Recent admit to both Stanford and UNC Chapel Hill Honors College.
NC resident so huge cost difference, however, fortunate to have resources to pay for Stanford if that’s the choice I make. However, value matters to me and don’t want to be spending my parent’s money on such an expensive school if it isn’t worth it.
Intended major - political science or economics. Hope to go to law school.
Have visited both campuses and like them a lot. I’m not as into college campus culture and environment as some are - as long as the campus isn’t super rural, I am happy and dominated by a party scene. More interested in quality of classes, faculty, research and internship opportunities, etc. Enjoy reading books, intellectual talks and podcasts, interesting conversations with friends. Athletic and enjoy an active lifestyle - running, golf, etc.
Would love to hear your thoughts on fit, whether you get what you pay for at Stanford, and any things I should be thinking about in terms of fit.
If you are into value and want to go to law school, then easy call - UNC. Harvard has over 140 colleges represented in its first year under 600 kids class. Top 8 UVA over 130 with in given first years, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma amongst the feeder leaders. Penn over 200 within the three years of school. I opened the list, American, than Arkansas State, Arizona State and even my daughter’s C of C is there.
You can go to W Carolina and get into a top law school.
What will matter - gpa, test - you’re obviously strong in these - and then extras - how you spend your time, more and more today take a gap year and get work experience.
You know, for law school, you can major in anything but poli sci works.
Great gets - I’m only answering from your value note and law school.
Not telling you not to choose UNC but for law school and value purposes, it’s a no brainer even if it was UNC-G
Good question - yes, they will be able to help me with law school. Are there any substantive differences in the types of experiences I would get at the schools? In terms of classes, exposure to internships and events, supportive academic culture, etc.?
If your family is able and happy to pay for all undergrad and grad education then I’d thank them profusely and attend the school you prefer. Congrats on the fantastic options.
Ask the dept or career services for internship outcomes.
But note most today find on their own. My kid at C of C did the DC semester. Had 7 offers, 5 paid and worked for a prominent think tank - grunt job but she was in college. She also worked for our state one summer and now is in a hard to get public svc role.
It’s up to the student - not the school. You have to be a go getter.
But the schools should have data. On line or ask for it. Unc has job data on line. Not sure if for internships. Can look later.
While I cannot speak about Stanford, I can speak about UNC.
Does size matter? UNC has about two times as many students. You are also comparing public vs private. She found the school to be diverse (compared to HS) which was important to her.
There are parties, but they are easy to avoid and most are off campus. My daughter was an OOS student and found the course work to be just right - not too hard, not too easy (different major). She studied and did very well (as a frame of reference).
The profs were readily available and she became very close to several- she still keeps in touch. Obtaining research was easy (this was before the cuts to funding) as was getting internships, summer positions etc. She had a friend who was a poly sci/journalism major who had several impressive internships.
My D was not a partier. She was involved in several clubs, organizations, research groups etc…and that is how she kept busy outside of class. She also tutored her profs child, went to a profs home for a bbq, went bike riding with one of her profs, and accompanied another one on a 2 week trip for a research position (along with another student).
You are fortunate that your family has the resources to pay for either school as well as law school. I would attend the one that is a better fit for you.
She loved her time at UNC. If she had any complaints she never shared them with me.
I may be biased. I got my master’s degree at Stanford and loved it. However, that was a long time ago and the cost of attendance has gone up a great deal since then.
Stanford is a very good university. Classes go fast. There is a lot of homework, and some of the homework is tough. Since they are on the quarter system the end of the quarter comes up sooner than you might expect and you better be ready for it. I still, decades later, remember doing homework on a Saturday afternoon. If you attend Stanford you might be best off if you want to do this. I did have quite a few very good professors, and at least one rather bad professor.
However, UNC-CH is also a very good university. The few graduates I have known from UNC have made the university look very good (and one was a graduate student at Stanford, and if I am remembering correctly a way better squash player than you might have expected looking at him).
