Hi everyone, I am a high school senior from Connecticut and was admitted to UNC - Wilmington. I personally cannot get a good read on this school, I have bled Carolina Blue forever so would love to attend UNC and thought that if I were to attend UNCW for 2 years, worked really hard I would be a shoe in for Chapel Hill. I am by no means a fantastic student and I slacked off a lot my freshmen year resulting in a terrible GPA that has limited my chances. I am a good test taker and perhaps should’ve done better considering I didn’t do any test prep and came out with a 1820 on the old SAT. I only now have realized that I was immature in high school and am driven to succeeding in college. So what I really want to know is, is UNCW wortH it? and what are the odds of transferring over to UNC Chapel Hill? Thanks
Maybe @LBad96 has some info. 
@prezbucky is right. Hey OP, I’m a current sophomore here at UNCW. First let me say congratulations on your admittance here; it’s a very fine university indeed.
Second, I want to address the issue of going to UNCW with the intent to transfer. As a fellow OOSer from the northeast (New Jersey), I can 100% say that being a UNCW student is 100% worth it. I understand the allure of UNC, as it is a very prestigious university, a top 5 public in the country. You should theoretically be able to transfer there with a 3.5. However, I would strongly encourage you to not intend to transfer as soon as you get down here. Focus on your immediate future and your surroundings, and try to make friends and test out the social scene here first. The atmosphere here is very laid-back and mellow, and it is very easy to make friends here. Our sports, though not on the level of UNC’s, are mid-major D1 and our basketball team has been to March Madness for two years in a row now. We just got a new coach, who was actually the main assistant at UNC for the last 14 years. Also, Wrightsville Beach is only ten minutes from campus; I just got back and am feeling fantastic! We also take our academics here very seriously and you will find a lot of hard-working people here. I really do think you should try UNCW first and see if you like it after a year or two. From my personal experience, it’s very easy to fall in love with UNCW. 
If you have any other questions, either ask me on this thread: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-north-carolina-wilmington/1827864-ask-a-current-uncw-student.html#latest or shoot me a PM.
Honestly? If you intend to move down to NC solely to transfer to UNC, your best bet is to attend a community college here. It’s going to be the cheapest route and if you have an AA/AS in a NC CC with a good enough GPA, the NC schools have to accept you. It’ll save you on OOS fees and give you time to be a little more independent and find yourself. You’ll also be more likely to receive scholarships if you have a stellar CC GPA and are involved on campus.
IIUC, an NC school has to accept you with an associates but not any NC school. Your associates could be a ticket to Asheville, not that there’s anything wrong with that. If the dream is CH you should talk to their admissions department. I’m sure they have transfer specialists who can help you out.
@byadg123 is correct, obtaining an associate’s from a NC community college guarantees you acceptance into a public university in NC, but not a specific public university - it could be any of the 16 schools in the system. Competition to transfer into Chapel Hill is still fierce.
Also, I wouldn’t count on this saving money. Moving to NC purely to attend school is not a path to establish state residency, which is required to get in-state tuition rates. Even at the CC level out of state tuition rates would apply.