<p>So, I have a big decision to make, and that is whether to go to NC State or Chapel Hill. What makes it more complicated is that I'm a finalist for the Park Scholarship (full ride) at State. I've also been invited to the Honors and Scholars programs, and just for being a Park finalist, I get about a $2500 a year scholarship.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I've been invited to Carolina's scholarship weekend, so I'm a finalist for a merit scholarship there. I've also been invited to Carolina's honors program.</p>
<p>The question is, where do I go? I want to study biology and be involved in medical research, and Chapel Hill has a medical school while State does not. Both offer undergrad research opportunities. My parents want me to go to the cheaper option so I can pay for grad school later.</p>
<p>I’d go with Carolina. UNC has great health/medical programs, and I would be hard pressed to choose it over State for that field, especially if you’re getting a scholarship.</p>
<p>In the biological sciences US News, UNC ranks 24, State:82. True, this is graduate school, but gives you some idea of the quality of the departments</p>
<p>The difference between winning the Park Scholarship at State versus a few thousand from Carolina (unless you are a candidate for the Morehead-Cain) is huge.
Do those of you advocating UNC for the OP even know what the Park Scholarship at NCSU is? The Park Scholarship is NCSU’s equivalent to UNC’s Morehead.</p>
<p>Benefits:<br>
$80,000 (instate) or $136,000 (oos).tuition/fees/room and board/travel expense/personal expenses.</p>
<p>$2,200 computer stipend </p>
<p>Grant opportunities for research,artistic and service projects and international experiences</p>
<p>Opportunities for study abroad with alumni supported travel stipends</p>
<p>early course registration</p>
<p>yearly enrichment activities</p>
<p>guaranteed entry to the University Scholars program</p>
<p>It’s a huge opportunity to toss away so lightly because UNC might offer some scholarship $$$.</p>
<p>OP, if you win the Park, I would think long and hard before throwing it away. Studying Biology and hoping to do research has nothing to do with whether your undergrad univ. has a medical school or not. My S’s friend got a Bio. degree from NCSU and got a research job at Duke before heading off to to Dental school.</p>
<p>Good Morning, Packmom! I agree with her. No real need to worry until all the cards are on the table, but if it comes down to the Park and a couple of thousand to Carolina - go with the full ride. As she mentioned, the Park brings a lot of perks. Congratulations on your hard work paying off!</p>
<p>Financially the Park my may be “equivalent” to the Morehead but after that the two programs are not in any way comparable…being a Morehead has national AND international recognition…the Park is well known in NC but not very far beyond the Southeastern US, and it certainly does not carry the cachet the winning the Morehead does for grad, professional schools and employers outside the state of NC.</p>
<p>“Enrichment” opportunities aren’t even close…not even in the same universe…especially with the newest enhancements to the Morehead program. The network of well placed Morehead alumni around the world alone is a huge differential. Even the Jefferson at UVA which was patterned after the Morehead isn’t truly comparable to the Morehead but probably ranks right behind it in overall prestige and value.</p>
<p>I’m NOT saying the Park isn’t an absolutely wonderful opportunity or that the OP should in ANY way turn it down if fortunate to be a recipient, but it cannot be considered truly “comparable” to the Morehead in any other way than financial and would not want the Op or others to get that impression.</p>
<p>Lastly, If the OP does not win the Park and receives FA from both schools…given their chosen career path, UNC would be the better option, even if there is a slight $$ differential. A diploma from UNC will do more for broad based Med school apps…from first hand experience I know that to be a fact,</p>
<p>Thanks for all your opinions; they really help me to think through this decision logically.</p>
<p>As for the Park benefits mentioned above, the Honors program at Carolina offers similar benefits: early registration for classes, special opportunities for research, etc. I don’t know how much scholarship money I’m in the running for at Carolina, but it isn’t the Morehead-Cain, and it’s highly unlikely to be a full ride.</p>
<p>UNC is better for bio and pre-med. I had a friend who went to State for engineering and then decided that he wanted to switch to a science pre-med track there. His GPA was pretty damn close to 4.0, and he was very involved with community service. Did reasonably well on the MCAT, applied all over the place, didn’t get in anywhere. Of the two schools, UNC has a much better record as far as med school placement goes, and UNC’s bio and chem programs are regarded as particularly challenging and difficult. If you can make it through the bio program with a good GPA (not quite an easy task), you’ll certainly be more than prepared for med school.</p>
<p>I have one small footnote. You mentioned that “the Honors program at Carolina offers…early registration for classes…” The parent of a current Honors student told me recently that the early-registration benefit, unlike at most universities, applies only to Honors courses. She added that the benefit does not have much substance because Honors students do not fill most Honors courses, and qualified at-large UNC students pretty much have de facto carte blanche access to the Honors curriculum. I have not yet verified this. However, I re-read the brochure that accompanies the Honors Program invitation and, sure enough, it says, “Receive priority registration for Honors courses taught by award-winning professors…”</p>
