<p>I’ve spent a couple of summers teaching at App, and my sister goes to UNCA. A few thoughts:</p>
<p>Size – UNCA is a great size. It’s one of the few public LACs in the country, and classes tend to be quite small (25 or fewer students). Unfortunately, UNCA is a fair bit larger than most LACs (e.g. twice the size of Davidson), and it can be extremely difficult to get into the classes you need if you’re in a popular major. My sister is a junior and still hasn’t been able to take the required introductory sequence for her major! App is larger and has the advantage of more courses, but it is also a good bit less personal. </p>
<p>Academics – The two schools have different strengths. UNCA has historically been strong in the humanities, while App is great for education, the sciences, music, and a few other areas. I think you can get an excellent education at either, and I agree with your assessment that App offers the better fit academically while UNCA offers more opportunities outside the classroom.</p>
<p>Curriculum – UNCA has the most extensive curriculum requirements of any school I’ve seen (except St. John’s). It has several different components to its core curriculum and distribution requirements, and fulfilling them is made more difficult by the inability to “double dip” and fulfill several different requirements with one class, as most schools allow one to do. While it is possible to graduate in four years with careful planning, adding a minor or second major almost certainly necessitates an extra semester or year, and UNCA’s four year graduation rate is correspondingly quite low. App also has distribution requirements, but they are not as extensive. </p>
<p>Facilities and campus – UNCA wins overall, and most of their facilities are reasonably nice. App has spent a great deal of money renovating its dorms and academic facilities, however, and all of the new buildings are absolutely fantastic. The student union is the best in NC I’ve seen, and the new library is on par with Wake’s and the UL at UNC for comfort and beauty (though not holdings). I personally like App’s campus a little better because I think it’s laid out better, but there’s no question that UNCA’s campus has much better landscaping; there’s gardens and swings everywhere. The UNCA botanic gardens are arguably the best of any college in NC after Duke and Davidson. </p>
<p>Housing – The honors dorms at App are much nicer than any of the dorms at UNCA; I’m not familiar with the regular dorms. Off-campus housing at UNCA, however, is much nicer, though definitely more expensive. </p>
<p>Food – UNCA has better on campus dining. The dining hall and the food options in the student union are great. I’d give Boone the nod over Asheville for off-campus dining, however; food options in Asheville are plentiful and good…but often expensive. Boone has a good mix of food options that are both decent and affordable. </p>
<p>Diversity and student body – Both schools are almost entirely white. I rarely see more than one or two URMs when I visit UNCA, and App isn’t much better, though its larger size makes it appear more diverse. UNCA definitely has a sizable gay population; App is less friendly toward LGBT students. Both schools draw heavily from Appalachia and have a strong conservative element in their student bodies, though UNCA does tend to be somewhat more liberal. </p>
<p>Location – Boone is much smaller than Asheville, and it shows. The university dominates the town, and everyone gets decked out in Mountaineer gear on football days. UNCA is a noticeable element of Asheville but does not dominate it to nearly the same degree. Getting around Asheville is most efficient with the use of a car (or that of a friend’s), though it is definitely possible to get around using the bus (free for UNCA students). Boone, on the other hand, is easily walkable; something useful since parking in downtown Boone is a nightmare. King Street near campus is a smaller but funkier version of Franklin in Chapel Hill, and there’s lots of bars, eating joints, a public library, groceries, etc. within easy walking distance. Downtown Asheville has a lot more art galleries and stores, though I am not sure college students would take advantage of them. You’re correct that Asheville definitely has the better music scene; only students at Chapel Hill with their access to Cat’s Cradle and perhaps students at UNCC have better music options in the UNC system. Boone is more conveniently located near the Blue Ridge Parkway, but UNCA is located closer to the Smokies and thus in a more pristine section of woodland. Skiing is easily doable in Boone or Blowing Rock in the winter, less so in Asheville. </p>
<p>Student leanings – clejarin is correct about the sports focus at App; football is huge on campus, and the stadium is just a short walk from the dorms. UNCA is rather apathetic toward sports, although my sister (a sports fan) does like the basketball team. One noticeable difference between the two is Greek life. Neither school is predominantly composed of Greek students, but the social scene at App revolves around Greek life much more than at UNCA. The latter has two sororities and until recently only one fraternity, so Greek organizations are definitely careful about shenanigans lest one of them be disbanded, which would virtually destroy the already small Greek scene. The other major difference is substance abuse. Alcohol abuse at App is fairly substantial due to various different factors (remoteness, athletic focus, mostly white), though it’s definitely not as bad as the worst UNC school in this regard (Western Carolina). Binge drinking is less common at UNCA, but you have a great deal more marijuana use, as well as other drugs to a lesser extent. </p>
<p>Have you considered Warren Wilson? It’s not nearly as conveniently located in Asheville as UNCA, but in many ways it offers a very good experience. It’s a small school but extremely strong in its areas of emphasis, and the school - like the College of the Atlantic, Prescott College, and a few others - lives and breathes environmental science. Facilities are astonishingly nice and new, and the student body has an intensely hippie feel to it that may appeal to some and turn others off. As a Work College, financial aid is generally fairly good. Creative writing at Warren Wilson is one of the best programs in the country; James Franco commuted from NYC to take classes there.</p>