freshmen get to know their new students, the school hosts Songfesta competition between those in the first-year residence halls.
The annual competition draws people from all over campus to watch freshmen put on their best show, which is judged by sophomores. This connection between the freshman classes and the senior classes helps create cohesion on campus.
This small sampling makes it easy to see that Emory strives to place its students in the larger culture of the school.
Featured Clubs and Extracurricular Activities at Emory
Emory may be a smaller campus than other schools of the same quality, but it has an incredibly active student body. Without a doubt, Emory’s most popular clubs are the various Greek organizations. But if that’s not your thing, you can start a new club or join one of several that already exist.
For those who have a heart to help others, Volunteer Emory prepares students to work in the community.
For more than four decades, Volunteer Emory has been locating needs in the Atlanta area and enabling members to make real improvements.
Volunteer Emory makes sure learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms, from short one-day projects to weekly service trips and social justice education sessions.
Musically inclined men should take a look No strings attached, Emory’s longest-running student-run acapella group. Growing out of an open mic night in 1994, No Strings Attached has become a true school tradition.
No Strings Attached hosts a campus-wide concert each year, and the group has performed at major events, including Atlanta Falcons and Braves games.
Best of all, Emory welcomes the formation of new clubs. So even if she can’t find a place to belong among the great offerings at school, she can start a new club and meet up with others.
What sports is Emory known for?
While best known for its academic achievements, the Emory Eagles field 18 varsity teams in NCAA Division III, earning them recognition as a Great Sports School from the National Collegiate Directors’ Association of Athletic Directors’ Cup. .
Among its many teams, the Eagles have taken home 31 NCAA Championships.
Perhaps the most successful programs at Emory are the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.
The teams have taken home 15 national championships since 2005, with the men’s team winning the 2022 championship, earning coach Jon Howell his second CSCAA National Coach of the Year award. Howell won first prize from him in 2018, thanks to victories for the women’s swimming and diving team.
Emory is about to establish a new winning tradition with its women’s golf team, which won the national championship in 2022. The win came as the team broke the previous Division III record with a total of four rounds. The team posted a total of 23 over par 1175, nearly 40 shots short of the last record set in 2001.
So while the Emory Eagles may not sell as many hats and jerseys as the Michigan Wolverines or Duke Blue Devils, the school is second to none in athletic excellence.
Why Emory?
As we have seen, Emory University is one of the best schools in the South. Emory has earned the respect of academics around the world, a world-class private institution.
With that level of popularity comes a great deal of attention, including many applicants. In 2022 alone, 33,517 applicants applied to come to Emory as freshmen. Of that group, only 5,303 received letters of admission, for an acceptance rate of only 15.8%.
While that rate is higher than the Ivy League schools Emory is often compared to, it’s certainly highly competitive. Out of ten students, eight will be rejected half the time, and nine will be rejected the other half.
In short, the vast majority of those who apply to Emory will not be offered admission. So why should you try?
The answer to that question can be found in the rest of this article. Academically, Emory is one of the best schools in the nation, with countless first-class thinkers and researchers doing their best work on its Atlanta campus.
The alumni of the school have managed to make a real difference in the world, establishing a tradition that anyone would be proud to follow.
When combined with the university’s wonderful traditions and active campus life, it’s easy to see why the best and brightest flock to Emory.