Hi everyone! I’m a female student from Australia majoring in Literature, I’m 20 years old. I have always loved the idea of coming to America for exchange so I’m posting here for some opinions and help!
I need to apply by next month for next fall exchange but I’m super torn between N.C. State or University of Boulder, Colorado. ( Cross out UNC Chapel Hill, acceptance there isn’t very high from my uni).
I mainly wanted information on things like:
[QUOTE=""]
what are the people like in both areas! I am vegan and quite spiritual, i love open minded people and nice people!!! I also love to read and have my own space but I also like to party, too. All in all I’d like to go to a more ‘fun’ school as my grades don’t matter as much on exchange!
this one is super important for me: whether the university is close to the central “town” - whether it’s relatively mall and what each state is like, I guess. I didn’t pick states like New York or Miami because I like the small college town feel.i guess I prefer when it’s tight knit
what housing is like, especially in apartments as opposed to halls - don’t want to share a room. Or should I? Also whether it’s easy to get around via public transport and all.
weather and nature! I love the beach and I love to go on nature walks- which is better?
[/QUOTE]
I know ultimately it’s up to me but I want to get a feel for what each place is like and which university will be best for me! Ive never been to America so I’m not sure! Thanks guys any other useful information is welcome - literally tell me anything that’s useful or that pops into your head!
NC State is geared towards STEM majors, and emphasizes engineering, math, and science. NC State is located in Raleigh, NC, which is the state capitol, and has around 500K population, I believe; Boulder has around !00K population.
NC State is a few hours’ drive to the Atlantic Ocean; University of Colorado is in the Rocky Mountains.
You will probably be exposed to a more diverse student body in terms of majors or courses of study at University of Colorado. I suspect that the University of Colorado may be more “fun” in your sense than NC State.
Boulder is about 30 miles from downtown Denver, but it is a city in itself with shopping and sports and theater available locally. There is public transportation that is included with your student fees. You can rent your own room or apt, but it will cost you. Everything in Boulder will cost you.
Boulder is chock-full of vegan, spiritual, yoga-pant-wearing types, athletes, skiers. People are generally nice and more relaxed than in the coastal states. Very liberal politically. Nature is gorgeous but no beach, unless you count the reservoirs. Public transportation is quite good, and it’s also easy to bike. The campus is beautiful.
Yes, Boulder has everything you want except beach. If you can give that up, it’s your choice. The only caveat is that Raleigh is an East Coast location so you have easier (and cheaper) access to Washington, NYC, Boston, etc.
But I think the environment of Boulder will suit you perfectly.
Good luck and have fun!
PS --If you do end up in Boulder and want to see more of the country, you can fly Frontier out of Denver for cheap. It’s a bit like a bus in the sky but it’ll get you places!
Boulder is great. My daughter goes there, and I love to visit her every time. The town of Boulder itself is fun as well. The “Hill” is where all the students hang out, and Pearl Street is about a mile-ish from campus and no-car area to walk and eat and shop.
It’s expensive for an apartment if you want to be close to the school. That is probably the biggest difference between Boulder and North Carolina. Look online and see the costs. Transportation is really easy. They have the Hop, Skip, and Jump bus lines, and they go various distances within Boulder and to Denver.
LOTS of walking trails, nature, rock climbing in the area. No beaches, but definitely water.
It’s a great town. School is great. Some say too much partying (maybe that’s what you want) and others say there is a lot but you can stay away from it easily.
Boulder, Colorado is consistently rated as the best, or one of the best, college towns in the country. Certainly among the most beautiful. Sophisticated & wealthy, it caters to nature lovers (hiking) and winter sports enthusiasts.
No beach close to either school.
Both locations (Boulder, Colorado & the Research Triangle area of North Carolina are high tech hubs.
Boulder is a very liberal community while Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill are more moderate.
Although I don’t know anything about Boulder, I can elaborate on the other post re: NC State. The climate in Raleigh is pretty warm and humid with one to two snow storms a year, which close the entire region down.
NC is less progressive than Colorado in that pot is still illegal. NC State is a very large school with big classes, but it is very close to the the downtown area. My niece graduated in textiles and loved it. There is a lot of school spirit, however, if I had to choose I’d go to Boulder.
@Publisher depends on your idea of close, NC State is 2 hours to Wilmington and 2 hours 45 minutes to Myrtle Beach. Compared to Boulder, that would be close. Some other advantages of Raleigh, are the 4 seasons, mountains and beach are only a couple hours away and proximity of other schools as UNC and Duke are 20-30 minutes, so there is a huge variety of things to do for college aged. Now the NC mountains will not compare to the Rocky’s but the variety is nice. Also plenty of lakes in the area. Raleigh is in the South, so people tend to be very friendly.
@Publisher – Raleigh is moderate/progressive. Durham and Chapel Hill are very liberal. But agree there’s probably no place in the US more liberal than Boulder. Maybe Oakland or Brooklyn?
Agree cost of living Raleigh would be lower so worth comparing if that’s a big concern. Raleigh is an up and coming place for young people with lots to offer. But Boulder is just one of the coolest places in the whole country so it’s hard to compete against.
All four are liberal towns. If you look at election results, Durham and Orange County are roughly identical to or slightly left of Boulder County, and Wake County is to the right of Boulder.
Boulder County: 66.3% Kerry, 32.4% Bush
Durham County: 68.0% Kerry, 31.6% Bush
Orange County: 66.9% Kerry, 32.4% Bush
Wake County: 48.7% Kerry, 50.8% Bush
@warblersrule – Ha – you just backed up my assertion with actual data, so thanks for that I don’t think folks realize how much the urban parts of NC have moved to the left.
@warblersrule : With respect to the 2016 elections, that proves neither liberalism nor conservatism–just sobriety.
I googled the drive time from Raleigh to Wrightsville Beach = just about 2 hours & 30 minutes.
Raleigh to the Outer Banks = about 3 hours & 45 minutes (not bad for one of the best stretches of beach in the world).
The water is about 68-70 degrees in the middle of the winter, the same water temperature as LA and San Diego in July. The Gulf Stream keeps the water fairly warm year-round and is the reason NC is the northernmost range of most subtropical marine species.
It’s not quite as nice as the beach in the early spring or late fall (summer is often too hot and too crowded), but NC beaches are still pretty pleasant in the winter. My parents live right on the beach in southeastern NC, so I usually spend Christmas breaks there. Most of their neighbors only live there in the winter and make the trip down from Ohio, New York, and the like to avoid snowy winters.
Regardless, relatively few students in the Triangle make a regular habit of going to the beach. Most stick around central NC except for spring break.
any other useful information is welcome - literally tell me anything that’s useful or that pops into your head!