<p>So about a month ago, I received my acceptance to wisconsin. I got obsessed with researching the school and really fell in love with it (the madison area, location right on a lake, school culture, sports, excellent academics and liberal midwestern feel all appeal to me). I tried to focus on wisconsin because i didn't think i'd get admitted to my two reach schools (unc and uva) but i just got accepted to unc and am still waiting for uva. I think i'll get rejected by uva but i don't mind that. Maryland was more of a safety for me so now I'm basically in a tough spot deciding between unc and wisconsin. I have to notify wisconsin if i'm going there by may 1 so I don't have nearly the same time to get to know unc like i did wisconsin for the past month and a half. I'm looking for some advice on unc so i can try to compare it with wisconsin and ultimately make a decision.
-academics: I'm an undeclared freshman, but I think I'll probably end up in social sciences (probably sociology or economics). what are those departments like?
-I come from a suburban new jersey town and am jewish. How accepting is the unc student body of jewish kids and minorities in general?
-I've looked at unc's general education requirements and there are A LOT more than wisconsin's. If i went to wisconsin, the classes I took this (freshman) year would knock out basically all of my core requirements. unc however, has a language requirement unlike wisconsin, an second science class requirement, and many more. I'm concerned I wouldn't be able to graduate in four years (3 years at unc +1 year from my current school). Is this a legitimate concern or should I be able to get it done?
-One reason why I don't want to go to uva anymore is I've heard a lot about the students there being very competitive and cut throat. Is it like that at unc where the student body is basically just as smart and impressive?</p>
<p>As a current economics major at UNC, I can tell you that I have been extremely pleased with the econ department here. The professors are all well regarded in their field and the courses are challenging, but you will be very prepared after finishing the major. The last class you take to complete the major is grad school level, so you will be getting a very in depth look at some advanced subject (for example, I am in Advanced Macro, which my professor tells me is the same course he taught PhD students at UC Davis).</p>
<p>I am also a history minor and sampled many courses in the social sciences, which I have enjoyed. </p>
<p>As far as UNC having a lot of core reqs, it isn’t too hard to get them done in four years. They really aren’t difficult to fulfill and there are a lot of courses that will count as 2-3. There are certain requirements that are somewhat difficult to fulfill (such as the experimental education), but the counseling department here will help you figure out what to take and will work to get you out of here in four years. </p>
<p>UNC is incredibly diverse and accepting of people from all backgrounds. Most of the students are fairly secular, so the student body doesn’t have issues with religions that are non-Christian. There is a very active Jewish community on campus that you can participate in if you would like. We do have the pit preacher, who will come on campus and preach/scream about why college students are going to Hell, but he is widely considered to be a joke. He has condemned every person on campus at some point in their four years here and his jibberish is a great way to waste some time before class. Also, he lack the ability to make a logical argument, so trying to have a discussion with him is completely impossible. Just think of him as a real world ■■■■■. Don’t feed him. </p>
<p>Though the student body is intelligent, I wouldn’t say it is a cutthroat atmosphere. There are study groups within classes and free tutoring available to those who need it. I’m sure there are people who don’t want to help their fellow classmates, but they are a minority.</p>
<p>I’m sure the culture of UW is spectacular, but the atmosphere on the campus of Carolina is in a class by itself. Nearly everyone is intelligent, the weather is nice, the campus is stunning, and the athletics are top notch. After every basketball victory over dOOk (and when we win the national championship) we rush Franklin Street and celebrate as a mob. Speaking of mobs, there is a end of semester rave in the library during exam week that is incredibly hot and tiring, but it is a great way to blow off some steam. Also, downtown Chapel Hill has terrific night life and we are nearby the much larger cities of Durham and Raleigh, so every convenience of a larger city is within a 30 minute drive. </p>
<p>Basically, Carolina is the single greatest place to spend your college years on the face of the planet. We have great academics, a friendly student body, and way more fun than should be legal.</p>
<p>I’d like to echo uncjames’ understated pro of going to UNC: “The weather is nice”.</p>
<p>We were at an outdoor concert 2 days ago in NC…it was 80 degrees. It was snowing in Wisconsin. To me, weather can define your whole quality of life…you won’t even know how much until you experience it.</p>
<p>to the OP: contact the Hillel at UNC to have your questions answered; very tight Jewish community so no worries there…</p>
