<p>We're planning a trip to NC. The original plan was to visit Queens Univ and UNC-Charlotte, but I might drop Queens Univ (described as "racist" and "closed-minded" on "Student Reviews"), in which case, I'd like to add another area school. </p>
<p>Can anyone recommend possible replacement schools in the Charlotte area? My preference would be for:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>coed w/ enrollment between 2000 and 4000</p></li>
<li><p>socially liberal (at least not conservative or very religius)</p></li>
<li><p>at least 5% black</p></li>
<li><p>not cliquish; no more than 20% frat/sorority participation</p></li>
<li><p>minimal geneds</p></li>
<li><p>at least 40% oos with a a good number of students from the northeast</p></li>
</ul>
<p>We are fairly flexible. A school similar to UNC-Asheville (maybe w/ slightly less competitive admissions) woudl be great - - is Asheville too far?</p>
<p>Winthrop in Rock Hill, SC – but it doesn’t have the OOS and geographic numbers you’re looking for. Asheville is a fair hike but probably worth it (again, though, I don’t think it has the OOS/geographic numbers). I think you’re going to have a hard time meeting your OOS goal at a state university. In Asheville, Warren Wilson might also be a good choice (but much smaller than what you’re looking for). </p>
<p>I’d dig deeper for info on Queens. I don’t know a lot about it, but “racist” and “closed-minded” seem extremely harsh, particularly since they have a fairly high number of minority students for a private university in the South (68% are white/non-hispanic). Large OOS numbers as well (47%). Greek life might be a little higher than what you’re looking for (22% men, 11% women), but not overwhelmingly so. In short, Queens looks pretty good to me, just looking at its numbers. I wouldn’t want to see you pass by what could be a great fit on the basis of some student reviews that are skewed for some reason.</p>
<p>How far is High Point U, or Lenoire Rhyne? Not sure about % of black students or frat/sorority participation. I think that Meredith College is a 3 hour drive and a women’s college. Again, don’t know about Greek participation or % of black students.</p>
<p>High Point U would be a little over an hour of a drive. You also might want to check out Guilford College which is fairly cloe, ~20 minutes,close to HPU</p>
<p>You guys need to stop freakin’ out at these review sites. A few malcontents and high schoolers posting reviews can present a totally misleading picture of a school.</p>
<p>Asheville is less than 2 hours fr. Charlotte</p>
<p>UNC-Charlotte is huge. Does that mean schools missing some of your requirements aren’t deal breakers?
There used to be a CC poster (screen name) Candace who has an oos freshman D at Queens this year. You might want to PM her and get some first hand info.</p>
<p>I don’t know how far you are willing to drive but here’s a list to check out online and see if anything interests you:</p>
<p>Johnson C. Smith University-private-HBCU-Charlotte</p>
<p>lderochi already mentioned Winthrop (Rock Hill SC)-small state u.- about 30 minutes from Charlotte (depending on what part of Charlotte you’re starting from). </p>
<p>Catawba College -Salisbury NC-about one hour from Charlotte</p>
<p>Lenoir Rhyne University-Hickory NC-private- about an hour from Charlotte</p>
<p>UNC-Greensboro-Greensboro NC-state u. (smaller than UNCC) about1.5 hours from Charlotte (again depending on your starting point in Charlotte)</p>
<p>Guilford College-Greensboro-private</p>
<p>Bennet College -Greenboro NC-private- African American women’s college</p>
<p>Winston-Salem State University-Winston Salem, NC-public-HBCU- about an hour and fifteen minutes from Charlotte.</p>
<p>High Point U.-High Point NC-private-close to an hour and a half from Charlotte.</p>
<p>You can find stats and info about all schools in NC by going to CFNC.org. (click on the “college fair” tab)</p>
<p>Iderochi, I made a point of including the negative content of the reviews precisely to see whether parents thought the criticism was extreme or unwarranted — especially since there were only 3 student reviews (hardly a sample). For us, Queens Univ is probably as far as we want to go in terms of conservative/religious, but it has remained in play b/c of its black enrollment (18-20%) and b/c it is less isolate that many other schools. I know that the oos and Greek numbers we’re looking for may be difficult to find, but we are somewhat flexible - - otherwise I wouldn’t be asking for schools similar to UNC-A.</p>
<p>Packmom, I know UNC-Char is huge, but a friend and her recent-grad son both rave about the school, so I figure it’s worth a peek. And, I labeled my list as “preferences” because no single factor is a dealbreaker - - but black enrollment of at least 3% and liberal (or signif liberal presence) are most important. </p>
<p>I have PMed her about Queens, but before I read the negative reviews. I plan to follow-up with her and post on the black parents thread, in case any of the regulars there have visited Queens.</p>
<p>Finally, thanks to all who suggested Guilford, High Point, Elon and other Triad area schools. We will be spending at least a couple of days in Greensboro, where there’s no shortage of schools to visit. I just wanted to find options in the Charlotte area, in the event that we drop Queens Univ. Maybe we’ll just bite the bullet and make the trip to Asheville (but I’m terrified D will fall in love w/ UNC-A, which is a bit og a reach).</p>
<p>I read the same student reviews before my daughter visited Queens this fall. Since I’ve learned to view online opinions with caution, I disregarded them and daughter went on the visit. </p>
<p>She and my husband made the trip, and he had only positive comments about Queens and the people he met there. She spent the night in a dorm, and had a reasonably uncensored view of the college. She absolutely loved everything about the school, which surprised me a bit. (We’re from NYS.) She didn’t find it “racist” or “closed-minded.” She’s a caucasian kid, but very aware of those attitudes. The majority of her cousins are international adoptions, and she doesn’t take negative comments lightly.</p>
<p>After my daughter returned, she discovered a student with whom she went through 8th grade is currently at Queens as a freshman. The friend is extremely happy at the school.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman at Queens Charlotte and it is a perfect fit for her. She had a great first semester and is excited to return next month. She has met students of every ethnicity and background. It is a small school where professors eat breakfast with you in the morning and you get to know most if not all of the other freshmen. We live 8 hours away so I worried about homesickness, but it was never an issue. I have no idea who would write such negative reviews or if they ever attended the school. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to pm me. It might be a “hidden gem” for your son or daughter too.</p>
<p>Davidson is an excellent small school; not sure what your stats are so I don’t know if it’s a reach. Also I don’t know it’s social atmosphere or racial makeup. But I do know it’s a great school in your size range near Charlotte.</p>