<p>I am new here & the only reason I joined is because I have seen alot of valuable opinions....I would truly appreciate any opinion with my question. My son wants to be an Orthopedic Surgeon so should he go to Wake Forest or Chapel Hill???? </p>
<p>We just received financial aid packets for both colleges & both seem very good. Carolina offered $22,340--($6835 are loans). Wake Forest offered $49,950--($6360 are for loans & $2000 is work study). He has already won a $1000 scholarship & we are waiting to hear about 8-10 more possible scholarships.</p>
<p>I've heard Wake Forest has WAY smaller classes while Carolina has auditoriums. You're allowed to bring your vehicle to Wake while @ Carolina you're not allowed. Both schools academically are very good...so if any one out there could give me pros & cons about BOTH schools I would appreciate it.</p>
<p>^^^^^</p>
<p>I just don’t think it’s going to matter where he goes to college if he wants to be an orthopaedic surgeon (remember, I haven’t yet graduated from high school); the main thing has to be…what type of education does the student want? Does the student learn best in really small classes or the large, vacuous auditorium? Or, does it matter?</p>
<p>At the end of the day, the kid has to be happy, motivated, feel at home and wanting to work hard in order to GET the grades to get into medical school to get to the point he could even entertain being an orthopaedic surgeon. That is the key point, I think. I really don’t think the med school admissions guys are going to read the application and say ‘hey, Carolina, he’s IN, and Wake, nah, he’s OUT!’. A 3.9 GPA (which you’ll need by the way) at UNC is probably viewed equally to a 3.9 GPA at Wake Forest. ((Now, a 3.4-3.5 GPA at Davidson College probably gets one into medical school, however, as that is one TOUGH SCHOOL as I understand it). </p>
<p>I’m going to stand by this one.</p>
<p>In the end, the environment has to be conducive to the student to put the student in the best spot to hit the shots when it comes to school. Only the kid and you will know what type of environment that is going in. </p>
<p>the kitesurfer.</p>
<p>This is a very difficult one. Are you an NC resident? If you live close enough, perhaps you and your son can visit both schools and decide. Even if you don’t, consider that option.</p>
<p>Also, what nationality are you? Although they are both predominantly white, UNC is more diverse racially; Wake Forest is diverse in the sense that it brings more kids from across the country. However, I think the most important thing to note is the difference between public and private schools.</p>
<p>In public schools, the “quality” of the student body is not at par with private schools; Because public schools are so big and they must accept a certain percentage of their students from their states, there are students at opposite spectrums of intelligence or maturity. Many of the classes are big, and some of the classes are even run by other students unfortunately. Also, the “quality” of education is hugely dependent on the state funding. On the other hand, many private schools are able to provide a more personal care for their students. Smaller classes, and many of the classes(or at least more of them) are run by actual professors.</p>
<p>For these reasons, I think if the cost of attending either place is similar, your son is better off at Wake Forest(if academics is the only factor that you consider). However, I did hear that Wake Forest can sometimes be discriminating. Someone whom I know transferred from Wake Forest because of this discrimination.</p>
<p>In the end, as cliche as it might sound, it’s all about “fit”. I strongly suggest that you and your son visit the campuses and decide carefully. UNC has a beautiful campus(better campus than Wake Forest, in my opinion), so that might change your(or rather, as it should be, your son’s) decision.</p>
<p>First of all, campus beauty is not that important. (In fact, one can even make a strong argument for ugly campus - school invests in actually education, not the flowery/green stuff around campus)</p>
<p>Secondly, I have seen so many people at Chapel Hill who got lost during their premed tracks, simply because of its size and the lack of good advising there. Although it might be better for your grades to attend Carolina (perhaps), if you are at Wake, you will know what you are doing, you will take the right classes, do the right research/internship. If your son’s goal is clearly becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon, I would encourage him to go to Wake instead of UNC.</p>