<p>Can anyone offer a comparison of the different University of North Carolina campuses, academically and socially? For the benefit of someone from the Northeast who wants to major in science?</p>
<p>Can you afford UNC schools OOS? UNC-CH is the only one which will meet need and it is very difficult to be admitted there.</p>
<p>I have been on the campuses of most of the UNC system schools and am very familiar with them personally and through my work. So, here are the ones I know more about. I’m going to group them roughly in order of selectivity because that might be helpful to you. That being said, I think each campus has its strengths and don’t believe that selectivity is indicative of the education that any one student would get at each university. We are very fortunate to have a strong system in North Carolina.</p>
<p>UNC-Chapel Hill – Flagship campus with medical, dental, nursing, law, business, and pharmacy schools. The science programs are quite strong. Oldest state university to open, it is in the wonderful college town of Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill has an openly gay mayor, and its next-door neighbor Carrboro has a hippie vibe. The main campus is absolutely beautiful, but the medical complex is built-up and fairly congested. UNC has a very liberal reputation, but although more students probably lean Democratic, there are many Republicans as well, and there are hundreds of organizations to join. Men’s basketball is THE sport, and the women’s soccer team is a powerhouse dynasty and also draws many fans. Getting into UNC from out of state is VERY difficult. I know several people who turned down Ivy schools and Stanford to go to UNC.</p>
<p>NC State – Land grant campus, originally for agriculture, now known best for engineering, its College of Design, and its excellent veterinary school. Largest UNC system university by enrollment. Main campus is located minutes from downtown Raleigh. Recently opened the Centennial Campus, with brand-new buildings and high-tech everything. That campus houses the College of Engineering as well as private companies that work in partnership with the University to do high-tech research. The main campus has a more “gritty” feel because there is a railroad that runs through the middle of campus, but there are some lovely green spaces interspersed among the buildings. Sports are very big. The curriculum at State is quite structured and science- and math-heavy. The science programs at State are also quite strong. </p>
<p>Continued in next post …</p>
<p>Anxiously awaiting the next post :P</p>
<p>I could also provide some insight, but I’ll wait to see what Marisan says.</p>
<p>UNC-Asheville: Small, liberal arts university in a very artsy, liberal small city in the mountains. Nurturing environment for undergraduates, with lots of personal contact between students and professors. Very safe, pretty campus with especially nice dorms. No football and very little Greek life, so the social life is much more laid-back. Large emphasis on sustainability and healthy eating, and lots of outdoor activities (hiking, skiing, rafting, etc.) nearby. This school is a lesser-known treasure of the UNC system, but more and more people are finding out about it, and it is getting increasingly more selective.</p>
<p>UNC-Wilmington: Medium-size university in a lovely coastal city. For a flat campus, it is a beautiful one. It used to draw mostly commuters and beach-bum types, but now it gets students from all over for its academics. Very strong marine biology program and impressive nursing school. Campus has a number of new buildings and impressive business and nursing schools. No football, but more Greek life than UNC-A. The campus is large enough that students ride bikes and skateboards everywhere. There are even skateboard racks inside the cafeterias!</p>
<p>DavidSaab – Don’t worry. Your school is next! You could certainly add a lot to that one.</p>
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<p>In addition to my current home, I have visited a lot - I daresay most even - of the UNC campuses, including State, UNC, and UNCA. So far, your descriptions are spot on. </p>
<p>I love the concept of UNCA even though I didn’t end up attending. Out of state costs are reasonable, so it’s a great option for anyone who is considering the Liberal Arts College environment. </p>
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I didn’t know that, but I can’t even describe my jealousy.</p>
<p>Appalachian – Medium-size (but seems large) university in the town of Boone. Everyone who’s ever been to Appalachian loves it, although everyone also talks about how cold and windy it is in winter. (If you don’t like snow and wind, don’t go there!) App has a ton of majors and a huge focus on sustainability. Close to several ski resorts in NC; hiking and rock climbing are big. Football is huge (there was that 2007 defeat of Michigan …). Small-town downtown with a few funky stores and vegetarian-type restaurants – definitely a little alternative vibe going on. Campus is very hilly – what I call the “Freshman Minus 15” workout. Best campus open house anywhere. Students are very enthusiastic about their school.</p>
