<p>gijonman, I went to a private school too, and the kids did seem like they were more my type than the on-campus crowd, and they probably are, but they are ALL instate, and if they aren't, they go Greek as soon as rush rolls around. So if you don't want to go Greek, I don't know what to tell you. The kids also are very cliquish and don't look to make new friends outside of the ones they know. I've had a miserable year, for the most part, and have applied to transfer out next year. I honestly don't think I can last another 3 years in this town and school. </p>
<p>on campus may be different, but the living situation seemed truly awful when i looked at it. i think i would've been worse off there.</p>
<p>gigonman and other prospective UNC students</p>
<p>ahduke is the student I alluded to in my post. He was unhappy with UNC from the start and Granville certainly was a major contributor to his problems. I would HIGHLY recommend that anyone concerned that his overall unhappiness is widespread, please read the numerous threads and posts in the archives relating to his experience/plight.</p>
<p>I suspect that he should never have selected UNC in the first place for any number of reasons;one main reason is that he is very conservative and UNC isn't which I am sure also added to his unhappiness. I also think that his expectations about what college life is and should be got a severe reality check. I sincerely hope that he finds happiness somewhere.</p>
<p>Read all the posts and then come to your own conclusions.</p>
<p>I agree with eadad.
Some people should do their research on the school and actually visit.
This may, perhaps, be the most crucial step in determining where you will study for the next 4 years of your life.
And if your from either side of the political spectrum, please check if the school is right for you.</p>
<p>eadad - you use ahduke99 as the person who gave a negative recommendation for Granville. I do not believe ahduke99 would have been happy anywhere on campus as well. This person came to UNC with a negative outlook to start with. I believe everyone on this board that comments about Granville are people that have never actually lived there themselves. All the negative comments that are made about Granville are second hand information or hear say from this person or this person. I hear a lot of negative comments about south campus as well - like I do not want to live there next year - I have put my time in, so on and so on. My daughter lives at Granville as I have said and she is not from a private school. I would say she is not that preppy compared to a lot of students. Granville is surrounded by fraternities, which can be loud sometimes. My daughter has never had any problems with the fraternities, she walks through the back yard of a couple of fraternities each day to go to class - a short walk to classes as well. I have said before that she would have been happy on south campus as well or anywhere else on campus. You have to make the best of your living situation wherever it is - good or bad. I would say go with your gut feeling and you will be OK.</p>
<p>Look, I did come to UNC wanting to make the best of the situation presented to me. I did not want to go through the process of transferring, filling out applications and writing essays that would interfere with my already busy schedule. The first few weeks I talked to lots of people, rushed fraternities, received bids, and attempted to reach out to many other students. I was not received in the same manner. Most of them were friendly but just receded to their old group of friends and said "maybe I'll see you around" and disappeared forever. People on my hall would plan to go to concerts together (they are all from eastern NC) and form social groups that would go to either ECU or NC State on the weekends. You can chose to disregard my experiences as just a kid who never wanted to like UNC, but then I don't see the point of even asking questions on this forum if those unhappy are just labeled misfits. It's true that, at this point, I probably won't be happy anywhere on campus. South campus may have been better, but the window of time for that has passed. My best plan of attack is to sever ties with this school, if I can, and go elsewhere--somewhere that is smaller with a more community type atmosphere. That's what I really need, which is much like my high school where I excelled. Granville is not awful, but by no means is it as perfect as people want to believe. It's not ideal when 80% of your hall goes off to smoke weed on a given Thursday, and if that is truly the norm at UNC, then I do need to leave. Many of my other friends at schools like Wake, Emory, Vandy, Cornell, UVA say they have seen very little drug use. However, it's not awful. The living situation is much better. The rooms are much more comfortable. In that respect, it's top notch. Socially, it's hard to say. It depends on what you want. </p>
<p>Also, private schools are not very popular at all around here. I have met very few people from private schools, and many seem to be shocked when they find out I attended one.</p>
<p>Do you think that you would find it somewhat similar when you transfer in that people already have their friends and it might be just as difficult?</p>
<p>Of course. However, at Wake Forest, I have visited many a weekend and already have two good friends from high school already there whom I will room with if I get in. I do not want to downgrade schools and I also won't go somewhere where I don't already have a good friend attending. I MAY be here for the next three years--who knows. I am prepared for that fate if it happens. I will join the fraternity I got a bid from if I do stay.</p>
