Uni in the USA: A British Guide to American Universities and Colleges > All New: Colleges and Universities Added in 2009 > The University of North Carolina (new review!)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Undergrads:
Grads:
How many North Carolina students does it take to change a light bulb?
Fewer than those evil Duke students.
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The North Carolina “triangle” – the three towns of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill – is home to three world-class universities: North Carolina State (in Raleigh), Duke (in Durham) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). The three offer different educational opportunities – but while Duke normally steals the spotlight cavorting with the Ivy Leaguers up north, many feel that it is UNC that provides the best education in every area of college life. Just talk to the students there for a few minutes and it will be immediately apparent that not only are they intelligent, sophisticated and incredibly charming, but they exude a heart-warming contentment and happiness that comes straight from their experience at school. “I only wish it were more than four years,” said a tearful senior when asked what his least favourite part of the school might be.
The Campus
UNC’s campus is truly lovely. Lush, green, tree-filled quads yawn between elegant brick edifices, some of them dating back to the 1700s. UNC is the oldest state university in the country, founded by North Carolina’s General Assembly in 1793 on a hill that happened to have a chapel and be roughly in the centre of the state. Students praise the “great campus setup”, since the large grounds are bike-friendly and the classroom blocks are close enough together to be manageable.
In the middle of campus is a communal brick courtyard, surrounded by cafes and dining options, with an indented rectangle at the centre known as “the pit”, where student organisations set up tables and the “pit preacher” makes his entreaties for passers-by to avoid eternal damnation. On the northern edge of campus is Franklin St, Chapel Hill’s main drag, with loads of great restaurants and bars which are always full of students.
Campus facilities are fantastic; the libraries, for example, not only hold close to six million volumes, but are equipped with state-of-the-art computer labs and other perks for students – such as free movie rental from a huge selection of films. Like many universities there is non-stop construction work to create new improvements and remodel and renew outdated buildings. Students complain about the permanent building works, but admit that end results are almost always worth it.
Most students live on campus, especially freshmen and sophomores, while many move out into various apartments or student housing in town by their junior year. Dorms have a reputation for grottiness, but are improving (only a tiny number suffer without air conditioning nowadays…). There are great “themed housing” options – dorms based around sustainability, diversity, being substance-free or foreign languages, for example, all of which are popular.
The UNC student
The student body is a wonderful thing, frequently cited as the best thing about UNC. Everyone is laid back enough to enjoy themselves but still capable of focusing on their studies and other things that are important to them. UNC kids are an extremely happy bunch – and it’s not just the Princeton Review that says so.
Don’t be daunted by the statistic that over 80% of the students are state residents – diversity is excellent, and students love the fact that they interact regularly with “people from every walk of life”. UNC’s size works really well with its rich community spirit – the school is apparently “big enough so that you meet new people all the time, but enough of a tight community that you can have a lot of close friends”, all in a “bright, active” atmosphere which comes just as much from student attitudes as it does from the plentitude of extra-curriculars. Thus everyone can find their own niche, but still enjoy a society that is “not dominated by clean-cut cliques.” Everyone is united by a sincere passion for their school.
“There are so many talented people”, claims a junior, adding pointedly, “but everyone is relaxed and not cut-throat at all…unlike Duke”. It seems that students have managed to purge themselves of any hatred against anyone else in the world and direct it all at their rivals eight miles away. Talking of rivalry, sports are huge deal, especially when it’s basketball, and especially when it’s against Duke, NC State or the University of Virginia. Such events usually involve mutual vandalism, while victories are marked by mass gatherings and bonfires on Franklin St, which the police obligingly close to traffic despite it being Chapel Hill’s main road. For the tiny minority not interested in UNC sports, this can be tough to cope with.
Hitting the Books
Teaching here is “intense, but great”. Some students report “the most fantastic professors ever”, while others give a more nuanced view, but it is certain that the UNC faculty has leaders in many fields, almost all of them with first-hand experience of their subject in the real world which students benefit from drawing on. Many of the best professors teach lower-level courses, not hidden away for the top students and grads like they are at most schools.
Overall, there is a “good balance” academically. Classes challenge you, but don’t leave you gasping and clueless. Student attitudes to work cover the spectrum – some never leave their books, others never touch them – but most are a happy medium when it comes to tackling their studies. Science, religious studies, international affairs and pre-med courses are cited as among the best here, though be warned that there is no engineering department if this is what you were planning to focus on.
Social Life
You will definitely get more out of your education at UNC if you are a proactive kind of person – there is so much here but it needs to be taken advantage of. UNC truly does have one of the most vibrant campus lives on offer; students frequently acclaim the boundless possibilities and insist that anything you want to do can be done – if a group doesn’t already exist for it then it’s easy to start one and find others who share your interests.
Student organisations are officially run by the Carolina Union, and receive funding from the student government from the smallish activity fee which they exact from each student. In return for this, the Union and its organisations provide the students with loads of fun events and give-aways (free food!), which creates a buzzing atmosphere of activity. At “fall fest” – a huge outdoor event on the Sunday before classes begin in August – all the organisations set up booths and advertise what they do.
Then there are the parties hosted by each organisation, by each dorm block or academic department. As well as the awesome events hosted regularly on campus, students can attend free film showings (often before their release in cinemas), concerts (both from the hundreds of UNC bands and from outside touring groups), theatre (when we visited, the world-famous Bolshoi Ballet from Moscow was performing), and comedy.
Of course, UNC is also host to loads of more typical student parties, both on and off campus, where student can let loose after…so much letting loose. Many of the big parties are run by the fraternities and sororities, which have a surprising impact on university life considering that only ten percent of students are involved.
One cross-cultural note: Carolina (both North and South) students have, for generations danced an easy, elegant, sliding dance innocently called The Shag - just a heads up for British students approached for the first time and asked if they can shag....
Outside Those Ivory Walls
Chapel Hill did not exist until UNC was founded. It is the ultimate college town, and one of the coolest too. Whether you’re hanging out at the great student haunts on Franklin St or heading down to the adjacent village of Carrboro, famous for its bohemian alternative culture, the town compliments the university perfectly.
Getting In
UNC is rightly a very popular university, and not quite as big as other state schools, so admissions are competitive and only about a third of applicants are admitted. All the academic aspects of your application are important, including test scores, recommendations, essays, class rankings and the rigour of your previous school's teaching. Interviews are not necessary.
Like many public universities, fees for international applicants are a lot harsher than for state residents. Still, UNC is considered very good value for money by US standards, and there are a limited number of scholarships available - though these are awarded based solely on the merits of your basic application - you don't have to submit more forms or sit an extra test or interview.
Famous Grads
Charles Frazier – author, Cold Mountain
Lewis Black – comedian
Elizabeth Edwards – attorney and slighted wife of presidential candidate John Edwards