<p>So im looking for safety schools and two that I found are Appalachian State and UNC Wilmington. On paper they both seem similar to me with about the same of students (14,000 Appalachian and 11,000 Wilmington). And they both have the major im interested in.<br>
So i was wondering what are the differences between them and what do people think about those two schools in general.</p>
<p>Would you prefer to be in the mountains (App. St.) or near the beach (UNCW)?</p>
<p>I’m fairly familiar with App, less so with UNCW. Hopefully others can chime in.</p>
<p>1) Location - As cltdad mentioned, the locations are pretty different. App is in Boone, a small town nestled in the mountains. It’s a great area if you like to ski, and you have easy access to the Parkway for hiking if you (or a friend) has a car. Boone itself is fairly compact, and while a car would be nice, it’s certainly possible to make do without one. Much of downtown is within easy walking distance from campus, and the main drag (King Street) can be likened to a slightly smaller but funkier version of Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Boone is very cheap, which is a huge plus for college students on a budget. The drawback is that Boone can feel isolated in the winter, and the cold/snowy winters result in somewhat high drinking rates (though not nearly as bad as WCU). UNCW is on the southeastern coast of NC, within easy access of the beach. Wilmington is much larger than Boone, and it has most of the amenities a small/medium city needs. It’s a reasonably artsy city and has music/art festivals as well as other things you’d expect from a coastal city (nearby beaches, an aquarium, sailing, etc.). Wilmington can be pretty touristy in the late spring and early fall but isn’t as bad during the rest of the year.</p>
<p>2) Sports - App is a football school, and the whole town has a tremendous amount of school spirit. The athletic scene at UNCW is more laidback. </p>
<p>3) Demographics - Each tends to draw from its own region. App has a fairly balanced male/female ratio, whereas UNCW is heavily skewed towards females. UNCW is about 2/3 the size of App. </p>
<p>4) Campus - I’m primarily familiar with the ASU campus. It’s fairly compact and green, and it’s easily walkable. Many of the facilities (library, student center, dining hall, several dorms) are brand new and extremely nice. Others, like some of the academic buildings, are in pretty bad shape but are slowly being renovated.</p>
<p>UNCW is a pleasant campus aesthetically speaking. Think of a suburban-type campus on/near a beach in the South. Lots of pinet trees, sandy soil. Many red brick buildings, comfortably spread out. Adjacent to the main drag of strip-mall Wilmington, so lots of wing joints and sandwich shops close by. Residential area on the other side of campus. By the way, there’s a wonderful local ice cream/farm stand type restaurant across the street from the UNCW main gate.Some palm trees. I was there in August years ago. Pleasant weather, not terribly hot. Locals told me the only drawback was rain and the occasional hurricane.l</p>
<p>how big of a town is boone and are there a lot of things to do or not?</p>
<p>also which one is better academically?</p>
<p>Boone is pretty small (13K) and feels even smaller since there are no cities within 45 minutes – Hickory and Asheville are the closest. Shopping is pretty limited other than a few tourist shops and the local Walmart. The campus is pretty much unto itself which seems to lead to a reputation are being a fairly party/drinking campus. Now, it’s in a beautiful area in the mountains, gets a fair amount of snow, and is easy distance and several nice Ski Slopes in the winter and absolute unparalleled hiking/camping areas during the warmer seasons. Football is big on-campus.</p>
<p>Wilmington is more a nice medium sized city with the usual access to dining, shopping, etc and certainly more off campus options. The beach is wonderful in the warmer months.</p>
<p>As mentioned the weather is quite different – ‘Blizzards’ and snow/cold for one in the winter vs the possibility of tropical events for the other.</p>
<p>Academically I think they are very similar – which is better will have more to do with your study area. I know lots (dozens if not hundreds over the last 20 yrs) of the local kids go to App and generally love it. I know 10 or so kids who graduated or attend UNCW who think the world of the school. </p>
<p>The only problems I’ve heard from either are from students who went to App and found it a little too isolated socially and culturally for their tastes. A lot of the kids who go to App have local ties, many went to HS together, and the kids all seem to look alike after awhile. This can be a problem at many state public schools though I get the feeling the UNCW campus draws from a bit wider area.</p>