Should I go to UNC?

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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<p>So I got into UNC as a transfer and I'll be a sophomore next year. Right now I'm undecided if I should go to Chapel Hill and know that ultimately I need to be the one to make the decision. Currently, I go to St Mary's College of MD, which is a small public liberal arts college and I have recently started to like it here. Is it worth taking the chance of going to UNC and making new friends and trying to find happiness? I feel like I may be taking the easy way or more secure way of staying at my current school and may regret it.</p>

<p>My main question is, does UNC have a significantly better reputation than my current college? And most importantly, will UNC offer me a better education if I am willing to put in the time and effort?</p>

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<p>I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’ve never heard of St. Mary’s College, so I really can’t give you any advice on how UNC would compare. I would say, however, that if you truly feel that a small LAC is the right environment for you, then UNC will not be a good fit. I’ve honestly always been a small LAC type of girl, and even though I’ve tried many ways to make UNC smaller, it just isn’t the same. However, I would still come to UNC again because the academics and prestige are worth it for me. I would also say that with some effort, you can absolutely get a world class education here, comparable to the Ivies in certain departments, and that’s something considerable to think about as you make your decision. I wish you the best of luck and I’m sure more people will chime in.</p>

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<p>Most people haven’t heard of it. It’s a pretty good school and I like the academics. However, I do think that I’ll be able to learn just as well if not better in a large university setting. </p>

<p>Right now I’m thinking of majoring in political science or environmental studies. Do you have any idea of the strength of those programs at UNC.</p>

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<p>I live in Maryland( and I’ll be an incoming freshmen at UNC this fall), and while I have heard of SMCM because a few kids from my schools go there every year, I definitely think that UNC-CH would probably offer more opportunities since SMCM is small and not as close to urban areas as UNC-CH</p>

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<p>That’s what I’m thinking too, especially because it’s one of the top 5 publics and has a lot resources.</p>

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<p>Before you make your decision, let me ask you a few questions. Do you plan on going to graduate school right away or want to get a job post-undergrad? I understand that you think coming to UNC-CH may open more opportunities for you, but you should consider the possibility of ending up with a mediocre GPA, compared to your 4.0 GPA at St. Mary’s which would make you a much better candidate for most graduate programs, granted you get a competitive LSAT/ GRE/ MCAT/ etc. test score. </p>

<p>UNC-CH is very hyped. It’s a great school, but it does not get the national recognition that people boast about. I’m a senior and it’s been a very rough transition here as a transfer, as far as academics go. I came from a top 50 private school (Miami) and was “top dawg” in all my classes with a 3.94 cumulative GPA. At UNC-CH, I’m just an average student and while I am expanding my mind and challenging myself, I sometimes have doubts that I might have screwed myself over in the long run, because I want to go to graduate business school and my GPA is no where near my Miami GPA. </p>

<p>Your current school and UNC are two very different schools. One is a small private and the other is a large, public research university. You have to take that into strong consideration. Also, the treatment that academic advisors place on transfer students is very unwelcoming and unaccommodating. Most transfer I know end up doing worse than their peers who have been here all four years, because it is a harder track to follow and catch up for transfers.</p>

<p>I do not regret my transfer, but I would of maybe been more mindful of my decision and weighed the possibility of not getting into my major (instead of being naive and cocky when I applied) and the challenges that come with a large school versus a small private. I’ve learned a lot and have been forced to challenge my intellectual capabilities, even though my GPA is not representative of the mastery of material, which makes me weary for my MBA admissions in a few years. </p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

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<p>You can absolutely have a high GPA at UNC. I’d rather not post mine, but it’s extremely competitive. If you venture into most of the humanities, a high GPA is certainly possible to acheive (albeit less so than some of the more challenging sciences).</p>

<p>If you’re only concerned about how high you can get your GPA though, UNC is probably not for you. Personally, I’d prefer if I were in the 50% range at my school becuase it makes you a much stronger student in the long run. Coasting, imo, is detrimental to your overall success as a student and should be avoided when possible.</p>

