Premed -- Choosing between NCSU and UNC-CH

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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Hi Everyone!

I have been fortunate enough this admissions process to have been accepted into both NC State University and UNC-Chapel Hill for my undergraduate degree. I know for certain that I wish to pursue the medical field and go to a great medical school in the future.

Lately, I’ve been torn between choosing between UNC-CH and NCSU for premeds specifically. I’ve heard arguments saying that UNC may be a little more prestigious and the fact that it has a medical school and a hospital may be beneficial for a premed. However, I also have gotten the impression that the classes at UNC are much more difficult, which may lower my GPA, and therefore be worse off for a med school applicant. I know that I may stand out a little bit more at NC State, but I would love to get any additional opinions. Also, cost will be about the same for both colleges.

If I go to UNC, I anticipate a Neuroscience Major with a Computer Science minor
If I go to NC State, I anticipate a BME Major

Are the classes required for premed students at UNC-CH really as difficult as people say they are?
How are the premedical advising differ between the schools? Do you think one would help out a bit more than the other?
How would the opportunities at NC State compare/differ from those at UNC?
Are there any additional aspects that I should also consider?

Thank you for all of your help!

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First of all congratulations on your acceptances! IMO the difficulty of any engineering program at NCSU is very comparable to a Neuroscience major at UNC-CH and I think the opportunities would be fairly comparable as well. The Neuroscience major at UNC is brand new and the course requirements include most of the typical pre-med major classes. The Chem classes at UNC are very challenging, particularly the labs which are extremely time consuming. Org Chem is probably the class that weeds out more premed majors than any other class.

With that said, I wouldn’t make your decision based on which provides the easier path. Re-visit both schools and go with the one that fits you best. My daughter had a similar decision when choosing between UNC-CH and another NC school for nursing. She chose UNC-CH and although she does complain about the work load and difficulty of her science classes, she absolutely loves it there and wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. Best of luck to you with your decision.

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Somewhere there is a list of statistics of where the accepted students going to UNC Medical School as well as the ECU one received their undergraduates. In all cases, NCSU always provides more accepted students to those Medical Schools. Think about it…Chemistry is a very important subject for Premed students. Which school will have a more rigorous Chemistry program…a liberal Art school or a technical school. I think I would go with the school that gives me the best chance…

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If you can get honors at NC state that is best. you can pick your individual classes and get to enroll before all the other undergrads. Most folks at UNC never get all the classes they want so prepare for that. Plus of UNC hospital there so you can start getting clinical experience immediately. BME is probably the hardest major at most colleges so it’s a little counter productive to going the ‘easier’ route like biology or chemistry or something else.

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@anon145 @ironwarrior01 - The UNC hospital thing is not a given. There are definitely more kids at UNC that start out aspiring for med school than there will be at State, and getting in “immediately” is a stretch. My friend’s daughter got into one of those volunteering programs at the Children’s hospital at UNC, this happened back in October. She’s yet to see the inside of the hospital! They have her on “standby”. My son decided to complete his EMT certification at Durham Tech this semester (along with his UNC course load), he intends to volunteer about ten hours a week once he’s done. He’s getting a ton of exposure already, as a student. His twin is at State, and all I can say is, I can see why more kids from State are successful at getting into med schools. Their advisors are very organized, they provide better opportunities.

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@Essel - May you expand on how the role of the advisors vary between NC State/UNC-CH and what kind of “better opportunities” are offered at NC State?

Thank you!

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@ironwarrior01 - Both my boys are in the Honors program. At State, towards the end of the first semester, my son was invited to apply for the Honors Fellowship. The program director had taken the trouble to get to know the students in the seminar, and has identified students who had grad-school/ prof school goals. He did, was interviewed, and will be a Fellow next semester. Comes with a stipend, guaranteed housing in the Honors quad, and some other perks. His advisor believes this will fulfill the “Leadership” requirement, if/when he applies to med school.

His Nutrition professor recommended my son to her colleague, who was starting on a new research project. Again, the whole interview, etc later, he’s already in the lab, 2-3 days a week. He’s just a freshman. She also shares details of various internships she thinks will interest him.

Honors in Carolina, is yet to mean anything significant, than the fact that he took a couple of seminars and Calc 233 H. We heard it kicks in if he wants to study abroad- they have programs meant exclusively for Honors students. Mind, both the boys are averaging “A”s in their honors courses.

As far as advising goes, both the boys have been confirmed to their majors towards the end of their first semester. Both of them have really good advisors, but my son at State is able to access his advisors much more easily (potentially because both his majors are smaller, niche majors), and therefore go into greater detail about what his thought process is. He was in touch with his advisors and professors over the winter break, even on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day!

Most of the advice my son at UNC is getting, he’s getting from his seniors. Our experience has been (again, possibly because of his major choice), that State has managed to create a “small college” atmosphere, even though it is the larger college. The professors, the advisors, the administrators- all appear to be invested in ensuring student success. UNC, they’ll tell you when you ask, if you’re able to reach them. My son has not experienced this yet, but several of his friends are afraid to ask for help because they have encountered rudeness, and a tendency to belittle them when asking for help. This is not something that would bother my son very much, he’s very independent, prefers little input, even when he’s clueless.

One more thing, the gpa. State has an A+, for 98% and above. That’s an additional .33 for every credit hour. Yes, it’s hard to get, but if you do, you can apply the extra credit to a lower grade- if you have a 3 credit course with an A+, and one with an A-, they’ll both even out, leaving you with an A average!

The good news is, they’re both great schools, and you can’t go wrong either way! Good Luck!!

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the general advising at both UNC and NCSU is not something to depend on; however, as I said before honors at NCSU is really, really helpful (only 185 kids a year get it). I would pick NCSU w/honors over UNC for most majors. (1 kid at NCSU honors; both accepted to both UNC and NCSU. However, even in honors at NCSU there are little things to know like there are often honors sections of a core class that count toward the honors requirement, The point no one walks you through everything you SHOULD know at state schools IMHO.

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You can’t go wrong with either. We are a medical family and most of our friends are too. Undergrad major isn’t a huge factor. IMO, with budding college students that may go in to medicine, find a school you love and a major you will enjoy. When you enjoy what you are learning, you should have a better GPA. I have friends that went Ivy and had anthropology majors and went to the TOP med schools in the country. I also have friends from “good” schools with psych majors that had high GPAs also attend TOP med schools that weren’t connected to undergrad. Being well rounded helps. Medicine is changing. You may go to UNC and want to go elsewhere for med school. You may want to get out and experience a new city or town. Don’t connect yourself to their program just because that little bit can help you connect there. Focus on undergrad now and go where you will be happy and thrive. When those dots connect, your next step will align easier.

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