UNC is NOT for everyone

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
21

<p>Well, not to be argumentative, either, but I have a hard time believing this person, at a large campus like UNC--with tons of stuff going on all the time--could not find anything to do. Truth be told, only about 11% (I believe) of UNC students are involved in the Greek scene there. </p>

<p>mkm: My daughter attends UNC and is very happy there. She has remarked many times how much there is to do and to get involved in-- plenty of stuff going on, both on-campus and off-campus--and all without the necessity of having a car. Unlike a small LAC, there is not one dominant culture which is often hard to overcome; I think this is another plus of a relatively large school.</p>

<p>I would also love to know what courses the OP took, which were solely taught by TA's. My daughter has had TA's, but they were in foreign language recitations. By her account, they've been excellent. Frankly, I don't know of many schools that don't use TA's in recitations, except perhaps for very small LAC's. Her professors have all been quite accessible; she has had small honors classes, small non-honors classes, as well as a few large lecture hall type classes (200+). Those few large classes were required for her major (and several other majors). I don't think she had a problem with any of them. </p>

<p>I can believe that, compared to a very small LAC, one <em>might</em> have to show a little initiative and be somewhat proactive . . . but I think that's probably true in life as well.</p>

<p>*eadad and I cross-posted, but--yes-I agree with his comments.</p>

22

<p>I'll throw my 2 cents in here as well. Any experience is what you make of it. If you don't get out there and join the fun, well you won't have any. And that will happen ANYwhere you attend college. </p>

<p>My d's experience as an oos student has been good, despite having a flaky roommate. (She is the only student from our school district with 8 high schools attending UNC btw.) She has only had one TA (in a foreign language recitation). She is in honors, so most of her classes are very small and intimate. BUT, honor classes are not limited to honors students; any student can take an honors class as long as there is room in the class. And there are so many choices within the honors program, it's not hard to find open sections in small classes. And, btw, she was willing to take morning classes to get into a good learning environment. Too many students pass up a great class because it is held at 8 or 9 a.m. She has had some big lectures as well; but she sits near the front and always stops to chat with her professors after class. There ARE ways to make those big classes seem small if you make an effort.</p>

<p>As far as joining in, she was given the rush by the competitive cheer squad but opted to go out for women's crew. She made the freshman team as a coxswain. I know UNC is not a women's crew powerhouse, but still...she made a Div I athletic team by just showing up and giving it a shot. She also went out for Freshman Council and after a series of interviews by Student Gov't and faculty, she was selected. They have hosted several events and she has had a lot of fun with that as well. She joined a pre-med club and has attended wonderful lectures with like-minded students and talked with researchers/professors about volunteer work. And I know there are a lot of other ec activities that don't involve straight partying...she tells me she gets several invites via facebook a week. </p>

<p>I know it can be tough if you don't like your dorm and you don't have any reason to leave your dorm. The best advice I ever rec'd was from the guy who owns/works at Chillywave who used to be an RA. Before my d started school, he told me to encourage her to join groups/clubs that will allow her to find friends and fun outside her dorm room. The worst thing you can do is rely on a random living situation for friendship and entertainment. My d was fortunate to find a floor full of friends in a great dorm; but that is not always the case...so don't expect it or be upset if it doesn't happen. Venture out instead. There are things to do at UNC...just find them.</p>

<p>I'm not saying my d doesn't ever get homesick and still does not miss all her friends at Texas; but she IS having a great oos experience at UNC. Both can be true.</p>

23

<p>Hey - </p>

<p>I simply stated truthfully what I thought of my experience with UNC. I am now a transfer student at Northwestern, and i love it here. Yes, I did go from a public to a private school, from a larger student body to a much smaller one. However, that doesn't give UNC an excuse for many of the problems I faced. </p>

<p>From what I can remember, these are the following classes I took that were taught only by TAs. Having TAs is not completely a bad thing - and most do a great job - but I was hoping for a professor to teach the class, especially the higher level ones. At Northwestern, for the same courses as listed below, all are taught by professors. In fact, I do not know of any classes which are led only by a TA.
Statistics 31
Comm 140 Media Criticism
Biology 11 lab
English 12
Econ 10
Psyc 10
That said, I did get to experience some great professors. I recommend:
Hist 77A - Modern Middle East - w/ Professor Shields
1st year seminar - Germ 006 - Love in the middle ages w/ Professor Starkey </p>

<p>In terms of my claim of "nothing to do", again - this was my experience. There were events on campus that I attended and I joined many groups including Choice USA, Independent Defense Council, among others. However, the majority of students do party and do drink, and many weekend evening events are sparsely attended. </p>

