I am a senior in high school trying to decide between UNC Chapel Hill and the University of South Carolina Honors College to study Biomedical engineering. I have been offered in-state tuition and an extra small scholarship to South Carolina that would make the prices relatively the same (I am a NC resident).
Personally, I like the BME program at UNC and the prestige that comes with UNC. With that being said, UNC only accepts 80 first year students into the program, and even though I was offered admission to UNC, my admission into the BME program isn’t guaranteed–and I don’t know what my odds would be. Also, I really hate the UNC vibe–I visited for Admit day and found that everyone seemed rather pretentious and self-promoting. As for South Carolina, I really loved everything except that the program doesn’t seem to be as good as the one at UNC. I am also worried that having a degree from South Carolina HC won’t look as good as one from UNC.
Any advice would be gladly accepted.
Congratulations @krdra12 . Both options seem very good. Why do you believe the BME program at UNC is superior?
I don’t know much about UNC’s BME program, other than the fact that engineering classes are in partnership with NCSU. USC does have a stand-alone BME program, which may actually be better, and its engineering school as a whole is very solid based on my research. Also the USC Honors College is very prestigious and will open up many opportunities, including advising, research and engineering honors sections with small class sizes.
My daughter is not on CC but she just went through the same dilemma about Chapel Hill. It was hard to turn down both NC state and UNC but her choice came down to a few things -mainly the same thing you mentioned-she liked the vibe at USC. She felt Chapel hill was going to be too much like high school (most of her friends are going there) and she wanted to be with more than primarily NC students. She also thought everyone seemed friendlier at USC. There were of course other major perks with the honors college (the dorm, extra advisor, classes, registration, etc.) but ultimately it came down to feel. It is important to note that you will have good opportunities no matter where you choose, they’ll just be different ones. There was an article published last month in the Wall street Journal about choosing a college which may help you decide. I encourage you to read it. Its more about how you spend your time in college and use the opportunities presented… not where you go (i.e. school name)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-right-way-to-choose-a-college-11553266896.
The engineering program at UNC is not accredited. Did you not apply to NCState? They have a great Engineering program. My son at USCHC started in biomechanical engineering and switched to mechanical engineering. He belongs to a club called HOPE in which they make prosthetic limbs for needy children.
You’re going to get a halo effect if you go to UNC, which is to say that you will get recognition nationally regardless of what you study. The same cannot be said of USC. It does not have the same stature; rather, it is known for specific colleges/programs (i.e. Honors College, International Business, Public Health, Social Work, Sports Management).
I think for you it probably comes down to how you personally weigh reputation vs. experience. It sounds like you would enjoy South Carolina- the impression you get visiting campus is almost exactly the experience you have as a student. People are warm, helpful, laid back, and more collaborative than competitive by nature.
UNC undoubtedly benefits from its proximity to the Research Triangle and that’s not to be underrated, but it sounds like you may have some access to that by virtue of being from NC. If you have the opportunity, I would try to find a couple BME students or alumni from USC, maybe on LinkedIn, and just send them a message asking about their experience. Since people are generally friendly, I suspect you’ll get a response. That will probably help you elicit a more educated opinion.