The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

First I must say that this nation will one day have a gay uprising/rebellion and it will begin at UNC-CH. We had an entire gay/lesbian week, AND students pay to support the gay/lesbian center OUT OF THEIR TUITION!!!!!!! Secondly this school is very challenging, but over-rated. I feel like all I do is work, church and school. If you call my dorm room on a Friday or Saturday night I will most likely be there to answer. There is NOTHING to do but get drunk and high, AND THAT ISH DOESNT FLOAT MY BOAT, even though some of the students that smoke weed every weekend have higher grades than the students who do not (go figure). And the racial tension is ridiculous. It wouldn't bother me as much if there were only a lot of people who were "intentionally" ignorant/racist, but there are more people who do not understand that they are racist. One girl said to me "You're one of the nice, pretty black people", Why the hell would you say that? And she really didn't see anything wrong with her statement. Also for Halloween a white guy dressed up as a "black person" as he said,and he had the nappiest damn afro he could find, painted brown over his skin and everything. And get this... HE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT (or maybe he was just "trying" to be funny). Anyways, some of the people are snooty and stuck up and lots of people are phony. Watch who you associate yourself with...better yet WATCH YOURSELF AT ANOTHER SCHOOL!. Some professors will help you and some won't, but NONE of them will baby you like in high school, and I guess that's a good thing but it would be even better if more of them knew how to speak English. And don't expect to see real professors in beginners courses unless you plan to visit their office hours...because the majority of classes have Teacher's Assistants (that is graduate students who care more about their research than you) as the instructors. GOOD LUCK!!!!

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Scholastic Success: A+, Education Quality: F

UNC is way overrated. I've been to three NC schools over the years. Finally transferred in to UNC to get "educated" from a great university. I should have remained at my former school. UNC has nothing on other NC schools. I'm sorry, but like any other college, there are pathetic research-oriented profs who care nothing about their studetns because they simply don't have time. This leaves an empty experience when no feedback or objective criticism is given regularly. You get a paper or test back with scribbled remarks and if you can't read the foreign language remarks they will not have time to explain. I took some classes in my field at ECU and it was TEN TIMES BETTER than this so-called Public Ivy League school. Whoa! If I'd only known...but it's too late to turn back again. Consider other schools first, not just the name UNC, by visiting the dept. you're interested in and auditing a class or two if you can. And...talk to a variety of people...not just PrincetonReview.com or US News.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2000

Surrounding City: A-, Faculty Accessibility: D

I didn't really want to transfer to UNC, mainly because of its size, and I haven't been very happy here...I'm just trying to get that piece of paper at this point. The classes have been a pleasant surprise in terms of difficulty (particularly my English classes)--I expected to breeze through with no effort, since I originally went to Davidson, which is supposedly a much more academically rigorous school. Class size in my major has also been great--I haven't had more than 26 or 27 people in an English class. On the other hand, I am also pre-med, and my required science classes have been nightmarish--the stereotypical 200-person lecture hall, with very, very little opportunity for professorial help or even contact. So I guess it all depends on your department, and the level of your classes (introductory/general versus upper-level).

The students here haven't impressed me; I guess that's the major difference between here and Davidson. It's not that they're dumb, exactly--but they are definitely "typical" college kids: full of loud, adamant opinions with little factual backup (especially political opinions) (the liberals are the worst, and I AM a liberal); very Abercrombie and Fitch (with all that implies); strong sense of entitlement; into lots of drinking and being irritatingly rowdy (and I am not a teetotaller or anti-partying--I just don't like to impose myself on other people). Some of my judgements may come from the fact that I took a few years off to work, and at 24, am just older enough to be annoyed by ordinary college behavior. I think I would have felt the same at 18, though, honestly.It takes a lot of effort to be more than just a warm body here, in both the academic and social arenas, so if you're shy or need a lot of attention or guidance, go to UNCA or someplace instead (just as strong academically, IMO, but about a tenth of the size).

3rd Year Female -- Class 2005

Perceived Campus Safety: A, Education Quality: D-