Hello, nearing the end of my college admissions process, I have dialed my list down to three schools but am having a bit of trouble choosing. I have received a near full-ride offer from UNC under their Carolina Scholars program and am naturally drawn to the university. However, I also was admitted to two of my number one dream-schools, USC and UCLA. I do not qualify for need-based aid, so I would have to pay near full tuition at both of those schools. My intended major and tracks are both Public Health and Business. At this point, is it worth turning down the scholarship offer from UNC to look into USC an UCLA? I want to be sure I don’t make the incorrect choice here as I approach a decision.
How would you pay for USC or UCLA? To me…the clear winner is UNC.
Are you instate for USC or UCLA?
Are you parents (or you) wealthy where the COA would have no impact on your finances or the future financing of your siblings education?
Dream colleges are often just that a dream. When deciding what your dream college was did you factor in finances into that equation. Debt can be crushing and made life after college a nightmare.
I assume you apply to UNC-CH for a reason. Has that changed? If not than this is a no brainer.
I have a kid at UCLA who loves it there and we also liked USC when we toured there, but in your case UNC seems like the obvious decision. It’s a well regarded school that you will be able to go to for almost free.
UNC has great public health school. Seems clear given price difference
@noname87 The reason why I am really reconsidering is after going to Admitted Students Day at UNC. I was always attracted to UNC by the Public Health program and vibrant student life which is why I applied. However, after I didn’t get that “vibe” that the campus was my home after going there for the first time and in fact thought I might regret attending the school should I accept. Maybe the event was just poorly run or I didn’t get a good enough feel but the day caused me to seriously think over my offers from USC and UCLA even though I am out of state and would have to pay a good amount. For reference, I have toured both USC and UCLA and enjoyed both visits immensely. I plan to talk to other UNC students soon to see if I possibly looked too much into the Admitted Students Day.
No way would I pay 60K to go to UCLA or 50-75K a year to go to USC when you can go to UNC for cheap. No, no, no way.
L.A. isn’t really all that great a place either. Choking traffic, 50K homeless people, high cost of living.
D attended a very informal admitted student day where she was also interviewed for another full ride scholarship at UNC, it was last Feb, I believe? It was for innovation scholarship. The entire process was underwhelming. She was interviewed for a half hour and that was it. So I understand your concern about the campus and the event. D was feeling the same way, and she didn’t get the scholarship. How long was your interview?? Just curious.
Those full rides are hard to pass up, so I agree with your approach. D also joined admitted student groupme, though she had to quit that after too many drugs and drinking references there. Bear in mind, that is a state school, so you have a bit of everything and everybody. Once you are there, you will be able to find your own tribe in a school go that size. Best of luck!!
HI. My son is a freshmen at UNC right now, and he absolutely loves it. We’re from California, and he got into Cal and UCLA. We grew up in the Bay Area, and I had a lot of business at Cal, so he’s very familiar with it. He visited UCLA and loved it. But ultimately he chose UNC and he’s very happy with his decision. He loves the liberal arts education and the fact that he can major in CS and minor in PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics). He’s taking a drama class, ethics class, etc. He feels like he’s getting a good education. He says that he finds the classes pretty easy and he has a lot of time to enjoy college life. He has enough time to do a double major if he wanted.
I know tons of students at Cal and UCLA. UCLA is on a quarter system, and that’s going to kill you. You’re going to be busy after the 2nd week of the quarter with midterms after midterms. Both Cal and UCLA are competitive environments, so if you’re into that then go to Cal and UCLA. If you want a broader education and more time to enjoy college while getting a quality degree then consider UCLA. North Carolina was a mild shell shock to him since he’s from “Cali,” but he got used to it. Every now and then thinks maybe Cal would have been a better choice because it would have been more challenging. But he’s doing well in his classes, and not stressed out compared to his classmates.
If you want to stay in the Southern California Area and do business then USC is a good bet, since you’ll get good networking in that Area. UCLA doesn’t have a business school, so if that’s what you want then consider UNC, which has a top 10 business program. You will also have a ample time to double major in something else too. I’m not sure if USC has a business school. UNC has a good medical school, so I don’t know if that correlates to a good public health program, but you’ll have to do your homework there.
If you want to pursue a graduate degree then you may have a better shot at UNC, since chances are you’ll be able to get a better GPA?
But my biggest concern for you would be: Would you be okay with NC and Chapel Hill? It is the south (nothing against Carolinians but it’s different). If you the type that wants to dress up for school, drive an Audi and hope to meet movie stars and eat at Korean BBQ on the weekends then go to UCLA or USC. The other concern is you might not find it challenging, but then you can supplement that by taking on another major. And you get all of that for free (or almost). You can’t beat that.
If you want, I’d be happy to connect you with my son. You can send me a private message.
@pac12bound I am glad your son is enjoying his 1st year at UNC. My son is a junior there as well studying CS. Trust me when I say your son will become more challenged when he gets to the upper level CS classes 
Admitted student days can be a crap shoot. The one my daughter attended years ago was a disappointment. While it did give us a chance to ask questions and see more of the campus, it really didn’t give a true feel of the campus vib.
I can say that you will be challenged (assuming you pick challenging courses). A lot depends on your course selection.
@Nurse001 Thanks for the reply. Its good to hear that it will get harder. I glad he can get acclimated to college level work and develop some confidence before it gets harder. I
UCLA does have a business school, Anderson School of Business which in the most recent US News rankings is #16 to UNC’s Kenan-Flagler at #19. You can’t go wrong with your choices though! Good luck!
@crimsonmom2019 Anderson School of business at UCLA doesn’t offer undergraduate degrees. So one cannot get a BS in Business Administration at UCLA, only a BA in Business Economics in the college of letters and science. It’s a slightly different degree. If the OP wants a BS in Business Administration then UNC and Cal offers those degrees. I think USC too, but not sure.
My D is an OOS student at UNC. When she was a freshman she used to tell me that high school was academically harder. Now that she is really involved in her major, she would not describe the school as “easy.” She describes the academics as “appropriately challenging.” She does very, very well… but she also works hard. She does not stroll into class and get an effortless A. She finds the academics to be exactly the right balance for her. She does well, and also has time to be involved.
My D had a great experience at accepted students day a few years ago. I am sorry to read about all of these disappointments.
OP… UNC is the clear winner here. Your other choices are not affordable.
@pac12bound You are so correct. And yes, USC does offer an undergraduate degree in business administration. I also agree with twogirls that OP should go with the choice that is affordable to them.
If you want to breathe smog, develop chronic asthma, and graduate with 70k in debt, California would be ideal To put it in perspective, there’s a moving van shortage over there because of people trying to get out. Take the scholarship and save yourself a headache.
I am a high school junior in Southern California. It is definitely a great place to live, and there are a lot of great schools around here including USC and UCLA. Other factors to take into consideration when living in SoCal are external costs. All around living is more expensive. Besides tuition being what it is, living consists of buying food and other costs that pop up. That’s all of my input because I don’t know much about North Carolina, but I do know about California. You have a tough decision. If you plan on living in Califonia after college, that is something to consider too.
Bro, Its called Blue Heaven for a reason. Head to CH.