The University of North Carolina was one of four universities I visited over Thanksgiving Break. UNC, founded in 1789, is America’s first public university. For students looking for a large out-of-state public university with a beautiful campus and countless academic, extracurricular and athletic amenities, the school may be a good fit.

Why should you attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?

• More than 70 majors consisting of 2700 courses
• 300 study-abroad programs in 70 countries
• Undergraduate access to 30000 internship opportunities worldwide
• More than 700 clubs, teams and organizations
• 14:1 student-faculty ratio
• Large university size with about 18000 undergraduates
• Located in the Research Triangle (Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh)
• According to US News, Chapel Hill is often considered one of the best college towns in the country, offering plentiful music, restaurants and shopping
• Personal academic advisor
• Consistently one of the top ten Journalism schools in the nation
• Eighth highest participation in the Peace Corps and third highest participation in Teach for America among US universities
• More than 60 percent of undergraduates conduct research

Why should you not attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?

• As dictated by law, a maximum of only 18 percent of the incoming class can come from outside the state of North Carolina
• Out-of-state students pay nearly twice as much total as in-state students: $43790 versus $22282 as of this year
• Out-of-state students pay nearly four times as much for tuition as in-state students: $28446 versus $7694
• If you are looking for a small or mid-sized university, UNC is a large university.

What I liked about UNC is the beauty of its campus and the numerous academic options offered. Grassy quads are surrounded by residence halls, modern libraries and classical structures. Also, I got to sit inside a typical, well-lit classroom during my tour. It was an agreeable and comfy room; I could easily see myself having a class there. Carolina offers a plethora of academic opportunities for students: Honors Carolina, Summer Fellowships, First Year Fellows, Assured Admission to Business, Education or Journalism and Carolina Research Scholars Program. Students also have no shortage of athletic excitement, especially during basketball season. For more information about UNC, visit unc.edu.