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<p>thanks for the response bruinsjew. I just got into william and mary and uva, so that makes my decision that much harder. How do you think unc compares to those schools?</p>

<p>At this point I think it best to leave my current college. I could probably do fine here and be content for the next three years, but I want something more. Not as much academically, but socially as well. My final choices are william and mary, uva, unc, and umd and I have two weeks to decide</p>

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<p>Artemis, that is exactly how I feel at my current school! This semester I may be getting 2 A-'s, not because the classes are more difficult, but because this semester I have been coasting. I no longer feel challenged. In fact, it feels a lot like high school and I’m nervous that if I stay here I will just continue to coast. </p>

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<p>surfwakesnow165, I feel that we are in a very similar situation. I currently attend a tiny liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, and while I think that the academics are pretty solid and I have a good group of friends, I really want something more out of my college experience. Given its small size and isolated location, my current school is very limiting in every sense of the word. To me, it feels too much like high school because there are so many “safety nets.” I originally chose to come here because it was relatively close to home and I didn’t know what to expect in college, but since then I have realized that I need to step out of my comfort zone in order to grow more as a person.</p>

<p>I think that at first, a large school like UNC will be more challenging both academically and socially, especially for a transfer like myself. However, I think the wide range of opportunities there are just too great to pass up. The vibrant social scene, diverse student body, superb athletics and the great college town are just a few of the things UNC has that my current school does not. Saying goodbye to my friends here will certainly be very hard, but I think that if i turn down the chance to go to a great school like UNC and stay somewhere I’m not really happy at, I will always regret it.</p>

<p>Good luck with your decision and I wish you the best wherever you end up.</p>

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<p>BruinsJew,</p>

<p>The fact that you were “top dawg” at your other school and not UNC is not surprising. Most of the students here were “top dawgs” at their respective high schools, community colleges, 4-year universities, etc., before coming to UNC. With that being said, because you are at a school full of other high-achieving students, what you did at U of Miami probably won’t get you by with a 3.94 GPA at UNC.</p>

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<p>Babytitain,</p>

<p>You’re right! The caliber of students here, especially those out of state applicants who were admitted freshmen year, is much higher than that of Miami. I work ten fold times higher and only get by with about a 3.2-3.3 GPA each semester, which makes me feel like I’m not working up to my potential and that I’m stupid. Though, I know it’s normalized for students to get average GPAs here, even the top dawgs, because of the competition. </p>

<p>Surfwakesnow and paul,
I transferred out of Miami for the same reason. It was not purely academics, more so linked to the social experience and the lack of college experience at UMiami for me. The academics were easier and not too challenging for me, but I guess I felt more accomplished because of the value I place on my grades and how I use grades as an indicator of my intelligence/ mastery of material, which is not the case at UNC. You can master the material at UNC but only end up with a B or B- in the course, this is not unusual. </p>

<p>Socially, UNC is AMAZING! It has fulfilled all my wishes and desires that I wanted out of college. The amazing athletic programs creates a fully supportive and dedicated fan-base. It is normal to walk around campus and see everyone decked out in their CAROLINA BLUE shirts, which reflects the comradery of the student body. The town of Chapel Hill and spirt of Franklin Street makes it one of the most quintessential college towns (like Ann Arbor, Madison) as stated by publicists of ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Although the claim is that the student body is incredibly diverse, that is a bit flawed. The student body is still predominantly Southern whites. You will notice this once in more competitive academic arenas such as the biological/chemistry/physics/ BME/ other applied sciences and Kenan-Flagler. Humanities are more diverse, with a lot of representation from minorities and females. There are so many student groups and events on campus, so it should not be hard to find your niche and pursue your interests. </p>

<p>ArtemisDEA,</p>

<p>I do not know if you’re a transfer or a first-year admitted student. But the experience is different for each. Students who begin their college careers typically end up with higher GPAs. Why? Transfers typically transfer in and have to begin in upper-level classes for their major, while first year admitted students get to take easier courses, which allows them to build their GPA ,such as the numerous first year seminars that are available for freshmen. These seminars introduce these new students into the the UNC academic environment. Transfers typically do not have the best options when it comes to classes for their first semester, so they’re stuck in courses that they do not really want to be, but you need to fill your hours up, so you’re kind of in pickle. </p>

