<p>Hi I was just recently accepted off the waitlist at UNC so I'm recondsidering my decision to go to UT for the fall of 2010. I am in state at UT and I have lived in Austin my entire life. The OOS cost would definitely have an impact, but I have heard that it is possible to get in state tuition at UNC by doing a few things. Any input on my decision would be helpful.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>People do get instate tuition at UNC Chapel Hill, but it is capricious and the State is very suspicious. It might take 3 years, during which time you will be paying OOS tuition.</p>
<p>UT Austin seems to win this one: cheaper, comparably good, better town (in many ways), and probably a bigger international reputation.</p>
<p>But I do sympathise with not wanting to go to college in your hometown.</p>
<p>Tough call!</p>
<p>It is NOT easy to get in state tuition in NC so I would not count on that while making a decision.</p>
<p>Having first hand knowledge of both schools the biggest pluses for UNC would be the smaller size (both campus and student body), more accessibility to faculty and better availability of undergrad research opportunities even as early as freshman year.</p>
<p>On campus university housing is far less of a hassle to get at UNC and unlike UT you won’t be forced to live miles off campus for some of the housing.</p>
<p>Chapel Hill is VERY different than Austin in that it is much smaller and far more laid back than Austin. While CH has a very good music scene it really isn’t in the same league with Austin (though few cities in the US are) and Franklin St is actually the heart of both CH and UNC, while 6th St is really Austin and not UT.</p>
<p>Both are great schools; being OOS at UNC carries more prestige with employers partly because UT’s top ten percent rule has actually diluted the true top ten percent and also because UNC like UVA are considered public Ivies by many.</p>
<p>If you are Plan II or one of the other Honors programs at UT I would say stay at UT…it’s a steal for those programs. If not, AND if money is not a significant factor in your decision then you would have to look a little closer at specific programs.</p>
<p>You won’t go wrong either way. What is the financial difference?</p>
<p>I broadly agree – I think the only relevant factors here, in the end, are money and the fact that she grew up in Austin.</p>
<p>Suppose that UT is $20k/yr cheaper (may be high) … that’s $80k over 4. Are you really willing to impose that much cost on your parents just so you can go to school in a new town? Only you can answer this.</p>
<p>Yeah, I wouldn’t count on getting in-state residency status at UNC.</p>
<p>I turned down UT Business Honors (in-state) for UNC 3 years ago, so I have quite a bit of first-hand experience.</p>
<p>Location: Austin is a cool, fun city, but Chapel Hill is a college-town and basically catered to the university. You only get to experience a college town as a student once. You can live in a city (esp. one you grew up in) anytime. </p>
<p>Size: UT is HUGE, and everyone is so dispersed. Everyone I knew from my high school (50+ kids to UT) just hangs out with each other because it’s so large and fragmented. UNC, even though it is a public school, feels small and is quite a bit smaller. I legit think everyone is connected to each other in some way - even for me, the OOS-er. It just makes the social life at Carolina easier and more fun and intimate. </p>
<p>Academics: UT is a great school, but UNC is a public ivy and more prestigious, which is fairly important when it comes to jobs and internships. All the rising UT seniors I know (who are also bright kids) are staying in Texas for summer internships. I can think of 70+ UNC students who will be in NYC this summer with big name internships. It’s a VERY impressive list of companies/firms. </p>
<p>I love UT and will always be a longhorn at heart (brother is a UT grad), but Carolina and Chapel Hill easily beat UT hands down. Though I won’t lie, NC might be a culture shock as far as food-wise goes ;)</p>
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<p>But consider that you know the UT kids from high school, whilst the UNC kids you know, you met as an out of stater at UNC.</p>
<p>I think there is probably a very strong selection bias here – just think of all the (frankly) dumb UNC kids who most certainly are not doing an internship in New York.</p>
<p>The [shanghai</a> global university listing](<a href=“http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2009.jsp"]shanghai”>http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2009.jsp), for what it’s worth, puts UT one place ahead of UNC, somewhere in the middle of the pack for top universities. This is so close as to be meaningless – they are about as prestigious as each other, with some regional variation.</p>
<p>Hey guys thanks for the replies. I am planning to major in economics or finance.</p>
<p>Keepittoyourself - I haven’t been around these boards in a while, but you seem a bit negative… I grew up in Texas, everyone I know from H.S., family, family friends, etc. goes to UT. I am VERY familiar with the university. The caliber of the student body as a whole is different than UNC, mainly because of the Top 10% rule, the CAP program, easy to transfer to, etc. This drives down the prestige factor, as eadad pointed out. These are things you know growing up in Texas.</p>
<p>Dwtisdale - were you admitted into McCombs? McCombs & Kenan-Flager are comparable.</p>
<p>I’m not so much negative as uninvested – not being from NC I hadn’t really heard of UNC Chapel Hill when I was growing up, but I had heard of UT Austin, so that might be skewing my perceptions.</p>
<p>Those things you pointed out might be things that people in Texas know. (Though people in NC know that an awful lot of not particularly brilliant people go to UNC Chapel Hill).</p>
<p>What would a person running a business in Seattle or Montreal think? I’d guess that they are roughly equal, prestige wise?</p>
<p>Interesting decision. There may be some mis-information in some of the previous posts. Both UNC and UT are considered to be in the 8 original “Public Ivies”. I don’t know of a specific program where you will get in-state NC tuition so my recommendation is to assume the 20K difference per year in your decision. As a UNC alum, I can attest to the special Chapel Hill experience but Austin certainly has alot to offer. Although it is hard to predict, you need to take into consideration if you want to go to grad school (playing field is probably even if you achieve at either locale but you will have an additional 80K in your pocket if you stay in Austin), or where you eventually want to start your career.</p>
<p>^ This is by far the best post so far on this thread.</p>
<p>Just ask Mack Brown what he thinks of the two schools.</p>
<p>It would be about 48K more. I definitely want to move to NYC after I graduate.</p>
<p>Anne- I was admittted into McCombs. Did you get any money from UNC/ how hard is it to get scholarships/aid as a current student at UNC?</p>
<p>That’s still $50k more that will be in your pocket after you complete your degree. It’s also about a years tuition at law school/business school. How sure are you that you want to go to NYC? A lot of people I’ve met from Texas have a difficult time adjusting to life after Texas.</p>
<p>UNC may be a bit more prestigious than UT, but it isn’t a huge gap. The business schools both have elite undergraduate programs, with UNC having better job prospects in the Northeast. If you want to work in a big city you still have Dallas right in your backyard.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’ve visited UNC or not, but I say you come to Chapel Hill and see how you feel before making the decision. You will probably love it, but there’s a chance you’ll realize Texas is where you want to be.</p>
<p>By the way, that’s what I did, and that’s why I’m a Tar Heel.</p>