<p>If it were me, if I got the Park I’d have to really think about it. One of my best friends in high school turned down the Park for Caltech and I really think he may regret it now. When it came time to apply to grad school for physics he ran into some trouble, and he wondered if taking the Park would have been a better track. Especially considering the fact that he was going to Caltech with no money.</p>
<p>But if you get the Park, you’ll also probably get a great scholarship from Carolina… I’d guess a Carolina Scholar award.</p>
<p>Financially I’m sure it’ll be a similar situation at each school and so it seems like it’ll probably be a very personal decision. It’s really tough to say. State simply does not have the prestige that Carolina does, especially outside the state of NC. I am the last person to be snobby but a lot of people just don’t even consider State a solid school at all. I know my general impression of the student body of State is, well, very negative. I’d rather go to UNCG if I had to go to a UNC school that wasn’t UNC. I guess some (seriously misguided) people feel the same way about Carolina, though, so maybe this is a moot point?</p>
<p>Visit, visit, visit. Maybe you’ll visit Carolina and think, “yuck! All this Carolina Blue, I hate the campus, I hate Franklin, this is an easy decision!” Or maybe you’ll be enchanted. Maybe the same would happen at State. I was just there last Monday for a lecture and honestly, I found its campiness kind of endearing. I am not trying to sound patronizing.</p>
<p>Meadowbrook, you’re right about the priority registration. But there are a lot of honors classes and so that actually is still a really big perk. And being able to drop that you’re in the honors program helps you add classes that are full, though I’ve only done that once or twice.</p>
I didn’t see anywhere in the OP that he/she intended to apply to medical school, only that he/she was interested in medical research. If so, all discussion of who has the better medical school acceptance rate is a moot point. Maybe I misunderstood.</p>
<p>Cloying, I’m sorry you have such a negative impression of State that you have to paint the entire student body with such a broad stroke. If you met my DH and S1,both State grads, I would hope you wouldn’t hold the same opinion (yes, these are real people you are making such broad generalizations about). </p>
<p>S1 and his best friend applied for the toughest/most selective program in the U.S. Navy when they were seniors at State. The Navy only accepted twelve candidates nationwide. Both S and his friend got in. No other school in the country got two in that year. None from Carolina were selected. Carolina is a fine school but it’s not perfect. Your disrespect of others doesn’t speak very well for it.</p>
<p>I think you were misreading my intent. It seemed that most people were saying that Carolina was hands down the better decision, whereas I was trying to say that the Park versus Carolina should be thought over intensively, insinuating that State certainly isn’t a school worth brushing off so quickly.</p>
<p>I understand that by saying I have had negative experiences with students at State puts me at risk of sounding arrogant. That said, experiences I have had with State have, well, been very negative. A friend of mine had beer poured all over her at an UNC vs. State football game for wearing Carolina blue while the person doing this said some really nasty stuff. It’s hard for me to feel warm bubbly feelings after that. Several people at my high school who seemed to just be scraping by (making Ds, skipping class, etc) go to State. Still, I’m way more likely to be judgmental about someone who went to an elitist small liberal arts school than any state school, and I never said that any individual who graduates from State can’t be just as smart or smarter than I am. One of my best guy friends growing up, who always was doing much better than me in middle school, struggled a bit (not too much) at his IB program in high school and so wasn’t able to get into UNC but went to State. He’s been plenty happy there and there seems to be plenty to do. At the end of the day, though, I just haven’t enjoyed my experiences with State students. That should be okay to say. I didn’t like the students I met at Pomona College, either. It’s just my opinion and I have all kinds of biases blah blah blah. I totally agree with you that Carolina isn’t the perfect place for everyone, and neither is State. The OP should visit and decide how they feel. A lot of people say they hate State’s architecture; I actually have always kind of liked it. People rave about Duke’s architecture; I detest it. To each their own.</p>
<p>Of course, all these very same things could be and are said of Carolina. It’s not like Carolina isn’t a state school, too, so I understand your sensitivity.</p>
<p>Won’t the OP know the outcome of these scholarship opportunities before he or she has to commit?</p>
<p>I do agree with eadad about the unique and prestigious nature of the Morehead. But even if Morehead money is not on the table, UNC is an outstanding value, especially for instate students. And, in general, I do think grad school opportunities are broader for UNC grads than State. Of course, I’m the parent of a UNC alum, so I could be accused of bias. </p>
<p>(And sadly, my son has an application in at Pratt/Dook. eadad…I’m working my way through that one. )</p>
<p>you have to make that decision. But go where it “smells right” trust your guts. the rest will follow. By the way, I visited State, and I hated the whole campus, no reason why. I don’t like Carolina either, something creeps me out there, maybe the stones.
Duke is like Hagwarts, too Oxfordy. So smell the school and you will know. I am going out of state, still to be decided, I’m still sniffing.</p>