<p>wow I wonder why kids in Durham wouldn't like UNC...hmm maybe it's because DUKE IS IN DURHAM AND THEY ARE OUR MAJOR RIVALS. haha-come-on really? Elon's a great school and maybe UNC slacks in engineering but there is no comparison</p>
<p>honestly I know a lot of people that have gotten into Elon, Wake, and UNC and have chosen Elon. I am from out of state and have lived in the northeast in Boston and also in Cleveland. I think that possibly the opinion of in state people may be different, but to say that you don’t know why northerners think it is equal to those others schools is weird. If we think it…then maybe there is a reason. Just because you know kids that got in that did not get into UNC doesn’t mean there are not people that chose to go to Elon over UNC.</p>
<p>Brooke the people you know who chose elon over carolina and wake probably did so over financial reasons.</p>
<p>no…UNC is cheaper…even if you are out of state. And I chose Elon for completely different reasons. I chose it over Wake because I thought I would be happier and I have heard bad things about Wake. You can get a great education at any of those schools!</p>
<p>My S wanted a much more personal college experience than available at UNC or NC State and Elon was his first choice. Not everyone wants the Mega Research University experience. Nothing but good things to say about Elon. Sorry I just read this page of postings, didn’t mean to be off topic.</p>
<p>I can’t believe people were comparing Elon to UNC-Chapel Hill. Elon might be good but 1) it’s not known outside of NC and is def. not known outside of the United States in my experience at least. That’s like comparing a Coach bag (which might be nice and cost-efficient) to a Birkin. They’ll both do the job, but you inherently know one is better all-around.</p>
<p>Actually, Elon is starting to get nationally recognized. Here in Florida several kids from my schools enrolled at Elon and more people are hearing about it. Many say it is comparable to an early Wake Forest.</p>
<p>Elon is known much better in New England (and lots of other places) than it is in NC. </p>
<p>I’m from NC but was originally from Massachusetts and have had many many old friends call and want information because their prep-school or private college counselor highly recommended Elon.</p>
<p>My experience is that many smart kids in NC are funneled UNC or NC State and don’t explore other options.</p>
<p>Both Elon and Davidson offer an incredible education but get overlooked locally because of the state research universities.</p>
<p>The problem with local perceptions of Elon is that we remember when the only kids who went there did so because they couldn’t get into the other schools in the area. It attracted average students from the region. That wasn’t that long ago - the transformation has been amazing. People in other parts of the country don’t have that memory.</p>
<p>that is really true. I was choosing between Boston University and Elon and when I talked to someone that was originally from NC she was like obviously Boston (she went up north for school) and everyone else I talked to said that they were different schools, but the same academically. Also, it’s so true that people from NC are obsessed with Chapel Hill. What kind of a comparison was that even. Who compares schools to purses? I think people choose schools for more than just a reputation which is why some schools have been able to rise so much over the years.</p>
<p>Elon is a very different school with a very different focus than the three major universities in North Carolina that generally attract out of staters (Duke, North Carolina, and Wake Forest), and the other major liberal arts college (Davidson).</p>
<p>My impression is that while Elon is a liberal arts school, the arts programs at Elon are much stronger and more prominent than they are at Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, or Davidson. My impression is that these four schools are much more focused on getting their graduates into high level graduate schools and big time jobs than Elon. Doesn’t make it a bad school (There are definitely people at Elon who could have gone to one or more of the four aforementioned schools), I’m just saying it is very distinct from these four schools, which would naturally attract certain types of people.</p>
<p>This is just my impression of the school. I could be wrong.</p>
<p>I have had kids at all three schools-Elon, Wake and UNC. It is my belief that one can and does get a good education at any of these, but there is a very different “feel” to each school. Elon and Wake have tremendous amount of interaction between undergrads and professors, the campuses are smaller than UNC and both are more preppy than UNC. UNC has the better sports, better college town, more research opportunities, more class options. It’s all in what you are looking for!</p>
<p>khizzle,i think you should go with your gut. UNC sounds like it would fit you better. It would definetly pay off in the long run.</p>
<p>NOTE: This is an old thread that started in 2007. No need to respond to the OP who I am sure is now a sophomore somewhere.</p>
<p>She’s a junior here now haha</p>
<p>I know many will be wrestling with this: D is accepted to UNC OOS with no financial help. She can go on a full ride to UA. She likes them both->UNC more-but with plans to go to grad school and maybe med school…</p>
<p>What is the typical cost of UNC for in-state students? I know there is an approximate cost of attendance on the website but that includes transportation, books, misc fees, etc. which can be avoided.</p>
<p>Depends how cheap you want to be. It can be done extremely cheaply, though many of the savings will impact your life.</p>
<p>Here are two extremes.</p>
<p>Very expensive: live in the dorms then an expensive frarority or apartment complex, eat on campus/out/order food for every meal, spend money in Frankin st bars, have a car.</p>
<p>Very cheap: live in a cheap shared house in Carrboro or a less desirable part of Chapel Hill, cook for yourself every meal, very rarely buy alchohol on Franklin st (and never more than $2.50/drink), don’t have a car.</p>
<p>Doing the latter, you lose some of the fun aspects of college, but you can spend rather little money.</p>
<p>You can avoid spending too much money on books by being very proactive and using the library and bookfinder.com</p>
<p>Food… well for a single person in Carrboro you can get by on $50 per week. But that involves grocery store shopping and lots of freezing! You can’t do too much of either in the dorms. For an someone in the dorms, cooking mostly but eating out sometimes, budget $100/week realistically.</p>
<p>Accommodation … well if you really want to save money you can get a room in a shared house in the area for less than $350/month plus $50-$100 /month on utilities. (Check craigslist rooms and shares). But you will tend to miss out on a lot of social life that way.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>I know it definitely varies, but what would the cost be if it was JUST tuition, university fees, etc. and a standard dorm? No book fees, meal plans, transportation/gas considered. The cheapest I’ve heard was around $11,000?</p>
<p>Why don’t you look on the website for tuition and fees, and the rents in the dorms? The former plus the latter is your answer.</p>