<p>Ok, I have to decide between SMU and UNC. At SMU I received the President's Scholar (full tuition) plus 2,500 spending money. At UNC, I have about 10,000 in grant, and the rest is a mixture of loans and out-of-pocket. Considering reputations, locations with reference to jobs, life at the colleges, I would like any advice that could be given. Thank you.</p>
<p>Living in Dallas with a son at UNC I may have a little insight here.</p>
<p>You are really trying to compare apples and oranges here, by the way.</p>
<p>Overall, SMU has the reputation of being a rich kids party school and does a lot to earn that mantle. It is located in Highland Park, a city within the city limits of Dallas, affectionately known as "living in the bubble" and is surrounded by multimillion dollar homes. If you are female be prepared to be surrounded by Prada, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste and Polo. Jeans and t shirts are definitely not part of the culture there. The vehicles of choice are BMW 3 series, Land Rovers, Mercedes and Lexus. The parking lots around campus look like a luxury car dealer's lot. The Greek scene is the dominant portion of on-campus social life and being Greek is the key to happiness there. SMU is still in Dallas though and not far from great restaurants, shopping etc. SMU, like Dallas, is a very conservative place so if you are politically a bit more liberal you will definitely be in the minority there.</p>
<p>Academically they are working hard to try to shed the image and are best known for the Meadows School of the Arts (not liberal arts but art, perfomance, music etc) and their graduate business school (Cox) and Law School.</p>
<p>I would say that if you plan on staying in Dallas after graduation then having a degree from SMU is not a bad thing as their alumni have a strong core of support especially for Cox and Law School grads. Outside of Dallas, or Texas, I'm not sure how much weight that degree will carry.</p>
<p>Although a Div 1 school, athletics are poorly attended and there is an ongoing debate (battle) between administration, alums and faculty as to the continuation of fielding Div 1 programs and the expenditure of $$ necessary to do so when they can't even half-fill a new 35,000 seat football stadium and the 7-8000 seat basketball venue is mostly empty, except when Bob Knight and Texas Tech are in town and then it's full of Tech grads!</p>
<p>It's very difficult for SMU to attract the better local students because of its reputation which is why they have made a major recruting effort outside Texas. Many of the locals who do attend are from Highland Park and see it as a continuation of High School and head there in droves.</p>
<p>Dallas is a vibrant southwestern city with great restaurants, the arts, world class shopping, all the major sports teams and any type of entertainment within minutes. One thing to note though is that even though SMU is a micrcosm of the city (lots of money and rather preppy) the city certainly doesn't depend on SMU and the town/gown relations is very different than that at UNC.</p>
<p>On the other hand, UNC and Chapel Hill have a very symbiotic relationship and without UNC, Chapel Hill would have no real identity. The atmosphere there is far more laid back, the students are the friendliest we have seen at any campus we visited anywhere and you can't find a person who doesn't love being at UNC.</p>
<p>Academically it has a far more national reputation and is one of the major research universities in the US. If you are out of state it is an extremely difficult admission, tougher than most Ivies except HYP, and a UNC degree carries more weight with grad and professional schools.</p>
<p>School spirit is contagious and rampant....you'll see more blue than you ever imagined in your life ...and dress is pretty relaxed. There's a real vibrancy on campus that you can feel just walking around. Go to the webcam on the UNC website and observe people walking around the Pit to see for yourself.</p>
<p>The Greek scene is growing a bit after a decline but still is not the driving force in the social scene and there is no stigma attached to not being Greek. Politically UNC is more liberal than SMU, often referred to as the blue island in the red sea, but also is more tolerant of diversity and divergent thought than SMU. It's not hard to fit in at UNC whereas at SMU if you don't conform you may feel like you are on the outside looking in.</p>
<p>I hope this helps, if you have any more questions, let me know.</p>
<p>Thank you for your response, it was very informative and very helpful. when it comes to which school I like more, I like UNC a lot more than SMU. The problem is that my family financially is in trouble, and it is so hard to give up the money that SMU is giving me (full tuition and 2,500) whereas UNC I will have to take out loans for the dividends, which as of now, is roughly 15 for the first year. The second year I can apply as an in-state as I will be living with a friend that has a house in Chapel Hill. The second question refers to the job market, but I've spoken with a lot of people and they say that SMU would only be the better choice, and not by too much, if I wanted to stay in Dallas. Your thoughts again will be appreciated.</p>
<p>By the way.....I'm an 18-year old male looking into business</p>
<p>I can understand and appreciate your dilemma and certainly empathize with your plight.</p>
<p>Your scholarship is for tuition only plus 2500 toward room and board? What is the difference you would need to make up in the cost of room and board at SMU? Does the scholarship also cover mandatory student fees which can get expensive? Is it guaranteed for all four years?</p>
<p>Also, if you can indeed qualify for in state next year, what is the delta over the 4 years? ie your first year is 15,000 or so more expensive, if you compare with the difference in your 2500 grant vs the total cost for room and board, fees etc at SMU to what the next three years at UNC would be at in state rates. I would have to guess that the next three years you might be ahead and just wonder what the total difference would be? I can tell you this, even so-so apartments in Dallas anywhere near SMU are far more expensive than really nice apts near UNC.</p>
<p>Also, have you gone back to the financial aid people at UNC and explained your plight? If not, it is certainly worth a shot since they now should have a better handle on how much of the money they have offered will actually be used and they might be able to divert more money your way if it is a deal breaker. </p>
<p>I wish you well.</p>
<p>alex</p>
<p>If you have not already done so, fax a copy of your scholarship offer from SMU to the FA office at UNC and another to the admissions office with your request for consideration for additional money. Having that in hand will mean more than you merely telling them your situation. Also, if you have any thing to document the financial issues now facing your parents that might not have been on the original application for FA send that as well.</p>
<p>Alex08: I've seen people mention this before, so maybe you've already checked this out thoroughly...but I'm not sure you can automatically be considered an in-state student the second year, simply because you will be living with a friend off-campus. I <em>believe</em> the only way a student (coming from out of state) can be considered in-state, is if you move to NC for a year, work and pay taxes, and then after a year's residency, you could reapply as an instate (freshman) student. Again, I've read posts that mention this possibility before--that if you come in as an out of state student, then after a year, you can be considered in-state. I'm 99% sure this is incorrect, so you should verify that with admissions/financial aid. There must be some states that do this as so many people have posted this, but I'm almost positive this is not true with NC. Otherwise, only out of state freshman would be out of state, right? Or maybe I'm completely misunderstanding you. But..good luck!</p>
<p>I am positive this isn't true with NC. If you are a student in NC, no matter where you are living, and you came from out of state, you have to establish residency before you go to school to get the tuition. You can't just live here for a year and then be like "hey i'm instate!"</p>