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UNC is far too eclectic architecturally to be beautiful, in my opinion, mostly due to its age. It doesn’t help that parts of campus feel a bit claustrophobic with slightly too many buildings in slightly too small a space. I’ll grant you that UNC has some nice buildings - Old West and Wilson, for example, and the forest theater. It also has some downright hideous ones (Davis, Hinton James, etc.). The Bryan Center at Duke is an eyesore, as are a few of the newer dorms, but generally it is a bit better about having attractive buildings. Coker is a poor substitute for the Sarah Duke gardens, as is Battle Park for the Duke Forest. </p>
<p>I would place UNC fourth in NC after Duke, Wake Forest, and Davidson and would consider it more charming than nice or beautiful. They’re all much prettier than NC State, though!</p>
<p>I will concede that the area around UNC is much nicer than the area around Duke. I’ll also concede that it’s nicer to see bunnies on campus at UNC than the squirrels and mangy cats one sees at Duke.</p>
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Durham is the sort of place that’s much more attractive to grad students and young professionals than college students; most grad students at Duke will tell you they love it, but the attitude of undergraduates can best be described as indifference. It’s very cheap, has great food, and has access to a decent music scene; Durham has received high ranks for good housing, access to jobs, good food, environmentally friendly, etc. On the downside, however, parts of Durham are definitely sketchy, and it lacks a big club scene.</p>