I recently was accepted to Brown University, one of my dream schools for a while I did not think I was going to be accepted to. Words can’t describe how it felt to see an acceptance letter when I was expecting an automatic rejection. However, I do not qualify for much financial aid at Brown and would have to fork over full price to go. This being said, I currently have a full ride merit offer from UNC as a Carolina Scholar. I’m very torn over this choice. Is it worth it for me to pay in full for Brown or should I accept the offer from UNC? My intended interests are Public Health and Business Administration. I’m so caught up in having to make this decision and while I find pros with making one choice, I only find cons for it an pros for another. What should I really be considering here?
Wow… congratulations to you on both offers!
Can you afford Brown without your parents taking out loans? If the answer is yes, I would visit both schools and see which one you like better in terms of social fit and academics( major etc). If your parents would need to take out big loans to pay for Brown, I would go to UNC. Are you planning to go to grad school?
My D is an OOS student at UNC- she has the same opportunities as her friends who attend Ivy League schools.
Congrats on both offers! This is very exciting and you won’t go wrong with either school.
Did you receive a guaranteed acceptance to the UNC School of Public Health? If not, you may want to check further what the admissions requirements are into that Program. That way you can compare, side by side what the academic opportunities are at each school. Of course, finances are critical too.
I love both schools, but with that offer its hands down UNC.
If you received a full ride to UNC than hands down take it. You will have a wonderful experience attending. Congrats on wonderful school choices 
(1) How are you situated with regard to financing your college education at Brown (or elsewhere)? You have essentially a full ride to Carolina; how much would going to Brown be a financial burden for your parents? The last thing that you or your parents need is debt that will follow you/them around for decades. It sounds like you may need to have a serious talk with your parents about the costs.
(2) I concur with @twogirls regarding the campus visit(s), assuming that your finances can be managed. As I recall, you have gone to UNC-CH for an admitted students day; have you visited Brown under similar circumstances? If not, and you can do an admitted students day at Brown in the near future, you will have the advantage of being able to compare the schools within a relatively narrow time frame, which may help with the decision.
(3) Are there any other schools that might play into your admissions decision? It seems that UNC-CH and Brown represent two opposing ends of the spectrum; and I imagine that with your stats and extracurriculars, UNC-CH and Brown are not the only places where you were admitted. Are there any other potential options for studying what you want, at a place that you/your parents can reasonably afford? To put it another way, does it have to come down to an “either/or” situation with Brown and UNC-CH?
Look at it this way. If someone gave you a brand new free Honda Accord, would you take it? Or would you turn it down because you want to pay $100,000 for a BMW you can’t really afford anyway? You’re way better off taking the scholarship at UNC.
A UNC Carolina Scholars award is more like a Lexus, not a Honda Civic.
My $.02: Getting into any of HYPSM is a major, major accomplishment and those schools can, indeed, make a huge difference in one’s life. I would choose on of them over a free ride, even at such a great school like UNC.
Brown? No. Take the money and be a happy Tar Heel!
^ While getting into Brown is just as impressive as getting into any of the other ivys ( I cannot stand the term “lesser ivy”) even so, the full ride at UNC-CH is still the smarter choice, especially if funds are at all a concern.
Two words: Blue Heaven.
You’ll love CH.