<p>Contrary to what many seem to think, UNC really does't issue pedestals to OOS students or put signs on their backs labeling them as such when they arrive on campus.</p>
<p>Seriously, I see no reason why an OOS student would appear any different than an IS student, unless one or the other chooses to make it an issue. What would be the point? My son has never indicated that he has been favored or discriminated against in any way as the result of being an OOS student. </p>
<p>Some might point to the disparity in IS/OOS tuition, and I do have some issues with the current policies regarding tuition. However, as least in our case, that affects only me and has no impact on my son's personal experience at UNC. He has been very pleased with his experience from day one.</p>
<p>Hey guys and gals, don't you all feel this has been discussed to death? How about any other strengths or weaknesses for the OOS student. I feel this entire thread has done an injustice to such a great university.</p>
<p>No offense to anyone, but I, for one, feel the issue is a non issue.</p>
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How about any other strengths or weaknesses for the OOS student.
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</p>
<p>Not a student here, but the only real differences I can see for an OOS student, would be higher tuition (weakness), but relative to other universities, it's still less expensive (not taking into consideration any aid-- need-based or otherwise that another school might offer). This relative bargain is especially notable when viewing the quality of UNC-CH, too. </p>
<p>The only other difference I can see is that more in-state freshmen will come in, already knowing other people. I guess I view that as both a positive and a negative (for both groups of people). For the OOS, the positive aspect of this is that they can more quickly meet new people, since any in-state person they meet will introduce them to their in-state friends. The school is big enough, though, that even freshmen who go in knowing some other students, certainly won't know all 3700 of those new freshmen-- not to mention all the sophomores, juniors, and seniors.</p>
<p>Other than that, I can't see that UNC would be any different for OOS students than it would be for anybody else.</p>
<p>I'll just add, too, that UNC-CH seems to have this wonderful laid-back feel to it. I'm not sure this is specific to the South, because there are certainly some Southern schools, even in NC, that don't have that feel. I think the UNC-CH students are just as smart/intellectual/intellectually curious as some of these less laid-back schools, but for whatever reasons, they just seem to be, on the whole, generally more well-rounded and less competitive or cut-throat. That's going out on a limb, I'm sure, but this is what I think.</p>
<p>At any rate, I suspect that this more laid-back atmosphere can often be misleading. (Sort of like when people talk to Southerners, and think because they talk slow, they must be slow thinkers, too-- something like that). At any rate, I would think that the laid-back atmosphere is one of the positives that draw students, but I can also imagine that it might come as a rude awakening when they realize that UNC is also academically challenging; native Southerners are actually brilliant, they just talk slow, etc. I think these are all positives, and a great learning experience for people (eliminating all their possibly pre-conceived ideas about the South), but who knows. Just food for thought, since you asked.</p>
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Mondo, your assertion relative to UNC's OOS ease of admission relative to Ivys and Dook isn't quite what you implied.</p>
<p>Cornell University (NY) 25%
Duke University (NC) 23%
UNC OOS 20%
University of Pennsylvania 18%
Dartmouth College (NH) 16%
Brown University (RI) 14%
Columbia University (NY) 12%
Stanford University (CA) 11%
Princeton University (NJ) 10%
Harvard University (MA) 9%
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</p>
<p>I know that I have come back to this late, but until you can prove to me that the top 20% of UNC's OOS applicant pool are more qualified than the top 23% of Duke's applicant pool, acceptance rates CANNOT be used to determine which school is more difficult to get into. One needs to look at the average SAT/GPA of those who were accepted to Duke compared to those who were accepted UNC OOS. Low acceptance rates show high selectivity but it's not the only factor involved.</p>
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I have been on these boards for over four years now and can honestly tell you that there have been far more OOS students who were denied admission or waitlisted at UNC who also were admitted to Penn, Columbia, Cornell and yes even Duke.
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I have seen many with the reverse situation but I definitely believe that this happens. It is possible that UNC OOS is very difficult to get into, definitely harder than in-state for sure.</p>
<p>I second, third and fourth the idea that we give me information here than the tuition and different standards of admissions for oos. You guys are repeating over and over what has been clearly stated. </p>
<p>Give us something else to debate cause this thread has lost it's point.</p>
<p>Perhaps someone could talk about the social atmosphere at UNC compared to other similar schools? How available are professors, how bif is the party scene, etc.? That would def help me out!</p>
<p>vc08, you should probably make that its own thread. This one is getting kind of long, so when you do, I'll give you my full in-depth analysis. :)</p>