<p>As a follow-up, I had a chance to speak with my daughter, so I asked what she would change, if anything, about UNC. She said she would like to see the course registration system updated. She added that she thinks students at Chapel Hill are really happy, and that she didn't know where UNC was on the "happiness index" factor of the USNWR surveys, but it had to be "up there." Hope this is helpful to you. :)</p>
<p>what is the basketball distribution system they have? I know its a lottery...but besides that nothing else. anybody want to enlighten me on it?</p>
<p>lets just say you can enter the lottery on the internet now.....so those who really want the tickets and are willing t stand in line really have no advantage any longer......this also means that some tickets that get awarded through lottery might possibily go to those wh ocant even be in attendance anyway--people that just where in the lottery but might be visiting family on the other side of the country or whatever</p>
<p>some of the most controversial "want to change" subjects in chapel hill are the removing or keeping statue "silent sam" who is a confederate soldier (controversy should need no explanation-- this has died down somewhat over the years) and changing the alma mater words from "...ringing clear and true, shouting N-C-U" to "ringing clear and free, shouting U-N-C" this being because the second version corrosponds better with the words on the university seal in latin translating to light and liberty.</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom</p>
<p>Like jack's D, my son had little to no interest in athletics when choosing a school. He had been looking mostly at Ivies and small LACs like Amherst and Pomona. He turned down Yale to accept a Morehead, but he is not alone or unusual in that regard. There are many students both instate and OOS that regularly turn down "more highly rated" schools to accept merit scholarships at UNC. Before he went to UNC he had no idea who Dean Smith was nor did he care.</p>
<p>The transformation that these serious students undergo once they get there is dramatic because it is impossible to NOT get caught up in the school spirit at UNC; whether it is rooting on a national champion women's soocer team or the mens' and womens' basketball teams Carolina Spirit is infectious.</p>
<p>The difference at UNC is that they work hard AND play hard. I am envious of the undegraduate experience that he is having and often wish for a "do-over"....LOL.</p>
<p>It is really the best of all worlds; very strong academics a great social scene that doesn't depend solely alcohol as is the case at many schools, and great athletics on top of it. Add to the fact that Butch Davis had a very strong first recuiting class for football and the fall weekends will get better too.</p>
<p>Like jack's D again, he truly has loved his time at UNC and in Chapel Hill and I know is starting to dread the fact that his days there may be coming to an end since he has only two more semesters left after this one. The promise of UNC med school has us all, crossing our fingers since we too enjoy visiting Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>eadad: Well put. I'd also like to just emphasize your statement that UNC is a school that does not "depend solely on alcohol" for its social scene. That is true and so important. In part, that can probably be attributed to its size--just one of the many pluses of a larger school, in my opinion.</p>
<p>fix the construction. nothing like waking up 7am to the sound of bulldozing.</p>
<p>the construction shoudl be done by this fall</p>
<p>
[quote]
As a follow-up, I had a chance to speak with my daughter, so I asked what she would change, if anything, about UNC. She said she would like to see the course registration system updated. She added that she thinks students at Chapel Hill are really happy, and that she didn't know where UNC was on the "happiness index" factor of the USNWR surveys, but it had to be "up there." Hope this is helpful to you.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>princeton review ranked UNC #8 for happiest students last year, and this year UNC was ranked #12..out of hundreds of schools =]</p>
<p>Uh i wouldn't count on it, construction is consantly going on.</p>
<p>oh, thats just what the tour guides told me</p>
<p>By the time it finishes something else will have begun. Its pretty much a constant process.</p>
<p>would you suggest trying to avoid dorm communities that are near construction? how close is close enough to be distracted?</p>
<p>and, for that matter, which dorms would those be? :D</p>
<p>Carmichael will be under construction next year. I can't think of any other dorms close enough to it that it would be much of an issue.</p>
<p>There will be ongoing construction for a number of years as the entire physical plant is being updated, expanded or replaced where necessary. Other than causing detours or having to reroute around construction it isn't the kind of thing that disrupts your every waking moment. The upside of new and improved facilities and dorms far outweighs the hassle factor. A very big portion of the construction has either been completed or is near completion.</p>
<p>You can access construction updates and timetables and the campus master plan via the UNC website.</p>
<p>Many of the giant projects (ie. the Ramshead complex, Student Stores, the Union, the new adivising buildings on South Campus, Rams Village) are complete or near completion. The construction will be an ongoing process (especially in the far NW part of campus- where the new Arts Complex is going to be) but I do believe that it will die down for the most part once those big projects are complete.</p>
<p>That being said, I know that Carmichael (a mid campus dorm) will be shut down next year, and I believe that Old East will be undergoing renovation as well (or so I read in the DTH in October). Apparently they were going to shut down HJ (a major South Campus dorm) next year, what with the reopening of Morrison (another SC dorm) but didn't gain enough revenue from the Rams Village apartments to complete the HJ project.</p>
<p>Construction on campus is such a good sign, and though it does suck if it's going on near your dorm, I think it's much better than letting buildings decay. My brother's a junior at Carolina and every time I've visited him there's been some project here or there. I wouldn't let that discourage you, though, the pros of construction far outweigh the cons!</p>
<p>I think a good strong honors program would be a good idea...
they do have an honors program, but from what I heard it's not very good. It would be nice if UNC had a program comparable to Plan II or BHP at UT Austin..</p>
<p>margsala - are you an honors student at UNC? If so, what specifically do you think is 'not very good' about the program.</p>
<p>My d is an honors student at UNC...and turned down Plan I Honors at UT-Austin (if I remember correctly, only 130 were accepted into this program at UT-Austin) for the honors program at UNC, and so far her honors classes have been very good. An example of what she has encountered in the honors program... She is in a very small honors lab science class and they just presented projects. The professor had the entire class over to her home for dinner last weekend and they made their presentations that evening after the meal. My daughter said the evening was intellectually stimulating and just plain fun. I found the curriculum/textbook selections for that class extremely creative as well. So...a tenured professor, who is an honors advisor, teaching a 30 person freshman honors class in creative way with creative learning materials....what more could you want? </p>
<p>Also, the fact that honors classes are open to all students, not just those in the honors program, is a nice feature as well. More at the following link.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.honors.unc.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.honors.unc.edu/</a></p>
<p>Idmom06, no I am not a student so you and your daughter are probably in a better position to rate the honors program :)</p>
<p>Buttt.. the reason why I like Plan II and BHP more is because they are major-specific. Altough they are not open to all, current students told me that all Plan II kids are very good friends with each other. Same with the BHP kids. BHP is amazing for job-recruitment in the business area. I thought it would be nice if UNC came up with a, say, business honors program of the caliber of UT-Asutin's BHP. I do, however, understand that UT Austin is a lot bigger than UNC so this may not be possible. </p>
<p>Btw, I never knew UT had a Plan I honors program! Is it the same as Liberal Art Honors?</p>