Emerson College Top Questions

OMG! I am so sick of racial, religious, LGBT, etc. kinds of groups because they are all that matter at Emerson. Emerson has turned me against liberalism because it was in my face so much. I think it is extremely important for college campuses to have these campuses so everyone can enjoy the college experience and feel accepted, but at Emerson these kinds of issues are spoken of to an extreme extent. The kind of student who would feel out of place at Emerson is a Republican or a homo-phobe. Emerson is all about accepting everyone. Emerson Students will wear just about anything to class. One of my alum classmates once said "Emerson is the only place on earth you will see 3 kids with orange mohawks sitting next to each other who all think they're creative". They dress very retro & 80's, classy & chique, like indie rock stars, like metalheads, like Abercrombie...seriously, any dress style is game. I'd say the most common dress styles are 80s, big glasses, curly messy hair, emo/indie/liberal looks. Emerson students come from Everywhere. I have friends who grew up in New England and others that grew up in India, It's an extremely diverse college. One thing is for sure, most of the students (or their parents) are either middle or upper class because of how expensive our school is. Politically Aware is an under statement. Everyone thinks they know everything about everything. Whether it's fair trade coffee or feminism or abortion, Emerson students will always defend their cause and shove it into your face excessively. While I went to Emerson, I fell for the whole liberalism thing they are all in love with, but since graduating, I have gotten my head out of the clouds and realized I have my own causes. If you are extremely liberal, this is the place for you to shine! No one talks about the money they will earn because Emerson students are more likely to join the Peacecorps or volunteer at an aids clinic. It's about being passionate for a cause and dedicating time, rather than the money involved.

Oh man, everyone is accepted at Emerson. There are tons of scenesters wearing nothing but designer clothes, but we've also got cross-dressers, pink-haired punks, slobs, jocks, preps, take your pick. You can get away with anything, especially if you're making a statement. People love to talk about politics, but it's very leftist.

We are a totally open campus to basically everything, you will know if you don't fit in here.

Again, emersonians are mostly snobby rich kids who pretend to live like bohemians.

For the most part, Emerson is a welcoming campus that respects all walks of life.

There's a pretty blaring lack of real religious conviction at Emerson, and the minorities groups are pretty small and kind of stick together. It's definitely mostly upper-class people, and there's a lot of LBGT students (there's a saying "Gay by May" meaning any straight guys left will turn to the dark side by the end of their freshman year), and a lot of the student group are geared towards some sort of cause, like Earth Emerson or Emerson Peace & Social Justice. A really average person (and maybe jocky-type students) might feel out of place at Emerson, as well as people who were kind of unsure about their life choices, because everyone is really determined here. Most students look polished at all times, and pretty trendy, you see a lot of boots and leggings, scarves, that type of thing. I don't really ever see anyone wearing sweats or pj's to class. Different types of students do interact, especially through gen-ed required classes where everyone is lumped together. 4 Dining Hall tables: 1. Super trendy, probably rich film/marketing majors from LA and New York. 2. Thrift store shopping poetry students and their vegetarian plates. 3. The really awkward "I don't brush my hair because I'm different!" kids that other people mostly avoid. 4. The jocks/ alcoholics that make you wonder why they ever applied here. Most students are from the East Coast, New York or Connecticut, there are some from Cali, and some weird anomalies from like, Arizona and Ohio. Students here are mostly politically aware and active, we're all mostly liberals, we had a fake "caucus" this year and Obama took it by a landslide. He also spoke in the Common last semester and almost everyone went. Students here joke about how they'll be living in a box because they picked a major they liked instead of some lucrative business thing, but most people land some sort of job afterwards.

Emerson has a very tolerant student body. There is a large gay community here which everyone not only tolerates but embraces. It is a mostly white student body but again it is very tolerant of all races. The only thing Emerson does not seem to be tolerant of is Republicans, and any right-wing leaning people. The "types" of Emerson students correlate mostly to major. Writing, journalism and film majors tend to stick together. The same goes for any theater majors and then broadcast journalism, marketing and other communications majors. However, the majority of Emerson students are very friendly and open to meeting new people. When I first got here I definitely did not feel too intimidated. Everyone was very concerned with making sure everyone was settling in nicely and making friends.

Emerson's LGBT scene is big and completely accepted. It's true that many of our students are queer-identified, and the campus officials and students embrace that! I don't think many people would feel out of place at Emerson, as there are a lot of diverse groups of people, but generally speaking - conservative beliefs are generally in the minority here, and as much as the school would like to think it contains a diverse ethnic population, it does not. Most students here are rich and white and from New England. It's a fact. This does not, however, get in the way of building friendships as most students don't flaunt their money or feel privileged in any way. As for what students wear to class, it completely varies. Early morning classes see their fair share of sweatpants and hoodies, but casual dress is usually the norm. Jeans and a t-shirt (with a North Face pullover) are most prevalent.

To be as stereotypical as possible, Emerson students are homosexual, white upper-class, liberal, and far too opinionated. Generally, Emerson is the place where all the awkward outcasts from high school have a chance to redeem themselves in a college setting. Students have a tendency to love to hear themselves talk. If you were to walk in the dining hall, you would see the following: the theater majors singing their latest audition piece to their fellow cast-mates at a round table , the few athletes sitting in a long table closest to the food, the writing majors sitting away from everything and everyone in the back, the com disorder majors studying by themselves in a high table next to the window, and the media students sitting wherever there's enough room to talk about their latest script ideas. Mostly everyone talks about how they will be in debt when they graduate, but half of the people saying that really mean "my parents will have to pay my loans while I am living the dream in Hollywood."

Emerson's student body is not as diverse as I would expect. There are very few racial minorities. However, it seems that every single racial, religious, or socio-economic group has alot of community and awareness surrounding it. In other words, no group is silent. I think the only type of person that might feel out of place is someone closed-minded. I would say most of emerson is very left-wing, but that doesnt mean its exclusive. Like i said, most people are open to learn about and discuss new ideas and beliefs.