Tell me about colleges in North Carolina and life there

I graduated from NC State two years ago with a degree in Mathematics and ran for the club team (by the way, if varsity running doesn't work out, NC has an awesome club running scene)

NC State--It's in Raleigh which is an awesome place to live and explore. I am not 100% on this, but I don't think there's a "finance" major, but there are solid degrees in economics and in the College of Management in general. A WORD OF CAUTION: I can attest to the fact that the training for the varsity team is brutal and will either make you burned out or an All-American. All male athletes are required to run easy runs at 6:00/mile, which a coach told me is the hardest thing for freshmen to get used to.

UNC Charlotte--Don't know much about it other than it's a big commuter school. Charlotte is also a big banking hub, so that would probably be helpful with the whole finance thing

UNC Wilmington--The running program has recently had to focus more on protesting and fundraising because the school planned to cut the program. Go there if you like the beach, but not if you want to get much better at running.

High Point--Also don't know much about it besides it being known for pretty much being a country club. But hey, the campus is swanky and they have a free ice cream truck that comes around occasionally

UNC Chapel Hill--I had a cousin who went hear, majored in economics, graduated 2 years ago, and is making some big bucks, so don't discount this school.

I will say that NC State seems to have the consistently best running program in the state, which is kind of unfortunate because so many people go to NCSU and just end up injured

A former CFO of Bank of America, Joe Price, was actually a Charlotte graduate. Don't be surprised if you think you're going to Wall Street and end up in Little New York (i.e. - Uptown Charlotte). Charlotte has a lot to offer finance folks in the form of private equity, small hedge funds, some investment banking, and large-scale commercial banking (BAC, BBT, WFC).

I did enjoy Chapel Hill, most do! UNC built me and is the foundation of my resume. No employer (at least a NC employer) turns down a UNC grad. Acceptance into the school is difficult but so worth it, especially if you make sure to pick the right field of study.

NCSU is the largest university in NC, and it is squeezed into a thriving R&D hub. Charlotte is similar in that it, too, is in a large city. Both have big city perks. NCSU offers an array of academic concentrations but thrives in the maths and sciences. Its engineering program is world renowned. NCSU has a solid business school but I think the shoe might fit better for you with Charlotte, given your desire to study finance.

The towns of Chapel Hill and Boone would be nothing without UNC and Appalachian, respectfully. UNC and App are traditional college towns - still plenty to do, but very, very different than NCSU and Charlotte. UNC and App are more liberal arts schools by nature - more so for App. Both schools have outstanding business programs but UNC's is one of the best in the country. Hard to compare the two in that regard. I am; however, biased.

Others have mentioned Asheville, Elon, and Davidson.

Asheville - I love the town and running there - (and in Boone / App) is unbelievable. Not sure the academics are up to par at Asheville though.

Elon - I would avoid. Nothing wrong with it (similar to Wilmington) but I wouldn't "aspire" to go to either of these schools

Davidson - you're going to have to be wealthy, ready to repay student loans for a long time, either, or both to attend school here. Great running program, wonderful campus, but I'm not sure the $ is worth the diploma. Davidson, Duke, and Wake are private and are among the most costly schools in the state. If picking between these three, I hate to say it but Duke would take the cake. No employer in the country turns down a Duke grad's resume.

Maybe you should take a history lesson. If by deeper you mean deeper in the team results you are right. They don't have anybody that are conference competitors and beside Furman that conference is terrible.

OP - there are some great schools in NC. I'm not sure what your running plans are in college or what your future career goals are, but I will share a couple of thoughts about my experiences in the state. I'm a NC native and was accepted to UNC, Duke, UNC-W, NCSU, App State, and several others.

I had my heart set on Duke, but it just wasn't affordable and I ended up getting a full ride to App State (academic - not running). I thought very hard about going to UNC also due to the reputation of the school, but I could not say no to a full ride. In full disclosure, I was not fast enough to run for NCSU coming out of high school - may have been fast enough to try out, but who knows?

