UNC 1L taking questions Forum

[ran12]

The admissions people were unfriendly and unknowledgeable. The professor in the class I sat in on was actually really good. Older guy but knew how to keep people alert and seemed to teach pretty well.

[CloseToGood]

The admissions people were unfriendly and unknowledgeable. The professor in the class I sat in on was actually really good. Older guy but knew how to keep people alert and seemed to teach pretty well.

I've had a similar experience. Trying not to let the admissions experience taint my view of the school.

[tarheel87]

UNC undergrad is filled with stuck up bigoted southern heritage fools who think their school is better than Harvard or Yale but who are actually southern ivy rejects. When talking to a UNC fool you must never speak of Duke or their head will explode with jealousy and disbelief that a far greater institution could be so close to home and overshadow them so much! I am a humble NCSU student who has been told many times my school is nothing more than a community college by these pricks. Also their admissions is the same way in all their schools med/dent/law they all are slow as hell because they believe their school is a godsend and anyone who is blessed enough to attend should wait for thou holyness! I don't care how cheap instate tuition they can have it! UNC sucks.

I agree with the exact opposite of this statement. And yes, NCSU sucks, and so does Duke. /thread.

[peter844]

How is job placement out of UNC for large firms

[TarHeel11]

How is job placement out of UNC for large firms

The data here is a little old, but it'll give you an idea:

http://www.law.com/pdf/nlj/20080414empl ... trends.pdf

[quakeroats]

How is job placement out of UNC for large firms

The data here is a little old, but it'll give you an idea:

http://www.law.com/pdf/nlj/20080414empl ... trends.pdf

That's from 2005 and any ideas it may give are vastly out-of-sync with today's market.

[quakeroats]

More for the Duke-UNC fire:

http://www.law.duke.edu/ohp/view/?id=8626

[CloseToGood]

1L's, do you recall the time frames for you receiving your actual acceptances via snail-mail? It seems that there are a lot of us on here who were 'accepted' via email on 12/22, but were informed that our official acceptances/offers would be mailed to us after the new year. I know it's only been ~2 weeks, but it would be helpful to know when we could actually expect to get this in the mail. Any thoughts?

[lvsmithmarsh]

1L's, do you recall the time frames for you receiving your actual acceptances via snail-mail? It seems that there are a lot of us on here who were 'accepted' via email on 12/22, but were informed that our official acceptances/offers would be mailed to us after the new year. I know it's only been ~2 weeks, but it would be helpful to know when we could actually expect to get this in the mail. Any thoughts?

+1

[beccabea]

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[IhateFoxHunting]

I got my official acceptance maybe a month later.

As for financial aid, I believe that just about every NC resident receives at least some sort of grant, however small it may actually be. For instance, I got an enormous grant of $750.

[IhateFoxHunting]

As for the ASD. I left the ASD with a negative impression of UNC. Mainly the building was old, I didn't feel as if UNC put on as good a show as other schools, and I felt like diversity was being crammed down my throat. I left the ASD fairly positive I would not attend UNC.

As the deposit deadline drew closer my attitude started to change. I didn't want to pay a lot more money to attend a peer school just because they had a better building. I would never have to deal with the cruddy (as in slow, they don't court you, and are fairly blunt with their conversations) UNC admissions again, so I took that off the table in my decision process as well; luckily that was true. I have seen the dean of admissions a couple of times in passing, but they have no effect on me. Diversity, UNC follows what it preaches plain and simple. Rather than use what little scholarship money they have to game the system, it appears they pour the bulk of their money into recruiting a diverse class.

Somehow with a cruddy building, a not so cordial admissions team and with very little scholarship money (granted tuition is cheap) they are able to not only be a US News top 30 school, but the legal reputation of UNC is up there with Vanderbilt. I can only imagine what rank UNC would be capable of if they did try to play the ranking game.

As for the dook rivarly it is all good. We do have a giant right in our back yard. It is fun to hate on Duke, but they are a national school. Being told that UNC is not as good as Duke doesn't really seem like a big insult to me given that Duke is one of the most respected schools in that nation. Just because there is one of the top universities in the nation in our backyard doesn't mean UNC is some slouch. Granted it doesn't mean a whole lot, UNC has been called a public ivy. It's peer reputation is solidly in the top 20.

