As someone who graduated from both (UVa undergrad and UNC dental school) and who lives in Chapel Hill with a daughter currently attending UVA…they are very similar schools but there are differences.
My feeling is UVa is a fantastic liberal arts university, it’s strengths are not in the sciences or math but political science, English, pre-law, business (McIntire) are super strong.
UNC seemingly has stronger sciences with a really good undergrad business (Kenan-Flagler) I know nothing about journalism I was a biochem major.
Both place well in med school and grad schools but UVa’s MBA and Law are stronger whereas I’d go to UNC for a PhD in the sciences.
All that being said, I had was elated when my daughter choose UVa over UNC (even though it was $160,000 more.) She wanted to be away from friends and out of Chapel Hill.
The mental hurdle was students in the top 50% from her school who weren’t on the same rigorous academic high school track as she was with below 1350 SAT got in. It made her feel her efforts were in vain. (She attended the most rigorous academic private school in North Carolina the top 10-15% attend Ivies.)
All things be equal, if she grew up in Richmond or NOVA, she probably would have wanted to go to UNC…
I want to add…my D double majored in the sciences and was a top student in HS. Her first lab report at UNC was ripped to shreds…covered in red pen. The actual material was not difficult for her to grasp…that’s why I described it as “not too hard, not too easy.” Her first anthropology paper was also ripped apart at the writing center (although not quite as much) despite getting perfect scores and grades in HS.
UVA and UNC are both public flagship universities with approximately the same number of undergraduate students. I am confused as to why you would think UNC is impersonal but UVA would not be…given that they are both similar types of schools. I could understand if you were comparing Amherst etc to UNC…but UVA to UNC puzzles me. Maybe I misunderstood?
IMO neither school is impersonal, although they probably can be if the student stays to himself, doesn’t eat in the dining halls, doesn’t get involved, talk to profs etc.
The one thing that really stood out to us when D moved in was the groups of girls who seemed to know one another from HS…but this would be true at all (or at least most) public flagships…not just UNC. And…it was probably more pronounced at first because D came in not knowing anybody. Had she gone to UVA…she would have known a few students from our OOS HS.
Once you get situated (if you choose UNC) and involved…it is really pretty easy to develop relationships with peers and profs. Many of D’s profs are from the west coast or northeast. As noted previously…lots of relocations in that area.
Twogirls, it’s been a LONG time since I was a student at UNC, but I believe you have confused “intramural sports” and “club sports”. See these pages for the distinction: https://campusrec.unc.edu/programs/sport-clubs/getting-involved/#difference
https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2019/06/intramural-club-pickup-sports
@Collegegirl10134 , As far as I know, intramural teams are teams that groups of students at UNC put together to compete against other UNC students. Pretty sure anybody can sign up.
At least that’s the way it was when I was there. My roommate and I (both pretty non-athletic) had an intramural basketball team we put together and we lost every game, but it was fun.
The Sports Club teams compete against other colleges and that may be more competitive to join. Not sure.
That Campus Rec page I linked says that 2 out of every 3 UNC students participate in Intramural sports, so doesn’t seem like it would be too hard for you to get involved in IM if you want to.
You might be right …I just know that some students create their own teams that anybody can join.
UNC actually has a little over 3000 more students than UVA for undergrad so that’s why I said that, although not a huge difference. Also, students at UVA tend to at least have the option to stay on campus after their first year and it is definitely more common at UVA.
Also when students move off campus at UNC, they stay in houses, while at UVA there are apartments still pretty close to campus. These subtle things are what I meant about UNC potentially being impersonal.
That is another one of my worries about the HS students knowing each other allowing it to be harder to adjust and make friends. Was this something she experienced the entire year or just towards the beginning?
Oh honey. You are tying yourself up in knots trying to read tea leaves (how’s that for a mixed metaphor!)
At both UNC & UVa there will be people who arrive knowing people from their old HS, and some of whom will stick together like glue, especially in the first few days and weeks when everybody is trying to find anybody to walk around with / sit with in the cafeteria / etc. There will also be some who will be only too happy to move on from the group of students from their old school! (one of my collegekids, at a college with fewer than 3K students, managed to not see the other girl from her HS class more than twice in 4 years…). There is 0 chance that you won’t be able to find friends at either place, whether it happens the first day (the fairy tale) or well into the spring (more common than you would believe).
Really you just need to go & see for yourself, knowing that you really, truly can’t make a “wrong” choice. They both have all the raw materials for you to have a great college experience- but you have to bake your own cake from those raw materials.
People who have been around CC for a while watch every year as student A says how terrible School 1 turned out to be and they wish they had chosen School 2- and over on another thread, student B is lambasting School 2 and is desperate to change to School 1. Some of it is fit- especially at smaller schools- but most of it is the scary / exciting process of building a new life in a new life, where you get to define your newly adult self.
There are approximately 2500 more full time undergrads at UNC than at UVA…I had no idea until now. Regardless, it’s not like you are comparing an LAC to a large university.
