S accepted to Wofford and received a generous scholarship and grant. Puts them in consideration with UNC chapel hill in state. Any advice?
Two very different schools so really will probably come down to best fit if the financial aspect is the same. Vastly different in size and location. Has your S visited both yet? If not, that’s probably going to be the deciding factor. Also look at strength of each program for what your S is interested in pursuing.
Agree with @paveyourpath … two very different schools. Depending on what he chooses to study, one may have an advantage over the other. And it’s important to know whether he can finish in four years at UNC. A fifth year or even an extra semester may be a game changer in terms of cost.
We realize that they are vastly different. Mom and dad like Wofford size . He is leaning toward UNC. I am afraid he will get lost in the crowd there. We are going back to both schools for second looks. He wants to study pre law. I think he is still " high" on being accepted to chapel hill. Thanks for advice.
@ironcity50: We had a similar issue in our household, although Furman and not Wofford was the other school. Mon and Dad loved Furman, and our child was very impressed with Furman too; but she ultimately chose UNC-CH because Furman was too much like her high school in terms of size and demographics, and she wanted a different experience in college.
As far as the size differential goes, I remember a poster observed elsewhere on CC that “It’s easier to make a large university seem small than a small college seem big.” There are lots of clubs and organizations at UNC your son could join that can have the practical effect of making the campus seem smaller than it might otherwise look on paper.
Irrespective of the ultimate decision, your son will get a great education at either Wofford or UNC.
Well we decided upon UNC chapel hill this week. The scholarship from Wofford was amazing but my son ultimately wants unc for multiple reasons like better alumni network and overall college experience. Thank goodness my daughter has decided on NC State in two years so I don’t have to go through this again!
Congrats! I’m sure he will love it. The atmosphere is amazing, and he will make memories and friendships that last a lifetime.
@snorkelmom, UNC-CH has a rule that you are only allowed eight semesters (not counting summers) on campus. If you need more to graduate then you need to file an appeal. Graduating in eight semesters should not be an issue. I know it can be at many state schools but it appears that UNC-CH does not have that issue yet.
Good to know, but three summers to pick up classes can add up pretty fast!
@snorkelmom, I really don’t think it’s a problem unless the student is not proactive about making sure they have the courses needed. They have a good online program that allows the student to clearly keep track of the requirements and their progress. The regristration system gives priority based on number of semesters completed. I know that some departments have list of students that need a certain course to graduate and I believe they try to give them priority. Certain courses will block non majors from registring until all declared majors have had a chance to register. So for most, summers are not needed unless they are tring to get ahead or graduate in less than four years. Also UNC-CH is also very generous with AP credit so that also helps.
If this is a concern, I would create a new post and see if others have had a problem.
Personally there is no way that I would send my child to Wofford over UNC unless it was for a completely free ride. JMO.
What are your reasons?