<p>And finally, a major reason that led me to transfer was the Music Department. I had a music non-major scholarship (from an outside organization, not the school itself), so I auditioned and was accepted by the piano department. I took lessons from a piano profesor there both semesters. However, I felt that my professor did not genuinely care at all about her students. She is a WONDERFUL performer, but this did not translate into her teaching skills. I was supposed to have an hour long lesson every week, in addition to weekly master classes with her and other piano students. During my second semester, she left for weeks at a time for her own solo career. By week 7 of the semester, I only had 3 lessons with her because she was barely there. I'm not even a piano major, but for the piano major students that she did teach - how are they supposed to be prepared for their final juries and performances with such lacking instuction? Now, I completely understand the need to further ones own solo performance career, but she also has an obligation to her students. This was not met - and I feel that the general opinion of the UNC piano department is not a positive one. I endded up petitioning and dropping my piano instruction class second semester because I was essentially wasting my scholarship money on lessons I wasn't receiving.</p>

24

<p>As far as TA's vs. tenure professors, when you register for classes you can pick from a large selection of course. If not having a TA is important to you then register for classes that are offered by professors. My daughter took Comm 140 and her instructor was a full professor. While there may have been a section or 2 taught by a TA, her section was not. The only TA she has had was for a history recitation, otherwise all other classes were taught by professors.</p>

<p>While there is tons to do at UNC, you do need to find your nitch. My daughter's biggest complaint was that each activity she was involved in only met once a week for maybe an hour. She would have preferred a couple of different activities that met more often like she had in high school. One student run organization she joined fell apart after a month, one that she was eager to be a part of. Due to the meeting times she was unable to join another group at the beginning of the semester. When this group fell apart it was too late to join the other. So yes, you need to find your groups yourself, but when you do there is much to be involved in.</p>

<p>I will agree about the dorms closing before exams were over. My daughter had an exam late the last day and had to have an extension to stay in the dorm. She was the only student left on her floor the last two nights. She said it was a bit creepy!</p>

25

<p>I've tried to share people's comments with my son just to point out that no school is 100% what you desire. I want him to go into it with the knowledge that there will be things that he likes better and things that don't measure up as well as present school.</p>

<p>He's still somewhat on the fence about transferring as he is very happy with academics, but isn't sure he wants to spend 2 more years with little social life. Most students he has talked with at UNC say that social life is never a problem--there is something for everyone--my concern is coming in as a junior and living off campus may make it harder to meet people.</p>

26

<p>OrchidDrop, so sorry to hear of your unfortunate experience with your piano teacher at UNC. The Music Dept has such an excellent reputation and is known for its nurturing and supportive environment for students. Wish you had tried to switch teachers and hope you at least expressed your frustrations to someone there. Glad you're finding Northwestern to be a better match. (The head of the piano department went to UNC).</p>

27

<p>One of S's best friends from h.s who went to UNC transferred this semester (to NCSU) after 3 semesters at Carolina. This boy is no " goody two shoes." He can party with the best of them. He played a varsity sport and worked as a bouncer on Franklin street. Said he was really tired of the Greek presence at all the social scenes and Franklin St. This is just what S told me. I don't profess to know for certain.</p>

<p>An friend who's D is a freshman at NCSU told me that 2 of her D's h.s. friends who are freshmen at UNC were not happy and wanting to transfer to State also. </p>

<p>I'm not bashing Carolina in any way but honestly have been surprised at how everyone on CC thinks it is so fabulous and that no one given the opportunity to attend should think of passing it up. No school is that perfect. In NC there are lots of kids who could easily get in UNC and just choose not to. It's not for everyone.</p>

<p>Good luck at Northwestern OrchidDrop.</p>

28

<p>My friend at UVA says he doesn't like it because its hard and says theres nothing to do...I find both of those counts pretty hard to swallow. I think UVA has turned him into a jerk though...I hear the school does that to people...I might become a jerk soon!</p>

29

<p>OrchidDrop: Glad you're liking it at Northwestern.</p>

<p>I looked at the TA-led courses you say you'd taken; thanks for posting those. With the exception of (maybe) one-- the Media course(?)-- these are all intro level and required courses for specific majors. I'm actually surprised, as an out-of-state student, especially, that you didn't place out of <em>some</em> of these courses. That said, I also expect, as intro level courses, these were all very large lecture-hall type classes. Many TA's (and this is how PhD students get teaching experience, by the way) are excellent instructors--often far better instructors in a large lecture hall intro course than a tenured professor might be. I'm still surprised, though, that they were <em>all</em> taught by TA's.</p>

<p>At any rate, from what I know and have also heard, there is so much to do on the UNC campus-- besides joining clubs-- which includes cultural events (ie, concerts, plays, hearing invited speakers), in addition to off-campus activities, that don't involve partying and drinking--I honestly don't know how anybody could be "bored." </p>

<p>Obviously, UNC may not be everybody's cup of tea, but I can believe that some people who are not "happy" there, may also have found it too difficult academically. There is not a lot of grade inflation going on. </p>

