<p>Hey guys! I got into Chapel Hill and the Honors College at South Carolina. South Carolina will be a bit cheaper, and the Honors College looks great. Chapel Hill is in-state for me, so it's not much more, and everyone keeps telling me that I should definitely go there. I am really struggling with this decision. Any idea which may be the better choice? </p>
<p>UNC-CH is the much stronger school, even when you include the USC honors program (which is fantastic). </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/search1ba.aspx?institutionid=199120,218663”>http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/search1ba.aspx?institutionid=199120,218663</a></p>
<p>Have you visited the two schools? Two great choices :)</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>USC Honors may offer you smaller classes and other perks - are discussion-based classes important to you? What about your housing situation at either campus? Look at the departments where you may major: are the requirements the same? Is there a professor who conducts research that sounds interesting - could you email him/her (Dear Professor X…, Thank you. Respectfully yours, … ← learning how to write a formal email will also be a useful skill for college :p) to ask whether they have any (Honors for USC/other for UNC-CH) undergraduate working on a research project? </p>
<p>I don’t think there is one right answer to this. Much depends on which school is the best fit for you. Although UNC is the higher ranked college, with a wider known reputation, the benefits of being in the honors college to you might personally outweigh this in terms of smaller classes and the opportnuites it offers. Also consider fit. I would say that UNC is more liberal leaning. Chapel Hill is different than Columbia SC. What about honors housing and social opportunities, interest groups, religious groups (if you participate)?
Although academics are the main focus, this college is your home for four years, and feeling like you belong is a factor. Some departments are noteworthy though. UNC is excellent in computer science and I believe journalism. For pre- med, your performance would be more significant than the ranking of your college.
As MYOS suggested, the more contact you have with the colleges, and the departments of interests, the better you will get a feel for what fits you.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the responses! I am actually planning on majoring in English, so I wonder if Honors classroom would look better or the liberal education Chapel Hill provides. </p>
<p>Where do YOU want to go?</p>
<p>Technically UNC is ranked higher. In the grand scheme of things, that’s unlikely to affect your life very much.</p>
<p>USC and UNC are different schools - Columbia is a large city while Chapel Hill is a smaller college-town type area. The honors college may offer you smaller classes in your first two years but depending on your major, you are likely to have smaller seminars in your upper-level classes anyway. Are there organizations and social/professional groups at one or the other that appeal?</p>
<p>In other words, given that these are both great schools with great academic offerings and similar costs, you shouldn’t be making the choice based on rankings. You should make the choice based on what seems like a more appealing university to you, both academically and personally. Don’t worry so much about which will “look better,” because employers won’t be comparing the USC you with the UNC you - they’re going to be looking at what you’ve actually achieved in college, and both schools will look great on a resume.</p>
<p>I would personally argue that in some cases an honors experience may be better than being a general student at a higher-ranked university because sometimes, honors programs have special programmatic offerings you can’t get as a regular students. It’s not just about the smaller classes, but I’ve looked at a few and sometimes they offer special covered internships (allowing you to take an unpaid internship while the university pays you to do it), special international opportunities (perhaps a free-to-you study abroad), opportunities to meet business leaders in your area, special lectures with famous people that are limited to honors students, etc. A USC student who had two publishing internships, had a neat conversation with the head of Penguin Books and speaks French as a result of a paid-for study abroad experience is more appealing to an employer in the publishing industry than a generic UNC student who has none of those experiences.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that you CAN’T get them at UNC, or that a proactive non-honors student can’t get those kinds of experiences. Just that an honors experience can offer those kinds of advantages.</p>