UNC Chapel Hill vs. College of William and Mary

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
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<p>HI I am international student in Hong Kong who's recently been accepted to both schools mentioned above. To be honest UNC hasn't always been my top choice because I've always been quite adamant about having a liberal arts education and to be taught at a smaller, intimate setting for me to form close relationships with faculty. But now, having done more research, and having had <em>strong</em> suggestions from family and friends in the US that I enroll at UNC - I'm starting to waver. Many have pointed to the "not too small, not too big" size of UNC, its beautiful campus, good weather, and mainly the abundance of opportunities and connections that a smaller university like W&M might not necessarily have/ be able to match. Is this true? Should I really be worried about this? </p>

<p>I am accepted to both schools as a History major, but I think I am likely going to either double major in/ switch to Political Science (for UNC) or IR (for W&M). I know both schools have great programs for both fields, but I think after reading a bunch of rankings and stats, I am ready to consider some slightly more biased, more subjective info about the strengths of these two schools with regards to my areas of interest. What sort of opportunities does each school provide for majors of my intended fields? Why should I choose one school over the other? </p>

<p>I should point out also, that I'm interested in a career geared towards journalism and documentary film-making, though I'm not 100% sure yet. I picture myself working at National Geographic or for BBC Knowledge - either of which would be a dream come true. But ok, to focus on more pressing issues, I do realize that UNC has a School of Journalism and Mass Communication - but I don't (think I) want to major in communications yet because I want a solid History/ Politics background before I choose whatever it is I want to do - so does that make UNC a slightly better choice if I would have the added opportunity to take some classes there to test the waters? As you can see I'm a bit confused and bewildered - any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>

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<p>I’m having trouble deciding between these two as well. u_u</p>

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<p>Unfortunately I can’t comment on the History or Poli Sci majors, but, a couple of other points to consider. UNC has an extensive general education requirement, providing very much a broad liberal arts education. You should Google and read about the “foundations”, “approaches” and “connections” requirements at UNC.</p>

<p>UNC doesn’t have any old journalism school … it is often regarded as being among the top US undergrad programs in that field. North Carolina has won more “overall” Hearst collegiate journalism awards than any other school in the past 15 years. UNC does allow for dual majors between the College of Arts and Sciences and our professional schools, if that is of interest. The professional school majors are typically declared in your junior year. </p>