<p>DavidSaab – Have at it. I need a break.</p>
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<p>But, if you don’t want to walk up those hills all the time, Boone operates a free bus system, one of only two in the state. (Chapel Hill-Carrboro has the other one) Overall Appalachian is just the best place ever.</p>
<p>While Marisan is on break.</p>
<p>Western Carolina (I promise to be unbiased) - Medium-sized school about an hour from Asheville. Like Appalachian, Education is the largest program. They took a page from NC State and just completed a Centennial Campus of their own, which includes a lot of brand new facilities, and they are also sustainability minded. Cullowhee is very small and doesn’t have a whole lot to offer, but the larger town of Sylva is just up the road. Because it is in a valley (which offers beautiful views of the mountains), it doesn’t get as cold as Appalachian does in the winter.</p>
<p>East Carolina - A rather large (3rd in the system) school located near the coast in Greenville, NC. Very urban campus. It’s a major party school, but is quickly growing in reputation as a research university. Students have a lot of school pride. Greenville is not necessarily the safest community. </p>
<p>UNC-Greensboro - Located in a major urban center, but you would never know it while on their very beautiful campus. Like some other schools, there is no football, but students get excited about their basketball team. Music and theatre are a large focus on campus. It’s somewhat of a commuter school. The most common student hangout is Tate Street, a collection of restaurants and bars located near campus. </p>
<p>UNC-Charlotte - This school has recently been exploding, adding many new programs and buildings. A good portion of the campus is brand new, and they will be adding football in 2014. Like UNCG, it is a commuter school. Charlotte is North Carolina’s largest city, but the campus is located pretty far away from the downtown area, which has pros (less traffic and noise) and cons (most of the fun there is to be had in Charlotte is 15 minutes away.) The campus is probably the most easily navigable of any I’ve visited, the reason may be that it is a fairly new university and was thus planned out. </p>
<p>As a science major, you may be interested to know that UNCC is the closet school to the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, a partnership between universities and private businesses. NC State, Appalachian, NC A&T, North Carolina Central, and UNC-Chapell Hill, Charlotte, and Greensboro are all UNC-system schools involved in the NC Resarch Campus.</p>
<p>I’m back (never actually left), and I wrote this before David added his, so there’s some duplication.</p>
<p>UNC-Greensboro: Urban campus, with some very wooded, lovely parts and some boring parts. Originally the woman’s college for the UNC system, it is still roughly 70% female. Calls itself the most diverse campus in the system – probably both racially and by sexual orientation. Large gay student population, and very welcoming churches just off campus. Well-known for its excellent music and education programs. Not many students stick around on weekends.</p>
<p>UNC-Charlotte: Large university in a large city, surrounded by often-congested roads. More engineering-techie oriented, with individual colleges for engineering, architecture, and computing/informatics. Appears in the NCAA basketball tournament right often.</p>
<p>*A very personal note: While UNC-Charlotte does a good job educating its students, try as I might, it’s the one UNC system school that doesn’t seem to have any particular character other than big and urban. Neither I, nor my children, have ever found anything to attract us to it. I would really like, though, to hear from someone who could tell me all its wonderful features, so I may stand corrected.</p>
<p>And, to add to David’s commendably unbiased perspective on Western: They have one of the few body farms in the country – one of those places where forensic students go to see what happens to bodies left out in the elements. So, if you’re interested in forensics …</p>
<p>Marsian and David - Great summaries of the NC schools! I’m also in NC. I think I’ll save this to have the next time someone asks me to describe our schools.</p>
<p>BUandBC82 – Thanks! Unfortunately, I had to leave out NC Central, NC A&T, Winston-Salem State, Fayetteville State, Elizabeth City State, and UNC-Pembroke. I was more familiar with them years ago, but there have been so many changes since then. Also, there’s the UNC School of the Arts, which is another type of college altogether.</p>
<p>hallomar – Have we overwhelmed you? :)</p>
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I’ve never heard that contention before, but it’s probably true. Although UNC-Pembroke wins points for it’s significant Native American enrollment. </p>
