University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Megan

Every school has their stereotypes. Here we look at a few recent trends (Uggs tucked into sweatpants=GROSS) and also discuss an overwhelming stereotype of how UNC students dress.

Shanon

I would say they really are all true in their own way. This is a well-known school, and people are really proud of their University, and this sometimes manifests itself as elitism. I found this annoying when I ran into it. But that wasn't too often--you can join in or stay away, really. There are really smart people, but 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the Freshmen classes have to be NC residents, which means that the standards for students applying as in-state residents are much lower than for out-of-state. Everyone at Carolina is smart--it's just something to keep in mind, especially if you're from out-of-state (and there are still PLENTY of out-of-staters). There is technically a high girl-to-guy ratio...some girls claim that guys act differently because of this. I 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} agree. but most college guys are assholes no matter where you go, and really, you only need one. I went to a different University for my first 2 years and transferred. I expected classes to be about the same, despite reputations. But it really was different--class discussions were more interesting, people actually did their readings, and professors graded papers a bit more harshly (depending on the professor, of course). I would say it was maybe 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} more difficult. But much more interesting academically. Carolina Basketball is to live for! It is awesome, maybe not worth going to the school just for that, but it is quite amazing to get to go to the games for free (or, the fee your parents pay...).

Abby

Carolina students discuss stereotypes of their campus.

Abby

Carolina students discuss stereotypes of their campus.

Alex

Personally, I think it's true that there isn't as much diversity at UNC as there could be, but this will never change much as long as in-state students make up over 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of every incoming class. I got a fine education at Carolina of which I am quite proud, and I don't think that Duke students are any smarter than UNC students for having gone there. The girl/guy ratio at UNC is somewhere between 60/40 and 65/35, and yes, I would say that in general, Carolina girls are quite pretty. Some ARE belles who want to marry a frat boy, but mostly they stick to the sororities. And the stereotype about UNC students being happy and loyal to Carolina is unquestionably true. Yes, every once in a blue moon, you'll run across an in-state student who only came because it was cheap and resents it, but for the overwhelming majority of students at UNC, there is nowhere else they'd rather be.

Jessica

Basketball is a way of life, and all people should embrace it at UNC. Yes, all the students are brilliant

joe

decent amount of gay guys and prob less than half preppy. most everyone is pretty hippie-ish

Jerry

Yes

Cate

yes!

Robin

while this town is definately drinking saturated with over 42 bars in just a few mile strip right beside the university, it is also a very socially responsible, and diverse area. it has so much to offer from a rockin music scene, to the really really free market in carrboro, the tons of organic food spots, cheap student food spots, tons of great coffee shops, amazing weather and blue skies, a gorgeous campus, and of course the carolina tar heels basketball which is nothing like you have ever experienced. maybe that environment makes us feel a little superior, but honestly, i think the people here are so friendly that the snob rap isn't fair.

Gene

Not entirely. As with any large university, many different social groups exist, such as the Greeks, the Science nerds, the Indie kids, and just your regular 20-something year old college student. Some people definitely are snotty and spoiled, but those adjectives do not encompass our entire student body. Although we have a reputation as being a party school, I do not believe that this is the focus of students' efforts. If you wish, you definitely could party seven nights a week; you just have to know where to look.

Kai

In my comparison, yes, but obviously not everyone.

trevor

not really true for the girls (although there are a lot of dumb sorority girls) the campus is very attractive, though, with lots of very healthy students

Angela

Most stereotypes have some accuracy, but like all stereotypes, they're mass generalizations and not really true. If anything, these stereotypes largely fit the Greek scene, but other than that, no. But I will say that almost all of the students are liberal, so if you're a conservative, be prepared!

matt

I somewhat agree with rich and pretentious, because there are some students who are, well, rich and pretentious, but I think that you'd find that anywhere. I do, however, agree that the university is not as diverse as it makes itself out to be, or at least the students aren't. I don't really mean diversity in an ethnic sense, because it shouldn't really matter what color your skin is, but there does seem to be a lack in (I guess you'd call it) social diversity. Whereas people don't seem to judge you based on your ethnicity, I do think that the fraternity system, though it may have its perks, has a big effect on behavior and the way that people dress, which leads to a kind of high-school, clique mentality that I didn't expect to see in college. I know that school spirit is supposed to create unity and bond people together, but I think that sports events, fraternities, and sororities have the side effect of suppressing individuality, which is an important element lacking in our society today. But that's just what I think.

Alecia

No, UNC is full of diverse people from differing backgrounds socially, culturally, and economically.