<p>I'm abouGosh...perspective is such a funny thing. Two of my d's freshman year suitemates (South) were from oos private schools as were many people on her floor. A lot of the girls on the freshman rowing team were oos private school kids as well. She actually was kind of amazed and felt a little different coming from an oos public school. </p>
<p>Also, though she didn't choose Granville, she visited several times, dined in their facility and decided it wasn't for her. I'm not sure of all her reasons, but she and her friends refers to Granville in less than positive terms. She definitely does not think it as nice as her North Campus dorm, or even her new South campus dorm from last year. The other disadvantage is the Granville meal plan does not allow you to eat in all the campus facilities which affects your ability to socialize. But, as alcook points out, you can always use your expense account and eat on campus. It's paying twice, but definitely advisable if you go Granville. Also, anyone who chooses to live off campus, or in Granville, are prioritized last should they later changed their mind and want campus housing.</p>
<p>My advice would be to talk to as many UNC students as possible and get their take on housing. The students know best.</p>
<p>gijonman, I know south campus housing seems unappealing in its layout, location, etc. but I highly reccomend you go for South Campus housing for your freshman year. </p>
<p>If you already have a lot of friends you'll be with at UNC, it's not as big a deal, and you might like North Campus better. But, if you want to be social and meet other freshmen, just bite the bullet and go with South Campus. </p>
<p>I got North Campus housing freshman year. I heard it was the best location, etc. It was way too quiet, not social, I didn't have anything in common with the few hallmates who were also freshmen. I was jealous of the kids on South Campus because it seemed like such a friend-fest. They had tons of fun bonding with their Suitemates, going to predominantly freshman events, meeting other freshmen around the dorm, sharing the long walks/P2P rides, seeing each other in the same places. </p>
<p>I believe SUITE-style housing as opposed to hall style is also a great advantage of South Campus. You have more people you see regularly and develop closer relationships with more people, just by being in the same suite. </p>
<p>Living on North Campus was perhaps my biggest mistake coming into college. Sounds like a big deal out of nothing, but the first couple of weeks can really set things up socially, and as far as gaining confidence goes.</p>
<p>I got a nice pretty envelope from Granville yesterday and it seemed like the perfect place until I read all of this.. lol. I guess I'm going to be living on South if I end up @ UNC.</p>
<p>And to ahduke: Uhh.. 80% of your hall smokes weed? :O
Isn't there sub-free or academic housing in Granville? Just curious, why didn't you pick that?</p>
<p>HAHAHA this is an academic floor, apparently, even though I didn't pick it. Thankfully, the dealer who lived next door moved out to the other tower, so things are a little calmer since he left two weeks ago.</p>
<p>I myself think that ahduke99 is a little dramatic and likes attention. I hardly believe that 80 or 90% percent of your hall was smoking pot. If it was such a problem, you should have reported it to someone higher up than the RA on your hall - since it is against the rules. You could have ask to switch floors or switch towers, but you decided to stay in such a horrible place - go figure - I guess so you could complain about it. I believe you to be a very negative person - the glass is always half empty with you. Hopefully at your next college you can look at life as if your glass is half full.</p>
<p>I'll agree with the drama issue. His statements about private school kids is so far off from our experience at UNC that I feel like he is talking about another school.</p>
<p>My S went to a VERY elite private school with many national and world famous alumni. He has never sensed any hostility or resentment and in fact his broad circle of friends is probably 50/50 private/public kids, even with his house mates, two are from private schools and four from public schools. Overall the current freshman class is about 15% private which in many cases isn't very different from the class profile at many private universities.</p>
<p>Because UNC students overall are so laid back and NOT hung up on prestige, I would guess that anyone wearing their private school mantle on their sleeves, in other words acting like an entitled private school kid, would encounter some difficulty fitting in. I am not saying that this is the way ahduke has presented himself but he has referred to that fact often enough in posts that it makes me wonder if his problems aren't self-inflicted? </p>
<p>Many of the winners of Robertson and Morehead scholarships come from the top private schools in the US and I have never heard one of the many that I have come to know ever complain. Maybe it's because by nature they don't seek that recognition. I know in my S's case he has friends who didn't know for two or three years that he was a Morehead, it's just NOT important.</p>
