<p>I have been admitted in UCLA, UCSD as well as UNC Chapell Hill…
All, really great public schools.
I am a CA resident and would obviously have to pay out of state fees if I decide to go to UNC.
Some questions that would really help me in making a decision:</p>
<li><p>Are the folks in UNC open to discussion on sort of “matching” or helping me bridge the gap between CA and NC fees? Is that a possibility? Has anyone done it before?</p></li>
<li><p>Any information you can share to compare the three schools for Biological Sciences major </p></li>
<li><p>Other factors related to location, campus life, competitiveness, job prospects after graduation etc would tremendously help.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Since they're all on about the same tier academically, definitely go to one of the UCs (I'd pick whichever is further from home. Or if you live far away from both, such as in NorCal, pick whichever you like better).</p>
<p>As for UNC giving you a discount...it's unlikely. Public schools aren't as flexible with aid as many privates.</p>
<p>For one week this year I somehow convinced myself that bio-engineering was the coolest thing in the world and what I wanted to study, and during that week I learned that UCSD has one of the premiere research programs in the country in that field because of some flashy biotech study center right next to the campus.</p>
<p>Hey, I'm from Raleigh, NC (about a 25 minute drive from Chapel Hill), and I can vouch for the fact that UNC is amazing. I recently spent a weekend there with about 150 other HS seniors, most of them out of state, and almost every single one of them was amazed at how open the campus was and how nice the people were. UNC really gives you an awesome education that makes you well rounded in all subjects, not just the one that you're going to major in. They are really good in the sciences...their help w/ undergraduate research and stuff like that is amazing. Plus, its really cheap (even for out of state students, compared to other universities). campus life is really good...vibrant.</p>
<p>oh and great weather too. emphasis on the beautiful campus.</p>
<p>Oh job prospects...very good. But all of that depends on what you bring to the university...going to a good college can only get you so far. </p>
<p>Having said that, a lot of my friends have done their undergrad at UNC and gone onto Harvard, WUSTL, Hopkins, Yale, and the like. Another set have come to UNC from those places. But once again, that's all on you. UNC is challenging (people are often fooled by the fact that its a state college), and you have to rise to that. </p>
<p>Sorry if all this sounds over the top...I really mean it when I say UNC is good. I can't say how it does in relation to the other two colleges you mentioned, because I don't know anything about them.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think it would be silly to go to UNC. </p>
<p>It's a great school, but the UCs are just as strong (actually, they're probably stronger in the fields you're looking at). And you have in state tuition. Plus, CA is spread out enough that you can still be far from home at one of them.</p>