It is definitely and most emphatically NOT a suburb of Raleigh. I live here. People in Chapel Hill know it is not a suburb and people in Raleigh do not consider it a suburb. It is two counties away from Raleigh for crying out loud!!
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Yes - with lots and lots of space between. Definitely not a suburb. Cary can be considered a suburb, not Chapel Hill!
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Thanks MYOS1634 - much appreciate your thoughts and the time you took in responding in the interest of our child. At Rutgers child will carry a boat load of STEM and CS APās and his Honors College is through SAS so we see a clear pathway for CS. But cross campus is dampner if RBS is thrown into mix. I leave that to childs discretion at a later date 
NEU assured admission is for John Martinsons Honors College+Khoury for CS&B dual major. However co-op scene has been underwhelming this year (from our research). NEU also fell on our preference because of post Freshmen year housing and college life/spirit is lowest compared to other colleges we have on list.
At UNC child has assured admission in Info Sciences and AP credits will help tide over many other Gen Eds. But getting pre-reqās for CS is crap shoot - I get that and its a risk. Another risk is not getting selected into Business. All these cost of OOS tuition ā¦ but ā¦ Tar Heels are Tar Heels and child (you can say perceives)literally āearnedā it with all the hardwork put in over last 3 years for a T-25 school. Letting it go is tough for the child :).
With this background, what do you think? I am sure you understand why we are splitting hairs here lol
Very good points like in your above post. But as I said, the aura of Tar Heels (you can say spirit, you can say prestige, you can say sheer urge to go out of Jersey lol) betters other risks at this point. However, Rutgers NB HC Dorm visit coming up next week should set bar real high for him when we visit UNC the week after.
It is somewhat close to Raleigh but definitely NOT a suburb of Raleigh. Definitely more of a classic college town.
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First off congratulations!! I have spent time on all three campuses and you really have no bad options.
I am a banker so I will be direct in regard to my industry. While taking a risk, UNC is far and away the strongest option reputation wise. All three place kids on Wall Street but gross generalization to follow.
Rutgers tends to place in support roles, Northeastern for whatever reason remains underrepresented on WS and UNC competes effectively with every major target school. There are of course exceptions.
I actually have friends and family from both Rutgers and Northeastern but I would bet on my kid and go for UNC if they were happy with the fit.
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Thank you very much Catcherinthetoast for a completely different point of view that I have been missing so far. Does IBās recruit only KF/Business grads from UNC or other majors like Stat/OR, Econ etc?
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The vast majority of kids actively recruited will be from KF as most initial resume screening is automated and key word driven. That can in part be offset by tactical course and EC selection. Additionally, UNC has such a strong alumni network that a proactive non KF kid can find ways to get themselves considered and engaged in the recruitment process. Particularly from the alternative majors you mention. Itās a grind but it happens from schools like UNC.
If acceptance into KF was guaranteed it would be an easy decision. In my experience however a strong and industrious UNC student still holds an advantage over the other two options (which are great options).
Once again it depends on your kids comfort level with risk, resilience and adaptability but as I said previously I would bet on my kid if they were up for the challenge.
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Thanks a lot again.
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OK - this really isnāt adding value to OP - itās a debate that is unecessary.
Suburb or not - and I call on a business in Durham near the South Point Mall and I call on a business in Raleigh and I fly out of the airport (in between the two) - and I like to stay in Chapel Hill when I canā¦but all of this or rather none of this is important to the discussion related to OP.
And while many may think CH is quintessential, I donāt. So what - again, itās my opinion. Others feel otherwise - and thatās fine. I see nothing special about downtown Chapel Hill or the UNC campusā¦itās my opinion - and it has zero relevance as to whether the OPs student should choose UNC - just like the differing opinions also have no relevance.
If we want to have a thread on quintessential college towns, then that would be the place. But itās not necessary here.
Thanks
I guess youāre right - #7 best suburb of Raleigh to live (Chapel Hill) is not a suburb. Or is it #1 - hmmm - guess each author below has decided differently.
But again, itās also not relevant to whether OPās student should attend UNC.
