<p>I just recently got accepted to UNC and am considering going there as an out of state student. However, I am not really into the whole fraternity/sorority scene as its very unattractive where I live. Do the sororities dominate the party/social scene and is there a hierarchy? Also, how do transfer students fit in? I really want to go to a college with good academics, a fun and social atmosphere (one that isn't superficial which I feel many sororities are), and also one with classy and interesting people. I am also considering transferring to UVA, NYU, William and Mary, and Northeastern. Any comments will help and I would greatly appreciate it!</p>
<p>I think all great schools so you have a lot of options. What do your financial prospects look like? How much loans/net cost for each school?</p>
<p>“good academics, a fun and social atmosphere…isn’t superficial…with classy and interesting people”</p>
<p>^I think that’s a solid summary of UNC. NYU is vastly different from your other three choices but I’d only consider it though if it was financially manageable. William and Mary has great academics and is known for being a little more academic/small liberal arts feel. Williamsburg is a beautiful, quaint town. </p>
<p>I think you’d be hard pressed to find two closer peers than UNC and UVa. They are similar in many domains/characteristics (size, affordability, beautiful campuses, southern, strong academics, strong business, among the oldest, elite public schools). I lived in Charlottesville for a while so I can definitely speak to the beauty of campus and the attraction of living there. (UNC is different but just as attractive.) I would caution you by saying that my impression is that UVa is more conservative and Greek than UNC. However, Greek life is not a completely dominant presence for either UNC or UVa like some other SEC schools (Alabama, Ole Miss etc). </p>
<p>You definitely don’t have to be part of the Greek system at either school.</p>
<p>^ Agree with above.</p>
<p>Specific to NYU, while very good academically (most notably, business and performing arts) it has no campus, no school spirit and it is EXTREMELY expensive to live in NYC (above and beyond the cost of attending NYU). </p>
<p>The UNC Greek scene does not dominate. It only represents approximately 15% of men and 17% of women.</p>
<p>I can attest that being an OOS is definitely a non issue at UNC. The UNC student population is outgoing and VERY friendly. </p>
<p>In my opinion, UNC is the ideal balance of strong academics, beautiful campus, exceptional school sprit, bright students, phenomenal sports teams and reasonable cost. </p>
<p>Where else can you play pick-up basketball with future NBA players at your dorm one week and have Obama visit your campus the next week… this place is incredible.</p>
<p>There is definitely no pressure to go greek as it makes up about a fifth of the student population. It’s definitely visible on campus but not in a negative way. You’ll see lots of tshirts and tanks and whatnot with letters and signs to sign up for whatever sorority’s 5k. But as there are over 650 organizations on campus, it does not at all dominate. A lot of freshmen will go to frat parties because that’s what’s available to them, but as an older student I’m sure you will find upperclassmen friends who will have house parties if you are into that. Even as a freshman, I only went to three frat parties this entire year but I’ve had lots of other opportunities to go out.</p>
<p>I personally think that UNC has the perfect balance of academics, social life, and athletics. There are a million things to do on campus and I firmly believe that anybody can find a place to fit in.</p>
<p>I am transferring from Northeastern to UNC… from my personal experience with northeastern, I believe it would be extremely difficult to transfer in. Since the school is so career-based, major programs have a ton of requirements. I changed my major after first semester and already had only one elective left. I had to plan my classes for the next four years to even be able to study abroad. Northeastern is a great school if you come in knowing exactly what you want to do, but after changing my major, I found it very difficult to take the classes I wanted to and still fulfill my major. I can imagine that transferring in would be very difficult because you would spend the rest of your time at the school trying to play catch-up and might even have to overload to graduate on time. That being said, it does depend on your major: science and business majors tend to be the most strict, while political science and econ are more open. As far as UNC goes, I thought that the school offered a lot more leniency with my schedule and electives, as well as a true college campus experience. I hope this helped, although it wasn’t exactly what you asked!</p>