Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was out-of-state at Carolina and it was a huge culture shock being from the DMV. Always regretted I didn’t go to Duke instead. DD didn’t even apply to Carolina.
Can you say more about culture shock? How so? My kid wants to attend. We haven’t visited yet, so he has no idea what it’s like outside of instagram.
My experience is all anecdotal and from family members, friends, HS classmates and now neighbors as well as my own while attending next door NCSU. The rivalry amongst the Duke-NCSU-UNC triangle is deep but there is lots of interaction in between -- academic, athletic, and social -- even if you don't specifically seek it out.
Carolina is, and has been, a culture shock for many who end up there. Even, and especially I suppose, from in-state. Chapel Hill is by far one of the most culturally diverse and heavily Democractic areas in NC (voting for Biden by 80% in 2020,
CNN 2020 breakdown). Back in the day, at NCSU, our admins would joke that 80% of our student body came from a town/county smaller than our student body....and I don't imagine UNC was different then or much different now although it probably has/d a bit more representation from NC's cities than its rural areas because of the degree programs offered there vs at the heavy-ag centered rival university in Raleigh. Even so, NC "cities" aren't anything close to DMV (much less Boston-NYC-Philly) in terms of pace, price, and expectations.
Today, Chapel Hill seems modern but underlying it still has a Southern bent that Northerners, and yes, DMV, that includes you, may struggle with. They can be sweet to your face all the while plotting your downfall (like stealing your SO or sabotaging your pledge week). They've also had their share of academic scandals, particularly with athletes (source:
https://www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/us/unc-report-academic-fraud/index.html) but, again, they just happened to get caught. I honestly believe those kind of shenanigans go on at many colleges.
All that said, it
is a good school. If you can get in and afford it, go for it! And learn to love that sick shade of blue.