The vast majority of students at UNC do not move off campus after their first year. They usually move after their sophomore year and some stay longer.
There are both houses and apartments that are off campus at UNC. My D lived in both and had no problems. You do not need a car.
Every state school will have kids who know one another from HS. This was only an issue for the first few weeks. Once she joined clubs, activities, put herself out there etc…she had no problem making friends. And…UNC is a campus where almost everybody is involved…it’s very easy to meet people and make friends. She has friends from all over the country now (and world). Guess what? Had she gone to Cornell…she would have joined 16 kids from her HS.
I promise you will not go wrong with either school, as long as you like them both.
I would say neither. You’re paying triple the tuition with no additional benefit. You’d be far better off going to UIUC.
Had she remained instate she would have had a very difficult time doing research. We could not find one student who was involved. At UNC…anybody who wants to do research has the opportunity to do so (she has also been published). There are lots of differences between UVA, UNC, and our instate options…but that is an entirely different topic.
One of my kids remained instate…so I do speak from experience. I am not implying that students will not succeed if they attend their instate school…they most certainly can.
Our UNC tour guide told us 75% of sophomores are still in campus housing – after that more students move to apartments or houses. I know some seniors though who find singles and stay on campus all four years! Lots of housing options, many walking distance but also great bus system - which is free.
Charlottesville feels more isolated to me than Chapel Hill b/c the latter is connected to a much larger (2 million +) metro area. It’s also colder in the winter which your kid may see as a plus or minus.
RDU is a bigger airport and more options. CH is two hour drive to the mountains and 2.5 hours to the beach!
UVA has a bit more of an ‘old money’ feel with more secret societies and such. I was surprised when visiting to see them ‘tagging’ walls with signs and such. I’m sure UVA students get it – but I never quite figured it out. That said, it’s plenty big that I’m sure it has all types of social scenes to plug into.
The is all subjective, of course, but I think UNC is more “of the people” (Its slogan was something like that for a long time.). Still plenty of preppy kids, but just a bit more down to earth is the best way I can describe it.
And CH is truly an exceptional college town. The main drag is longer than the one next to UVA and has everything a student needs – even an urban Target now! There’s a very cute drag next to campus at UVA but it’s smaller – then there’s other commercial areas you can drive to.
This is all splitting hairs, to an extent, but hopefully it’s helpful. I think if you visit you’ll know for sure!
Not if you’re coming out of school up to your eyeballs in debt. Most parents don’t have $200k lying around, so it usually requires a massive amount of debt to pay for. Just not worth it for something like undergraduate research.
Both schools meet full need for all students. UNC is a profile school but meets the Fafsa EFC.
Going into significant debt is not a wise decision…whether it’s for a state school or private. It goes without saying that affordability is very important.
@collegegirl10134 I am not sure why you think that students at UNC don’t have the option to stay on campus after their first year. Not only is that 100% false…but most remain on campus for their sophomore year, and the school offers housing for all 4 years.
My D was going to stay on campus for her junior year and actually gave a deposit. When she changed her mind …housing called her and tried to convince her to stay. Really…there is housing available for those who want it.
I can understand if you choose UVA over UNC, but the deciding factor should not be based on a lack of housing at UNC…because there is none.
The deciding factor for my D was based on the overall vibe, and post #31 is right on target. You should really visit if possible.
I am here to tell you this is an incorrect impression. I am a UNC alum, I live in Chapel Hill 1 mile from campus, and my spouse walks to work at UNC. In Chapel Hill we are overrun with apartments! They are everywhere. Quite a few folks in town want to slow down the growth of new apartment buildings. There are tons of apartments a walkable distance from campus and they are building more all the time. There are some houses to rent, too, but far more students rent apartments than rent houses.
UNC and UVA are the exact same amount of “personal” or “impersonal”. It’s really up to you.
Really, though, UVA and UNC are both great. You just need to come visit. You could do both in one weekend.
I am happy to tell you anything you want to know about the town of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. I’ve lived here most of my adult life and have a 19 yr old and a 16 yr old, so I’m not completely out of touch with what’s going on.
@Collegegirl10134 where are you getting your information? The best way is to visit and to also speak directly with those who attend/attended and who live there.
Both of my D’s off campus houses (junior and senior year) were within walking distance from campus. She lived in an apt one summer and that was also very close to campus.
With respect to a statistic that might affect the social atmospheres of these schools, note that UNC’s gender distribution (59% female / 61% male) seems somewhat imbalanced in comparison to that of UVA (55% female / 45% male).
@merc81 I think you have a typo on UNCs gender distribution…I think it’s 41% male, 45% at UVa.
imo that is not a meaningful difference but a difference of opinion is what makes a horse race!
Thank you for the correction, @collegemom3717 — yes, intended as 59% female / 41% male at UNC and 55% female / 45% male at UVA — and I also appreciate differences of opinion!