<p>So I'm trying to decide between UNC, Vanderbilt, and William & Mary. I liked all three so I can't figure out which to decide. I loved the school spirit & research opportunities at UNC (plus I'm in the Honors Program). I loved the academic possibilities and strong alumni connections at Vanderbilt and I loved the community at William & Mary. I was looking for some advice/ reasons to pick UNC. I'm a little worried about the tradition of living off campus after sophomore at UNC. Also, how strong is pre-med advising and how difficult is it to register for the classes you want at UNC (especially bio classes)? Any information would help greatly! Thanks!</p>
<p>as a UNC student, i would recommend Vandy over the other two schools.</p>
<p>advising here in general is HORRENDOUS, unless pre-med advising is a special case. it is probably one of the worst aspects of the school, besides the large class sizes.</p>
<p>W&M is mostly as a social science school (history and political science), while i both Vandy and UNC have stronger backgrounds in the sciences with substantial programs in those fields.</p>
<p>registering for classes here is VERY difficult. don't expect to get much of anything you want or when you want it until you're a rising senior. for biology classes this is particularly the case. i have been trying to register for an anatomy class for the past, and finally got in it for next semester. but this could have been due to the fact that i'm not a biology major. for the anatomy class i was looking at, they had separate sections intended solely for biology majors. so therefore it may be relatively easy to register for biology classes as a major. i wish my department did this for classes within my major.</p>
<p>i would most definitely go to Vandy if i had the choice, unless costs are an issue for you and you need to go to a cheaper school like UNC.</p>
<p>i have been trying to register for an anatomy class for the past <em>year</em></p>
<p>cost really isn't an issue: all three schools will cost about the same since i got financial aid from vandy. i am just worried that i won't fit in at vandy, while i felt comfortable at UNC and W&M. however, i am concerned about getting my classes at UNC, especially biology classes since i want to go to med school & major in bio.</p>
<p>perhaps a biology major would care to elaborate on their experiences?</p>
<p>i mean i'm sure UNC won't deny you the classes to complete the major of your choice, i would just image that the process of getting all that worked out would be more of a pain at UNC than at W&M or Vandy.</p>
<p>I am a rising freshman as well, but the best advice I can offer you is that you should go where you feel comfortable.</p>
<p>From the very first time I visited Chapel Hill, I knew that I was going to be a Tarheel -- plain and simple. I toyed with the idea of applying to some more prestigious institutions, or at least somewhere out of state, but it simply boiled down to the fact that not only was Chapel Hill the best value, and not only was I genuinely excited about the prospect of attending... but I could imagine myself there, no qualms, no worries. I tried to imagine myself at Duke, Vanderbilt, Brown... and it didn't click.</p>
<p>So I took the money that I would have spent on applications to just one of those schools, and when I got into Chapel Hill, my family and I spent that money celebrating at a nice restaurant.</p>
<p>I can't speak about course registration yet, but I believe that your being in the Honors Program will help, if for no other reason than the fact that Honors classes will be smaller and you'll be closer with the professor, which could definitely benefit you in the long run. But above all else, go where you'll be the happiest.</p>
<p>as far as registering for classes, being an honors student gives you first priority so you will have it easier than others. I've heard that vanderbilt fits exactly into its reputation of having a bubble and that frats and sororities are huge (if this is you, then great), while UNC has a more active social scene. . . </p>
<p>any honors pre-med students want to give first hand experience?</p>
<p>D is in honors and likes the honors advisors she has worked with. She feels that they have been quite helpful, she often goes by to talk w/ advisors just to run ideas by them: courses for future; major vs. minors; study abroad opps. etc. I told her that she has met w/ more advisors this year than I did in 4 yrs of college!
Her roommate is Bio.major (not honors) w/ a few of AP credits so she was able to bypass some intro. courses. She did get waitlisted in an upper level course but her advisor was able to help get her into the class.<br>
---Hopefully, another Bio. major will respond with more insight.
As for "tradition" of living off campus after sophmore year, some do, but many upper classmen continue to live on campus all 4 yrs. Most migrate to North Campus, and mid campus dorms, but D says that some of the south campus dorms are quite popular w/ upper classmen: Morrison, and directional named dorms. D and most of her friends plan to remain on campus throughout their time at Carolina.
D isn't a science major, but her experience as a freshman, she's only had 2 large classes this year. Her honors classes have been very challenging and fun at the same time. She has made a lot of friends in her honors courses, they enjoying doing things together outside of class. She's happy that she's found "like minds" at Carolina. She has become close to her honor's class prof. this semester and he, too has become a helpful advisor.
D felt the "connection w/ Carolina" right off the bat, but thought it might be because her dad loves Carolina so much,(He sang her the Alma Mater on the day she was born.) and that she had visited several times over the years. I too thought that since she is such an intellect, she might enjoy a smaller Ivy, private or LAC. She did look at other schools and liked a few, but in the end could not see herself in those schools. She likes that UNC is really the people's university; beyond ethnic diversity, there is more socio-economic diversity at UNC than any other campus she visited. She has friends who's parents are very wealthy and others who are supporting themselves. Overall, she's found that the student body, adminstration and faculty are very genuine, friendly, and helpful people. She's had professors who graduated from Ivy's tell her that if they could redo their college days, they'd choose Carolina.</p>
<p>I think you could get the same education at all three of these schools, it all comes to what you want out of your social life. Vanderbilt is known to be more geared towards greek life and a bit preppier.</p>
<p>good luck on your decision.</p>
<p>Hi-I am a UNC student who really loves everything about the school. I was in a similar problem after I got into Cornell and Johns Hopkins, but chose UNC out of state. Great place-amazing academics, some of the nicest, smartest, most welcoming kids I have ever met, tons of opportunities (every one of my friends who has tried got into a lab for research). It's really not that big at all. Not sure about the advising issues-maybe I just got lucky but I have always gotten the classes I wanted when I want them, maybe something to do with signing up as SOON as I can haha. Honors program helps A LOT with this too. Honestly, as someone who was initially worried about the decision before coming, I would have come here no matter what school I got in to. Good luck</p>
<p>I know this is probably late, but my college decision ended up coming down to Vandy and UNC. I chose UNC for precisely the reason you're skeptical about Vandy: I felt like I wouldn't really fit in at Vandy where at UNC, I knew I was a perfect fit. I'd make the same decision again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>And a lot of people stay on campus after sophomore year. I plan on going abroad for my fall semester of junior year, so I'll probably just stay in dorms for my spring semester. My boyfriend is a rising junior and is staying on campus. I even know a few seniors that live in dorms.</p>
<p>W&M has the highest med school acceptance rate in the state. It sounds like thats where you feel the most comfortable. You wont be dissappointed.</p>
<p>i actually decided to go to unc! it just seemed like the best option for me. thanks for all your help!</p>
<p>Congrats!!! You won't regret it!!!</p>