<p>why i dont like the south</p>
<ol>
<li>southern accent</li>
<li>obese people</li>
<li>weather</li>
<li>nothing to do</li>
<li>rednecks</li>
</ol>
<p>sure you guys might say that not all southerners are rednecks but when i was in kentucky my cab driver had a shotgun, a pistol, and a knife in his car. two other cab drivers were rambling as to why the south should have won the civil war. my experience with the south is not too good...</p>
<p>jwlstn</p>
<p>I can understand joewii's position. Growing up and living in states like California and Texas is very different than growing up and living in smaller (both in population and physical size) states. I grew up in Ohio but both of my children are native Texans. We have many very good to great schools here and the costs are also very attractive, even at a private school like Rice, but my wife and I both felt that it was very important for our kids to experience another part of the country, other viewpoints and beliefs and so we wouldn't even allow them to apply to schools in Texas. </p>
<p>Texas (and Texans) can be very "Texas-centric" as can many Californians who can only see the world revolve around them. In Dallas, where I live, if you want to get away for the weekend and really experience something different you usually have to fly somewhere because you can drive over ten hours west or south and still be in Texas. We have no real change of seasons to speak of; the joke used to be that fall came on a Thursday and winter on Friday.</p>
<p>We loved visiting Chapel Hill throughout the four years that our son attended school at UNC. We don't have the tall pine trees or rolling hills, change of seasons and let's face it UNC and Chapel Hill really do have a very unique charm. On the other hand, if you have never seen a southwestern sunset you will have a hard time understanding when I say that there is nothing like it....because it so flat here the sky goes on forever and the deep purple, violet, yellow, gold and orange that explode across the sky is truly spectacular to behold.</p>
<p>Interestingly, it took my son to add that perspective to things for me when several years ago while visiting Chapel Hill I commented on how beautiful all the trees were and how it would not be hard to live there. My son agreed but them said that the one thing that he really missed was the big sky and the Texas sunsets because the trees effectively reduce the sunsets/sky by 25% or more.....</p>
<p>My point in all this is that it's all about perspective and unless you have walked in someone else's shoes, don't question their motives, wants or desires. If joewii really wants to attend UNC and can get in, don't try to dissuade him. </p>
<p>just my very humble $0.02</p>
<p>BlackLantern</p>
<p>First, as I and others have said, UNC, Chapel Hill and the triangle area in general are not anything like the truly southern states like SC, GA, MS, TN, KY, AL etc.</p>
<p>Second, I am not sure why you feel it necessary to be on this thread and spew nothing but vitriol, intolerance and closed mindedness. If you don't like the south, you're entitled to your opinion but take it elsewhere.</p>
<p>CC and these threads are supposed to be for helping people through very tough decisions that can impact and shape the rest of their lives. Posting inane comments has no place here.</p>
<p>Blacklantern,</p>
<p>Kentucky is very different from Chapel Hill. Orange County (where Chapel Hill is located) voted over 70% for Obama in the last election. It is actually pretty liberal.</p>
<p>For those who say UNC is "extremely tough" to get in from OOS, what exactly do you mean? By CC standard? As an anedote, my friend got into UNC but not the top privates. He transferred to Northwestern after his freshman year at UNC.</p>
<p>I know people that have gotten into Duke but not UNC OOS.</p>
<p>Also, a lot of the Morehead scholars here have turned down Princeton/Stanford/Yale etc. to come to UNC.</p>
<p>Ehhhhhh...the only thing that's unavoidable in Chapel Hill (of BlackLantern's list) is the southern accent. That's about it. I don't have one, but the majority of people I know say "y'all" and have one.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and who just beat Kentucky in basketball? We did!!!!</p>
<p>In reference to BlackLantern's list:</p>
<p>1.) Southern Accent - Yeah it's here, but not really as annoying or as prominent as you'd think. Amusing sometimes, sure. </p>
<p>2.) Obese people - People on UNC's campus are VERY active.</p>
<p>3.) Weather - If you don't like hot weather then I see your point here.</p>
<p>4.) Nothing to do - WRONG. Have you ever been to Franklin Street? There is TOO much to do at UNC that sometimes you get overwhelmed and don't even know what to do first.</p>
<p>5.) Rednecks - You have to be smart to get in here, so you really won't see the ignorant redneck stereotype here.</p>
<p>yeah..there are seriously NO obese people at chapel hill. everyone's always running EVERYWHERE--it's a weird phenomenon that often makes me feel really lazy haha</p>
<p>My D turned down Cal to go to school in NC (ouch!). Being in the south has not been a problem (and she's Black) but being far from California has been harder then she thought. OTOH, where she is, I think there are almost as many kids from California as there are from NC. She texted at 2 AM about the snow this morning.</p>
<p>I just saw that its tuition is relatively low even for OOS and it's committed to meet 100% of the demonstrated need--definitely the best value.</p>
<p>No one's making you go here, Black Lantern.</p>
<p>Reasons why I love UNC:
1. The size - enough people to have a huge diversity of interests, but not oppressively large
2. The resources - this is a result of the size, I suppose, but there are so many things to do on campus that it's absolutely mind boggling. I could go rock climbing in one of the gyms, or get a massage from campus wellness, or DJ at WXYC, or make a movie in the library in the MRC, or attend one of the eight billion lectures going on all the time. There's so much to do.
