NC is the shadow of UNC at all?

Colleges and Universities A-Z North Carolina State University
1

<p>I know that UNC and Duke have a huge rivalry and both have a TON of school spirit. I also know that they both carry national names and very high rankings.</p>

<p>That being said, outside of North Carolina, how is NC State viewed? Within NC, does NC State enjoy a healthy and fun rivalry with any particular school?</p>

<p>Finally, is NC State a bit of a step child to UNC within the state system (a back up for UNC qualified kids)? </p>

<p>Curious as to how the dynamics work since so much is written about and known about about UNC (and Duke) on a national level. </p>

<p>NC State seems like a great school...so why are so many people in state clamoring for UNC and why does NC State not get the national recognition and ranking closer to UNC?</p>

<p>HSG</p>

2

<p>Depends on your program. If you are an engineer then NC State is better than both universities (mostly because UNC and Duke dont even have a Engineering program!).</p>

<p>However, in nearly every other category UNC and Duke are much more prestigious. Duke and UNC offer top notch Law/Med Programs, Duke offering incredible life science programs, and UNC offering strong liberal arts.</p>

3

<p>I honestly don’t know a ton about the schools and how they compare to each other here in NC because I’m new to NC. I’m attending state right now for Design. UNC does not have a college of design, and as far as I know neither does Duke. So it depends on your major. I think outside of Design and Engineering (maybe more, these are the only two I know of) the two other schools are better options. I would attend UNC if I was not majoring in Design.</p>

4

<p>Johnston- Duke definitely has an Engineering program, as they have the Pratt School of Engineering</p>

5

<p>Duke is only ABET accredited for Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical. </p>

<p>NC State is ABET accredited for Aerospace, Biological, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Engineering & Management, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Materials Science, Mechanical, Nuclear, Paper Science, and Textile Engineering.</p>

<p>In all honesty, I think that NC State has a bit of a complex about being compared to UNC, but in reality they are better than us in some things.</p>

<p>I’ll make a few quick points:</p>

<p>-Prior to learning about the Paper Science & Engineering program at NC State, I was guilty of trash talking this school. I was already accepted into UNC, and I didn’t know anything about NC State. Just that they weren’t as good at UNC. I didn’t know about our strong textiles, engineering, natural resources, and agriculture programs. I didn’t know we sent more people to medical school than UNC (we have more students, and I recognize that) every year. I didn’t know we had Centennial Campus, strong industry relationships, and I didn’t know that our non-STEM majors were also strong.</p>

<p>-NC State has a rivalry with UNC, but it is not as strong or deeply rooted as the UNC-Duke rivalry. In general, NC State says “wait until football season” and UNC says “wait until basketball season”. According to Wikipedia, we also have a rivalry with ECU and Clemson, but I don’t really see either of those.</p>

<p>-NC State is proving to be increasingly difficult to get into, and I know more than one person that was accepted to UNC but declined from NC State. Some people also choose NC State for different reasons (mainly specialized programs or STEM). If I went to UNC, I would have studied Economics. But I’m at NC State, and I’m an aspiring engineer. If people are looking for back-ups to UNC, they will more likely choose App, UNC Charlotte, ECU, or UNCW.</p>

<p>-As for rankings, I’m stumped. I think NC State is a great school, but I recognize there are things that could improve. And we are working on those! Here are some rankings ([Rankings</a> :: North Carolina State University](<a href=“http://www.ncsu.edu/about-nc-state/rankings/]Rankings”>Rankings and Facts | NC State University)), and my personal favorite to show people ([Best</a> Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ.com](<a href=“Best Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ”>Best Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ)).</p>

6

<p>First, to address the original question – NC State is NOT a back-up school to UNC! They are so, SO completely different.</p>

<p>You know, it’s weird that there’s this image of NC State being overshadowed by the other two schools. When you’ve researched colleges as much as I have, you started to see certain schools are on the same page while other schools are not. For example… NC State and Texas A&M are similar, but UT-Austin is more like UNC.</p>

<p>So, yes, an engineer could go to any of the three schools, but NC State has the best funding in the engineering program. NC State even has a fancy new campus specifically FOR engineers (Centennial Campus). But program isn’t the only thing you want to consider. NC State and UNC have HUGELY different vibes and traditions.</p>

<p>Those are my two cents.</p>

7

<p>I love the Texas comparison! </p>

<p>And I agree about the completely different vibes. I think a lot of it stems from the cities they are in, or the surroundings shaped the cities.</p>

8

<p>hsgrad: NC State is viewed very favorably in NC. I would guess that the vast majority of top high school graduates in this state set their sights on UNC and/or State. UNC is overall more selective. However, because State offers programs not offered by UNC (engineering, agriculture, design), top students interested in those areas don’t usually have UNC on their list of schools. The Design School at State is particularly selective. I’ve known a number of students who got in State but not UNC, but it occasionally happens the other way. Of the State students I’ve known who were disappointed because they weren’t accepted to UNC, all but two ended up loving State and not wanting to transfer later.</p>

<p>Duke is off the radar for most NC high school graduates. First, Duke is hugely expensive. Our state universities are financial bargains. Even with a $25,000 scholarship at a private school, most students would still have to pay more than they would at a public school. Second, there is a huge NC fan base for both UNC and NC State, and that isn’t so for Duke.</p>

<p>As for the rivalries, UNC’s rival used to be State. That changed around 20-30 years ago when State basketball went downhill and Duke basketball rose. State still thinks of UNC as its rival, and it frustrates State fans when UNC fans say their rivalry is with Duke. That could change, though, with the fortunes of the various basketball teams.</p>