<p>ArK – I’ll put aside the college fight song discussion and address (at length) your question about sports and the social atmosphere at UNC:</p>
<p>First, sports: Men’s basketball dominates, of course. However, there are other sports teams that have been very successful. If you are a soccer fan, UNC is probably the best college in the country to attend. The women’s team has been THE dominant team in the country, winning 21 national championships (20 NCAA and one AIAW) since 1981, including 11 straight titles. The 20 NCAA titles are the most titles won by any college team ever in any sport. Recently, there’s been more parity in the sport, but the UNC women still won in 2006, 2008, and 2009. The UNC men won in 2001 and were ACC runners-up last year. Soccer is huge around here, and one of the nation’s best soccer complexes is in Cary, NC. It is the home of a professional soccer team and regularly hosts the NCAA and ACC soccer tournaments.</p>
<p>Here are some other national titles by UNC teams since 2000 (the ones I know of): Men’s basketball (of course): 2005, 2009. Field hockey – 2007, 2009. Women’s team handball – 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011. This doesn’t include the team ACC titles or the NCAA/ACC titles of individuals in sports such as swimming and track and field. The baseball team was in the College World Series title game in 2007 and 2008, but lost to Oregon State. So, there are a number of sports at UNC that are played on a very high level.</p>
<p>One thing many people love about UNC is that it has both strong academics and a strong sports program. I believe that academics should always be the first priority, but having a great sports program that produces lots of school spirit is wonderful. The football program, though, has caused its share of headaches recently. Right now, UNC is having to appear before the NCAA about violations. However, I am proud of how the Chancellor fired the coach, despite the protestations of a small group of alumni, and seems determined to make sure the program is cleaned up. He has the faculty and apparently most students and alumni on his side, and the new coach seems like a decent person, so I’m hopeful.</p>
<p>As for the social climate: Carolina is quite diverse on a socioeconomic level, much more so than some of the other well-regarded, but private, schools in NC (Duke, Davidson, Wake Forest). There are students with several generations of legacy and some who are the first in their families to attend college. There are students from poor, middle class, and wealthier families, but they all seem to mix together pretty well with little if any concern that anyone is more “privileged” than anyone else. Over 80% of students are in-state, so out-of-state students have a very, very hard time getting in; out-of-state legacy students have a higher acceptance rate than out-of-state nonlegacy students. UNC is known for having a lot of campus activism, and has a liberal reputation, but I know people from all parts of the political spectrum who have been happy there. When I visit, I generally see people from different “races” (I prefer to think of us as one human race, but nevertheless …) sitting together in the cafeteria, walking through campus together, etc. Greek life is present, but not overwhelming, and it’s fairly easy to avoid altogether if you want to. Every time I go to campus, I see few people absorbed in their iPods and more people walking together and talking. My D has been pleased to find that people willingly offer to share umbrellas with strangers. Another thing that I have noticed is that most students are just as nice to the housekeeping staff as they are to their professors. (Any school where that isn’t the case would get my “no” vote immediately.) It’s just an all-around friendly place.</p>
<p>Carolina’s certainly not for everyone. It’s not a small school, and no one is going to hold your hand through registration, advising, etc. Students really are more or less on their own in figuring everything out, although people are usually pretty helpful if they ask. I think of it as a “welcome to adult life” experience. The large courses tend to be introductory courses in sciences, social sciences, and history, which many students have already placed out of with APs anyway so can avoid. TAs lead some recitation sections of large courses, and they usually teach levels 1-4 in foreign languages as well as science labs. That being said, there are some really good TAs (my D has one who’s so good students have said they’ll take anything he teaches), although I hear occasional complaints about science lab TAs who don’t speak English very well. As far as relationships with professors, I’ve heard (and my experience was years ago) that most are very eager to get to know students. It may take more initiative on the student’s part than it would at a small college, but the professors are just as welcoming.</p>
<p>Hey, Michigan and BC grads: I’m sure the OP would like to hear similar comments about your colleges! I’d like to read them myself. And, Michigan grads, not many people down here could identify the Michigan fight song, but we sure do hear good things about your musical theater program!</p>
<p>Good luck in your college search! I hope you find the right place for you.</p>