<p>I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread similar to the University of Florida thread, except let's tear apart the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, shall we? </p>
<p>1.) Is UNC-Chapel Hill the best NC has to offer?
2.) What makes UNC a "Public Ivy", if such a school exists
3.) What are negative points you can highlight about UNC
4.) How much reputation is a UNC grad going to command?
5.) Is Tyler Hansbrough really all he's cracked up to be? ;)</p>
<p>Let's have at it!</p>
<p>1.) No. Duke is.</p>
<p>4.) A pretty good reputation.</p>
<p>I don't know enough to answer the rest of 'em. :p</p>
<p>Exclude JHU from this time :) I don't want to have a slugfest involving Duke, UNC, or JHU.</p>
<p>1) Academically, Duke is. Athletically, I'd say the two are tied.
2) Though the term "public ivy" seems like just a sad attempt at increasing university esteem, UNC is, admittedly, one of the top public universities in the country when considering education quality, research, etc.
3) Lackluster student body (being a semi-large state university does limit the quality), a campus plagued with a billion and one construction sites, few opportunities for undergraduate research...
4) Great in-state, good nationally.
5) Tyler Hansbrough is an amazing college basketball player. Enough said.</p>
<p>1) Yes and no. Yes in that there is no university in N.C. better than UNC-CH (I think it may be tied with Duke--and I'm a Duke alum.) No in that because the university is so large it is entirely possible to get a better education from a less presitigious university, private or public, in N.C. </p>
<p>2) The administration at UNC, though they likely won't admit it, is trying hard to market themselves as a "Public Ivy." That's where most of it comes from.</p>
<p>3) Too many TAs (teacher assistants) teaching. Too large classes. Impersonal to an extent. </p>
<p>4) Pretty good. My sis-in-law, who went to both undergrad and medical school at UNC tells that when she interviewed for residencies the response often was something like this from the interviewer: "Coming from UNC, we know you got a great education. What do you want to know about us?" In other words, what can we do to convince you to do your residency here?</p>
<p>5) The Cameron Crazies at Duke, when Duke is beating a ranked team by a substantial margin, will sometimes chant "Over-rated!" "Over-rated!"
That sums up Hansbrough. He's an excellent college player--who's had some outstanding games against Duke, by the way--who will only be a marginal player in the pros. Why? Not much of a jumper. For a power forward, which is the position he likely will play, he's not very big and will get his lunch eaten often by the veteran bigger power forwards in the league. Unless of course he has a good jumper, which he doesn't. </p>
<p>Think Christian Laettner without a jumpshot and the ability to make clutch freethrows and you get Tyler Hansbrough--which isn't much really. At least Laettner made all-pro a year or two because of his shooting range--and that was with a weak Timberwolves team. Hansbrough has talent oozing all around him at UNC. Put him in a struggling pro team and he'll disappear.</p>
<p>5.) Is Tyler Hansbrough really all he's cracked up to be?</p>
<p>No, the dude is on crack. No tangible NBA skills to speak of. One of the most overrated NCAA basketball players.</p>
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No in that because the university is so large it is entirely possible to get a better education from a less presitigious university, private or public, in N.C.
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<p>Are there any less prestigious universities in NC that could give a better education than UNC specifically in mind? Elon, Davidson, etc?</p>
<p>The idea of a "better" education is really subjective. A student who's cut out for Davidson might have a miserable time at Duke, and vice versa.</p>
<p>I think smaller is better so I would be biased towards Duke, Davidson, and Wake Forest. But for some, UNC is the best. If you love the sports scene, Greek/party scene and want to stay in NC after graduation, Chapel Hill would save you a lot of cash and be a perfect match.</p>
<p>As far as public ivy, its in the class of UVirginia, UMichigan, UCLA, and Cal. Again b/c of size, William & Mary is the definition of public Ivy, IMHO</p>
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Again b/c of size, William & Mary is the definition of public Ivy, IMHO
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<p>Very true. I agree with this.</p>