People really need to be a bit more flexible in what they say here. Different people interpret things differently - and they can all be right. I believe CH is a suburb. The writers agree. Big whoop. For me, Iām right. You donāt think it is - for you, itās not.
Not sure why all the ridiculous attacks over this ā¦you say tomato, i say tomatoā¦
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Great to have your local perspective. Thanks for sharing!! Your observations are similar to our experience during two on campus visits.
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OP what were your impressions of Chapel Hill presuming you have had the chance to visit?
We will be visiting for the first time in the next few weeks for admitted day event.
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Anxious to hear your throughts and see if they align with the dozen or so posters who have experienced it as a classic (or quintessential) college town setting. Safe travels.
Most importantly I hope your kid comes away with some clarity and has fun. The accepted student trips are the best.
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Stay in the Carolina Inn for the closest and most iconic Carolina experience. Itās a historic inn adjacent to campus.
The AC by Marriott is the newest hotel downtown and next closest to campus.
The Graduate is Carolina themed and walkable to campus.
The Hampton Inn on Main St in Carrboro is a bit farther but you can walk it if you want. Itās about 1 mile to north campus.
There are free buses all over town. Theyāre all free and liberally used by students.
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Been living here for many decades. Happy to answer any questions related to Chapel Hill. Also an alum and my spouse works for the university. We are both N.C. natives and have had generations of our families graduate from UNC. Our college student wanted to go away from home so is not at UNC but I do know some local families with UNC students.
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Chapel Hill is absolutely a quintessential (synonym: typical, ideal, the essence of etc) college town. I am not quite sure why it would not be considered one.
As they sayā¦this is not pie. Stating that Chapel Hill is a traditional college town does not take anything away from the many other schools with quintessential college towns. This is not a competition, there are not limited slices to go around.
I think it is a very relevant conversation to have. My daughter spent 4 years of undergrad at UNCā¦and she wanted a quintessential college town. She got one, and often called to tell me she felt like she was dreaming and had to pinch herself. Our stateās public colleges are not like this.
Is the campus the most beautiful one out there? No, it is not. There are parts of the campus that are beautiful, and parts that are in need of updates. Butā¦the campus, combined with the town of Chapel Hillā¦is just perfect to many. The way the campus and town come together as one family, the excitement when they win and how everybody pours onto Franklin, the pride that the students have, the way the restaurant and shop owners know the students, seeing professors on Franklin, the little shops that are so welcomingā¦help make up the core of what it feels like to be a student at UNC and a proud Tar Heel. To this day when my daughter walks down the street of any major city and sees that Carolina blueā¦it always sparks a conversation. Always.
That, combined with the exceptionally strong academics and abundance of opportunitiesā¦makes it a great university. Is it the only great university? No!
If UNC had the major I think this decision would be easy. The OP has to decide whether they want to take a risk (although given the likely strength of this student it may not be a big one) or if this student would be ok with a different major. I mentioned the new data science major (coming this fall) because some of the parents in the FB group stated the similarities to CS (this is not my area so I will not comment) and how students do not have to applyā¦like they do to CS, the business school, school of public health etc.
Good luck! There are 4 great options to choose from- congrats!
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It wouldnāt be as much of a concern if the process was simply selective: in order to be admitted from OOS, OP has to be one of the top students in a very select applicant pool and thus stands excellent chances at meeting the secondary selection criteria.
However, the process is also competitive for both CS and KF, with the competition taking place between all those who meet the selection criteria (not among all random students) - in particular, admission to and involvement with particular clubs is a key factor for KF. Admission to these clubs is not a simple process and the results are subjective. No one knows whether OP will have the personality that gets them into these clubs. Not being in Honors, itāll be harder to get personalized LoRs from professors (absolutely not impossible but will require more than getting good grades).
I understand that if OP is okay with Data Science and no KF, the above is pointless. (Data science is a great major indeed). But if OPs main reason for liking UNC is how terrific KF is.. 
itās important to understand that itās not simply a matter of doing the work and meeting selection criteria.
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