UNC is NOT for everyone

jack
Mon, 12 Mar 2007 21:38:31 +0000

OrchidDrop: Glad you’re liking it at Northwestern.

I looked at the TA-led courses you say you’d taken; thanks for posting those. With the exception of (maybe) one-- the Media course(?)-- these are all intro level and required courses for specific majors. I’m actually surprised, as an out-of-state student, especially, that you didn’t place out of some of these courses. That said, I also expect, as intro level courses, these were all very large lecture-hall type classes. Many TA’s (and this is how PhD students get teaching experience, by the way) are excellent instructors–often far better instructors in a large lecture hall intro course than a tenured professor might be. I’m still surprised, though, that they were all taught by TA’s.

At any rate, from what I know and have also heard, there is so much to do on the UNC campus-- besides joining clubs-- which includes cultural events (ie, concerts, plays, hearing invited speakers), in addition to off-campus activities, that don’t involve partying and drinking–I honestly don’t know how anybody could be “bored.”

Obviously, UNC may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I can believe that some people who are not “happy” there, may also have found it too difficult academically. There is not a lot of grade inflation going on.

The “Greek presence” is not nearly as prevalent at UNC (15% of all undergraduates is what their site says) as it is at a place like Duke or Wake Forest or Davidson (more than 50%)-- much smaller schools, where the Greek life is certainly more of a presence and possibly more difficult to avoid, if that’s not of interest.

PackMom: I think NCSU is a great school, too. I can believe than anyone who would be interested in State, might not be interested in UNC. They have a very different feel to my mind. I also know several students who have transferred from NCSU to UNC-CH. My guess is, though, that any student who chooses to work as a “bouncer,” will probably run into a lot of people who drink. ;)