<p>"Three in the Attic" was filmed at UNC when I was there. It caused a minor scandal because of the nudity.</p>
<p>I've been back to UNC many times and plan on going back in March for a reunion of my fellow students from a graduate seminar in southern history.</p>
<p>I did get my son to apply to Carolina, and much to our delight (my wife also went to grad school at UNC, we met there) he was accepted. He didn't go because UNC didn't have the program he wanted, but we were really proud. I regarded UNC as the seminal experience in my life; much more important than undergaduate school.</p>
<p>UNC is physically bigger than when I was there and more crowded, but much to my delight they are tearing down some of their really ugly buildings. My present employer, the U of Wisconsin, is going to take down own of their 1960s high rises built in the neo-Stalinist brutalism, pre-fab, concrete style. My guess is that every college in the country would benefit esthetically if they took down their 60s era buildings. They were built cheap and quick and ugly. The ones at my undergraduate school, Rutgers, look like shoe boxes with holes punched in them.</p>
<p>Greybeard, that's so true! I always had this (ridiculous) notion that if I walked on a college campus dressed like the kids did, I could still be mistaken for one of them.....then I went to my nephew's commencement at Williams....(I was 39)....Boy, was my bubble burst..Ha!</p>
<p>I think my college is very similar to how it was when I went there, only-- like most of our colleges-- it is much more competitive to get in! The core personality fo a school is maintained because all the new prospies pick the school for these qualities and then maintain them when they attend the school...</p>
<p>FSUtheta, my very good friend is a UNC Chapel Hill grad, and it was natural that the school was on the top of her son's list for colleges, as he wanted a large flagship type school like that. When she and he visited the school, she was quite upset at the presentation and told me that it just did not do a very good job as compared to UVA, USCarolina in welcoming prospective students. Now, I have known a number of kids who have visited the schools and loved it, no complaints, but she apparently is comparing it to a different standard. She did write with a list of issues she felt needed to be addressed at the school. Though her S did apply there, it is not as high on his list as it might have been, and according to her, for good reason. (Sorry, Tsdad, didn't intend to dump on your alma mater, but that is the story)Many times schools evolve in a way that does not please the alums. I know that my alma mater feels so crowded now. They've added a number of buildings where there were open spaces, a bit of woods, and one building is right on the edge of a main street. How they got permission to build there is beyond me as the intersecting street just faces that big building that takes up what used to be a pretty wooded area. So ugly, so citified now. But when we took the kids on a tour, they did not seem to feel that way at all as they did not know the "before". Campus is still considered attractive.</p>
<p>I was glad to see that more than one building is coming down. They should also take down the art museum. It is ugly. Some of these buildings are also so poorly ventilated that they are regarded as dangerous to peoples health.</p>
<p>The UNC presentation didn't thrill us either. It didn't match UCLA's or VT's. The students there made the tours. My son also liked that he recognized some of the UCLA campus from movies he had seen, and he liked the large number of non-Anglo students on that campus. The USC tour was only so-so. The student wasn't that great, but my son did like the look of the campus. I found FSU's tour the least impressive. Of course the day was cold and gray. We toured the campus in a van and my son was still furious at the interview he had at the film school.</p>
<p>tddad--despite its rather vault like appearance, I like the art museum. I spent many a cold winter afternoon enjoying the warmth and nicely appointed spaces. Now I'll believe it when I see it as to them taking down a bunch of older but still solid buildings. The good folks of Wisconsin don't throw money around that easily. I speak having taking many of my classes in the old school of business building which was never that nice but it got the job done.</p>
<p>Well, my friend wrote a long detailed letter about her impressions. As alums should do if something like that comes up. Not that I think that UNC is any less impressive. I know kids who take it over the ivies, especially with the prestigious Morehead award.</p>
<p>Perhaps schools that feel a need to recruit students put more effort into the whole recruiting process including campus tours. While the student-lead tour at UCLA was very nice it was near impossible to get to an adult in a position of authority to answer some questions. UCLA had what amounts to clerks in a bunch of cages and you ask them questions. I understand why. UNC wasn't quite as bad and over the phone they were very helpful. </p>
<p>On the other hand, my son had two interviews with USC admissions personnel including one on campus, and attended two regional metings in NoVA. USC holds recruitng meetings all over the country and in Asia. UCLA and UNC as state schools don't need to recruit like that so the on-campus tours may offer a somewhat different experience when compared to many other schools especially privates or upward striving publics. Just a thought. Of course it could have just been an off day at Carolina especially if your friend visited during the on-going construction boom resulting from a bond issue several years ago.</p>
<p>BTW, I'm feeling a case of deja vu. Have we had this discussion before?</p>
<p>barrons - your not trying to imply that all those old scandinavians up in Wisconsin are a bunch of tight fisted old geezers are you? Some of them are my relatives. You know what they say about Norwegians - "It is hard to tell a rich Norwegian from a poor one because they all buy their clothes at Walmart and drive '87 Buicks." Some of them could squeeze a nickle until the Idian cried.</p>
<p>I am a proud graduate of the school frequently referred to on this board as "JCrew U." I suspect it earns that reputation honestly, although in my memory, while the Greek tradition was strong and the students seemed to more or less subscribe to Lake Woebegone standards, you had no problem finding your way if you were a hippie, a goth, a druggie or simply a recluse. I knew people of all stripes there, and they all seemed to flourish.</p>
<p>People frequently tell me how beautiful a particular campus is and after I see theirs I realize again how fortunate I was to spend four years in a truly idyllic setting.</p>
<p>DS set his sights higher, so it wasn't on his radar screen, but I wouldn't be ashamed to have a child of mine attend if they were seeking a liberal arts or business degree. No regrets whatever.</p>
<p>Jamimom, Thanks for your comments - you seem to understand that my focus was not on whether the school was right for my S by rather how they have disappointed me. As your friend's experience illustrates, as alum we have a vested interest in our alma matters and perhaps are more critical.<br>
FSU has had a change in administration and as a result of change of direction. One obvious change was the abandonment of any recruiting of National Merit Scholars. While there is criticism of state universities buying NMS, it does show a committment to improving their academic standing. The University of Florida was second this year in total number of NMS, FSU on the other hand offers only 12 scholarships. I was told by a member of the alumni association "Florida State used to treat NMS like football players, but not anymore." Of course the contrast is all the more striking because my S is a NMS semi-finalist at this point. I have been very impressed by the efforts taken by the University of Alabama to enrich their academic environment and yes, to compete for these students. It disappoints me not to see that committment at FSU.</p>
<p>I DO understand your focus. There was a parent who was concerned that I was critisizing UNChapel Hill when I related that story a while ago, and I was not. Just relating an anecdote, in fact, I have not seen Chapel Hill in more than 25 years and it was just a cursory tour so really no basis for comparision. And I know many families who loved it when they toured it--it's their dream school. But my friend was looking with a far more critical eye as she is proud of her alma mater. I do suggest you write the alumni association and copy in admissions or vice versa. And mention the efforts of such schools as Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia that have really put in the push to compete for and get some of the top students. As I mentioned, I was so disappointed about the loss of woodlands at my alma mater. The campus looked so cramped and crowded to me, but not to my kids who did not miss what I did.</p>