UNC CHAPEL HILL vs NC STATE UNIVERSITY -WHICH IS BETTER? (comparing campuses, dorms, transport, etc)

THANKS FOR WATCHING! This one took a while to put together even though I'm not really sure how many people are even looking for stuff like this, so if you're somehow reading this drop a like and any questions you have :)
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 intro
0:56 location
2:03 campuses
3:50 buildings
4:12 dorms
5:15 student unions
5:49 dining halls
7:07 libraries
8:10 buses
8:38 parking
9:22 sports
10:21 social life
11:10 academics
11:41 campus look
12:18 outro
SOCIALS
Insta - / _shivan
Twitter - / shiv4n
NCSU vs UNC
Chapel Hill vs Raleigh
best college in north carolina

[@ShivNC]

Hey y’all! this vid has been getting a decent amount of views recently so I just wanted to say that yes, my opinion has slightly changed on a few of these topics over the past year after seeing them both with minimal Covid restrictions again. but for the most part, I think most of what I said still stands true. I also have some more experience with some factors that I didn’t mention (ie off campus housing) now, so if you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask and I’ll respond with my updated thoughts!!

[@johnkrygier1524]

Not sure if you can answer this question. Which school is better for physics/astrophysics?

[@jlpack62]

In the 1960s, the state of NC did a very smart thing by assigning major programs of study to the two schools so that that they wouldn't be in competition with each other for funding. This has allowed both universities to pursue their own paths to excellence. I think it's important to understand that NC State is North Carolina's original land grant university with its mission responding to the industrial revolution. This shaped its future toward more practical degree programs compared to classical liberal arts. Also, NC State wins for ice cream. Howling Cow is legit and it's as fresh and locally sourced as you are going to get. The cows are just a few miles south of campus on a research "farm".

[@GlamourCat1920]

This was amazing to see I really like both schools and am glad to know the specific differences!

[@jordanb4183]

This was extremely helpful! thank you for taking the time to make this

[@daniyahkhan6427]

awesome vid, as a student who went to both schools, I think they both are amazing!

[@theladder06]

Thank you for the comparisons 👍

[@laurenw460]

Hey! Awesome video! Both of these schools are in my top 3... I'm a hs senior who is trying to decide where to go, and it has been super tough to compare the two because of Covid. This helped me out a lot! Thank you!

[@ShivNC]

That was the goal, awesome to hear that its helping:)

[@brelandlocktin5060]

which did you pick?

[@Jimmy-gr5vb]

Verdict?

[@PaulIsbell]

Hey. I just moved to Raleigh and I’m considering finishing my degree here after I gain residency in a year. Thanks for making this!

[@LarryHatch]

Overall amazingly fair and your familiarity with both in terms of real visits is important and adds credibility. Your sensibilities are "spot on" as the British would say. UNC should win for libraries, 7 million volumes vs. 4.3 million for State. I'm an NCSU Masters grad so trying to be objective and factual here. Hunt is amazing for technology but volumes teach, not tech. A BookBot doesn't help your research but it does save time.

[@jlpack62]

The point of the book bot is to save space and open up opportunities for other learning resources, tools, and collaboration spaces. In that regard, it's a huge success.

[@lilprisha-]

Nice video.. I think you missed the recreation centers (gym). NC State has massive, high quality, modern gym.

[@LarryHatch]

One should apply to a department not a school. UNC has some better departments and NCSU has some that are better or different - usually more applied or specialized in Raleigh. I applied for UNC Botany (from a Cornell B.S.) only to realize later NCSU"s Top 5 Horticultural Science Dept. was a better fit for my goals. Both schools partner in some areas like Biomedical Engineering. Also talk to profs who may become your advisors. If you find 2-3 profs in a department that align with your interests and goals, that is probably a good fit. If you can't even find one named, world-class prof then go elsewhere.

[@black.caillou]

nice i was debating between the two schools this helps

[@chipthrasher]

Helpful - I'm thinking about these two schools as well

[@ShivNC]

Glad to hear that

[@alainacginger]

Great video breaking this down objectively! I’m a Raleigh native who went to UNC, and I agree with many of your categories. I know you didn’t have experience with this yet, but I think the off campus housing environment is really important too, since most students at both schools spend 2-3 years living off campus. It is a lot easier to walk to UNC’s campus from surrounding houses and apartment complexes, but this is also necessary due to the lack of parking. It’s also a bit easier to bike around Chapel Hill and Carrboro since the roads are less busy. I believe cost is pretty similar for apartments, but it can be really cheap to live in a house in Chapel Hill or carrboro, and the house party culture is fun. Also important is viewing college as an investment! While the costs are pretty similar (with UNC being slightly more expensive), UNC just carries much more national recognition. If you’re staying in NC after graduation and you want to go to an in state public school, then picking the better fit or the better program between the two may be the best decision. However, if you want to move to NY, DC, Chicago (like me), CA, etc, then you’ll have a much better time getting a job coming from a highly ranked school like UNC. The alumni network is also FAR greater outside of NC.

