Student Profile
Danielle
- Class: Freshman
- Major: Film
- Gender: F
- High School: Waynesboro Area Senior High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
The best thing about Emerson is that you can someone to collaborate with on anything you can think of, whether it's music, film, writing, a community service project- anything. The one thing I would change is the fact that Visual Media Arts majors can only have one concentration and can't double major. Emerson is a very small school. I like that there's a relatively small number of students, because it's easier to form connections and network, but you do have to be willing to venture a little further out into the city on your own, because the "campus" is tiny. I spend most of my time on campus in a dorm building. There really isn't an on-campus hangout, but there are plenty of places right off of campus, like the Common, which is just across the street. Boston isn't the biggest city ever, but unless you're from New York or LA, you'll probably find that you have plenty of options of things to do in your free time. There are several movie theatres in the area, the Aquarium, Fenway Park, tons of affordable restaurants, Newbury Street and plenty of other shopping, and some pretty good concert venues. There tends to be a lot of school pride. The Orientation Leaders are great about making incoming students enthusiastic about the school, and the few people that really aren't proud to be at Emerson are pretty much the ones not coming back Sophomore year (and that's not a lot).
Academic Life
A lot of my classes aren't that much bigger than my high school classes. The biggest class I was in was a lecture class of 70 students, and every one of my professors has known my name. My favorite class is definitely Introduction to Media Production. For a film student there's nothing better than getting to do a lot of hands on projects on your own and in groups and have them critiqued... and not having to wait until you're a junior to do it. Students don't tend to study as much as they tend to devote their time to working on papers or projects. So much of what we do here is hands on. Class participation is not only common, but required in most classes as part of the grade. Some teachers also count online participation on class discussion boards if you're not the kind of person to speak up in class. Emerson students love to have intellectual conversations out of class. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely not all we talk about, but it's nice to be in a setting where you can talk about film or theatre or journalism with people who actually know what your talking about. Students are very competitive. Most students are pursuing careers that require them to be. My major is Visual and Media Arts with a concentration in Writing for Film and TV. I love that I get the most screenwriting classes possible, but am also learning every other aspect of filmmaking that I'm interested in too, and have plenty of elective for Junior and Senior year. Education at Emerson is geared toward getting a job while doing what you really want to do within your specific career area. No professor at Emerson will ever tell you to sacrifice your creativity to be more marketable, but no professor will tell you that your art if more important than earning a living either.
Student Body
Very conservative and more traditionally academic-minded students will feel out of place at Emerson. As far as what students wear to class, you don't get nearly as many who just roll out of bed and show up as I expected. Most Emerson students are from California, New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut, but you can find someone from any state and a few different countries too. Upper middle class is the most prevalent financial background, but I consider myself to be a little lower than that.
