Help understanding the vibe of SC and NC colleges!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is U Texas at Austin too much of a reach? That would be my pick for her based on her personality and preferences. Davidson as well. I’d tread carefully with the tier below. Could be a bizarre social fit

Op said test optional which would rule out Davidson and Austin. OPs list is really scattered. Hard to offer suggestions without student profile. Maybe Rollins Winter Park, Fl? I know a student there majoring in Psych, doing well, and she loves it. Campus is beautiful, dining is excellent, dorms are ridiculously cool, renowned campus art museum, and Winter Park is a very cute city with great shopping, cafes. Basically, everything a young woman could ask for. https://www.rollins.edu/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NC State and the Raleigh area is such an amazing choice for so many reasons. I highly recommend you visit. I'm a Californian myself, and I didn’t find it to be stereotypically "Southern". I'm not even sure Raleigh is the "South"? In any event, it's very international because of RTP. Plus the weather is great and you can swim outdoors all year round. The only thing is NC State only accepts around 15% out of staters (all schools in the UNC system have this limitation). Also, to give you the lay of the land, many consider NC State to be NC's flagship STEM school, and UNC Chapel Hill to be NC's flagship school (which also has STEM, but not as strong). The biggest selling point of NC State IMO is that I had so many opportunities for STEM jobs after graduating because of the school's reputation, connections and location. Also, the alumni really look out for one another, locally and beyond (especially in California).

I'm assuming OP left out UNC Chapel Hill because of lower stats, so it's doubtful NC State would be an option. While it might be a reachable option for an in-state non-STEM major, the oos (as well as in state STEM) candidates have very high stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm assuming OP left out UNC Chapel Hill because of lower stats, so it's doubtful NC State would be an option. While it might be a reachable option for an in-state non-STEM major, the oos (as well as in state STEM) candidates have very high stats.

THIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why fhe hell would you leave California to third tier toilet schools in the south east?

You have options in AZ as well

Toilet schools? You are an unkind person.

[Anonymous]

UMiami?
As someone who lives in Raleigh, I would definitely visit NC State before seriously considering it. I've never liked the vibe there and the people I meet who went thrre are significantly more... southern than most UNC grads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all for the replies and insight.

I’m going to try and answer a few of the questions that have come up. We are considering some UC schools, but most of them are very hard to get in now. Some are reaches on her list. Others don’t work location wise. She also really wants a school with over 10k undergrads and when you add “mild winter” as a requirement it ends up very limiting.

I wrote off Elon already because it came up on my radar sooner and I looked into it and was able to figure out she wouldn’t like it there. Also due to the size being smaller than she wants. We also ruled out SMU and TCU after she watched boulevarding videos on Tik Tok. I agree she won’t really like the Greek life, particularly in the south.

The list of schools I posted today were very recently suggested by her counselor and she’s now supposed to be researching them. I’m trying to figure out which are worth touring. Also suggested were Alabama and Ole Miss. Appalachian too but the weather doesn’t make sense.

I’m willing to let her explore and maybe she’ll figure this all out herself. I’m just worried this doesn’t make sense, as some of you pointed out.

Hi op, I have to agree with you it probably doesn’t make the most sense for her. I went to college of Charleston after growing up in the dc area and while I had an amazing time because it is a fantastic city and I had a best friend who was also from the dc area, I really did not fit in honestly. I couldn’t relate to many of the girls raised in the south, and the guys oh that was honestly much worse. Of course you can’t generalize across everyone but generally a pretty bro-y, head out on my boat to fish kind of crowd. Again that is a generalization and I’m not saying many of them aren’t nice people, I made friends but my life long friends are from high school and I think that’s partially why.

Charleston is an amazing city to go to college in, and there will be a variety of folks anywhere, but it will likely be tougher to find her crowd. Easier at CofC than Clemson or something I can’t really imagine that. And agree it would be odd to come across the country for East Carolina. I have friends that were generally happy at Wilmington and it has the beach too which is nice.