<p>The "Greek presence" is not nearly as prevalent at UNC (15% of all undergraduates is what their site says) as it is at a place like Duke or Wake Forest or Davidson (more than 50%)-- much smaller schools, where the Greek life is certainly more of a presence and possibly more difficult to avoid, if that's not of interest. </p>

<p>PackMom: I think NCSU is a great school, too. I can believe than anyone who would be interested in State, might not be interested in UNC. They have a very different feel to my mind. I also know several students who have transferred from NCSU to UNC-CH. My guess is, though, that any student who chooses to work as a "bouncer," will probably run into a lot of people who drink. ;)</p>

30

<p>I've been simply saying exactly what I experienced. People who have a problem with my personal feelings about UNC - I can't help you there. </p>

<p>Jack - I don't understand why you're attacking my experience at UNC. Just so you know, I did place out of <em>some</em> intro level classes, but that is not relevant at all in my discussion of TAs. Fact is, they were all taught by TAs when I took the course, and the same classes are not at Northwestern. In fact, according to US News and World Report's rankings:
Percent of class sections taught by graduate teaching assistants: 30%
Especially for OOS students, who pay more than double the tuition of IS students, this is grossly unfair. </p>

<p>There are an equal amount of cultural events and group activities here at NU, but I feel like people here simply appreciate it more. The events are much more popular, and people actually go to them! While UNC is a diverse place, I (and I was a member of the Asian Students Association) felt that the events hosted by the cultural groups were social outings for themselves, as opposed to events meant to encourage campus-wide involvement.</p>

31

<p>I'm an OOS from the north and I love , love, LOVE it. There's always something going on, and Franklin St. rules, all the way down to Carrboro. Granted, being 21 does help because of the club/bar scene, but lots of places hold 18+ events, and some are always 18+. There's great places to chill there, just hang out on Frnaklin, and it is usually packed.</p>

<p>Seriosuly, you must have not been social, I'm having a blast. </p>

<p>Oh, and I have never drank, so don't think I'm saying this becaues I'm a partier.</p>

32

<p>PS...</p>

<p><a href="http://slice.unc.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://slice.unc.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Lists lots of things to do, and that's only a fraction that are posted by orgs/clubs that want to post, and doesn't include regular social things to do.</p>

33

<p>Onequestion - </p>

<p>I'm glad you like it there. I've always acknowledged that most people have a great time there. Just telling my side as it is. I'm much happier where I am now, and I'm not acting any different. Chicago beats out Franklin St. anyday, and the Northwestern dorms are great. (I know there are much better dorms up north at UNC - but Craige was pretty crappy) Plus, I missed the snow!</p>

34

<p>OrchidDrop: I'm not "attacking" you; as I said, I'm just very surprised. Classes solely taught by TAs was not the experience of our daughter, nor of many students I personally know. And I do actually think that your "intro level" class experience is relevant to the discussion. My point was that perhaps huge intro level lecture-hall type classes are mostly taught by TA's, and so if most of your classes were this type for the semesters you were there, then your experience might differ from students who placed out of a lot of those classes. Again, I don't know this for certain, but I would think you also have a choice of registering for a class section with a tenured professor, or registering for one with a TA. Once again, however, TAs are often excellent instructors. </p>

<p>Your experience regarding social events, campus-wide activities, and events offered doesn't seem to mesh with what I know, either. </p>

<p>As far the OOS tuition being "grossly unfair," I think you have to remember that any public university will be more expensive for its out-of-state students, than for those resident students of its own state, whose parents pay taxes to support the state university system. That's part and parcel of a state university; read the mission statement. (I daresay you are paying more for Northwestern.) Again, though, I'm glad you made the transfer and are happy at Northwestern.</p>

35

<p>jack</p>

<p>tried to send you a pm but your message limit is over quota</p>

36

<p>Hi eadad,</p>

<p>Sorry about that! I just cleaned house. :)</p>

37

<p>I'm from Upstate NY and have been going to high school here in NC for 2 years.</p>

<p>Yankees don't need to worry. North Carolina has more class than much of NY (from my experience) and I have never caught heat for being from the north. No one really even mentions it.</p>

38

<p>I appreciate you sharing your experience at UNC-Chapel Hill and sorry to hear how unhappy you were but it sounds like you have found your place at your new school. Our daughter is thinking about applying to Carolina but I too am wondering if she would be a good fit. I think it has everything to do with ones personality and that is probably the hardest thing about choosing a college because you don't really know how YOU are going to like it until you're actually there.....thank goodness there is such a thing as a college transfer. Good luck to you at your new school!</p>

39

<p>For what it's worth, I go to a high school that sends about 40-50 kids to UNC every year. They're all definitely different types of people, but I haven't heard of even one of them who hasn't had a great time.</p>

40

<p>I guess in your school you don't ever see the same person twice</p>