There are many good schools in NC, but you would have to have a hell of an argument on your hands to try and say that UNC doesn't dominate this state. UNC is going to travel along the south east, of course it won't be as good as whatever the local favorite is though. No one in Georgia is going to say, oh you only went to UNC, we are going to go with the Emory grad instead because that school is so much better. But if you have plans on attending UNC and going to LA then that is going to be an up hill battle. UNC is a great choice if you intend to practice in the south east, and it will travel some all the way up to NY. Just know what you are getting into before you sign on. Duke, Vandy, Emory, UNC, Wake and UGA are all probably good bets for the South East, but the only private school I listed that I would pay sticker for is Duke.

These are my opinions only. And as you go through your cycle you are going to have to make up your mind for yourselves. Really if you are in the range of getting into UNC most of your schools are going to be reputable, just be cautious about paying double the price to attend a private version of the public school.

[lvsmithmarsh]

As for the ASD. I left the ASD with a negative impression of UNC. Mainly the building was old, I didn't feel as if UNC put on as good a show as other schools, and I felt like diversity was being crammed down my throat. I left the ASD fairly positive I would not attend UNC.

As the deposit deadline drew closer my attitude started to change. I didn't want to pay a lot more money to attend a peer school just because they had a better building. I would never have to deal with the cruddy (as in slow, they don't court you, and are fairly blunt with their conversations) UNC admissions again, so I took that off the table in my decision process as well; luckily that was true. I have seen the dean of admissions a couple of times in passing, but they have no effect on me. Diversity, UNC follows what it preaches plain and simple. Rather than use what little scholarship money they have to game the system, it appears they pour the bulk of their money into recruiting a diverse class.

Somehow with a cruddy building, a not so cordial admissions team and with very little scholarship money (granted tuition is cheap) they are able to not only be a US News top 30 school, but the legal reputation of UNC is up there with Vanderbilt. I can only imagine what rank UNC would be capable of if they did try to play the ranking game.

As for the dook rivarly it is all good. We do have a giant right in our back yard. It is fun to hate on Duke, but they are a national school. Being told that UNC is not as good as Duke doesn't really seem like a big insult to me given that Duke is one of the most respected schools in that nation. Just because there is one of the top universities in the nation in our backyard doesn't mean UNC is some slouch. Granted it doesn't mean a whole lot, UNC has been called a public ivy. It's peer reputation is solidly in the top 20.

There are many good schools in NC, but you would have to have a hell of an argument on your hands to try and say that UNC doesn't dominate this state. UNC is going to travel along the south east, of course it won't be as good as whatever the local favorite is though. No one in Georgia is going to say, oh you only went to UNC, we are going to go with the Emory grad instead because that school is so much better. But if you have plans on attending UNC and going to LA then that is going to be an up hill battle. UNC is a great choice if you intend to practice in the south east, and it will travel some all the way up to NY. Just know what you are getting into before you sign on. Duke, Vandy, Emory, UNC, Wake and UGA are all probably good bets for the South East, but the only private school I listed that I would pay sticker for is Duke.

These are my opinions only. And as you go through your cycle you are going to have to make up your mind for yourselves. Really if you are in the range of getting into UNC most of your schools are going to be reputable, just be cautious about paying double the price to attend a private version of the public school.

This is exactly my impression of UNC... it's got many of the disadvantages of a state school with less funding than private schools, and the admissions office is just OK (read: doesn't seem to care too much about selling the school), but everything I've heard from current and former students has been positive. Given that I'm in-state, want to practice in the southeast, and have a very strong interest in practicing in the public sector, UNC is nearly a perfect fit for me.

Also, they have a really interesting dual degree program with Duke's Masters of Public Policy.

[jdemmitt]

For those who have already been accepted, when did you submit and what were your numbers? I am still waiting to hear back, I am now worried. I submitted end of November with a 3.62 and a 163. I thought I was a good chance, but now I am not so sure. Shoot, props to you guys though.

[PDL]

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[lvsmithmarsh]

For those who have already been accepted, when did you submit and what were your numbers? I am still waiting to hear back, I am now worried. I submitted end of November with a 3.62 and a 163. I thought I was a good chance, but now I am not so sure. Shoot, props to you guys though.

