UNC students

<p>I was just accepted to UNC and I'm wondering just how seriously I should consider UNC (I'm from Illinois). </p>

<p>One complaint I've read about UNC from sites like campusdirt.com and studentsreview.com is that the students are in general preppy, snobby, stuck-up etc. That scares me. I'd like a friendly student body. Any current/former UNC students like to comment on that? How true is it?</p>

<p>Also, how hard is it for out of staters to fit in considering how few of them there are and how much harder it was for them to get in?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>First, congratulations on your acceptance.</p>

<p>I'm not sure who wrote the things you've read but I can tell you from first hand experience that everything we know and have seen (our son is an out of state freshman) reality of things at UNC is exactly the opposite of what you are saying.</p>

<p>UNC is one of, if not the friendliest campus we visited of all schools we saw. As others have mentioned on different threads, I have never seen so many people smiling as we walked around during our visit last spring and during move in last fall the friendliness and helpfulness of everyone was remarkable.</p>

<p>My son turned down Yale, Wash U and others to attend UNC on a scholarship and has never regretted his decision for a minute, in fact, he says that he is happier than he has ever been in his life. His friends are a mix of in and out of staters,(though he probably does have a larger number of oos friends because of dorm, honors classes etc) who he describes as truly amazing people and acknowledges that he has yet to meet someone that he doesn't like.</p>

<p>Beautiful campus located in perhaps the quintessential college town, friendly people, excellent education that even at full price is still a bargain compared to many private schools, great access to professors in classes that are far smaller than others (detractors) would lead you to believe, and if you are a guy, a 60/40 ratio of females to males. UNC comes about as close to college Nirvana as one might hope for.</p>

<p>You owe it to yourself to give it serious consideration. Those who know and matter (grad and professional schools) understand that oos admission to UNC is a tougher ticket than admission to most Ivies except for HYP and most other "elite" schools as well. With a mandated cap of 18% that represents something like 550-600 of the incoming class. If you subtract recruited atheletes from that number (yes, they do also count in the cap) that leaves a very select group of people. </p>

<p>Good luck with your decision.</p>

<p>Nykchisox: Check out the thread under Honors and Merit Scholarships, the last page I think, where COtarheel (a current freshman) wrote an informative and illuminating post about her experiences at Carolina. COtarheel also answers many of your questions quite eloquently.</p>

<p>And though I agree with absolutely everything Eadad has said here--all true--I also get the sense that what's not being said (implied), is that in-state students are somehow "less than." So...I just want to add here, that though, yes, 82% are from in-state and, obviously, much easier acceptance for an in-state student--please know also that among that 82%, Carolina accepts a large number of top in-state students who are absolutely at a competitive level with out of state students. Many Carolina in-state students also turn down acceptances at the same "elite" schools Eadad's son did. So please don't underestimate the quality of the in-state students, many of whom are also in the honors program. And it is a very friendly and happy place. Many in-state students, too, want to meet new people, so you would be welcomed.</p>

<p>I just want to add that North Carolina has been an extremely high growth state over the past several years. Of those 82% in-staters at UNC, many (especially from the metropolitan areas of North Carolina) were born and lived in other parts of the country before moving to NC. We're just lucky enough to live here now and reap the benefits of the in-state tuition.</p>

<p>of all colleges you read that UNC is preppy? the private colleges are a lot more preppy and snobby than UNC.</p>

<p>Thanks guys. Most of the comments I read were from Campusdirt.com which surveyed many students, and recieved low marks in everything from friendliness of students to quality of professors. I know I shouldn't let that website make my decision, from what you described, UNC sounds perfect for me.</p>

<p>I booked a flight/hotel and will be visiting next weekend.</p>

<p>It's probably too late to say anything else useful here, as other people have done a fine job defending UNC's friendliness, but I wanted to point out first of all that, although I tend to write a lot, I am a guy (I noticed the pronoun "her" when referring to one of my posts, so I felt the need to correct that at least). </p>

<p>But anyway it's really surprising to me that anyone would say UNC students are friendly. The one thing I hear most often of peoples first impressions of campus is that we are one of the most friendly schools they have visited. This was the first thing my mom and I noticed when we came to the explore program last april. Lots of people walk around with smiles on their faces and are so rediculously welcoming. It was amazing, especially compared to the experience I had when I visited another school in the area that same morning. Yes that one. </p>

<p>So I'm really glad you will be coming to see for yourself a little glimpse of southern hospitality, and I hope you like it enough to stay. Thanks for the other folks for sticking up for UNC's friendliness.</p>

<p>As an oos student, I felt especially welcomed by the instaters who see people from far away as somewhat of a novelty (we are diverse in pretty much all areas except geography). So it may even be easier to make new friends coming from out of state, especially if you shamelessly play this card to get people to feel sorry for you. My friends more or less match up with the 75-25 ratio of instate to outofstate. Also, there are a lot of brilliant North Carolinians here who are getting an exceptional bargain for their education. Just because they have easier entrance requirements doesn't mean they are any less intelligent (although on average there is a definite SAT score difference, whatever you can infer from that). </p>

<p>So in any case I'm glad you are coming to visit! I hope you enjoy your stay in Chapel Hill enough to reverse any conceptions of unfriendliness that you may have gotten from campusdirt, and that you will definitely consider spending your next four years here. Feel free to post any more questions/concerns here and I will do my best to answer them.</p>

<p>COtarheel: Hi, and thanks again for a great post.. I think I was the one that mixed up the gender here.. Sorry! And, thanks, too for pointing out that "there are brilliant North Carolinians here who are getting an exceptional bargain for their education..." Just love that sentence--and so true--so thought it needed repeating! : )</p>