Allison

There are definitely many liberal students and organizations on campus, but at the same time, there is a broad spectrum of ideas represented among the many organizations on campus.

Seth

fairly so.

Dylan

for the most part.

Erin

Chapel Hill is definitely a liberal place, which I considered a good thing, but if you are more conservative, you'll be able to find someone who shares your views since it's such a big campus. Compared to most other North Carolina schools, such as NC State, UNC does seem to be frattier. By fratty, I mean guys in their pastel polo shirts with croakies and girls in their sundresses with giant sunglasses. However, UNC is way less fratty than schools like Duke and UVA, and in reality, only around 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of UNC students actually belong to a Greek organization, so the Greek presence is not overpowering. UNC is about 60/40 girls/guys, so it's true that there are more girls than guys, but it really just depends on your major as to whether or not you feel that ratio. Dating in college is never easy, but I never considered the ratio to be a real problem.

Emmerson

No. We only get crazy in March. Definitely not everyone is rich, or a prep. Snobbishness is common only among certain groups. As for liberal-- everyone is free to make up their own mind.

TJ

The answer to these stereotypes and myths: - Of course UNC isn't full of only "hippies". In a school the size of UNC there are so many different types of people. Absolutely not true. - While there are wealthy people at UNC, again this is not true. The overwhelming majority of people at UNC are extremely friendly. Think southern hospitality... - The ratio of girls to guys is somewhere around 57:43. However I don't really notice it and I've talked to my friends that are girls and they don't notice it either. Just speaking from my experience at UNC though, the girls are extremely attractive. - The myth that out of state students are shunned is completely ridiculous. I have a number of out of state friends and they have fit in extremely well. I heard this myth before I came to UNC and I was skeptical. I can safely say that this is completely false. Just be yourself and you will find people like you or that you enjoy being with at Carolina. One of the best ways to meet people when your an out of state student is to Rush the Greek system or be involved in the many athletic activities or clubs. You meet so many people right away because they start at the beginning of school. - I lived on south campus in the fall of 2007 with no air conditioning. This was the hottest August and September on record in North Carolina. I still enjoyed it. Its part of the freshman experience. Your all in the same boat. I had friends that got north campus dorms and they kinda felt left out. Its only for a year, so grit your teeth and go to college and live in one of the dorms on south campus. I'm so glad I did.

Casey

1. YES... they are all short 2. Most people are really smart... but there is a good mix and the people are really social too

Allie

Yes for the most part

Kelly

By North Carolina standards, UNC is a fairly liberal place with a liberal student body, but by standards from New England and West Coast universities that I have talked to other students from, UNC is moderate. Since the student population is so large, there is a variety of students and one can find their own niche of friends. The girl to guy ratio seems to hold true in my opinion.

Blake

There is some degree of truth in all stereotypes, but as with all stereotypes, it tends to be the actions of a select few who represent the entire group. Some of the most amazing, intelligent, forward thinking, fun and interesting people I have ever seen I met while at UNC; many of who I consider I consider to be some of my best friends even after graduating.

Ryon

Like any college, there are going to be students who fit into this stereotype, but the majority of students are just really cool, smart people who don't judge you by your background. As for the kids who didn't get into Duke, they ended up at a better place anyways. Way cooler people and an awesome campus setting. Go Heels!! =)

Jesse

yes

Gene

like any big school you can find any group fo people you want, from coked out rich kids, to elitist boarding school kids, to run of the mill public school middle class kids that could be anyone's next door neighbor

David

To some extent. The atmosphere on campus can be very stuffy and elitist. While it is a very liberal institution and while it is one of the foremost bastions of knowledge and education in the state, it can tend to be very stifling for those who do not match the traditional UNC student mold.

Catherine

Honestly, I think it is somewhat true that people involved in Greek life are a little stuck up and consider themselves to be of higher class, but this is probably because most of them have a lot of money, however, there are some people I know in sororities or fraternities that are not like this at all. I don't necessarily think we have any more homosexual males at our school than any other college.

Jon

I think there are a significant number of conservatives at UNC, and it is not nearly as liberal as many universities. It is true that the diversity is relatively low, and I am not sure of the socioeconomic status of the students.

Paige

Somewhat. The girls are very good-looking, and there are a lot of them. The guys can be tools, but it depends on who you hang out with. UNC is big enough that you can find people like you, or people that are completely the opposite.