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Hopefully not. Awesome team effort we had going there. I admit I don’t know anything about the others either, other than that Winston-Salem State had a surprisingly nice campus when I was there for a Boy Scout event.</p>
<p>UNC Pembroke is small, a little over 6000 students total. It has a large population of Native Americans because it’s located in Roberson county NC, the home of the Lumbee Indian nation. Pembroke is a tiny town. Nearby, Lumberton is larger but I wouldn’t call it a college town. Admission to UNC-Pembroke is not difficult. UNC-P has a football team. </p>
<p>ECU is very strong in Health Sciences. The nursing sch. has the highest percentage Nursing Boards pass rate in the state. ECU offers just about any healthcare related major you can think of. It also has a Medical School, a Dental School, a Physicians Asst. program and a Nurse Practioner program,OT,PT,etc. The music and arts programs are respected as well. Business is a popular major. ECU has a very wide variety of majors and the largest distance education offerings of any sch. in NC.</p>
<p>All freshman are required to live on campus. Since ECU is in the heart of Greenville, there are parking issues. The univ. has a bus service. ECU does have great school spirit and a brand new Chili’s located on campus (as well Chik-fil-a). The city of Greenville is very supportive of ECU. Even the fire trucks are purple and gold. </p>
<p>UNC Charlotte has grown a lot in recent years…lots of impressive new buildings and a football field. Football starts in 2013. UNCC has always been known as a commuter school. They are hoping football will keep more kids on campus. The engineering sch. is very popular and offers a unique motorsports engineering degree. There is also a school of Architecture,Nursing sch., Business sch.etc. </p>
<p>UNCC has recently eastablished The Levine scholarship program to attract top notch students. The Levine a full ride plus perks deal that is similar to UNC’s Morehead and NC State’s Park scholarships. UNCC is not in a great location realtionship wise to Charlotte. It’s almost like a school w/out a home, not a real rah,rah atmosphere. A large part of Charlotte’s population has prob. never seen the campus. There again, they are hoping football will help them develop a persona and garner more attention from it’s home city.</p>
<p>NC State is known for engineering but offers so much more. Some of the lesser known colleges within the university are very strong…College of Textiles,College of Natural Resources, College of Physical and Mathmatical Sciences, as well as a First Year College program for those undecided on their major.
Unlike most schools, when applying to State, you apply to your intended major. So there’s no applying then hoping/praying to be accepted to your intended major during soph. You are in your major from the day you enter NCSU.</p>
<p>The kids don’t mind the train. Because of it, they have the Free Expression Tunnel, a walkway under the tracks that is constantly being used as a canvas for student expression. It’s a landmark on campus. Wolfpack spirit abounds. Raleigh is a great city w/ lots of young people.</p>
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<p>True, but the other NC publics have relatively low list prices (about $25,000 per year for NC A&T to about $32,000 per year for NCSU), so some out-of-state students may be able to afford them even with little or no financial aid.</p>
<p>Thanks, PackMom, for the additional information about schools. I didn’t know about the Levine Scholarship at Charlotte. That will certainly draw some good students. My memories of UNC-P are when it was Pembroke State University and was predominantly Lumbee. Now I see that it’s 16% American Indian. I never knew any non-Lumbee students who went there until recently. They are doing a lot of marketing throughout the state.</p>
<p>I learned a few days ago that East Carolina now has several engineering degrees. Then there are the UNC-W, UNC-A, and community college programs that feed into State.</p>
<p>There are so many good options in NC. We are fortunate to have so many strong schools at such low costs.</p>
<p>North Carolinians - you ARE lucky to have so many good state schools in your state, as well as a couple of good private schools as well. So much terrific information - thank you all for your responses. It looked like you were having fun submitting them. Nice to know there are possible UNC schools besides Chapel Hill, which is obviously very competitive. One thing she will be very sensitive to is whether the school is mostly commuters. Very depressing to have an empty school on the weekends when you are 8 hours from home. We will be checking out Chapel Hill in November. BTW, she wants to study molecular/cell biology/genetics.</p>
<p>While you’re there, be sure to visit NCSU and their Honors College as well. [NC</a> State University Honors Program](<a href=“http://www.ncsu.edu/honors/]NC”>University Honors Program)</p>
<p>^^yes, definitely visit NCSU while you’re in NC. S1 absolutely loved his four years at NCSU. He chose NCSU over UNC-CH (and he was not an engineering major).</p>