<p>I know the reputation, Chapel Hill is supposed to be an amazing college town, etc.</p>
<p>But I've lived my entire life in Houston (population >2 million) and I'm very concerned about whether I'd be ok with living in comparatively tiny Chapel Hill (~50,000 people). This is definitely my number one issue about UNC right now.</p>
<p>Have any of you been in this situation or known someone who was, and how did it turn out?</p>
<p>Size is not an issue, Chapel Hill (and Raleigh and Durham) are great for students. The campus is two hours from the beach and three hours from skiing in the Appalachians (at least for a couple of months each winter).</p>
<p>I would be more concerned about what you might think of Houston after a semester at UNC.</p>
<p>My response to that concern would be that you're not really going to be living in Chapel Hill; you'll be attending the university. In terms of other universities, UNC is usually considered "medium sized" with 16,000 undergrads and about 9,000 graduate students, and there is always plenty to do on and around campus. Even if you end up getting an apartment off campus at some point, your life will still revolve around the university, and you won't really notice the size of the town. The town itself, having grown around the university, can almost be seen as an extension of UNC (though that may irritate "townies," it's the reality for students). Since the town revolves around the school, it really epitomizes the "college town" idea you hear about so often. Plus, as the previous poster stated, we are very proximate to lots of fun and interesting North Carolina locations and close to many colleges and universities.</p>
<p>I think you have to consider what it is about living in a large city you think you'll miss. Is it the Rockets? We have a pretty good basketball team. Is it the Texans? We have a pretty good, um, basketball team. The Astros? You get the idea. Is it the late night activity--bars open late, etc.? Is it first run foreign films? Is it great concerts? Museums? All of those things come to or can be found at Carolina, or to a city very near by. Life in a college town does revolve around the school and it is a very interesting place.</p>
<p>Hmm, ok, I feel a little better about it (even though this is what people have been telling me the whole time). Probably I'll be able to see for myself in the spring when I visit.</p>
<p>gattican</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore at UNC and we're from Dallas so I'd guess his hometown experience is somewhat similar to yours. He loves UNC and Chapel Hill. There is a sizable and very proud group of Texas students among the out of staters (he's always running into someone new on the P2P (bus system) or somewhere around campus. You can find anything you want nearby if Chapel Hill starts to feel small ( I've never heard him complain about that though) with great shopping and restaurants nearby. There are regular (free) buses to the major malls and someone you know will have a car to get to Target etc. </p>
<p>They don't call it "Chapel Thrill" or "Blue heaven" without reason. </p>
<p>For weekend getaways you are within a few hours of either the mountains or the beaches which is a lot more than what you can say about 2 hour drives in Texas! As nice as the Hill Country or Padre might be, they pale when compared to Asheville, the Smoky Mountains, Wrightsville Beach or the beaches of the outer banks. </p>
<p>You need to visit. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yea, visit. I didn't and I HATE this place. Im from Ft. Lauderdale/Miami and the whole country thing is a failed experiment. However, my roommate is from Dallas and he loves it here, so I would suggest visiting. I know a bunch of kids who love it, and a few like me who don't. I think the academics, their unbelievably dull even in upper level classes, should also be part of your evaluation. If you want an intellectual feel go somewhere else. If you want a fun, easy (I mean you can do nothing, and get 3.8 +) experience than maybe its right for you.</p>
<p>gattican</p>
<p>In repsonse to pappy, my reaction/question would be, will you have any AP credit hours? </p>
<p>My son entered with 43 AP hours and has been in all upper division classes since his second semester freshman year with some his first semester. He is in the honors program and has taken two honors classes each semester as well. He has said that his academic experience is quite the opposite of what pappy describes. He has had high praise for most of his classes and profs with one or two exceptions in three semesters. He turned down Yale to attend UNC on a scholarship and has never regretted his decision.</p>
<p>UNC is a place that you can make what you want it to be;if you want to work hard, have small(er) classes etc you can (you may have to work a little harder to accomplish it but you can), if you want to take it easy you can as well, it's your choice but I've never heard anyone say it's an easy 3.8 + with no work. Look through the archives from last year and I think you'll see others who will note this as well.</p>
<p>I've read and heard that some people "didn't feel like it was a fit" usually because they were from small towns and it was a bit overwhelming but, in all honesty, pappy is the first person I've ever hear say that they hated the place.</p>
<p>Honors program, 44 ap hours, a bunch of other stuff. I love my prof's, zero complaints, it just the mundane atmosphere and student body as a whole. I feel it's 100% waste of my time and will be gone next fall, probably better for both me and the school. Your correct though, most people love it.</p>
<p>Pappy1986,</p>
<p>In looking back over your previous posts, though you have strong academic qualifications, it appears that UNC was one school that saw your potential while several others, by the luck of the draw, did not for whatever reasons. Many kids, for many reasons, don't end up where they think they should have and enter college with a chip on their shoulder. UNC evidently wanted you, give it a chance.</p>
<p>In truth, first semester is a painful adjustment for all students no matter how cheerfully they indicate things are "great". The swings from "I love it" to "I hate it" are miserable for many kids. You seem to be a high end kid who can handle himself. Stay there, make some more friends, give it a chance before you bail out.</p>
<p>As a favor to those who depend on this forum for student (and parent) reactions and advice please try to be as fair as you can in your postings. I'm with eadad on UNC - everything you could want is there it just is not effortless, nor is it effortless at any school.</p>
<p>Good luck with exams.</p>
<p>well it's good to see opposing viewpoints, makes me less convinced that this site will just convince me to go to UNC.</p>
<p>if it's among the two or three that accept me / make sense financially, then i'll visit in the spring and see what i think.</p>
<p>i have wondered if it's "intellectual" enough, but i figure i can probably find some people who are, even if the school itself isn't</p>