And yes, there is more racism. No doubt about it.

Do a trip but I would try to find some other options!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m shocked that people recommend U SC. I’d hate to live in Columbia.

My son loves Columbia. We’ve really enjoyed visiting. The campus is beautiful. What’s not to like? The area is very liberal.

However, the biggest draw was the Common Market program, which enables us to pay in-state tuition.

[Anonymous]

I think UNC Asheville would be perfect. Small classes and down to earth students with a social conscience.

[Anonymous]

Your daughter sounds like any teen/college girl anywhere and she will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why fhe hell would you leave California to third tier toilet schools in the south east?

You have options in AZ as well

Exactly!
If she doesn't like Southern California OP would she like CalPoly SLO, UC Santa Cruz?
The schools you list are not premiere in any way and I do not understand why you would pay OOS tuition for any of them.
If she just wants to get out of CA look at flagships elsewhere... Arizona, UF, UT Austin.
Anything between GA and up to NC are going to be a social shell shock.

[Anonymous]

The school may be too small for her, but check out Rollins College. It's the prettiest campus we have ever visited, and Winter Park is such a cute little town. There are lots of people from all over, so it does not have a Southern vibe. I know some people rule out Florida because of politics, but it is a private university. I have two more kids headed to college and I hope one of them picks Rollins. There most famous alum is Mr. Rogers.

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rollinscollege

Website: https://www.rollins.edu/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school may be too small for her, but check out Rollins College. It's the prettiest campus we have ever visited, and Winter Park is such a cute little town. There are lots of people from all over, so it does not have a Southern vibe. I know some people rule out Florida because of politics, but it is a private university. I have two more kids headed to college and I hope one of them picks Rollins. There most famous alum is Mr. Rogers.

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rollinscollege

Website: https://www.rollins.edu/

Unlikely that OP's daughter would fit in at country-club like Rollins College. Based on OP's description of her daughter, OP wants to look for the opposite of Rollins College.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NC State and the Raleigh area is such an amazing choice for so many reasons. I highly recommend you visit. I'm a Californian myself, and I didn’t find it to be stereotypically "Southern". I'm not even sure Raleigh is the "South"? In any event, it's very international because of RTP. lus the weather isP great and you can swim outdoors all year round. The only thing is NC State only accepts around 15% out of staters (all schools in the UNC system have this limitation). Also, to give you the lay of the land, many consider NC State to be NC's flagship STEM school, and UNC Chapel Hill to be NC's flagship school (which also has STEM, but not as strong). The biggest selling point of NC State IMO is that I had so many opportunities for STEM jobs after graduating because of the school's reputation, connections and location. Also, the alumni really look out for one another, locally and beyond (especially in California).

Swim outdoors all year round ?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NC State and the Raleigh area is such an amazing choice for so many reasons. I highly recommend you visit. I'm a Californian myself, and I didn’t find it to be stereotypically "Southern". I'm not even sure Raleigh is the "South"? In any event, it's very international because of RTP. lus the weather isP great and you can swim outdoors all year round. The only thing is NC State only accepts around 15% out of staters (all schools in the UNC system have this limitation). Also, to give you the lay of the land, many consider NC State to be NC's flagship STEM school, and UNC Chapel Hill to be NC's flagship school (which also has STEM, but not as strong). The biggest selling point of NC State IMO is that I had so many opportunities for STEM jobs after graduating because of the school's reputation, connections and location. Also, the alumni really look out for one another, locally and beyond (especially in California).

Swim outdoors all year round ?????

Yeah, not true at all PP. Right now I'm in Chapel Hill, 30 miles from NC state, wearing a sweater with a blanket on my lap because it's 39 degrees out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We also live in Los Angeles and have a junior who would never consider any of those schools because of all the racist connections with the South. They exist.

Well, clearly you and your junior are superior to everyone else on this thread.

Right? No one in Los Angeles or California ks racist. It is utopia there.