Emerson College Top Questions

All of the extracurriculars I want to join are late at night on weekends. I commute from 20 miles away, and I have a job, so I don't participate in any. That said, I don't know much about anything else that goes on socially. My one experience with the "dating scene" was pretty lousy, but that's more of a personal problem than a "scene" problem.

The most popular groups are probably the performing groups, they are always having auditions and whatnot and they're pretty competitive. I'm involved in Kidding Around which is a children's theater organization, and I do the costumes, which is awesome. My door is always left open, I feel pretty secure because no one can really get in without a student ID. Athletic events are definitely not too popular, I've never seen one in my last year here, although I know they do exist. Guest speakers are popular depending on who they are, and the shows here sell out like you wouldn't believe, especially since people from the community can go, too. The dating scene is a little squashed since a lot of the guys here are gay (not EVERYONE like you'll hear, but a higher percentage than most schools) but I know plenty of people who have hooked up/ gotten a boyfriend. Co-ed dorms and floors help! I met my closest friends because I'm rooming with them or because I met them through another friend. People that are friends tend to do things/ organizations together which definitely makes people closer. I also met one of my best friends the first night of school at an Orientation event! Cheesy, I know. If I'm awake on a Tuesday at 2 am, I'm either chatting with my roommates or doing a paper (I'm usually up late ONLY for homework. Or maybe I'm at NYP (New York Pizza), the ONLY place open at 2 am. The first thing that comes to mind as far as yearly events is the Evvy's, a sort of awards ceremony/ show that acknowledges student work (I think). People party a pretty good amount although a lot of it is pretty class, wine and cheese style, we still have some frat/ sports team parties. And there's always MIT. Frats & sororities are really not important at all, I barely see their presence on campus except that SAE (the frat) sometimes has parties. Last weekend, I stayed home Friday night with a bunch of friends, ordered cheesecake to get delivered (we were snowed in!) and played Scattergories/ Tabboo until 2 AM. Saturday I went to a musuem during the day and then a party at the lacrosse house that night, and then Sunday I cleaned and did my homework. On a Saturday night there are always plenty of people not drinking; you could always go to a movie, or a show, or just hang out with people around campus or go for a walk when it's not too cold. Off-campus I'm usually either eating (at dessert places or Italian restaurants in the North End or Mr. Crepe in Davis Square) or going to some sort of musuem (MFA and Isabella Stewart Gardner are great). Sometimes I'm doing a charity or volunteer event, like Ronald McDonald House's "Polar Express."

Like I said, almost everyone is involved with at least one extracurricular. In fact it seems like what you do outside of class is just as important, if not more important than what you do in class. This is where students get the chance to put what they've learned to the test and apply it hands-on. All clubs and productions are entirely student run and the quality and level of each one is highly impressive. There is always some activity or show that students can go see on almost any given night. Whether you decide to participate in all that Emerson has to offer is up to you. Social life takes place mostly in the dorms, especially for the under 18 crowd (students tend to live off campus after sophomore year anyway). There is one frat that throws parties fairly frequently that are popular but people tend to create their own fun or turn to other schools for a party scene. The biggest downside to Boston is that it closes very earlier (especially if you're used to New York City). The T makes its last run around 1230 and, with few exceptions, things tend to close around 11 unless there's drinkng involved. This can get pretty boring but I still usually find ways to have a good time.

It would be nice to say that Emerson's activities list is as diverse as its students, but aside from sexual preference and hair color, Emerson does not have diversity. Most of the activities are geared toward students who really just want to control what they are passionate about. We have SGA, theater groups (MTS, Rareworks, Shakespeare Society, etc.), marketing/communication groups (PRSSA, EMCOMM), film/TV clubs (SPEC, Women in Motion, FPS, EIV, ECTV), radio stations (WERS, WECB, ETIN), and athletics. There are also some lifestyle groups (EAGLE, Hillel, EBONI), but basically every single organization can be grouped into one of the above categories. Most of the students here take their organization more seriously than their classes, and our Greek life is almost non-existent. Normally during the week, people on campus avoid doing homework until 1 AM by hanging out in the common room and watching the latest movie to receive any oscar buzz. However, on the weekend, students will either go out to see a movie/play/comedy show or find some place to party. Being in Boston, there are a lot of things to do at any given time, but I once heard someone say that "nothing good happens after 11." I agree.