Amelia

It is true that an unnerving number of girls here are very pretty. This, combined with the fact that there aren't a lot of guys (the student body is 62{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}) female, makes finding a date difficult sometimes. It is true that there is a fairly large homosexual population, but it's definitely not all the guys. As for the stuck-up stereotype, I've found that around campus people are pretty chill but we are a very good school academically, and UNC students aren't shy when reminding people at other schools about that. That's probably where the stereotype comes from.

Maya

For the most part, yes

Maggie

Overall, yes. But you don't have to be preppy, wearing pearls and sperry's along with your Northface wearing friends who all go out to parties, and study a lot. You can most definitely find your own group of people. I believe that hte Greek system does isolate itself as, I, not a member- has very few great friends from that system but many acquaintances. Studying: there is a lot of this and libraries DO fill up around the heavier study times of the semester.

Brittany

No. Yes, there are many preps and lots of students involved in Greek life, but there are just as many that aren't. You'll encounter just about every type of student at UNC.

Connie

yes

Kate

We are better, so it can't be a stereotype :) JUST KIDDING!! I do think there is a bit of truth to it.

Alex

definitely work hard, play hard (the students here are smart but also know how to relax and have a good time), some students are pretty fratty (only a percentage are actually in the greek system though), most students are not stuck up, the abundance of girls compared to guys used to be true but is now just a rumor, the stereotype that UNC fans are wine and cheese refers to the alumni who come late and leave early for games and this is true but I do not mind this since their money paid for all of the athletic facilities and many basketball games are late on weeknights. The school is actually pretty liberal but not as much as Cal Berkeley or other schools that pride themselves on being liberal (college in fact is a liberal experience).

Jody

Though we are, for the most part, intelligent, we are very naive as a whole, some are very conservative and extremely rich

Brittnie

Many of these stereotypes are very accurate. It is often only when students participate in activities outside their general stereotype that the lines begin to cross.

Blake

To some extent. We are definitely crazy about UNC Basketball, but you don't have to be. It's fun to be apart of all the action though. UNC-CH is typically a liberal University due in part to the local surroundings. Do not be fooled. There are a large number of conservative students here too. Carolina has two very active political groups: Young Democrats & Young Republicans. Both groups encourage all students to become involved politically no matter what your affiliation is. There is also some confusion to the Demographics of UNC. We are over 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female, but ladies please, guys do exist here... and no they are not all gay. For those of you who that is your preference, Carolina does have a gay & lesbian population and groups on campus who cater to you. Carolina does not consist of a bunch of wealthy white people, while there might be a few, they are the extreme minority. Carolina is very dedicated to ensure diversity. The University is required to accept a certain number of individuals from every ethnicity. We have a large black population as well as native american, asian, etc... So please do not let that be a deterring factor. Okay... so maybe we are smart. But so are YOU! It is not easy to get into our institution. Everyone here went through the same application process and had to work very hard to get to where we are today. This is very important because the professors here do not play games and expect a lot out of you. The admissions committee takes this into consideration because they want the students here to do well. If you worked hard in high school and challenged yourself, you will do fine. It is also very important to keep in mind that students here come from all over the place (mostly NC, but also from all over the country). Everyone is here is intelligent, but intelligence is all relative. While you maybe one of the brightest at your high school, but that doesn't mean you will be the smartest here. You must continue to study & work hard. You will be fine... after all, you are considering UNC. Very smart move!

Liz

I would say it is a reflection of two populations at UNC, but those stereotypes obviously don't reflect the diversity of the student body. There are a lot of Fraternity brothers and Sorority Sisters, but that is only a minority on campus. While UNC is a liberal campus, I never felt out of place because I wasn't a stereotypical hippy. I would say, however, the university developed my personality in the liberal direction.

Kayla

I think that these stereotypes are mostly accurate, though not to the extent that they are believed to be true.

Caroline

Carolina's diversity is something I truley value, and it is true that Carolina is an open-minded environment that accepts many different types of people. I think UNC is a place that more accurately represents the melting pot that is America than many other colleges. However, those that believe Carolina is a microcosm of weirdos have got it all wrong.

Megan

The Wine and Cheese crowd is somewhat accurate. But games are still fun no matter what we are labeled.

Nico

I came from out of state and didn't know a whole lot about UNC so I expected rednecks, southern drawls, country people. Instead, I found lots of suburban kids with no accents, well-traveled and well-educated, and still somewhat proud of southern things like sweet tea and Bojangles. They were pretty much the same as me which was kind of disappointing since I thought I'd be in crazy country heaven, but I'm happy with the way people are because they are well-balanced and challenge me.

Cary

The stereotypes are largely inaccurate.

Nicholas

There's always some people that will fit the profile, but the vast majority are great people.