<p>both schools are excellent; just depends on where in the country you want to spend the next four years…</p>
<p>travel to RDU is easy-peasy from both Newark and LaGuardia…can you hop a flight during the next week to check it out?..you could do it in a day</p>
<p>Believe me I’m aware of the weather: i’m currently at suny geneseo which is about 40 minutes outside of rochester, new york. Right now it is 40 degrees, feels like 30, with 25 mph wind gusts. Madison, WI weather is the same, possibly a little better than what i’m experiencing now. I’m not saying i want to seek out a jewish community; I’m simply concerned of the perception and treatment of jews at unc. Everyone has been telling me it’s not an issue so i think my worries there are pretty much put to rest. However, I’m still concerned about graduating in four years because I don’t know how many classes from my current university can be used to fulfill core requirements. I assume I can’t find something like that out until after I decide to enroll. I can’t afford to pay 4 years of unc oos tuition.</p>
<p>Out of understanding and quiet opposite of selling UNC to you, I find you extremely concerned with graduating in time. Being a liberal university, UNC does put constraints on course requirements. This can go either two ways: You don’t care and you just want the degree brand name, or you are trying to get out of your current college and seeking a good fit uni that you can afford. An OOS tuition is a lot and if you really can’t afford to push your budget, maybe UWis may seem the better choice for you. UNC may be better in most ways, but from what I have read, you’ve put your heart to UWis and it would seem a more familiar territory for you as you have devoted so much of your research to it. Hence, less surprises with the price tag, class structure, and whatnot. I followed a similar approach when choosing college (it’s funny that I’m receiving a few surprises I hadn’t expected lol~but in a good way).</p>
<p>Went to undergrad in Wisconsin and know UW well and my son is a UNC grad. </p>
<p>There’s a much larger Jewish community at UW and it has been that way for many years…back in the 70s when I was in school, there were a great number of Jewish students from NY/NJ enrolled at UW. The campus is nice in a Big Ten school sort of way…by that I mean that many are so similar looking that they are almost interchangeable. The on campus lake right behind the student union is certainly an attraction that most others don’t have. Madison, like Columbus and Austin has a large and very active bar scene. Be prepared to learn to like to drink brandy since it is the number one alcohol consumed in Wisconsin…everything is made with it unless otherwise specified…brandy Manhattan, brandy old fashioned, brandy sour (for whiskey sour), side cars, etc…</p>
<p>UNC has a more interesting, and in my opinion, much prettier campus…the red brick Georgian buildings set among the tall trees and hills make it much more picturesque and “quaint” for lack of a better description. There may not be a prettier setting for a college football stadium anywhere in the US and while not as big as Camp Randall, KFS is much cozier and offers a great game day experience. While the campus is large and spread out, the much smaller student body makes the school feel considerably smaller than at UW.</p>
<p>There’s a much more active and vibrant live music scene in Chapel Hill if that is something that matters. Unlike Madison, Chapel Hill and UNC are much more intertwined and interdependent …Madison would exist almost as is w/o UW…not the case with Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>I would not be concerned about satisfying core requirements, as others have said it’s pretty easily done. There is an active Hillel and as others have said, call or email them if you have true concerns…they often do things in conjunction with the Duke Hillel as well which broadens the overall Jewish community.</p>
<p>Both schools are very liberal…I think overall you will find a more welcoming student body at UNC than at UW…the people are just friendlier. Most employers and ALL grad and professional schools know how hard an OOS admit at UNC is…I think that alone should be something to seriously consider…I would also think that even at OOS rates, UNC is a better bargain than UW OOS rates…</p>
<p>At UW you are about 3 1/2 hours to Chicago and a little over an hour to Milwaukee if you need to get away while at UNC you are about three hours in either direction to the ocean or mountains and 3 hours to Charlotte…</p>
<p>Academically, UNC is a higher rated school…the Kenan Flagler business school is a top ten undergrad school and UNC is historically well thought of in the social sciences as well.</p>
<p>There is NO comparison when it comes to weather…there are far more days of blue skies and outdoor activities at UNC…cold is one thing but biting cold along with endless days of gray skies can really start to work on your head…if you don’t know better it’s not a big deal… but here the nod goes heavily to UNC.</p>
<p>Academics UNC
Campus UNC
Size of Jewish community UW
Weather UNC
Prestige of degree * UNC * by perception of grad and professional schools