If you look on the other UNC forum for this year's application cycle, someone talked to admissions this week, who said they really don't start reading/accepting people until the end of January, and they've only accepted like 40 people thus far. So I don't think you should be worried at all. Are you in-state? If so, you seem like you've got a decent chance of being accepted.

[beccabea]

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[CloseToGood]

Three slightly scatter-brained questions:

So do you all think I would get a better impression of the school by doing something other than Admitted Students Day -- a self-guided tour or something?

How does everyone feel about UNC compared with William & Mary? I got a bit of a scholarship there, enough to make it within $2,000 of Carolina in-state, not to mention if I were able to declare VA residency (I go to undergrad in VA and have an apartment) I could get it down to about $7,000 a year. I don't know whether I want to practice in VA or NC (or even DC), but I have connections in both states no matter where I go, so I don't think it should be a huge problem. I guess a lot of it boils down to my concern that Williamsburg is a bit slow-moving (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), whereas Chapel Hill is something of a celebrated party town. How much do you guys think this matters? I have a feeling that as long as I find myself a little group of friends, I'd be happy anywhere.

My numbers are 3.87/165 and I'm white, in-state. I've already gotten in -- any idea what the chances are of me getting financial aid from Carolina?

I am actually in the same boat. Have a really strong offer from W & M, and am waiting on word from UNC before I make a final decision.

I've lived in Chapel Hill/the surrounding area for most of my life. Yes, Chapel Hill does have a party scene, but I wouldn't call UNC a "party school". The town is fairly left-leaning, but is otherwise socially diverse. I have no doubt that someone would be able to find their own social niche here, especially when Carrboro and Durham (both right next door) are added to the mix.

[beccabea]

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[beccabea]

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[jdemmitt]

For those who have already been accepted, when did you submit and what were your numbers? I am still waiting to hear back, I am now worried. I submitted end of November with a 3.62 and a 163. I thought I was a good chance, but now I am not so sure. Shoot, props to you guys though.

If you look on the other UNC forum for this year's application cycle, someone talked to admissions this week, who said they really don't start reading/accepting people until the end of January, and they've only accepted like 40 people thus far. So I don't think you should be worried at all. Are you in-state? If so, you seem like you've got a decent chance of being accepted.

I am out of state, which is why I am partially nervous. End of January, eh? Thanks, I really appreciate that information. I just got a $22,000.00 scholarship from Wake Forest, so I need to make up my mind rather fast. This is a real doozy. Did your status on UNC's online checker go from "Ready to review" to "Under review" to "Accepted"? I am still at "ready to review".

[IhateFoxHunting]

I am actually in the same boat. Have a really strong offer from W & M, and am waiting on word from UNC before I make a final decision.

I've lived in Chapel Hill/the surrounding area for most of my life. Yes, Chapel Hill does have a party scene, but I wouldn't call UNC a "party school". The town is fairly left-leaning, but is otherwise socially diverse. I have no doubt that someone would be able to find their own social niche here, especially when Carrboro and Durham (both right next door) are added to the mix.

In case this influences your decision at all: I spoke to my brother-in-law who is an attorney for (and is involved in hiring for) the federal government (specifically the FTC) in DC, and he said that I should definitely choose Chapel Hill over W&M. He says that UNC has a much better reputation up there. His enthusiasm surprised me a little, but I figure he's a pretty knowledgeable source.

I'm glad your BIL prefers UNC. However, UNC and W&M are peer schools plain and simple. Which applies to pretty much every school in the 20-40 range. The incoming students are pretty much the same caliber, and the same with the faculty. The big factors for schools in the same range are namely price, location, personal fit, and so on.

With that out of the way, I certainly hope you choose UNC. Not that I am biased or anything

[beccabea]

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[CloseToGood]

I got one too, and recently had the phone call. It's a recruitment/answer any questions you might have type of phone call. Useful info, but nothing super game changing if you've already done your homework. It is nice to know that at least once you are admitted there is a much stronger personal touch when the school interacts with you.

[queenlizzie13]

I just got accepted and now I have some more questions. How good is UNC with giving out of staters $$? Depending on who gives me $ between my top two choices will largely influence my choice in law school.

Also how strong is UNC's alumni network? I have heard it's pretty good.