I had a great experience at App and have no regrets for going there. For me it was probably the best choice. I had a great group of running teammates/friends - and there are plenty of smart people at App (but I agree with what others have said and think that particularly Duke and UNC have superior academic reputations). As a high school student please don't believe everything you hear about school reputation, it's much more about you and your motivation.

I ran all 4 years at App, earned a varsity letter, was on 6 conference championship teams, made all-conference, etc. App was a good fit for me - but it's not for everyone. It is a beautiful place to run - probably the best east of the Mississippi as far as running options and places to train. It took me a full year to get used to the hills, but it dramatically improved my endurance and fitness level. I thought (and still think) the coaching staff is excellent - but I have had very little exposure to other collegiate programs. Heck - Robert Johnson who is the head coach at Oregon used to drive me to cross country meets. He ran (well jumped) and coached at App. FAM ran two years at App before transferring to Tennessee and making multiple Olympic teams. If your body can handle training in the hills/weather and you can stay healthy - you have a great shot of improving a lot at App (probably other schools as well).

FYI - It is almost impossible to get into UNC as an out-of-state student, if you can get in UNC out-of-state you could go to school anywhere. UNC-W is a pretty good school, but I wouldn't recommend running there (especially distance running). I don't think you would be wrong in choosing Duke, UNC, NCSU, or App State - and many of the other schools mentioned are probably great, I just don't have the knowledge to comment.

I encourage you to visit several (all) and pick one that fits you the best for your career goals, running goals, and financial needs.

Black Med Student wrote:

Here is a video of Trump at High Point University. Looks like a Nazi Germany rally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2IGezreYbg

Wow I can't believe how many cutie pies are there...

Thanks for the info, great insight, glad I posted. I'll take a look at Davidson and Queens, Elon I like

Thanks for the help. I had no idea about what you mentioned with Charlotte. Not sure how much of it applies considering I think I'd rather get a little bit closer to home after college.

Yeah I am definitely going to contact UNC soon, who knows.

Wow. What you mentioned about the training is insane. That's pretty crazy, but who knows. I've talked to the president of the club team, he mentioned some kid was asked to be on the varsity team from club but said no, that must have been you.

Thanks for the info about the other schools. Everything people are saying seems to match up. I have a pretty clear idea.

Parents said what I get into, I can visit. So we'll see. I am excited to see all of these.

Lived in High Point and Winston for a few years. Can't say much about the teams, but High Point is awful. There is no downtown, or anything resembling culture. Winston wasn't bad though. Small but cool downtown, good restaurants and bars. Good places to run.

As someone in the sciences... the idea that there is "nothing to be insightful about" or to ask insightful questions about in science is absurd

The only schools you should be looking at in North Carolina are Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Duke, and State. I'm from New England and moved down here for work several years ago. I've seen all the schools and campuses in the state. All the other schools are either small, bad for finance/internships, or in the middle of nowhere and not fun. Trust me.

Charlotte - good track program, good school, city of Charlotte is filled with finance opportunities. Might be a good spot for you as a walk on because you'll have a much better chance of making the team and getting a lot of opportunities to compete.

Chapel Hill - great track program, great school, lots of finance opportunities in RTP and triangle area. Extremely fun school, lots of great of food, and the best basketball team in NC.

Duke - great track program, closest you'll get to an Ivy league school in the south, one of the best business schools in the country, lots of finance opportunities in RTP and triangle area. Not as fun as some of the other options, but Chapel Hill and Raleigh are only an uber away.

NC State - great track program, great school, lots of finance opportunities in RTP and triangle area. Very fun school, great food, lots of northerners living in the area so it won't be a culture shock.

Honorable mention East Carolina University - decent school, ok track team, the most fun school in North Carolina. If you want to be serious with track (which I assume you are since you're posting on this message board) this may not be the school for you.

Now let me tell you why the other schools are poor options.

