“I finally feel like I have permission to slow down and ask myself what I actually want.”
That comment from one student captures the sentiments of many who participate in Emory ADVANCE — an immersive experience offered through the Emory Purpose Project that invites students to step away from their busy schedules and into a structured space for reflection, honest conversation and intentional growth.
Launched in 2024, Emory ADVANCE operates on a simple but powerful premise: College moves fast, but meaning develops when people have time and support to pause, examine their lives and connect daily choices to what matters most. Any Emory undergraduate students, including those at Oxford College, can apply to participate.
The most recent program was at Camp Mikell in Toccoa, Georgia, before spring semester classes began.
“For one transformative week, participants traded academic work for something equally rigorous: turning their attention towards purposeful self-reflection,” says Ira Bedzow, director of the Emory Purpose Project and a core faculty member in the Emory Center for Ethics. “Many students arrived describing how they feel pulled in multiple directions — academically, socially and professionally. They came hoping the program might help them reconnect with their own priorities, find tools for better decision-making, or simply create space to think deeply without the pressure of deadlines.”
Participants engage in guided reflection exercises, small-group dialogues and experiential activities designed to integrate intellectual, emotional and embodied learning. Rather than treating purpose as an abstract concept, students practice noticing how their habits, attention and relationships shape their choices and how they see what’s possible for themselves.
Conversations move fluidly between life's big questions, such as “What is worth wanting?” “Why do I want my life to be a certain way?” and practical ones about how we spend our time, manage stress and develop a stronger sense of belonging.
“I left with a clearer sense of my ‘why,’ a deeper respect for intentional listening and a renewed commitment to live openly with purpose,” says Logan Dross, a senior majoring in philosophy, politics and law while also earning a minor in ethics. “Purpose is no longer abstract or aspirational; it is something I actively choose. It shows up in how I structure my time, how I protect space for play, how I engage in relationships and how I approach my work.
“The building blocks of my life remained the same, but the intention behind them has shifted,” Dross adds, “and that shift has made all the difference.”
Community is the heart of the experience, according to participant surveys.
Students consistently note that Emory ADVANCE creates an environment where honesty and vulnerability feel safe.
Through facilitated dialogue circles and partner exercises, students share their experiences of anxiety, uncertainty, ambition and hope. Hearing others, including ADVANCE facilitators, articulate similar struggles helps normalize challenges while building mutual support.
“Many students arrive feeling overwhelmed by stress, social comparison, fear of failure and pressure to perform,” says Bedzow, who also is an associate professor in the Emory School of Medicine and Goizueta Business School. “By the end of the program, students consistently report increased self-awareness, stronger relational skills and a reframed understanding of purpose — not as a distant goal, but as something practiced through everyday choices.”
Students say they have gained clearer language for their values, greater awareness of how attention and habits influence well-being and a stronger sense of agency in shaping their lives. Many describe feeling more grounded and less reactive. Some say they feel better equipped to navigate pressure and to be more intentional about relationships.
Perhaps most meaningful is that participants forge friendships that deepen their sense of belonging on campus.
“I wanted to meet Emory students outside of my major and classes in a new, unique context,” says Raasikh Kanjiani, an Emory senior studying computer science and math. “In just one week at ADVANCE, I made new friends, learned more about myself and others, and left with a new set of skills and sense of self. I left with more maturity, personal growth and a more positive mindset. In an age of inescapable social media influence, procrastination and rapid change, this is priceless.”
By combining reflection, dialogue and experiential learning, ADVANCE demonstrates how structured pauses within the academic calendar can be transformative, Bedzow says. “For participants, this wasn’t time away from learning, it was learning how to live their education more fully.”