<p>College is about starting with a clean slate and nobody cares where you are from, what you did in high school or how much money you have (unless you are trying to join some exclusive club/society that exists on every campus) so unless someone is so obnoxious about their perceived status, you are usually judged by how you try to be one of the guys, so to speak. I went to private university and even there the kids that came with any sort of attitude were usually shunned by most. We had a second generation heir to one of the largest liquor manufacturers in the world on our floor freshman year. He arrived at school with a Ferrari, tried hard to impress everyone with his famous last name, always was needing to bum a dollar or so from someone because "all he had was big bills" etc. He would walk into the TV Lounge that was packed with people watching a football game and the room would literally empty in seconds because no one could stand to be around him. Conversely I had a female friend who was one of the most unpretentious sweetest, helpful and caring people I have ever met. You can only imagine my surprise when I found out several years later that she was heir to one of the biggest chemical company fortunes and had inherited 21 million dollars on her 21st birthday. Not one of her close friends had any clue.</p>
<p>To try to depict UNC as being unfriendly or hostile to private school kids is grossly exaggerated and misrepresented.</p>
<p>For his sake I really do hope he finds a fit somewhere. The real world isn't like the private school bubble and sometimes it just takes some people longer to figure that out.</p>
<p>I think it would be safe to say that besides being pessimistic in general, Granville Towers ruined ahdukes experience.</p>
<p>I have friends at Granville Tower UNC and University Towers NCSU and it's always the same story from them. They can't eat in the regular dining halls with their on campus friends. Everyone is always drinking. It's like living in a trash can etc. </p>
<p>But he probably could have done a little bit more to enjoy Carolina and make friends instead of complaining all the time. Why will Wake Forest be any different?</p>
<p>Ahduke- In the event that you can't transfer to Wake Forest just yet, I don't think the window of time has passed to try to live on south campus. In fact, that would probably be in your best interest... Even if it's not the same as coming in as a freshman with lots of other new freshmen around you, it's still a more open environment as far as meeting people goes. Plus even as a sophomore you'll meet a lot of freshmen and transfers (my freshman year I spent a lot of time hanging out in a suite of transfers in HJ even though i didn't live there, and found it a much more welcoming environment than my hall on north campus) who are often more open to meeting people. Also I think the suite environment is much more lucrative as far as forming friendships go.</p>
<p>wolf, I have been visiting Wake with two good friends of mine that go there since school began and have met many people who seem much more interested in making friends than the people here at UNC acted. Although, it's far easier to meet someone when you have a good friend with you already, so that was a big factor. That's how it could be different. I also have family in the area and grew up around the campus. It's sort of like the Carolina to me, even though I've lived in Charleston since 1997.</p>
<p>Ah duke, good luck on wake, however, do apply to get ON campus for housing for the fall....it is worth the $200 deposit to know you will not be in Granville. Suggestion number two, I would go north campus if you have any hopes of studying....SOUTH IS VERY LOUD. You will also be near the heart of campus. Roommate: go online and do the roommate finder on the housing site. BUT, do not delay. I read on another thread a very nice article about a boy at Wake and his experience. It sounds like a nice place too. </p>
<p>Good luck to you either way and we do want to hear about your plans....i know there are times my D's wish they were close to home, closer to family. I can understand that draw of Wake too. If you come back to UNC in the fall, give it a new chance to grow on you. The first year is full of so many changes.</p>
<p>In-state perspective from a very likely mom:</p>
<p>On Granville: D has heard the same stuff about Greeks. And pot. I think one particular hall might be tarnishing Granville's reputation, and the school's. UNC might be a bit "crunchy" in some circles, but it's not a pot school in general.</p>
<p>On rooming with an in-stater or OOS'er: D is trolling the roommate finder, and her in-state mind is fascinated with finding an OOS roommate. Broadens perspective on both sides, and reaches out to an obviously bright kid. It's easy for UNC to become an extension of high school for some in staters; not all of them want that (and neither do their parents). I can see advantages for an OOS'er finding an in-state roommate with parents nearby -- if the relationship is strong, then one gains some nearby "step-parents" perhaps.</p>
<p>That said, in-state has quite a bit of diversity -- city kids, country kids. Broadening perspective can happen there too. I know a bright small-town public school country girl whose best friends were city-kid private school folks. She's in law school now. From what I've seen, the private school-public school divide does not exist. It's about the way you choose to live. For some, I'm sure money enters into it, but most folks you want to hang out with will judge you by what you accomplish (I hope).</p>
<p>And depending on your focus: Being near the honors program kids or scholarship kids does not seem like a bad thing at all. One is shaped by one's surroundings. Probably lots of folks go to Granville thinking they won't go Greek but then go along for the ride. It's not a bad thing to acquire social skills, but if it gets in the way of academics....</p>
<p>One more point: living arrangements aren't the only way to meet people. Join clubs and organizations. Get involved. It worked for me many many moons ago and shaped the rest of my life.</p>