Okay, so I’ve been accepted to both and now I have a choice to make. I know that if I want to study engineering, I should go to NC State, but if not, I should go to UNC. The problem is that it’s not quite so simple.
I like almost everything about UNC more than I do NC State: the location, the surrounding town, the campus, the social life, and the sports teams. I don’t dislike any of that stuff at NC State, I just like it more at UNC. However, NC State has engineering, which I think would be a better academic fit for me than UNC 's Liberal Arts thing. That being said, I don’t know for sure what I want spend the next four years studying (and it would really suck to go to NC State and then realize that engineering isn’t for me), so UNC 's Liberal Arts thing might work out. Should I go to a less appealing college to for a major that I’m not even 100% sure I’ll like, or a more appealing college where I don’t know what I’ll study?
I grew up thinking UNC was my dream school. I actually got in, but I chose State over UNC. I would say this-if you’re thinking about studying engineering, 100% go to state. The great thing about State is you head right into your major-specific courses (after your General Educations, of course…such as English, Math, etc.) and you’ll be introduced to the different kinds of engineering programs we offer. Also, it’s easy to change your major if you have the need to. Our sciences, business, textile, architecture, and design programs are top in the country. At UNC, you spend the first 2 years in courses in the arts and sciences until you get to declare your major. This can be a blessing or a curse. State’s campus is huge and at first I thought it was ugly (compare to UNC’s, anyways), but once you explore the campus you’ll realize it’s one of the most underrated. You should also think about where you fit in the best. NC State’s #1 focus for students is to get us in the work force. The dean of my college told us in the first month I was here “I want you to graduate and have a job lined up that you’re excited about”. Also, this college has a very technological focus and was rated one of the top 25 most valuable recruiters by the Wall Street Journal. Anyways, this post is late but I just want you to know to not be skeptical of NC State like I was at first. You would love it here. Also, the people here are more down-to-earth than they are at UNC, at least from my experience. Best of luck in your decision!
*also at State you have to wait until the end of soph year to declare your major, but in the meantime you have the opportunity to explore the courses within the program you’re going into so you see if its a right fit for you.
*also at State you have to wait until the end of soph year to declare your major, but in the meantime you have the opportunity to explore the courses within the program you’re going into so you see if its a right fit for you.