Cost difference ??? but would think it favors UNC</p>
<p>You can’t go wrong with either school but I can tell you this from my personal experience/perspective…I wouldn’t want a “do-over” in Wisconsin but would love to have one at UNC…</p>
<p>good luck…let us know what you decide</p>
<p>barrons where are you???..</p>
<p>the OP needs the “other side of the coin” after eadad’s impressive post…</p>
<p>eadad that was all EXTREMELY informative. Tons of stuff in there that i didn’t know. Again, not to sound like a broken record, but i’m not the kind of person to actively seek out a religious group. I was really just concerned about how jews and minorities are treated at the two schools. Now that you’ve painted this picture of unc as a liberal school welcoming all with open arms, that concern seems uncalled for. You mention that madison is about 3 1/2 hours away from chicago; is madison itself inadequate as a place to explore/hang out for students? I actually happened to be in madison over the summer for a long weekend (not to visit the school) and the city seemed rather lively. On the other hand, raleigh is only 30-40 (?) minutes away from chapel hill and, being twice the size of madison, i assume just as vibrant if not more so than madison.I think the best advice given in your post was “you can’t go wrong with either school”. I honestly love both schools and feel blessed to even get to make this decision.</p>
<p>To briefly address polobear’s comments, I think the number of years it takes me to graduate is a legitimate concern. I’m probably just being paranoid and should be able to graduate in 4 years. Basically my worries stem from the differences in core requirements at wisconsin and unc. I’m not lazy and saying i prefer a school with fewer requirements; I think they are a good way for undeclared students to expand their horizons and interests. Hypothetically if I was admitted to harvard with the knowledge that it would take seven years to graduate, that would be a concern. If I went to wisconsin, I wouldn’t have to take any foreign language. If I went to unc I’d have to take three semesters of a foreign language. At unc I’d have to take another science class while at wisconsin i’d be done with all quantitative requirements. This stuff fills up a schedule quickly, but again I’m probably overreacting and overly paranoid.</p>
<p>Madison is just fine in and of itself but over the course of 3-4 years of college most any city (outside of NYC, Chicago, LA, San Fran) can get a little boring at some point in time or you may just seek a little diversion. I mentioned the proximity to mountains and the ocean because they are very different types of diversions…Asheville is in the mountains and is a very cool little town…sort of a “lost in the 60s” kind of place…and a nice get away from school when you just want to chill and de-stress…the beaches offer the same kind of escape. Having them both nearby is a really nice plus.</p>
<p>Taking a foreign language is not a bad thing…that said, did you take a language in HS? If so, with a little review do you feel you could be competent enough to take a placement exam and test out of some of the requirement?..</p>
<p>no it’s not a bad thing. I feel less than confident in starting anywhere above level one to be honest…I took four years of french in high school, then took a gap year and have not taken any language my freshman year. So I haven’t taken any french since 2009 and I was not very good at it to begin with. :(</p>
<p>Perhaps you can take the summer classes for foreign language during summer. I personally think that 4 years of a language (whether you were good/bad at it) is plenty to do well at the standard lvl. UNC may not sound as bad if the only thing preventing you from deciding on it is the french.
2ndly: Just to voice over Eadad, UNC is quiet convenient. I haven’t been to Wisconsin in my life but Charlotte and Raleigh are two great cities if you want an urban feel. But to be quiet frank, Chapel Hill is quiet the hype as well. It has eloquent restaurants and a suburban feel to it. I don’t find much difference btw Chapel hill and Raleigh really because franklin and hillsborough streets are kindda the same (except I admit I like franklin more). Carrboro and downtown raleigh seem the same as well on most part (except more big businesses at the Raleigh side). On the other hand, Charlotte is something to visit for its real estates and allocated companies and malls. In addition, it has been rated as one of the top places to live, and having been from charlotte, I can say it is a nice place to visit and settle at.
3rd: You’re undecided and I am sure UNC will change your perspective on things. I think UNC will offer a variety of opportunities if you decide to spread yourself out. I don’t know much about UWis, but I found that most of the professors in the history department teach you extremely well and with concentrated meaning. I know there is inflation in terms of grades, but the teaching faculty contains many leaders in their respective field. Also, if you decide to switch majors you have nothing to worry about b/c whether it may be social science, business, or medicine, you will be learning from the best. You won’t have to worry about getting a job if you do well here.</p>