UNC vs. BC vs. Emory

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Which one is best for me? I want to major in international relations and maybe do some journalism, as well. I also want to be in a big city, a good sports scene, and an all around college experience.</p>

<p>These are the three schools I'm currently deciding between; I realize none of them are perfect, but they're the only schools that wanted me, so I need to decide which one would be best. </p>

<p>I am still on the waitlist at Northwestern, so if that comes through none of this will matter, but until then...</p>

2

<p>for good sports scene, you might don't want to go to Emory because they don't have a big any sport (maybe not true , but that's just what I heard</p>

3

<p>academically, for international relations, i think UNC is probably the best.</p>

<p>athletically, i think UNC and BC are probably tied. UNC has one of the best basketball teams in the country, but BC is so well rounded.</p>

<p>city-wise, BC is definitely tops the list. while atlanta is definitely a major city and lots of fun, it's no boston. and chapel hill is the quintessential college town, but no major city by any means.</p>

<p>UNC has a major journalism school. Emory, i think, has a journalism program, but nothing as prestigious as UNC's j-school. BC doesn't have any formal journalism classes, but you could always write for the newspaper...</p>

<p>it's a tough decision, but they're all great schools! good luck!</p>

4

<p>International Relations almost requires graduate work to get any job of any import. All three schools are sufficiently prestigious to get you into almost any graduate program in the country, provided you do well as an undergrad.</p>

<p>BC and Emory are private and a lot smaller. I would pick BC over Emory based on your interest in sports, though Atlanta has plenty of professional sports to enjoy and GaTech has great college sports to attend if you are irritated by Emory not competing in anything Div I and no football team.</p>

<p>UNC is a sports mecca. Its a great college town. But its a state school, very large, and very liberal. Its dorms are pretty wild from what I hear. Its near enough to Raleigh for the "city feel", but most kids hang out in Chapel Hill....and since 85% of them come from NC most go home on long weekends and holidays. If you got in OOS, then you obviously have superb credentials. You dont mention where you are from in Georgia, if you are a big city person or a rural small town person. Culture wise, you may fit better at UNC or Emory if you are southern in all respects. BC is definitely a northern school and the weather up there is wicked in winter.</p>

<p>You also dont mention your religious affiliation. BC is a Catholic and Jesuit School and that is a wonderful experience ....though it has a fairly high number of non Catholics on campus, it is unique....Jesuit education is very special and quite rigorous. </p>

<p>You should know that International Relations is a common and highly competitive field.....that can go in a business direction, a government direction or a oommunications/journalism direction. </p>

<p>And finally, while college is about the "program", its also about quality of life. You need to examine who you are and what you are really looking for in college. </p>

<p>I went to college after the military and I was in NO MOOD to be hanging out with irresponsible and immature 18 year olds barfing in the dorms 4 nights a week from binge drinking, or a bunch of hormone crazy kids. I had friends and I wanted to relax on weekends, but during the week I was all business...and wanted to talk to people about what we discussed and learned in class...not the latest dorm drama queen. </p>

<p>You have to decide what it is you are looking for in college and then decide if either or any of these schools fits that bill. </p>

<p>I also know that graduating ontime at Chapel Hill can be a challenge because you may not get the courses you want when you need them....and that can cause issues. And of course, the ubiquitous HUGE intro classes.</p>

<p>I also believe that "prestige" is often over rated. You can have GREAT classes and profs at lesser known schools and hideous classes and profs at prestigious schools...and vice versa. </p>

<p>Some kids visit Chapel Hill and fall in love and others say, "this is not me". Ditto for BC and Emory.</p>

<p>I know what I would do, but I am not you. Good luck and congratulations.</p>

5

<p>and I would not accept at ANY school that I had never visited.</p>

6

<p>Usually threads that ask for help in deciding involve schools that are at least a little similar. These are all very different schools in size, weather, sports, architecture, urban-ness, etc. There isn't a huge difference academically, so base the decision on other aspects. If sports are important, I don't know how Emory even got on the short list. UNC and BC are bigtime in many sports, not just basketball and football.</p>

7

<p>thanks so much for the replies so far. i know all of these schools are very different, but they're the three i'm deciding from after all of my dream schools rejected or waitlisted me. they all have some major pros and some major cons, and right now, i'm just trying to decide which would be the best for me. the things that concern me right now are: unc-too big, lots of in-state kids who already know each other; bc-too religious, very far away; emory-div3, too close.</p>

8

<p>I applied to UNC and want to major in IR, UNC has no IR program and the closest majors are Political Science (their fourth largest program) and some obscure War and Peace major... I don't know about the rest...</p>

9

<p>UNC has the #1 journalism school in the country.</p>