<p>I am helping my daughter evaluate College Choices. Any thoughts on:</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill / NC State / UNC Charlotte / HPU; From a:</p>
<p>Total College Expereince, Safety, Academic and Student Life Perspective?</p>
<p>Any thoughts you can share would be appreciated.</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill is the best of the bunch academically, and is known as one of the “public ivies”. In general, a degree from them would be worth more than the other institutions you’ve listed, all other things being equal, IMO.</p>
<p>Has a beautiful campus too.</p>
<p>HPU / High Point = private, so it will cost you more I’d think.</p>
<p>Thank You!!!</p>
<p>What do you think about the Safety factor?</p>
<p>UNC - CH is very difficult to get into OOS. I don’t know about in state.</p>
<p>Yes, I realize that and appreciate the ranking of the school. I am a Dad, and I am very concerned about where my daughter chooses…</p>
<p>So, Like most Dad’s, I am concerned about safety and the size of the school and initial general education classes. Have you heard about the Bell Curve that they user at CH?? </p>
<p>Thank You for your comment!</p>
<p>My nephew is at CH. He loves it and is doing well. Safety has not been an issue. I don’t know about the bell curve but I heard about the " clicker system" for attendance.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the clicker system…What is that?</p>
<p>They take attendance in lecture halls via some type of clicker. You are only allowed 3? Absences. I would imagine somebody can click for you…</p>
<p>What is her intended major? I would choose UNC or NC State…which one depends on the subject (assuming acceptable finances).
That would usually be considered academic dishonesty and carry the same consequences as any other form of cheating. Not saying it doesn’t happen, just giving fair warning.</p>
<p>Yes I know that is dishonest- I would never want anybody doing that. I only write it to bring out a point.</p>
<p>I meant “wrote…”</p>
<p>Engineering is at State.</p>
<p>UNC is considered to be one of the best public universities in the country, so that’s a no brainer. </p>
<p>If she is unsuited to a large university environment or particularly conservative, you might choose HPU, though that is not a school for everyone, and you should look into it closely before you choose it over UNC.</p>
<p>(I’m assuming your daughter is “in” these places.)</p>
<p>As for safety, all of these places are college campuses. All college campuses can be dangerous. All young women need to be made aware of certain things: practice the buddy system, and don’t leave your friends at parties. Don’t take drinks you haven’t opened yourself at a part, either alcoholic or otherwise. Don’t put your drink down and pick it back up and drink from it. Don’t go alone to fraternity boys bedrooms. Maybe just don’t even go with a friend. Be aware of where you are at night and who is around you.</p>
<p>Etc…</p>
<p>A self defense class is something all girls should take before leaving home.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>You can get an idea of safety statistics here: [The</a> Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool](<a href=“Campus Safety and Security”>Campus Safety and Security)</p>
<p>Total college experience</p>
<p>is she in-state or OOS? Has she already applied and been accepted? What is her intended major?</p>
<p>Is she living on campus, off-campus or living at home…UNCC and NCSU have quite a few commuter students?</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Yes, Biology major, already accepted…I find the comment intersting “If she is unsuited to a large university environment or particularly conservative, you might choose HPU, though that is not a school for everyone, and you should look into it closely before you choose it over UNC.”</p>
<p>and can you expand on that…</p>
<p>Thanks to all that have responded.</p>
<p>It’s just a different kind of school. My personal opinion, which, given you have no idea who I am, is worth nothing to you, is that for the right kid, the place is absolutely transformational. For the wrong kid? Well, I can’t imagine how they would end up going there, anyway.</p>
<p>[Bubble</a> U.: High Point University - Businessweek](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
<p>But, it’s not a “usual” school, is all.</p>
<p>I have a child at UNC-CH and another at NC State. Both are very happy. There is a wonderful sense of community and pride at both schools. I get email and facebook notifications from both schools whenever the campus police sends out an alert for a crime. I have gotten alerts from both schools this year, usually robberies. At UNC most have been on Franklin Street and take place in the early morning (2-3am) with students who are walking alone. It seems like I have gotten more alerts from UNC this year. I don’t know if that is due to more crimes or better reporting. I don’t want to give you the feeling that alerts are being posted all the time. There can be one or two in a month and then nothing for a couple months. I think students are safe if they are smart about walking around at night. I believe both schools offer escorts to students walking alone late at night on campus. As a side note, I was very impressed with the presentation the NCSU campus police gave at orientation this past year. They seemed to really care about their students and about the university.</p>
<p>Biology and other sciences at Chapel Hill are tough, especially in some of those first classes. The curve can be harsh. My son has done well overall, but there were some very challenging classes. He still loves UNC and wouldn’t want to be any place else. It’s also interesting to note that transcripts (starting with this year’s class) are going to post the class average next to a student’s grade, giving their grade proper perspective for the class. NC State also has challenging science programs. One of my son’s friends is a premed biology major and, from what I hear, is very happy. This is a very bright young woman who was given one of State’s hard to get scholarships. </p>
<p>As you can see, I like both schools. The campus feel is different at each school, so maybe a visit to get a feel for fit would be a good next step.</p>
<p>I have a son who is a sophomore at UNC-CH. He has had a great experience there. He is pre-med. The sciences there are tough. Excellent Chemistry department. He feels that the Math department there is a bit weak, mostly because (in his opinion) NCState has the engineering departments, and thus attracts stronger math professors. Grading at UNC-CH is not straight A,B,C, but A, A-, B+,B, B-… Which has an impact on GPA for premed students.</p>
<p>His backpack, with books, notebooks, laptop, graphing calculator, wallet, ID, cash, debit card, drivers license… Everything except his phone, which he had on his person… was stolen last year. It was his fault for setting it down and leaving it unattended. He reported the theft, and the backpack was recovered within hours, stuffed in a culvert off campus. The electronics, cash, and debit card were missing, and never recovered. Fortunately we had purchased the laptop through the school, with insurance coverage. He had a loaner laptop by the end of the day, and a new one within a week or two when the original was not recovered. The campus police, Chapel Hill police and computer support people were terrific.</p>
<p>He has never felt unsafe on campus. </p>
<p>He has been given amazing opportunities at UNC, including generous grants for a summer abroad experience with the business school, and opportunities to work with members of the medical school on a special project.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>[i>clicker</a> classroom response system](<a href=“http://www.iclicker.com/]i>clicker”>http://www.iclicker.com/)</p>
<p>Intended use is not to take attendance, but to allow instructors in large lectures to gauge how well the students are understanding the material during the lectures.</p>
<p>[i>clicker</a> classroom response system best practices and tips](<a href=“http://www.iclicker.com/community/bestpractices/]i>clicker”>http://www.iclicker.com/community/bestpractices/)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, here are points of high risk that people may not think about that apply to any college campus:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Alcohol-fueled stupidity at parties. Here, the suspects are often other students, in the case of crimes like fights, sexual assaults, food or drink with added drugs, etc…</p></li>
<li><p>Common theft because thieves know that many students grew up in low crime areas and are not used to locking their doors and windows to keep thieves out.</p></li>
</ul>