Visiting North Carolina schools - - need advice

<p>I don't think we could handle more than two schools a day. Even when we did two schools a day, the second got the short shrift.</p>

<p>I know that Asheville is gorgeous (I remember the opening scene in Mohicans!) and I'm sure D would love it, but it's a reach - - academically and in terms of distance.</p>

<p>The "priority" schools are High Point and Guilford (D already has pink streaks in her hair and a nose piercing) - - and to a lesser degree Queens. We added the UNCs and Greensboro College b/c they were nearby.</p>

<p>She will then absolutely love GuilforD, if eccentricity is her preference. I think these kids are very smart and creative, and she will not feel like a minority there. It is a small school in a very safe city. I hoe she enjoys the visit and good luck!</p>

<p>Hi, first post here,, I live in the High Point/Greensboro area, and have a daughter applying to colleges now. You picked a diverse group of schools to visit. Small/large/public/private etc. Here is my opinion on a few of them, for what it's worth. HPU is probably the most expensive and prestigious of the bunch, but I can't stand High Point. It's a dead town. The mall is closing, the downtown area is not thriving, lots of boarded up buildings, and the furniture industry is going to China. Great school, but not much else available. UNC-Greensboro is nice, and I love Greensboro as a city. The downtown area has lots of nightlife, and new parks, lots of art, etc. I went back to school as an adult and got a nursing degree from UNCG. They have a great campus and it has a nice reputation. I also went to Guilford College last year and took some of their Forensics classes. It's a small campus, has an early college for teens, and seems to mostly cater to adult continuing education. We toured UNC-Charlotte and liked it, because of the town, but the campus seemed kind of worn. Elon has a good reputation, but there is not much to do in Burlington. What is your child planning to major in? That should help making the decision of which schools to visit if your trip becomes too hectic and you have to leave something off. My daughter has applied to Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro, and UNC-Wilmington. Wilmington is the favorite hands-down, because the campus tour was tremendous, and we just love that area of NC. Maybe look into that one as well if you want to see more of NC. Asheville is great as well, but didn't have the medical majors my D was looking for.</p>

<p>While I always like talking up Elon, if you're looking to cut back on the stress you could probably drop it. Guilford sounds like a better fit, and is also not as remote as Elon. Guilford is a great school, very good vibe about the campus. I'm not as familar with the rest of the schools on your list, even though my mother-in-law went to Queen's and loved it, back when it was a genteel all-girls school. I'm not sure pink streaks and piercings were around back then (!) but I'm sure they are now. With smaller schools, it is important to find a comfortable fit -- at the larger schools there's probably a critical mass of just about any group you could name (hippie/conservative/greek/goth/jock/etc.), but that's not as true at smaller schools. Good luck, have a great trip. My money is on her loving Guilford and being pleasantly surprised with UNC-G. Just a hunch.</p>

<p>Welcome cocabear - - and thanks for the detailed descriptions, especially that of High Point, though the town it sounds bleak. </p>

<p>We have dropped Greensboro College (it was a safety) from the itenerary. Of the smaller schools, Elon seems less of a fit (we're not big on the frat scene), but I'm still reluctant to drop it, especially since 6 schools in 4 days doesn't seem so terribly rushed. </p>

<p>D's proposed major is elem ed (special ed focus), which I believe is offered at all of the schools. She will very much want a vibrant night-life, but she will NOT have a car, so being in the city or access (public transp, school shuttle, etc.) to the city will be essential.</p>

<p>foolishpleasure, I agree with cocoabear about UNC-Wilmington, and if your D is interested in education, well, you should see the School of Education at UNC-W (sorry, I don't recall its name)! What a beautiful building! UNC-W is minutes from the beach, minutes from the airport, and just a very nice campus. They offer little shuttle buses to get students around Wilmington. It is really a very nice school. Do not get flustered by the average gpa here if you come from another state, but speak with admissions to see if your D is in the ballpark. They do seem to distinguish between different grading systems.</p>

<p>The shuttles are a big plus for UNC-W, since she does not have a car.</p>

<p>I'll second UNC-G. I haven't looked into their majors but usually the state U's have education. Greensboro is a great town. There is plenty to do there. It has most of what there is in a large city but on a smaller scale. If you don't want "remote" than you probably won't like Elon. The campus itself is very lovely, but it's in the middle of nowhere and the town is...well....smaller than small.</p>

<p>Another great education program in NC is at East Carolina University.</p>

<p>Foolishpleasure...are you OOS for NC?</p>

<p>We visited Western Carolina this morning, UNC Asheville 2 weeks ago and will travel to Guilford next week. All are 2-3 hours from us. I can't imagine seeing more than one college per day without a revolt. WC was fine, nothing special; S knew in 5 minutes that it wasn't a fit. He loved UNCA. Very cool vibe. It's UNC's LAC college so small classes, lots of discussion, no TA's etc, etc, everything you want in a LAC. Easy access to downtown Asheville (big art and music scene) by bus or bike. (No cars allowed for Freshman, anyway.)</p>

<p>Thumper, yes, we are oos for NC.</p>

<p>Packmom, thanks for suggesting East Carolina; from the web site, it looks like a great school. At almost 20,000 students, I worry E Carolina might be too big for D, who attend a hs of only 160 students. OTOH, E Carolina's enrollment is just 1500 above that of Charlotte.</p>

<p>Wilmington also looked great (and not too big).</p>