Wilmington - not a big school, few finance opportunities, ok track team, not very fun. Only consider them if you NEED to be by the beach. Otherwise UNC, Duke, and State are only 2 hours away so you could head there for a day or weekend.

High Point - terrible school, overrated liberal arts college, few finance opportunities, ok track team, not very fun. Don't let the beautiful campus fool you.

App State - ok school, ok track team, very boring school, few finance opportunities. Literally in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. Only consider them if you NEED to be by the mountains. Ski/snowboard is their biggest highlight. But like Wilmington, it's only 2 hours away for UNC, Duke, or State.

Elon - very small school, terrible education, overrated liberal arts college, very few finance opportunities. This may be the most boring school on the entire list. Don't let the beautiful campus fool you. The only redeeming quality is there are plenty of hot girls (all from the northeast) with nothing to do so you're bound to get laid. Oh and I forgot to mention, they don't have a track team.

Any school in Greensboro - very boring, not very good schools, don't waste your time.

I could make a longer list with every school, but it's going to start looking all the same. Pretty much the other options have weak or weaker track programs, mediocre education at best, and very boring. Charlotte, UNC, Duke, and State will offer you everything you could want in college, along with good track teams, internships, and opportunities for success post college.

What is your take on UNC Ashville for academics, running and atmosphere for the prospective out of stater?

Sure they do. You put too much stock in brand names.

Don't get out much wrote:

What is your take on UNC Ashville for academics, running and atmosphere for the prospective out of stater?

I completely overlooked this school. Good academics, amazing running area, plenty of fun. It's a very solid option, but I'm not sure they have many finance opportunities. If OP wanted to study something else then I'd recommend it. The way I evaluate OP's question is what will set him up the best post college (assuming he's not going pro track) and offer him a great college experience in doing so. The schools located around cities will offer the best finance options. The major cities in NC are Charlotte and Raleigh. Charlotte is a huge finance and business city and the home of Bank of America. Raleigh isn't as big, but it's part of the Research Triangle so you have Chapel Hill and Durham located nearby. And in the middle of those 3 cities is RTP, one of the largest research parks in the world. So there are tons of opportunities. Unfortunately, I don't think Asheville can offer the opportunities those other schools can at least with regards to finance.

I'm surprised only one person has mentioned Queens. Right in Myers Park, probably the nicest neighborhood in Charlotte, and a better program than nearly all the D1 schools in the state except NC State

Don't get out much wrote:

What is your take on UNC Ashville for academics, running and atmosphere for the prospective out of stater?

It seems a little small, as well as being a liberal arts school, which I'm not sure about. It's something to consider however. Campus wise I don't love it like I love NC State.

NCnative wrote:

Cheater U wrote:

UNC-CH is good if you want A's without even going to class. It's like a diploma mill there.

If you're an athlete, it's even better.

that joke is so 2011

Actually, it's more 2016-2017.

2016: UNC finally got off academic probation from SACS.

2017: That's when the COI will finally hand down the infractions on the 20+ year athletic/academic cheating scam.

It's always been a diploma mill though. A's are handed down like candy at Halloween. Recruiters often downgrade GPAs by 0.2-0.4 (depending on major) when comparing to other schools.

jman1 wrote:

Davidson - you're going to have to be wealthy, ready to repay student loans for a long time, either, or both to attend school here. Great running program, wonderful campus, but I'm not sure the $ is worth the diploma. .

Davidson has a program which it started a few years ago called the Davidson Trust. In theory it has done away with all student loans.

"The Davidson Trust meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need of accepted students through a combination of grants and campus employment, without relying on loans." How that has played out is something to look into,.

The issue for the OP which may make Davidson not a good fit is its size- under 2k total- but it is a D1 school. Charlotte is a short drive away so that may help counter the size concerns. It has traditionally sent a number of grads into the Charlotte banking and finance world, however so it should open the sort of doors the OP wants to walk through.