App State vs UNC Chapel Hill?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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<p>Now, of course the immediately obvious answer is Carolina. And why not? More holistic admissions, more highly ranked, one of the best universities in the country. Has quite the prestige associated with it, which App state just can't match. </p>

<p>I've been accepted to both, and I can't make a decision. I live 15 minutes away from App state, and 3 hours from Carolina, so if I wasn't to fond of change (and I'm not), App state would seem to fit me better in this regard. </p>

<p>Now, I want to major in Computer Science, and UNC obviously wins there. Ranked 25th in the Country I believe (grad program), while App's computer science program isn't even ranked on that list. </p>

<p>Normally, I'd have until May 1 to decide, but I got a few scholarships in the mail today that leave me until April 4 to make my decision. </p>

<p>With App state, I'd get this-
2 scholarships which together give me $5000 my first year, then $4000 for the next three years, along with my tuition paid in full. If I really wanted to save money, I could even live at home (though I'd rather not, what with my overly protective parents and all). This amounts to around $37,000 in scholarships for App. </p>

<p>I was also accepted into the Honors college there (although I don't consider this to be a large factor. Honor's college, AFAIK, is more in name than anything else). </p>

<p>I would get to live closer to home, I could see and tend to me pets much more often than at Carolina, and this is a big deal. I freaking love my dog. Of course, getting to see my family more often is great as well. </p>

<p>With Carolina, I get more prestige, but I also have to pay (a LOT) more than App. Hopefully though, that won't matter too much since the education is supposedly better for my intended major. I won't get to see my family as much, or my pets, and I haven't really lived far from home for any extended period of time. It would definitely take getting used to, but who knows, maybe I would like it. </p>

<p>I'm a bit of an introvert, which could negatively affect me if I moved farther away from home. </p>

<p>So.....is the better CS program and higher prestige, and different lifestyle worth the extra money? Should I take the offer for App? My family sure wants me to. Go to App that is. At scholars' day, I met some really great people at App, and it made me respect the college a bit more. I also spoke with one of the Computer Science professors, and he seemed like a really cool guy. </p>

<p>I dunno, where should I go? Help me out here, CC. My dad says that prestige in a college isn't overly important if I plan on going to grad school (which I am). </p>

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<p>Your dad is right… to a point. I’d like to remind you that App State’s greatest contribution to the hearts and minds of the public was this video: <a href=“Appalachian State University is HOT HOT HOT - YouTube”>Appalachian State University is HOT HOT HOT - YouTube; If it’s a good state school, like NC State or App, then the prestige of your undergrad years won’t matter as much after graduate school. However, these lower tier state schools (like UNCG, App, UNCW, etc) might make it hard to get into a graduate program at something like, say, Carnegie Mellon. I’d suggest visiting Chapel Hill and taking a look around.</p>

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<p>Thanks illiriks. I have visited Chapel Hill - though only for a very brief amount of time. I did like the campus, and the student body seemed smart and friendly. </p>

<p>I forgot to mention that my parents are paying for my college education in full. We aren’t rich, but they’ve been saving since I was a baby so they can afford it - even if I decide to go for Chapel Hill. In that case, it’s more of where I feel like I would fit in more. </p>

<p>Still, that $37,000 in scholarships is hard to resist, and makes me feel like I’m getting a lot more bang for my buck. </p>

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<p>did u apply for financial aid? unc is pretty generous in that.</p>

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<p>

</a></p>

<p>Well either that…or this: <a href=“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOF6-GScIGo”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOF6-GScIGo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Thanks for that link @phonyreal98 … Great memories</p>

<p>@severage, Congratulations on your acceptance to both schools! My son is an ASU grad and my daughter is a second year student at Carolina and I attended both schools in the previous century. Both provide tremendous educational opportunities. I cannot speak directly to the Computer Science programs but here are some observations:</p>

<ul>
<li>UNC has tradition and is highly ranked as a national university. ASU is also highly regarded, but more so as a state/regional university.</li>
<li>Both schools are great values with ASU being even more so with the scholarships they have offered you. That would leave more money available for grad school.</li>
<li>The campus vibes are both good but in different ways. Carolina is quite traditional, App State is a little “crunchy” these days and has a good outdoor/adventure feel to it. Chapel Hill is a beautiful southern college town surrounded by a thriving metro area with the RTP, Raleigh & Durham so close. Boone is isolated but that is a result of being tucked in to some of the most beautiful mountains in the country.</li>
<li>ASU is no longer a small school with an undergraduate body of 15K but overall but with Carolina’s graduate school population, it feels like (and is) almost twice as large. Intro classes are big at both places but student/faculty ratios for higher level classes are good at both.</li>
<li>ASU has come a long way in providing opportunities for study off campus but Carolina seems to promote and excel at it. Daughter did a study abroad program last summer in Germany, Denmark & Sweden which has led to many subsequent rich learning opportunities.</li>
<li>Sounds like your family and home life are very important considerations in your life so don’t discount those feelings in your decision process.</li>
<li>Faculty at both institutions has been great to work with, going out of the way to help students BUT you have to seek them out and get their attention.</li>
<li>Finally, the competitive level of the student population is much higher at UNC, as evidenced in test scores and class rankings of incoming students. My daughter has to work harder than her H.S. classmates who are at ASU for the same grades. The advantage is that she is learning more and is potentially better prepared for her next steps.</li>
</ul>

<p>I hope this rambling helps a bit. Both schools are truly excellent so the choice will depend on where you will fit in the best. Prestige is fantastic but if you are not comfortable at the school, you can get lost.</p>

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<p>Thanks for all the responses. My parents can afford either school, but the scholarships I got for App make things easier. I’d save nearly $90,000 by going to App, so theres that. Plus I would be around family and pets. But UNC of course holds many benefits over App. I dunno</p>

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<p>I wrote out a longish reply about why you should take UNC CS because you’d earn back the $90k in a few years with the higher-paying (on average) job you’d get with a UNC degree, but if you’re going to grad school anyway then just go to App State.</p>

<p>Edit: I gotta ask though, why grad school? Masters or PhD?</p>

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<p>Thanks for the input blue_box. </p>

<p>For grad school, probably Masters. Higher salary (on average), and I think once I get used to college life, I’d love it (even if/when I go to a new college). Heck, I really enjoy high school right now, and I’d like to postpone having a formal job in favor of learning new stuff and meeting great people for as long as I can. My parents already said that if I went to App, they would put the money I saved with my scholarships into a bank account, which could pay for grad school.</p>

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<p>Masters programs are pretty expensive (especially OOS/private) so that 90k will definitely help. UNC does have a BS/MS program where you graduate with both degrees in 5 years instead of 6 saving both time and money. So if you do the math you might find that the money you save from skipping a year of grad school + the money you earn from working as a full time developer that year ( = 120-160kish for both?) might be more than the money you’d save by going to App State.</p>