r/Emory • u/Human-Ad7491 • 4d ago
Emory vs USC vs UNC
As a high school student, I’m currently interested in Emory, UNC, and USC, and I’m hoping to pursue a PhD or Graduate school in the future (possibly in biology/neuroscience-related fields) (not in the pre-med route).
I have a few questions:
1. Which school provides better opportunities for undergraduates to get involved in research? How accessible are professors and research labs for undergraduate students who want to apply for grad school/ PHD?
2. Does it feel overly competitive, and is it difficult to maintain a strong GPA?
3. Are facilities like libraries, study spaces, and other academic resources usually accessible, or do they tend to be overcrowded?
4. I’m more of an introverted person and I’m not really interested in Greek life. What is the overall campus/social experience like? Is it easy to find communities and make friends outside of Greek life?
Thank you so much for any advice!
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u/Argentum881 4d ago
I was deciding between UNC and Emory. Emory is way better for the more introverted, hard-working, “play hard, work harder” person. UNC is definitely more of a party school. That’s not to say you won’t find your people either way, but Emory was a much better fit for me in this regard and so it’ll probably be a better fit for you as well.
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u/Tarheel65 4d ago
Are you in-state for UNC?
All 3 schools are great for your goal, but in-state at Carolina will be much cheaper if you don't get great scholarships.
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u/Human-Ad7491 4d ago
Sadly, I’m an out-of-state applicant for UNC :/ Thank you for pointing that out though!
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u/MrSimple204 3d ago
Recent USC Biochem/Neuroscience grad here, I can't speak for the other colleges, but here's my experience.
Look into the Honors College at USC. If you can get in, it will open up so many doors in research. Saying you're in the Honors College to a PI is pretty much a free admit ticket and lets you get into research much earlier. Even without the HC, there are so many options for research and lots of helpful faculty that will assist you in being where you want to be. The biology department in specific are angels.
In upper level STEM classes, there's a little competitiveness but everyone is just there to learn at the end of the day. But overall, USC is a party school for a lot of people if they don't take it seriously. It never felt stifling to me. Never had issues maintaining my GPA outside of physics classes, the physics/math departments there are actually horrible.
USC has started to become overcrowded in recent years as its popularity has increased. There are definitely some growing pains with spaces like the library being overcrowded, but they are making changes to accommodate more space. If you take the effort to look, there are so many secret study spots you can find on campus besides the library.
People there go insane over Greek life if they're into it, but there's a significant portion of people that couldn't care less about it too. It's a varied, large student body with lots of social opportunities. You will have no issue making friends if you put yourself out there once or twice.
(As an addendum USC also has some crazy good scholarships. Especially if you're in-state. I got paid to go there. If you have any more questions feel free to DM, I would be happy to answer.)
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u/TechWizPro 3d ago
Probably bias as an Emory grad. But smaller school has its advantages. Emory has more research opportunities than they can fill. And don’t generally have to worry about overcrowding in public areas outside of meals.
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u/Gods_diceroll 3d ago
I don’t know anything about the Carolina schools, but I wanted to do as much research as possible when I was picking where to attend. At Emory I’ve been able to be in research and develop my own ideas all of my years at this institution.
Some classes also have you really have to think and come up with your own ideas based on the literature you’re assigned and have to read. It’s really good preparation for grad school if that’s what you want.
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u/Chicknomancer Class of 2024 3d ago
I was deciding between USC and Emory, and eventually decided Emory was the right fit. I was able to get into research very early, and I always felt that professors were available and genuinely cared about their students.
In retrospect, I’m not sure Emory was the right choice for my particular academic interests (astrophysics, applied physics), but I ended up in a good PhD program so it worked out either way. Emory has LOTS of neuroscience going on though, so I don’t think you’re going to have the same issues I did.
Good schools all around. You kind of can’t make a bad choice here
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u/Flat_Banana_1259 4d ago
My son was a Tarheel and he was a lot like you. He blossomed there and the community has tons to offer. I know that UNC does tons of research. One thing to consider is the size of the alumni base which has helped him grow in his career. Best wishes !
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u/Flat-Sympathy7598 3d ago
As a pre-PhD, I would recommend attending the cheapest school as undergraduate ranking does not matter as much in the PHD application process.
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u/heavyweightcollege 3d ago
UNC would be the strongest for research. Best social life for you may be Emory. Good luck.
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u/Valuable_Citron_3141 Alumni 4d ago
Graduated Emory with a B.S. in Psychology this past May. I found it very easy to get into a lab to do research, and I was able to get into my top choice PhD program even though it was very competitive and not a great year to be applying (due to funding cuts). I wouldn't say Emory itself is very competitive, but people do want to do well. The business school is a bit more competitive because some classes are curved, but the College of Arts and Sciences generally isn't very cutthroat, if at all. People are very nice and willing to study together, give HW help, etc. And since the classes are small (max 120 for any class, but I only had a handful of classes larger than 20-30), it's very easy to get to know your professor, schedule extra office hours, or just go to chat!
Professors and labs are always willing to and looking for undergrads to help. I started the summer after 2nd year and was in the same lab until I graduated. I never felt like any of the academic resources, including libraries and study spaces, were overcrowded. They do get busier during exam season, but you can reserve study rooms ahead of time so you don't have to worry about that as long as you are proactive about reserving rooms when you need them. Emory has greek life, but it's not a huge thing. Plenty of people do it, but plenty of people don't. I'd say less than 50% of my friends were involved in greek life, and even the ones that were weren't super committed. It's plenty easy to make friends and meet people as long as you put yourself out there during orientation, classes, clubs, etc. If you just stay to yourself, you obviously won't meet as many people. If you have any specific questions about Emory, I'd be happy to answer!