Personally, I am dubious regarding whether the cost of Stanford is worth it if you are a full pay student and your parents are not very wealthy (something like decamillionaires).
You can do very well with a degree from either university. If you do go on to law school, then you will be significantly better off if your parents can afford to pay for both undergrad and law school without your taking on debt, and law school would be the three years for which to me the cost of Stanford (or Harvard or Yale, or somewhere similar) would be worth it. Edit: I see that your parents can “help” with law school even after paying for Stanford, but it is not clear to me how much help this involves (ie, whether pay for all or pay part of the cost).
I do think that this is a tough decision. I think that either is a very good choice. I honestly do not know what choice I would make if I had to decide now given current costs of attendance.
One important issue might be: What do you want to do?
When you look at curriculums, UNC has an interesting PPE program with Duke. It’s a minor. There’s also a joint degree possibility with the Natl U of Singapore I like to look at the sub programs. I don’t see at Stanford but can’t be sure. Some schools will have focuses - like Intl or Policy I don’t see but you can ask if the curriculum doesn’t show.
Both seem to offer a DC semester.
It’s like - picking between the Beatles and Rolling Stones ok, I’m old but heads you win, tails you win.
Paying for law school has to be considered if it’s not an issue, then visit both - which feels best?
If you decide against law school, with a Poli Sci degree, it might not matter which either. You’ve gotten an embarrassment of riches. I’m betting on you, no matter the school because clearly you get it done and that’s why you will go far in life.
All students at UNC can take classes at Duke. The reverse is also true.
Intro classes are large- my d had a different major but I assume this is true for most. Classes get smaller as you continue. My d sat front and center.
One of her profs did research on best teaching practices in large college classes, and used those techniques in class.
All of her classes were taught by professors except for one Spanish class (20 students) that was taught by somebody who was almost finished with her PhD.
Good luck with your decision. You are clearly an accomplished student!
For the scenario you laid out, I would choose UNC over all but a handful of universities. Of that small handful, in my opinion, Stanford is at the top of the list.
my best friend’s kid chose UVM (honors college) over Duke because he intends to go to law school and doesn’t want to be saddled with debt so he can pursue the low paying, save-the-world type of jobs (like public defender). I don;t think too many people supported his decision. I think he also just didn’t like the vibe at Duke when he visited, though.
UNC is pretty prestigious. It will never hold you back.
But Stanford is probably one of just a handful of schools that truly opns doors for you.
Honestly UNC and the whole of the UNC public university system is going downhill due to political interference. UNC can find $50 million to pay Bill Belichick to lose a bunch of football games but the powers that be are cutting the Area Studies Research Centers to “save” $7 million. UNC cuts all six area studies research centers, effective 2026 - Daily Tar Heel
The Center for European Studies, the African Studies Center, the Carolina Asia Center, the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, the Institute for the Study of the Americas and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies are all slated to close, according to the impacted sources. These centers are the first of 14 total UNC centers and institutes to be cut.
Lee Roberts, the Dukie business bro political appointee chancellor (with no previous academic experience), and the political UNC System Board of Governors, and the UNC Board of Trustees are running UNC into the ground. As a UNC alum, I’d take a hard look at Stanford. UNC is not the school it once was. It’s still good but the powers that be are really trying hard to steer it toward their political vision. It’s become a pawn in the political partisanship in the state and the country. There are still great things being done at UNC and great professors who are trying to rise above it all but if money is no object I’d look at how Stanford stands up to this kind of interference.
Even if there’s no serious strain, there may be some shared savings if the student picks UNC. My son was in a perhaps-analogous situation last year (aerospace at Cornell vs. UMD) - he’s happily at UMD and it’s really amazing for him. And, we are saving a nice account for him to buy a house when he graduates.
OP, you sound like the kind of person who would do amazing at either school. Unless money is really no object at all, I think UNC would be great and will provide you the same opportunities to get into a top law school.
Factor in the benefits of the Honors College. As a poli sci major, you may also want to consider that UNC is only 35 minutes from the State House, while Stanford is 2 hours.
