Same. My daughter didn’t consider any schools south of NC, and if we didn’t have such close ties to NC and UNC in particular (my husband and I are both alums), she wouldn’t have considered any southern schools. We are in VA, and she is only applying to one school in VA (William & Mary) because she feels like she should have one in-state option, but she isn’t all that interested in going there. All of her other schools are in PA, MA, and NY. Politics have a lot to do with that decision (as a female, she has no desire to be in a red southern state), but she is also just more drawn to schools in the north (except for UNC!).
1 Like
Interesting. So sounds like a left-leaning student body?
Oh, I don’t know about that at all, I am not a good person to ask about the student body, we are OOS and have no friends, family, or other connections to current or previous Carolina students. NC is closer to a purple state, GA is a very much red state. I’m not referring to the schools, or student body, for either UNC or UGA, just the states in which they are located.
1 Like
I live in NC and lived in GA for many years. This is no longer true, both states are quite purple although their legislatures may not reflect that due to gerrymandering.
According to the cookpolitical.com vote tracker, the popular vote breakdown for the presidential race was 50.7/48.5 in Georgia, and it was 50.9/47.6 in North Carolina.
I think the creation of the red state / blue state method of division promotes deep misunderstandings of the nature of the people in our states. All our states, not just the southern ones.
2 Likes
oh my gosh no it’s not.
I wasn’t referring to the student body. More the political culture and laws in southern states were a deterrent to my daughter (and our family). I think it’s fair to say the student body at UNC is a mix politically, though Chapel Hill and the triangle area are more left-leaning.
Both of Georgia’s U.S. senators are Democrats.
1 Like
And both of North Carolina’s U.S. senators are Republicans.
In rereading my comment, I just want to add that I don’t mean it to be a rebuke of OctoberKate. As she said, it’s her son (not her) who wouldn’t consider UGa due to political perceptions. I don’t think her son is alone in this perception.
I agree with the poster who said Chapel Hill (the town) is pretty left-leaning, but that since the student body of UNC is drawn from all over the state, it’s harder to characterize as left- or right-leaning.
As for UGa, I can’t speak to the student body, but Athens is pretty left-leaning. Again, UGa pulls from all over the state… I wouldn’t be surprised if that student body is also harder to characterize.
I think, for us at least, there’s some likely not-accurate local perceptions and historical preconceived notions. We live in VA. Lots of kids from our school apply to NC schools. For them, I think it’s like - NC is just right next door, feels similar to home, hardly different at all! GA is so far away! Deep south! GAH!
The reality is surely something different - every school is a mix of students from different backgrounds and types; no school is a monolith.
For whatever it’s worth, the NC schools have had a long history of many really strong VA students wanting Carolina, Duke, Wake etc. The same hasn’t historically been true in as strong a fashion for the GA schools. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong or lesser about the GA schools, just that the NC schools have a generally more familiar feel to people in my community, so I think they tend to have more of a comfort level, especially among the parents.
3 Likes
UNC was a considered a reach for my son and UGA was a safety. He was accepted to both, but received almost full tuition merit scholarship at UGA.
2 Likes
The students, with some of the best coming from the Northeast are a mix of qualities, having just begun their dip into what politics means to them. Having said that, for decades the board of governors has been Uber conservative, to the point of driving some of the best department heads elsewhere. The friction between faculty and BOG is evident. Having said that the campus vibe is very New England since it’s one of the first public unis. most students are oblivious to the power trip of some, and the state continues to be electing a Democratic governor with Republicans leadership elsewhere. Chapel Hill might as well be Cambridge,MA.
2 Likes
How were the spring protests handled by the University, with a firm hand or Columbia U style? Is there much of that type of political activism on campus?
Oh boy. As someone has lived all over the east coast including 8 years in SC, 10 years in NC and the majority between PA and Boston - I would not say Chapel Hill might as well be Cambridge, MA. We live minutes from Cambridge, MA and these two places are different planets. For so many reasons. Besides, the student body at UNC is mostly in-state. UNC is an amazing school and we have family that live right in Chapel Hill but it is no urban school. It’s a predominately white southern institution.
3 Likes
Did he take the merit or go to UNC? (Or somewhere else!)
I hope this is the last year for test optional. It has to be hard on the admissions folks when some submit (clearly those who did well) vs. others don’t. TO is not considered a negative and that makes sense but there has to be an inference on why a TO candidate did not submit. It should either be no SAT/ACT scores or everyone has to submit them. As other schools have moved away from test optional, UNC system has very little reason at this point to also not move away from it but whatever they decide - just be consistent with all applicants. I know folks will say the consistency is people can choose but I think that’s a punt.
2 Likes
Agreed. It’s just so hard to know what the “right” thing to do is with the TO schools. My son had a respectable SAT score but since it was below the 50% mark for UNC, his counselor suggested he not submit. Of course the 50% mark just keeps going up and up since I’m sure there are many in his boat who have respectable scores but aren’t submitting because they are not at or above the average. Then, of course, the school is left wondering if he didn’t submit because he has a really low score or a score that’s just not as high as their artificially elevated average. Difficult for everyone involved. Either do no testing like the UC schools or testing for all (at least that’s how I’m feeling now, which has evolved compared to how I thought about this 6 months ago and maybe how I’ll feel about it after all his decisions are in 
)
Double parent legacy is a hook for OOS students. It may provide the competitive edge.
1 Like
I feel this so much. My daughter submitted her score. She is OOS so I imagine the scores are even higher. I have this suspicion she should have gone TO. She played all her cards. It’s just a waiting game now.
2 Likes
UNC is perhaps preppier and has a more Mid Atlantic vibe than UGA. D1 Lax and Field Hockey etc. ACC vs. SEC. Basketball vs. Football etc. Both great schools with funky college towns and music scene. And both claim to be the oldest public university. For anyone “concerned” about the state of Georgia spend 24 hours in Atlanta and burbs. Indistinguishable from big cities in the NE or Midwest.
3 Likes
Haha, well you can second guess her sending scores while I’m over here second guessing not sending scores. And at the end of the day, who knows…