<p>COtarheel- Thank you so much for all your information. You are getting me so excited about UNC, I can't wait to go there. I already put the sticker on my car! I'll be down there in 2 weeks, and I positively can't wait to see it again! Thanks for so much information!</p>

<p>Since the OP is from OOS and had concerns about fitting in I was simply giving him our own personal OOS experience and in, no way was "implying" anything about the quality of in-state students. I really don't know how anyone could have gotten that message. I have said many times that my son has many instate friends and that ALL his friends are in his words, "amazing people." I have no agenda here other than to tell everyone I know about what a great place UNC is. Period! You should understand also that when I was in school, UNC was a huge basketball rival of my alma mater, so for me to be extolling its virtues as I do is,well..... enough said.</p>

<p>I was merely stating the fact that an admissions ticket for an out of stater is a very tough one because they are held to higher standards for admissions than an average in stater, and that he/she should be very proud of their accomplishment and not be so ready to dismiss UNC as a great opportunity for a wonderful well rounded undergraduate experience. I never said and have never thought that there weren't many many in-staters who were equally if not more accomplished than many of the the oos students. </p>

<p>Our experience visiting UNC during Explore Carolina was much as COtarheel described. We too, had never seen so many people smiling and obviously having a good time, everywhere we went. It was quite a contrast to that "other school" across town as well as at the many schools we visited in the northeast as well as in the midwest.</p>

<p>bigeyedfish:</p>

<p>If you would like to talk to my son either via email or IM before you visit UNC, or in person while you are there, let me know. He spent some time this past Thursday with another CC family that was at Explore Carolina and I am sure would be happy to do so again.</p>

<p>hopefully i'm not too late either, i've been out of town. But basically I gotta agree with COtarheel.</p>

<p>UNC has a very friendly campus. There's no problem with in staters and out of staters fitting in here. Its really no big deal, i'm in-state (only cuase i've lived here for 5 years) and I have a lot of friends that are out of staters. Where your from is really no barrier when it comes to meeting and making new friends.</p>

<p>Another thing, don't beleive any of that crap that those websites like studentreview.com have. I know that you'll love it at Carolina and your going to make a lot of really good friends.</p>

<p>Hi everyone! eadad, your response from yesturday was very helpful. I am from Ohio, and was just accepted to UNC as well. I was just thinking about some of the exact things that Nykchisox was asking about, and trying to make some final decisions. Are the dooms mixed in terms of OOS and in-staters? (do they assign roomates OOS with OOS, or is it mixed?) And do many in-state students already know each other? Also, do most students (in-state and OOS) live on campus all 4 years, or do many get appartments after their freshman year? Any response would be helpful. thanks!</p>

<p>I will be going to Explore Carolina on the 13th!</p>

<p>rubbs</p>

<p>Dorms are completely mixed, in-state/out of state as are roommates. It is the luck of the draw unless you request theme housing or are in the honors program.</p>

<p>If you are accepted into the honors program you can request an honors program roommate and they will do their best to acommodate your request. My son and his roommate both requested to be matched with an honors program person and they were. They have not only been good roommates but also have become good friends which is certainly a plus. Incidentally, they also ended up on a floor with many other people in the honors program as well. </p>

<p>Even though there is not an honors dorm as there is at many other schools, they seem to work hard to create an environment that would be beneficial to those so inclined.</p>

<p>Just like students that you know in Ohio who choose to attend a state school, there are going to be people who know each other when they get to UNC. Some will flock together which is natural when anyone is in a new environment, particularly if they have never been away from home before. </p>

<p>Most people however, want to move on with their lives and not have college be a continuation of high school, so they branch out, making and developing a new and broader circles of friends. You needn't worry about being excluded or having a hard time making friends.</p>

<p>My son's experience has mirrored that of COtarheel to the extent that I wonder if they know each other? </p>

<p>Have a great time in Chapel Hill.</p>

<p>I have a question about religion for anyone who can asnwer. I'm Jewish and I know there is a pretty small Jewish presence on campus, which I do not necessarily have have a problem with...I'm not very religious. My only problem would be if religion is big on campus and it's hard for me to fit in because of my religion. Can anyone help with this?</p>

<p>From what I know, Carolina students are very open-minded to other religions. There is the exception of Gary the Preacher in the Pit; he doesn't just bash Jews, he bashes everyone who's not a fundamentalist Baptist, and he is the most hated person on campus. If you don't know who I'm talking about, you'll know in the fall if you decide to attend. Don't judge UNC the way you judge the Bible Belt ;) .</p>

<p>I'm Jewish too, and that was one thing I was kinda worried about too. I don't have an answer though, just thought I could sympathize. I know there is a Hillel, so there are some Jews.</p>

<p>Again, thanks, eadad, for the helpful reply! I'm really looking forward to my visit and it sounds like I will really like it there. With regards to religion, I'm also curious whether there is an obvious dominant religion on campus?</p>

<p>pretty much every religion is represented in the student body. I have quite a few Jewish friends and they are a pretty active body here. </p>

<p>and try and not be too offended by the Pit Preacher, he's a quack. However, it is fun to sit and watch students argue with him whenever he's there. Aparantly we're all going to hell (according to the pit preacher)</p>

<p>Carolina has a pretty liberal campus, there's conservatives, but they're a minority here, but they do make their voice heard. this is done by complaining and challenging everything the university does.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for answering all my questions. UNC is really looking good right now..can't wait to visit.</p>

<p>By the way jenjen..looks like we are very similar. Jewish, out of state, shy. :)</p>