[@ShivNC]

Going to pin this because these are some really good points. You're right--I've just started to look around for off campus housing for next year and its nice how close some of the homes/apartments actually are (though some are super expensive haha). All my friends at state's apartments are either right on hillsborough or a bit further north. And thats true, I've only heard great things about people being able to find unc alumni connections for jobs/internships, plus just having UNC there is always a plus. Thanks for the comment!

[@kristincaudle644]

I disagree that UNC carries more recognition. You can't make this claim because the schools are very different. If you are an engineer, then of course, NCSU will be the better choice, as it is highly ranked within the industry. Likewise, for Agriculture, Biomedical Engineering or Computer Science, NCSU is where you want to be. Liberal Arts? Then yes, UNC would be the better choice. Medicine? The undergraduate degree and GPA would be the determinant; not the school.

[@alainacginger]

@@kristincaudle644 We have the same view here. All else equal, especially if you plan to stay in the south, the individual program is a much better determinant of where you should go. Though I would argue Chapel Hill has great programs beyond just Liberal Arts- I had a fantastic education in Economics and Statistics. Where things really differ are if you are attempting to be competitive in a job market outside the south. UNC is seen as a ‘target school’ in some industries like business/banking, NCSU is not. In the Midwest, you are competing with kids from the Big 10 schools with better connections, so having a well recognized school (not even taking the program into consideration) is really helpful. On the west coast you have people from the UCs and in NY you literally have people from all over the country to compete with. Hiring decisions come down to the opinions of a few people, and having a better recognized school can make a big difference (I can also just start talking basketball with someone and UNC’s reputation can help me make a connection).

[@ajschlem]

@@alainacginger Hey! I recently enrolled in UNC and I am thinking of going into statistics, what were your experiences with the stats program, and would you recommend it to an incoming freshman? What kind of career paths does it point towards?

[@alainacginger]

@@ajschlem Hey congrats! I’m almost 4 years graduated and I know the program has definitely grown since then (I was there when they changed the name of the major to STAN and my graduating major class was only about 115), so it may be more difficult to get classes than it used to. I had a really good experience overall- it’s definitely a difficult major, and it’s also a long major with the number of classes and prerequisites so you won’t have a ton of room in your schedule to take random classes. I did double major with Econ, did a minor in religious studies, and did the honors coursework- but every class had a purpose. If you make good friends in the major you will survive difficult hw problem sets and difficult exams! Job wise- for about half of undergrad I wanted to be an actuary, but UNC doesn’t have a ton of support in this area to make you a competitive applicant for internships. I did end up going into the insurance industry as a underwriter (after interning for my company for 2 summers), which is definitely less technical than what the major prepared me for, but it’s work that really fits my personality! There’s a lot of data analyst roles out there now, you could do consulting, and there are folks that double major or minor in comp sci and go into programming.

[@myaparks320]

Great video ! I go to UNC and have never seen State’s campus . I should’ve gone there lol

[@ShivNC]

Hahah nahhh you cant regret going to unc!!

[@ayushanturkar5137]

Hey shiv! love your videos! In some of your videos it seems like you live in cary, I also live there. oh and did you go to mills park middle, cause like I go there now

[@ShivNC]

Haha yes and yes!

[@tayamishin]

Hi! This is such a great video! I am extremely torn between the two and if you could answer some of my questions that would be so helpful! 1. I thought NCSU was better for business (I want to do marketing) because of their many offered programs, Raleigh’s opportunities, and entrepreneurship support. Plus, as I understand, UNC has very few undergrad business degrees, and if you don’t get into Kenyan Flagler your sophomore year, than is it worth risking that as a business major? 2. You might not have experienced this if you graduated before end of 2020 and then all through 2021, but I’ve heard, and read, about many cases of UNC having a toxic environment regarding respecting people’s political opinions…. This is something few talk about but it’s been a big factor in my decision, because it seems to be that UNC’s both students and definitely professors, can be quite stern and biased regarding reading or hearing opposing views… even failing students who write their honest opinions… 3. How important is the prestige at UNC if you want to go the entrepreneurial route, meaning it won’t be a huge factor having UNC on your resume? Hope you can answer my questions! Thank you.

