NC mountain schools

CDS info - average weighted GPA; average CR+M; % that score either 30+ or 700+; % in top 10% of class.

UNC CH: 4.56; 1300; 43% 30+; 700+: 30%M, 27% CR; 78% top 10%
NCSU: 4.42; 1244; 21% 30+; 700+: 18% M, 8% CR; 50%top 10%
(note: this is not entirely comparable to the other colleges due to the importance/weight of the college of engineering, where obviously students have much higher Math scores, but still interesting!)

UNCW: 4.06; 1190; 4% 30+; 700+: 2%M, 4%CR; 27%top 10%
UNCA: 3.98; 1176; 7% 30+; 700+: 5% M, 18% CR; 22% top 10%
App St: 4.05; 1140; 11% 30+; 700+: 3%M, 4%CR; 21% top 10%
(interesting that the “math predominance” of NCSU is reversed at UNCA, with that percentage for CR)

UNCC: 3.57; 1086; 4% 30+; 700+: 2% M, 2% CR; 19% top 10%
ECU: 3.59; 1056; 1% 30+; 700+: 0%; 15% top 10%

I think you definitely have UNC-CH and NCSU; then UNCW, UNCA, and App St; then UNCC and others (I provided ECU for comparison purposes).

I visited UNCA and WW a few years ago with D3. My impressions were about the same as the OPs. WW was drop dead gorgeous! Also small and intensive in what it offered. Very hands on.

D3 hated it. I couldn’t understand why. She liked UNCA and got in but ended up choosing Prescott College in AZ which is remarkably similar to WW! Go figure…

All I can add is that is was snowing when we visited (mid to late March?), quite beautiful, and both campuses had regular bus service that goes into downtown Asheville.

If you’re worried about no AC, you might also worry about allergies. I know that my D1 spent her freshman year in no AC dorms and having that window open all night did terrible things for her allergies.

If you are out of state for NC keep in mind the 18% cap for OOS. So the stats for students being admitted for in-state is different than what the stats are for OOS. What is stated above are the averages of all students. NCSU does have the ABET engineering school while the other schools do not, UNC Charlotte and NC A&T are ABET (Duke is the 4th ABET school). Also the graduate schools do have some bearing on what students attend. So for example, NCSU has the only vet school in the state. Many students attend for their animal science program and the pre-vet preparation is very different than at the other UNC schools (A&T also has an animal science major). With many working farms and labs the pre-vet experience is very unique. If a graduate of Duke wishes to apply to NC’s only vet school they still need to take classes at NCSU in order to just APPLY.

Until a few years ago NC only had 1 dental school, UNC-CH. But ECU opened a new one and now pre-dents are heading in this direction due to some extra opportunities/research. Different unis in the UNC system have very different focuses and strengths. UNCW has a fantastic marine bio program, nursing programs are at some and not others, teaching programs, there are some HBCUs…so just looking at the numbers doesn’t really give you a good feel for the different campuses. There are two campuses with med schools, UNC-CH and ECU. ECU accepts no OOS med students AT ALL. Their med school tution is the lowest in the US, and they have a very specific mission and look for students to fulfill that mission. The other two med schools are private at Duke and Wake Forest…very different missions.

Kat

note: to continue with a little more info, some schools have architecture degrees/schools while others do not, a College of textiles (think plastics, very STEM), many lab degrees, classics and art history degrees…so each college is very unique

Have you guys looked at UNC-C? It is one of the more recognizable schools in NC. It is about 2 hour away from the mountains but they have a little bit of everything plus a big city atmosphere in Charlotte

Thanks everyone! Lots of good info. I never thought about allergies and open windows. @katwkittens - you told me lots of stuff I didn’t know.
@Ultimablade is UNC-C more of a commuter school?

Funny when I asked my son if he wanted to visit App he was against it! Said he had no desire to go to a school like that!

I booked a tour despite what he said! Made him go and let me tell you the minute he got in campus he was in love! It fit him perfectly!!! The only problem is he is a political science major and felt that Chapel Hill had a better program! So he will be attending UNC in the fall. If he had not gotten into UNC he would have been going to APP!

@veruca, That is what I have heard. I’m not very familiar with UNC-C but Charlotte, in general, has the “Young Professional” and “Mini Wall Street” reputation which also means a lot people are taking part time classes towards a degree while working full time (many with families). If I may ask you, are you out of state? If so Charlotte is honestly one of the best towns to live in in the state as many people are also transplants from other states.

@katwkittens, Don’t forget Campbell’s new D.O. program with a self proclaimed mission for rural health (also think Methodist may have future plans to open one because the PA program appears to be getting a new building as I type this).

Yes out of state but husband is from NC. I am somewhat familiar with Charlotte as a town but am not familiar with UNC -C

UNCC is very much a commuter school. We live about 20 minutes from Charlotte. My son’s friend goes there but he wants to transfer to UNC for junior year. Very quiet on the weekends.

UNCC struggles with its identity. It has grown since I was living in Charlotte, and it seems to have a good number of folks who love it and good number who hate it. It is immediately surrounded by a really rough area, so you really need a car to get off campus into a better area.

I would definitely recommend you visit UNCC to get a realistic view of the campus. I hear they do have some really great academic programs, but it might be hit or miss depending on the strength of the program your student is interested in.

Charlotte is a great metropolitan area, and a center for banking and finance. You can get to the beaches or the mountains in a few hours. Lots of music/entertainment, racing sports, and a good mix of people from all over the country.

I remember hearing about another tiny school in the NC mountains but can’t remember the name…

OK, I looked it up - Mars Hill University.