<p>these are the three schools I'm deciding between. I'd love some input. you can give reasons or you can just choose. Thanks!</p>
<p>Three completely different schools. All good quality but you need to figure out which one is a match.</p>
<p>I go to UNC and absolutely love it here. Looked at Wake too but they didn’t have my major. Never really considered USC so I can’t tell you a whole lot about that.</p>
<p>As far as UNC goes, however, there are few other schools in the country that offer the academic, athletic, and social balance that UNC does. Wake does come close, however.</p>
<p>To enjoy USC, you’d really have to love the whole Los Angeles vibe. Having spent some time there, I can see how people find it interesting for like a weekend. But 4 years there? If you visit LA and completely love it, then USC is a great choice. Otherwise, the other two would be great, and you might decide based on the different vibe at each…</p>
<p>The school’s don’t have much in common other than being close in US News rankings.</p>
<p>US motha****in’ C!!!</p>
<p>I concur with kville’s comments that these environments don’t share much except for proximity in USNWR rank. Wake is clearly the most intimate academic environment of the three and also the least energetic social scene (though still sufficiently good for nearly all of its students who like it A LOT). Wake is also regarded as the most undergrad focused of the three. </p>
<p>U North Carolina is probably the best known on a national scale and its OOS student population is very strong. The problem is that it’s a relatively large school (18k undergrad) with large variation in student quality and access to resources. There is definitely more going on at Chapel Hill than in W-S, but you will have to compete more for the resources. Politically, U North Carolina is a good bit more liberal than Wake. Chapel Hill is notorious as a liberal bastion while Wake is far more even tempered. </p>
<p>For postgrad purposes, the U North Carolina network is larger and stronger than Wake’s. This is a net positive, but Wake’s individual connections can be very strong as alums are quite loyal. For postgraduate work placement, both of these schools would be significantly stronger than USC almost anywhere in the East or South. </p>
<p>USC is a very different environment from either. No surprise due to its location and the very different types of families that send their kids there. I like USC and think it can be exceptional for those who intend to stay in southern California post-graduation. I also think that there is a lot of positive momentum at USC that will increase as UC Berkeley and UCLA struggle to cope with the difficulties ongoing in the state of California. </p>
<p>Campus-wise, I’d choose Wake first, then U North Carolina and then USC. </p>
<p>Why did you choose these three in the first place??</p>
<p>I pretty much agree with hawkette’s review, with the exception of her comment about social scene. Greek life at Wake dominates campus life, and it is far from the “least energetic.” All three are extremely social but if I had to rank them, I’d put 'SC last – for the full year, not just football season. :)</p>
<p>Wake’s campus is like a country club, but I found Winston-Salem wanting – a college town in ain’t. Chapel Hill, on the other hand… 'SC is in South-Central LA…</p>
<p>Note, given their size, only 'SC has a full range of undergrad programs. UNC doesn’t do engineering, for example. Neither does Wake.</p>
<p>All are really regional schools, with strong alums in their regions.</p>
<p>blue,
I hear you on the Wake Greek scene, but it’s at a different level in Chapel Hill. Not that Wake’s students are deprived or unfulfilled—haha—they’re probably as satisfied and contented as any group of undergrads you’ll find anywhere in the USA. And with good reason as this is a school that really makes an effort with its undergraduates and provides a pretty swell and broad experience for its 4500 undergrads.</p>
<p>Hawkette, USC is also “relatively large” at 16k undergrads. It also accepts a large transfer population.</p>
<p>
As USC will struggle to cope and lose some luster with NCAA sanctions come April. :)</p>
<p>I went to Wake in the '70s. It’s a genre all its own - something between an LAC and a major university, while not entirely either. I loved that hybrid factor and the intimacy it offered. I have no experience with universities that have nearly 20,000 undergrads, but if I had to choose one, UNC would be on my short list. I know of nothing negative about UNC other than the size, and plenty of unique plusses. I’d love to do a home football weekend at USC, but huge and urban isn’t my thing.</p>