[@ShivNC]

Hey Taya! So sorry for the late reply. 1) I honestly would disagree. The main disadvantage of UNC is yes, you have to get into kenan-flagler. It has an acceptance rate of ~50% and accepts about 400 people per semester, so not too bad. You can also re apply junior year if you don’t get in, so the majority of people who truly want to do business will be able to. If you do get in, a kenan flagler degree looks a lot better than a NCSU one I think. 2) Sort of. It heavily depends on the professor for classes, I know some that will have a clear political view and shares it, and I know some that don’t want anything to do with it. In general, though, most of UNC is liberal and open to hearing ideas, but there are groups on both sides that are stern. I’m not sure how much that will change with each school though 3) it’s important, but I wouldn’t make it the leading factor in your decision if you want to go the entrepreneurial route

[@chaseg8888]

Thanks for making informative videos on colleges. I have recently been accepted to UNC Chapel hill Honors and also accepted at UT austin for Physics. I am out of state for both, do you think UNC will be better option for me compared to UT? I am struggling to make a decision as i have no one in these colleges. I also have UCLA but that is too costly and far for me.

[@harrisoncarter9187]

Great video

[@colebeans3145]

Both my older brothers went to unc and I just got moved into my dorm at state lol go Wolfpack 😎 awesome video too

[@ShivNC]

Hahahah fair enough, unc vs state games are going to be fun for your family. good luck this semester!

[@Thomas-rg1bj]

Shoulda went to unc

[@anthonyhui1322]

I am a UNC student and my lovely girlfriend goes to NCSU---I shall be visiting her (once COVID-19 pasts)---and vice versa! GREAT VIDEO SHIV and Go Tar Heels!

[@summersea78]

Thanks so much for this video! Our son is looking into NC State and we found this video helpful. Would you say one college has more friendly people than the other?

[@ShivNC]

Glad to hear! Oh man, that’s a tough one. It’s very very hard to say because most of my interactions with people at NC state have just been with my friends (since I don’t go there of course). You can 100% find friendly people and people that share common interests in both schools as long as you get involved in organizations, clubs, etc. In terms of the cities themselves, I would say Chapel hill has a bit more ‘friendlier’ reputation than raleigh, but I wouldn’t put too much weight into that

[@summersea78]

@@ShivNC I would think once he meets students in his field of interest (Turfgrass Management) he should be OK. And yes! Hopefully he will get involved with some organizations and clubs. I think the Turfgrass program is pretty small so that may be a good thing! Thanks so much and best of luck to you!

[@jlpack62]

I went to State and worked at UNC while I was an undergrad. I found State students to be much friendlier but it's been a hot minute since I was there.

[@willballenger2593]

Hey, I am also an intended business major but was waitlisted from UNC. I got into State. Both schools look amazing but obviously UNC would probably be the better option for me major-wise. Would State still be okay for a business major or is it seen as a not very good program? Thank you!

[@ShivNC]

Hey! Hmm...state business is still solid, of course not as prestigious (like would look slightly ‘worse’ on a resume per say) but if you really wanna do business I don’t think that should hold you back. You still have a bunch of resources and stuff at state, and they have some concentrations that unc doesn’t have like accounting. You could always see how you like it the first year there, assuming you do go to state, and then decide if you either want to switch your major, try to transfer to UNC, or just keep going with it!

[@willballenger2593]

@@ShivNC Gotcha! Thanks so much!

[@ajschlem]

To be honest, when I toured it, I didn’t like the vibe of NC State’s Centennial campus. The new engineering library was cool, but I hated the fact that it had the same vibe as a business park with tons of parking decks and parking lots all over the place.

[@ShivNC]

That’s super fair. I think the first time I saw it I was just impressed by the architecture and how modern it was, but I feel like if I lived right next to it it would get old

[@gman22221]

NC State won your point system but you attend Chapel Hill. What was it that made you enroll at Chapel Hill?

[@ShivNC]

So a few reasons: it was better for my intended major (business), I liked a lot of the people I knew who were going there, personally the campus felt better to me, and then obviously the ‘prestige’ (aka it was harder to get into so why would I choose state over it)

[@samuelscott8896]

There Is also a prestige ot going to and graduating from NCSU and their admissions is getting harder too

[@christophernguyen4250]

Dang the disrespect to bme :’( (though it’s the same for both schools)

[@Diego_Cabrera]

I'm majoring CS, I got into UNC-CH but now that I am in I was looking at NCSU's CS program and it looks much modern. I don't know what to do. I would have to turn down UNC CH's offer for an attempt to apply for NCSU idk if that's too much risk. Any advice?

[@Diego_Cabrera]

I got accept to NCSU. I’m most likely going with NCSU bc of their program and campus.

