<p>I recently got into UNC and first off I'd like to say how I excited I was!</p>
<p>However, I am looking in majoring in linguistics and one thing I'm looking for in colleges is their Internationality. I am aware of the 83% rule so I'm worried that there is a lack of foreign students around at campus. How hard is it to find the international group at UNC? I do know that UNC has a fantastic language programs though, as well as the tuition for in-state residents (which I am) is fantastic, which is why I'm having to debate this over other private schools.</p>
<p>Especially compared to other major research universities, there are a tiny number of foreigners at UNC (I assume that’s what you mean by Internationality).</p>
<p>Most of the organisations linked to by NewYawk are full of Americans with what you might call a foreigner fetish. They studied abroad for a semester, and now they feel all international, and boy will they tell you all about it. Just look at Carolina Passport. Story after story by people who want to tell you about their study abroad vacation.</p>
<p>As someone who is often mistaken for a foreigner, I got very tired of being treated as a ‘pet’ by such people.</p>
<p>I must admit, I fail to see why you care about all this when you’re majoring in linguistics though. What does the number of foreigners have to do with that?</p>
<p>Keepittoyourself, it’s not that I am looking for it just because of my major; one of the things I’m looking for at a college is to immerse myself in cultures different from mine. And with Carolina being 83% North Carolina as well as a public University I am just curious. Don’t get me wrong; I know there are numerous cultures from North Carolina, but for me personally I would like to be able to mingle with people from all corners of the World and their unique perspective on life</p>
<p>Not going to happen at UNC. The number of real (degree-seeking) international students is tiny (like 1%), and there are a bunch of study abroad students from rich countries here for a semester.</p>
<p>^ Yeah that’s what I figured. I haven’t decided if it’s a terribly bad thing or not though. Do many of the oos students end bunched up together, or are they spread out throughout the school?</p>
<p>OOS students don’t tend to bunch up together, in my experience. They have no problems making friends. Though the OOS students tend to be brighter and higher-achieving, so many of them move in the same circles.</p>
<p>Unless you go to Harvard or the Sorbonne or the LSE you’re not gonna be surrounded by foreign students from lots of different countries. And those people who have the wish and money to go to a foreign university are hardly representative. I’d day take the UNC in-state, and use the money you save to go on vacation.</p>
<p>Very true. I also applied to American University, Georgetown, and, yes, even Duke, and what I noticed at those schools is that although they only have a small percentage of internationals, the group is there and available for contact if desired. But yes, beating the tuition/education value at UNC is hard to beat.</p>
<p>The truth is, those people might not be as ‘available for contact’ as you might think. They are not pets, and they are here to learn. People talking to you purely because you are different gets very tiresome.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s pretentious or superficial (well, maybe a bit pretentious) … but you should remember that they are people too, and not just there for your benefit.</p>
<p>At the undergrad level it is very, very hard to find foreign students. If you’re looking to ‘immerse yourself in different cultures’, UNC is not the place for it. Both Duke and Georgetown would be better. Definitely not UNC.</p>
<p>As an out of stater I must say that the majority of my friends are out of state. I was asked about the ‘diverse’ campus life and I’ve failed to see it…</p>
<p>As an international student/OOS, I’d say that the internationality and diversity at UNC are lacking. Yes, I have many friends who are from OOS, but the vast majority is from North Carolina. There are some international students, but not as many as in more urban universities. </p>
<p>On a side note, I had the pleasure of taking LING101H with Becker, and she was amazing. From what I hear, the linguistic department here is very, very good.</p>