<p>Alright. So, I got accepted to UNC CH and Wake Forest. Ignoring the fact that I absolutely cannot pay for either of them, which would you choose? They're about equal in standing, the main difference seems that Wake provides small classes all taught by professors in a private community, where as UNC means classes taught by grad students in a huge college town. Just interested in hearing what people think, if you've got the time...</p>
<p>i dont think nearly as many TA’s teach classes as you imply here (at unc).
i’d definitely choose UNC. i didn’t like the feel of wake. all of the tour guides i saw were all pretty gross… of course that’s not the whole student body, but its a first impression. also the basketball stadium is far off campus… the campus is secluded from everything in what i felt was sort of a private, ‘elite’ kind of layout… nothing seemed very central there. also they have a contract with pepsi (YUCK!!)</p>
<p>i liked UNC a lot - seemed like a well balanced school on all fronts (academics, sports, fun, etc). has a legendary college town setting. not know for tiny classes like some liberal arts schools, but has great faculty and a medium sized student body.</p>
<p>First off, the VAST majority of classes I’ve had at UNC were NOT taught by grad students, but by full professors. And just because you have a TA teaching, doesn’t mean it’s going to be a bad class. You don’t need a full professor to teach you how to throw a football in a 1 credit LFIT class, and TA’s are usually younger and more in touch with the students (at least the ones I’ve had). So just because you have a TA, doesn’t mean it WILL be a bad class. I’m from Winston-Salem and have plenty of friends that go to Wake Forest and ones that go to UNC. Both seem to like their respective colleges a lot. But if you think you’re going to be taught largely by grad students at UNC, nothing could be further from the truth. </p>
<p>Oh, and being from Winston-Salem (you can walk to the Wake Forest campus from my house), I can say with some authority that there is almost NOTHING to do in Winston-Salem.</p>
<p>Oh, and if you don’t like pepsi, you’re kind of screwed either way, because UNC is a largely pepsi campus too.</p>
<p>I guess it comes down to personal opinion. One of my best friends really wants to go to Wake, and I found my dream school in UNC. I come from a big public high school, so going to a small private college would sort of feel like a step down for me. Not in regards to education, of course, but my idea of college was always something huge and exciting, with big sports programs and lots of school spirit. Not that I’m knocking Wake’s sports and spirit, but Chapel Hill is simply my ideal. I can’t imagine having a smaller graduating class size than I do now…plus UNC has the advantage of choices. A bigger school means more opportunities, like study abroad and obscure languages (which are definitely desirable traits in my book). </p>
<p>Wake Forest is a great school. My father went there, so I even feel some distant lineal attachment to the place. I’ll be thrilled for my friend if he is accepted. But after visiting UNC, I can’t picture myself anywhere else :)</p>
<p>My husband and I are both UNC alums, and our son is a student there now. We live in Winston-Salem, so I am also very familiar with Wake Forest.</p>
<p>Similarities: Both are very well-regarded schools academically and both have good (even great) sports teams which are enthusiastically supported by the students.</p>
<p>Differences: Wake Forest is a much smaller school with smaller classes, so you would probably have more personal interaction with your professors in the intro level classes. Once you reach the upper level classes, the average class size drops dramatically at UNC, so this difference would become less significant as you move up.</p>
<p>Both campuses are very attractive. However, once you leave the campus of WFU, you are immediately into the suburbs of Winston-Salem, which is pretty much just like the suburbs of any other medium-sized town. Certainly, Winston-Salem is a very pleasant place, but not really tied into Wake Forest nor having a “college town feeling.” In contrast, the town of Chapel Hill has been widely recognized as one of the top college towns in the US and has a charm which is very closely connected with the University.</p>
<p>While both schools would probably be characterized as Southern and preppy, UNC is more diverse, while WFU has more of a stereotype of being for “rich kids.” WFU is also more dominated socially by the Greek scene. At UNC, there is still plenty to do for those not involved in fraternities and sororities, while this is probably less true at Wake. (IMHO)</p>
<p>Another large factor would be cost. With Wake just recently going up to around 40K per year, UNC would be much cheaper, even for OOS students.</p>
<p>In the end, it just all depends on your individual situation and what you are looking for in a college. If you are seriously considering both of these schools, which are only 1-1/2 hours apart, you should definitely spend some time on both campuses before deciding.</p>
<p>Hope this helps–You have at least two great choices! Best of luck to you!</p>
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<p>^^i, and many others, would agree with this description 100%…also consider the fact that wake is significantly less liberal on the whole (fewer progressive student organizations, etc.)</p>
<p>it depends, I have had a lot of grad students teach my classes. I have also had a lot of professors. It depends on your major though…UNC is still probably a better value in-state than wake. I doubt you would learn anything more from a small class at wake than at UNC.</p>
<p>UNC is hard as hell, you will learn all the material when you realize that everyone here was top 10% in high school. its self-motivation a lot of times. I’m sure wake is similar.</p>
<p>UNC is better respected in all fronts, academics, athletics, research, etc.</p>