The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

I transfered into Chapel Hill from a smaller school in the NC university system and it was quite a shock. The most important thing about UNC is that it's a really big school and you start out as just a number.

There are plenty of chances to define yourself and change from a number to a name (within your section of the university) but it is all up to you. Your professors will not reach out to you- you have to make all the effort to breakaway from the crowd.

The "rivalry" between in-state and out-of-state is a bit overdramatic. North Carolinians are proud of UNC, and for good reason. It's a challenging school with difficult subjects and professors that are extremely qualified (even if they are sometimes too into themselves). Being accepted as an NC resident is like a badge of honor for people from NC- we all know the cache it holds and honor it for that reason.Social life revolves around groups/clubs: sports (club sports are really popular too; you don't have to be on a varsity team), greek life, drama, work, music, etc. Find your hobby and then find your friends...

2nd Year Female -- Class 2003

Education Quality: A, Individual Value: D+

Your perception of this school will be determined by if you are an in-state or out-of-state student. Some in-state students see this university as being the greatest thing since sliced bread, many coming from small towns with no outside views of the real world. Then you have some in-state students that either like this university of hate it. And then you have out-of-state students like myself. Although I plan to transfer to another school after this semester, I will say that Carolina is a good educational value; however, it does not fulfill the challenge that I expected. There are lots of problems between in-state students and out-of-state students. The high school educational system in the state of North Carolina is not on par with high schools from other states. All of my classes are pretty easy, as I managed to obtain a 4.0 in taking 18 hours for my first semester and this semester is a breeze. However, I know that this is not the case with some of my classmates, nearly all are from North Carolina. Also, cheating is big for some reason, it is not like the classes are difficult. As far as my social life, a lot of the people here, consider anyone that comes from any state above the NC state line to be a Yankee, which is really irritating once you begin to hear it day in and day out. Also, I hate when people refer to me as a JAP, which I find really offensive. I hear it day in and day out and it is also irritating. I don’t go around stating that they are hicks and rednecks. People here are very judgmental. In some cases, mainly during basketball season, it seems as if the university tries to push athletics over academics. Chapel Hill is your typical college town; however, the nightlife is nothing to write home about. The bars nor the clubs are your typical “southern” hole in the wall joints that blast the same radio top 40 hits each weekend. You see the same people, hear the same music, and it gets old and minorities need not to try and get in, which has opened up another can of worms. Those from some Podunk town in this state find it entertaining and think they are in a big city. Frat parties are pretty good but also sometimes boring as well. Beer pong, drugs, and hook ups are frequent on and off campus. Overall, this university prides itself on propaganda, being the flagship of this state, and legacy. This university is a good value and well liked throughout this state, but I looking for a stronger/more challenging academics, and it just does not fit me. Good Luck to all those high school seniors that are about to graduate.

1st Year Female -- Class 2010

Campus Aesthetics: B, University Resource Use/ spending: F

There are many pros and cons about attending UNC from my experience.
Pros: lots of school spirit among students, some professors go the extra mile to help you, freshman classes are pretty easy as compared to AP high school courses, the campus is nice, the campus is large, we are a basketball school, students are encouraged to get involved in something, dorm living can be fun at times, halloween, apple chill, a few students have open minds, and food is not great, but it is not bad either, I had better.Cons: students tend to look down upon you and are very arrogant and snooty, parking on and around is a pain, racism on and off campus, tension among African American students and white students, there are many cliques like in high school and students will stereotype you, tension among in-staters and out of state students, social life can be boring a lot of the times and not what some make it out to be, people at the recreation center are rude and it is always crowded, TA's that teach freshman cannot speak english well and most of the people you will have as a freshman will be a TA, some professors don't care about you, some students are very ignorant and closeminded, the university tries its best to brainwash you, the university cares more about graduate students than undergraduate students, getting tickets to a basketball game is a pain unless you have connections, homophobic violence at parties though we have a lot of gay students on campus, drugs are big on and off campus, and athletes act as if they are God's gift to the world.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2009

Education Quality: B-, Campus Maintenance: D-