I’m worried I’m not smart or competitive enough for UNC’s coursework and student body. I may have been accepted but my ACT and SAT scores were 28 and 1370, which are good but not high in the school’s range. That being said, my weighted GPA is 4.7 and I go to an early college high school. Should I choose a different college or will I be okay at UNC-Chapel Hill?
If UNC accepted you then they believe in your ability to succeed there, you should believe that too. It is not uncommon for students at a competitive school to have what’s known as “imposter syndrome” where they doubt their own accomplishments and fear they will be exposed as a fraud. The classes at UNC are indeed rigorous, but there are tons of resources available to help insure students succeed. If you are willing to put in the work then you will be fine.
My daughter had the same concerns and ultimately decided that if she passed up an opportunity to go to her dream school out of fear, she would probably regret it for the rest of her life. ( her stats were very similar to yours and she is doing fine) Good luck with your decision
And 1370 isn’t necessarily a low SAT score for Carolina either; 1370 is pretty much the average score, which is just fine. Many OOS students come in with very high scores because of the intense competition for those limited spots, which inflates the score range at least a tad.
As a parent I’m impressed you’re thinking about the perceived competitive culture at Carolina. It’s important to think about these things before making a huge life decision. UNC does seem to have have a decent percentage of singularly focused students, more so than say, NC State for example. You can feel it on campus. There will be kids that doing well isn’t enough, they have to do better than you and everyone else. But, that’s going to be true everywhere. I imagine your high school had some of those as well. Look at it this way, there will probably be many competitive kids like those, and then many like yourself. A large school affords you the opportunity to find your group, and not worry about people that aren’t.
My son and I have had very similar conversations about his accepting his spot at UNC. At this point he knows he will be able to find his niche there regardless. Keep your chin up and do what feels right. Just don’t succumb to fear.
It is hard to compare weighted GPA from one high school to another because the way that it is computed is so different in different schools. If you weighted is 4.7, then I will assume that you have taken demanding classes in high school and have many A’s and not much else.
In spite of the difficulty comparing GPAs between different schools, nonetheless your grades in high school and your high course rigor in high school are the best predictors of how you are likely to do in university. The SAT or ACT only measures what you do over a couple of hours on a Saturday. To some extent the SAT and ACT measure your parent’s ability to pay for test tutoring to help you prepare for these tests. Your GPA measures four years of hard work in tough classes.
I also have quite a bit of faith in the admissions staff at UNC. The fact that you were admitted means that they believe that you can do it.
I just checked prepscholar which puts the average SAT score at UNC-CH as being 1364. It is possible that either I or Prepscholar just did something wrong, but it looks to me as if your SAT is only barely better than average for students arriving at UNC-CH.
UNC-CH is going to be more demanding than high school. However based on what you have said it sounds like you are ready and well prepared to do well there. I also think that you will find more students there who are “like you” than you did in high school.
“If you are willing to put in the work then you will be fine.”
I think that this is exactly correct.
To reiterate, having a score that is at or above the average for a designated school is not a bad thing. It does mean there are plenty of students there who did not do as well as you. SAT and ACT are certainly not where all end all and one should not let being in the middle of a score range instill any doubt or fear.
And … Carolina has a pretty hefty retention rate, so kids generally don’t flame out there.
Where else have you been accepted?
FWIW, my son is a soph. In Cscience. His numbers were 33ACT, 4.2 GPA from private high school. He has been stunned at the number of really smart kids on the campus. Some are very academically competitive, others very helpful. UNC Chapel Hill is definitely more difficult than any of the other NC state schools, at least according to him and his discussions with friends. FWIW…
Carolina is a tough school but its because as a public ivy and one of the best schools in the country they demand a lot of their students. They get 45,000 applicants per year so I think they know who succeeds and who doesn’t. It is not going to be a cake-walk but if they accepted you they believe in your potential. You might not be the best student there, most are top performers, 80% were top 10 percent of their class but you can still succeed.
Good points above. A lot depends on the major you choose. My son chose a very competitive major (Chem/Bio) in preparation to try for med school. He is smart, but he has said many others around him are"brilliant". Only 1 person can be at the top - that doesn’t mean a bunch more aren’t VERY good/EXCELLENT. If you choose a tough major, be prepared to work very hard. That said, my son (a Junior now) has said there are plenty of majors that are much less demanding.
So - to sum it up, a lot really depends on your major. Personally, if this is your dream school, I say go for it.