3. It's public. I like that my classmates actually cared about money when they made the decision to come here - a lot of people come here for financial reasons. At first I thought that was something negative about the school, now I realize it's a reflection of a responsible/self aware student body.<br>
4. The campus is beautiful
5. People are smart, but they're not going to tell you they are. Ever.
6. Roy Williams</p>
<p>Things I don't like about Carolina
1. Right now, I'm angriest about housing. Basically, here's the situation: at private schools, they're not as serious about cracking down on drinking in the dorms. Before everyone gets uppity about me talking about drinking, let me just tell you, there is not one prestigious school out there where drinking isn't prevalent. All right, so at Carolina, they're really intense about going around and doing rounds to make sure people aren't drinking, and if they catch you, it can be pretty serious. This sounds reasonable now, but when you're twenty years old and have a few friends over and a few beers, seriously, it's annoying. Especially when public schools are the ones with reputations for being the party schools, but so many of my friends at private schools have ragers in dorms. Not possible here.
Anyway, so partying basically isn't an option on campus, and also, there aren't many singles at all. So if, for my junior year of college, I want my own space where I can entertain people, I don't really have any options. So many people move off campus for junior and senior year, and the location just isn't as good. I felt like I had to move off campus for next year against my will... It's not that I'm not excited about having a house, but it'd be nice if that didn't feel like my only option.
2. Pre-major advising is awful. Well, they're good at filling out your worksheet, etc, but if you want spiritual guidance, you're not going to find it from your adviser. You'll find it from professors. Know that going into this.
3. This was more of a problem last year, now it doesn't matter at all. When honors kids and OOSers first get to campus, they think they're the bees knees and it makes for some annoying conversation. That isn't a problem any more, everyone chills out when sophomore year rolls around.</p>
<p>My two cents. Back to paper writing.</p>
<p>Housing -- my d has a single apt in Odum on campus apartments.....they have doubles which each has own room......These are FULL apts, used to be for married housing. on the P2P route and all.....so consider that. I feel your pain on the drinking ...my D2 had issues in Hinton James last year.....suite style can get really noisey and she didnt' drink so the others would party all night.....this year she is in a hall style and it is much much better not the issues as the high rise suites......</p>
<p>If you are worried about getting in trouble for drinking then check out Granville. Seriously. Specifically, Granville West. Its like a constant party there. The other two towers are more relaxed though.</p>
<p>At Duke they have parties outside in the open air on the quads, the frats live in dormitories, and I was once offered free beer in the UNION while I was visiting there--I def refused because I thought it had to be a trap haha!</p>
<p>But then again, there isn't much to do in Durham & it's not as safe there off-campus so most students party on campus. There's a lot more going on in apartments, on Franklin, and in off-campus frat houses at Carolina.</p>
<p>Is it strange to have beer at the student union? I went to college at the University of Wisconsin where the student union made a bundle off of selling beer. It was really one of the best parts of the university. The union was on the lake and had bands and events on the terrace. I would be sad to find out that Madison is unique in its student union.</p>
<p>to the OP: I am from the SF Bay area (Mill Valley), and we recently moved to Chapel Hill. People say that it is a liberal mecca, and it's true that it's one of NC's more liberal areas. But don't go into it expecting it to be like California--although Chapel Hill is a very nice town, and the surrounding area is okay, that and Asheville are pretty much the only liberal parts of NC. And once Chapel Hill gets boring, there is pretty much no other place to go, unless you want to drive all the way to Asheville (Asheville is AMAZING). It's definitely a cute town, but it's a culture shock for sure coming from the Bay area. And the natural beauty just can't compare, I miss the fog! It reminds me of one of the cute little towns outside of San Francisco, but there's no San Francisco to go to once the town gets boring. Just something to consider...I miss my Bay Area!!!!</p>
<p>Hey, as a new Tar Heel, I'd thought I'd just throw in my experiences.</p>
<p>I'm from the North, specifically Massachusetts, so I'm used to a liberal atmosphere too. I was the only one of my friends going to school far away. It's about 500 miles (one long car ride, though not as long as the ride from California would be) and everyone kept asking if I was worried that the south would be too different, too 'backward' for me.</p>
<p>Well, let me tell you, Chapel Hill isn't "the south". To be honest, UNC doesn't feel too different from home (maybe a little warmer). Most people that I've met don't have a heavy southern accent. And people are friendly! - I love that (not everyone of course, but in general). </p>
<p>The University IS big and at first that was hard. I didn't know anyone and it felt like all the kids from Carolina came to school with ready made friends. That didn't last long though. I guess I would equate it with the 'real world' experience of moving to a new city. You don't know anyone, you don't know there area, but eventually it comes to feel like home. </p>
<p>I've met incredible people from around the country and world in the few months I've been at Carolina. I didn't think that a small school would be good for me and now I know I was right. There's just so much here, and I've barely taped the surface.</p>
<p>All I can say is that you should go to the college that feels right (financially, academically and socially). </p>
<p>And one more thing about I love about Carolina - How many other schools of Carolina's calliber offer as many full ride and partial scholarships as UNC does?</p>
<p>
[quote]
And once Chapel Hill gets boring, there is pretty much no other place to go, unless you want to drive all the way to Asheville (Asheville is AMAZING)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This isn't exactly true. Raleigh is less than a half hour away, with lots to do between the city and NC State. Durham is only 8 miles away (for better or worse), with great shopping/restaurants if you get sick of the ones in Chapel Hill. Also, for warm days its only 2 hours to the beach.</p>
<p>Also, I know a few people who have made the trip to G-Vegas (Greenville, NC, home of ECU) to see friends there. That place is absolutely crazy. There's always stuff going on at UNC, but if you ever want to get a break then there's plenty of other places to go that are pretty close.</p>