<p>Transfers have to face a lot more challenges. Not only academic, but social too. If you’re not from North Carolina and do not have a network of friends from your area, then you have to work that much harder to create an image and life for yourself, which is challenging when also adapting to a new academic environment. UNC places a large emphasis on critical thinking, which smaller privates do not typically do. Smaller privates tend to inflate their grading scales in order to keep their reputation and keep getting endowments from alumni, which leaves more financial legroom for accommodation towards students, which large publics like the UCs and UNC do not have, due to all the budget cuts. </p>

<p>I was very bothered this past weekend when I could not find a place to study for my final examinations after midnight, considering the fact that all libraries were closed by midnight. Go across town to Duke and they have libraries open all hours, which UNC should most definitely have for the last weeks of exams, even on the weekend. Not everyone wants to take a break and expore Franklin, but administration does not seem to care. Even universities that UNC criticizes like my former school, UMiami, has libraries open 24/7 during exams. </p>

<p>Surfwake,</p>

<p>All of those institution are considered to be in the same tier, with the exception of UMD. Though it also depends on the program. UMD has a better Computer Science program than all of those other institutions combined. Most students who apply to UNC are “matches” at both Virginia and W&M, and Maryland tends to be a safety for most students here.</p>

<p>Historically and nationally, UVA is considered to be a more prestigious public university than UNC. Both schools are very similar, but the social climate at UVA is a lot more Conservative than UNC. I was waitlisted at UVA freshmen year and denied from their Commerce program (OOS transfer applicant); so it can be argued that admissions is harder to UVA as a transfer because of their quotas that they must abide by for instate applicants (similar to UC and their TAP program). </p>

<p>Hope this all helps!</p>

<p>paul425 and surfwake, did you apply to any private schools for transfer? I applied and was admitted to a few along with UNC, but decided against… though sometimes I ponder on what life would be like right now if I went to Emory or WUSTL instead.</p>

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<p>I didn’t apply to any privates. I contemplated applying to vandy and georgetown and think that I would have gotten into vandy and perhaps waitlisted at georgetown. </p>

<p>I feel like william and mary is almost like a private in regards to class sizes and things like that. I also heard that w&m/uva have a more supportive atmosphere for transfer in terms of class selection. Im visiting the schools this week so I guess Ill see which I like best</p>

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<p>Yeah I was going to say W+M is a smaller public, liberal arts school. I have not heard of that, but I would not be too surprised considering the alumni and prestige that UVA has. </p>

<p>I’d lean towards UVA or W+M right now, if all the above holds true. Keep me up to date. Transfer treatment at UNC is poor and not worth the tuition for out of staters. Even my parents are unhappy with the way that I and my fellow transfer friends have been treated here. My parents told me I cannot go to a public school ever again, it simply is not worth it when for a few more thousand, you can get a more intimate education and have access to much more valuable resources. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

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<p>Damn that’s unfortunate about unc. Im still going to visit and see what I think</p>

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<p>I didn’t apply to any privates either, mostly because I’m trying to avoid ending up at the same type of school that I’m at now.</p>

<p>BruinsJEW, when you say transfers are treated “poorly,” do you mean that with regard to academics/advising and things like that, or do you mean socially as well? I certainly wouldn’t want to feel like an outcast just because I’m an OOS transfer. Also, what field is your major in? I’d be a history or economics major most likely. </p>

<p>Thanks for the input.</p>

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<p>Yeah im political science. However, im thinking of doing business (I know its hard to get into)</p>

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<p>IMPO, UVA has a much better political science program, given their reputation in law school rankings and knowing the former alumni of UVA, many politicians. Kenan-Flagler is pretty PRETTY HARD to get into as a transfer student. I know very few who got in</p>

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<p>Yeah the UNC campus seems amazing though! Maybe UVA will be the best fit for me, but I’d hope I could find my niche here</p>

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<p>William and Mary seems like your kind of place, IMO.</p>