social life is great. I wish i knew more people on my floor, but thats only because i live in the corner of the hall so no one actually walks by our door. greek life is not very important at all, at least to me. I think we have one sorority and one fraternity? its not very prominent in emerson's social life, though. My closest friends are the people I live with. Other friends I mostly meet in classes, and alot of my good friends I met during orientation. i wish there were more regular social events. Party scene depends. Because Emerson living is packed so tight (meaning as soon as we leave the building we're not on Emerson property anymore) its not a big party school. Its hard to get away with much in the dorms, so any parties that do go on have to be pretty small and low-key. If someone feels the need to party, theres always the surrounding colleges like MIT, BU and Tufts. Personally I'm not much of a partier, and it gets hard finding other things to do on a saturday night. theres a great movie theater down the road, but it gets expensive after a while. it will be easier in spring and summer when we can just...wander on a saturday night. right now its kind of like we're all cooped up.

The most popular organizations depend entirely on what your major is. The Evvys, Emerson's annual awards show modeled after the Emmys and Oscars, is a very popular organization that attracts students from a number of departments. Broadcast Journalism students as well as TV Production majors work on various shows on the Emerson Channel while The Berkley Beacon, Emerson's weekly newspaper, is usually a must for Print Journalism students. There are also a variety of theater groups and comedy troupes that put on fantastic performances. We also have two radio stations that are ranked top in the country. No matter what your major is, there's a club for it. I personally am involved with Emerson Independent Video, which puts together a number of sitcoms, music videos, and talk shows, and Spec., a group dedicated to aspiring screenwriters. In addition to department related groups, there are also groups such as the Student Government Association and clubs that focus on common interests or goals. Athletic events are a bit of a joke at Emerson. We just aren't athletes. This, sadly, is also how I would describe the dating scene at Emerson. Most guys are gay, and the ones who aren't are taken. Luckily Boston is full of young college bachelors. There's no "if you're awake on a Tuesday.." You will be. Emerson courses usually don't require a lot of nightly homework, instead we have large projects that will consume most of your time. Extracurriculars are also taken very seriously, and chances are you'll have work to do on an individual film project or rehearsal for a play if you don't have to write a paper. There are parties at Emerson, however if you aren't a drinker, then that usually isn't a problem for those students. Most people I talk to who stay away from the party scenes say that they're never pressured to drink and that they aren't affected by those who do. There are a couple sororities and one fraternity, but they aren't significant institutions here and don't hold a lot of power over anyone. Last weekend I attended a comedy show, caught a free screening of Jack Black's latest film (which is very frequent at the movie theaters in the area and perfect for students who are low on cash) and pulled an accidental all nighter while celebrating a friend's birthday. There are constantly events on and off campus that don't involve drinking, including musicals, films, pool halls, etc. During the week there are usually a variety of guest speakers who come to Emerson from the makers of The Lion King to Hal Penn, star of Harold and Kumar. Earlier in the year, Barack Obama gave a speech on the Boston Common, which is directly across from Emerson College.

wecb and wers are popular. they are the emerson radio stations. eagle is big. it's the emerson gay club (emerson alliance of gays lesbians and everyone--- yeah, it's a stretch.) frats and sororities are kind of a joke. same with athletics. a lot of upperclassmen live off campus. kids who live in the dorms drink in their rooms. suites are alright for small parties.

It is totally impossible to find a straight guy at Emerson to date. The only thing to do is to have a good time somewhere off campus and get NYP. Greek life is non-existent and I would say that the biggest extra-curricular activity here is smoking cigarettes on the stoop outside of p-row.

Theatre, radio, and Emerson TV are all very popular and very good quality. There are some sports, such as softball, hockey, and basketball, but they are not very popular and do not have much student support. Being in Boston there is always tons of stuff to do, with and without alcohol. Emerson is located near a large movie theatre which very frequently has free movie screenings. Greek life is existant at Emerson, barley. There are a few frats and sororities and some co-ed ones. But, since Boston is a huge college town there are many nearby Greek houses from other colleges like MIT and BU.

There are A TON of activities that you can do on campus, as well as things off campus because Boston is such a great city. Since there are only two dorms and they're a bit unconventional, almost no partying happens on campus. But since many students live off-campus, you can always find a party there or at a neighboring school. I don't drink, so on weekends my friends and I usually explore the city (because it's beautiful) and during the nights we'll go to a cafe or a movie, or an event that's happening in the city. Also, if you don't drink, the school hosts a lot of activities on the weekends, such as speakers and concerts.