[@ShivNC]

⁠​⁠@@Diego_Cabrerahey Diego, congrats on that!! I would say NCSU is probably the best way to go, they have a really good comp sci/engineering department. If you like the rest of the campus too, go for it

[@tejasparse9053]

How is UNC-CH closer to downtown? Moreover, NCSU is closer to Raleigh whereas UNC-CH is kinda isolated when I look at maps. Please correct me If I am wrong.

[@ShivNC]

So what I meant was UNC’s campus is basically right next to downtown Chapel Hill (aka Franklin Street) where you can just walk there from campus. At NCSU, you have to drive to get to downtown Raleigh. Of course Raleigh is much bigger than Chapel Hill though

[@saiabhinavavasarala6704]

Does being out-of-state majorly affect NC state admissions decision?

[@jojosiwa4522]

Yes, 82% of people have to be from NC, it’s a law

[@noitallmanaz]

UNC Basketball adds 15 points over NCST

[@edwardshepherd9873]

What about Duke?

[@rationalthinker2724]

Please compare the value of the degree each university holds in job market.

[@cooperdavis4212]

Why don't you compare the value, "rational thinker," instead of asking this guy to do it on a 2+ year video? Lmao

[@christophernguyen4250]

Also this is a BETRAYAL

[@kristincaudle644]

Shut up!

[@lolkillem13]

Venus high school>

[@paigepeterson1120]

lol i live 20 minutes from nc state and i want to go there sooo bad which i feel like is the opposite of every kid because i feel like everybody wants to be as far away as possible but i want to go to nc state SO BAD hehe

[@ShivNC]

I feel you honestly, I live 25 mins from UNC and I never really thought about going out of state for college. Its really not that bad and if you ever forget something at home you can get it easily hahah

[@paigepeterson1120]

@@ShivNC haha yesss thats true

[@moelopez270]

@@ShivNC hey which is better for robotics and tech stuff

[@Dakid015]

@@moelopez270 NC State hands down. It's why it's an engineering school.

[@_mustafaS]

UNC ngl

[@samtheham1280]

Y’all he’s allergic to ice cream…poor guy

[@ShivNC]

Pain

[@sanjanaponnapalli3704]

Is NC state or UNC Chapel Hill better for computer science? And what about medicine? I really wanna get into both universities (especially UNC)! Good luck to those who are applying this year with me!

[@ShivNC]

Both schools are excellent for both programs, but loosely, I’ll say unc has better medical and ncsu has better compsci. If you want to do both, unc is probably a better choice. Good luck!

[@sanjanaponnapalli3704]

@@ShivNC thank you!

[@babyyoda8195]

Not sure about comp sci but UNC has a highly ranked medical school. NCSU has no medical school

[@maxmi5534]

How is unc sils ?

[@jimbritton3690]

SILS is top rated in the US for their library science focus, but their information science portion is great as well (I know their bioinformatics program is excellent). I got my masters there since they didn't have an undergraduate degree when I originally graduated from UNC's business school.

[@NotHamzaAhmed97]

Should i go to state duke or hpu

[@ShivNC]

What do you want to major in?

[@NotHamzaAhmed97]

Business

[@7inentertainment509]

NC State tailgates> UNC tailgates though

[@ShivNC]

tbh I’ve only gone to one at state but this is lowkey facts

[@cramirez3855]

NC state football better

[@ShivNC]

Might wanna check the scoreboard from oct 24 🤔 🤔

[@andypittman5190]

What about the one from Friday night?

[@christophernguyen4250]

But state doesn’t have cute guys like u

[@user-gp3tb8ho2b]

wow

[@Thomas-rg1bj]

Unc has way better athletics

[@ryanraypold9346]

Go Unc bo nc state

[@johnwaffleh2p70]

Both are trash Pitt is better

[@harpermartin7813]

Jesus is King! If you do not know Jesus as Savior please pray, “ Jesus save me. At this moment I choose to have faith that You gave Your life for me and rose from the dead. Doing this You defeated death, even though it meant You had to die. You surrendered Your life for me, so I chose to surrender my life to You. Forgive me Jesus, my God. Amen.” Jesus loves you so much. Please accept His love. I encourage you to read the Bible and pray. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten only Son into this world, that whoever believes that in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 🙏❤️🙏 Jesus is enough! Again I tell you, Jesus loves you!

[@harpermartin7813]

Jesus is King! If you do not know Jesus as Savior please pray, “ Jesus save me. At this moment I choose to have faith that You gave Your life for me and rose from the dead. Doing this You defeated death, even though it meant You had to die. You surrendered Your life for me, so I chose to surrender my life to You. Forgive me Jesus, my God. Amen.” Jesus loves you so much. Please accept His love. I encourage you to read the Bible and pray. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten only Son into this world, that whoever believes that in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 🙏❤️🙏 Jesus is enough! Again I tell you, Jesus loves you!