Please Help!!! UNC vs. Wisconsin vs. Maryland

uncjames
Thu, 21 Apr 2011 01:21:33 +0000

As a current economics major at UNC, I can tell you that I have been extremely pleased with the econ department here. The professors are all well regarded in their field and the courses are challenging, but you will be very prepared after finishing the major. The last class you take to complete the major is grad school level, so you will be getting a very in depth look at some advanced subject (for example, I am in Advanced Macro, which my professor tells me is the same course he taught PhD students at UC Davis).

I am also a history minor and sampled many courses in the social sciences, which I have enjoyed.

As far as UNC having a lot of core reqs, it isn’t too hard to get them done in four years. They really aren’t difficult to fulfill and there are a lot of courses that will count as 2-3. There are certain requirements that are somewhat difficult to fulfill (such as the experimental education), but the counseling department here will help you figure out what to take and will work to get you out of here in four years.

UNC is incredibly diverse and accepting of people from all backgrounds. Most of the students are fairly secular, so the student body doesn’t have issues with religions that are non-Christian. There is a very active Jewish community on campus that you can participate in if you would like. We do have the pit preacher, who will come on campus and preach/scream about why college students are going to Hell, but he is widely considered to be a joke. He has condemned every person on campus at some point in their four years here and his jibberish is a great way to waste some time before class. Also, he lack the ability to make a logical argument, so trying to have a discussion with him is completely impossible. Just think of him as a real world ■■■■■. Don’t feed him.

Though the student body is intelligent, I wouldn’t say it is a cutthroat atmosphere. There are study groups within classes and free tutoring available to those who need it. I’m sure there are people who don’t want to help their fellow classmates, but they are a minority.

I’m sure the culture of UW is spectacular, but the atmosphere on the campus of Carolina is in a class by itself. Nearly everyone is intelligent, the weather is nice, the campus is stunning, and the athletics are top notch. After every basketball victory over dOOk (and when we win the national championship) we rush Franklin Street and celebrate as a mob. Speaking of mobs, there is a end of semester rave in the library during exam week that is incredibly hot and tiring, but it is a great way to blow off some steam. Also, downtown Chapel Hill has terrific night life and we are nearby the much larger cities of Durham and Raleigh, so every convenience of a larger city is within a 30 minute drive.

Basically, Carolina is the single greatest place to spend your college years on the face of the planet. We have great academics, a friendly student body, and way more fun than should be legal.