Anyone considering UNC

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cptnplanetdc

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There seems to be a lack of talk about UNC on these forums and since I can't get the search to work, I wanted to see if anyone out there is considering going to UNC next year. I'm thinking about going to the second look weekend but I wanted to hear any info people know about the school and the people etc beforehand. Thanks
 
i'd consider going if they would consider accepting me. 😉 they haven't gotten around to making a decison on me yet. i'm soooo impatient!!

i'm a UNC alum and have lived in chapel hill for 9 years, work at the med school now (in research) and have lots of friends at the med school. i love being a tarheel and can answer a lot of questions about the school and the town if you'd care to ask someone who hasn't been accepted. 😉 🙂
 
I'm very strongly considering UNC right now. I'm all about primary care & public health research, so academically it's an ideal place for me.

I'm out-of-state, so in many ways I feel out of touch with information about UNC. It has a great reputation, but up here, no one really knows too much about it. I guess it doesn't get discussed on SDN too much because for people from NC, it's automatically a top choice, and people not from NC don't really even consider it.

I'll definitely be going for 2nd look. Hopefully they'll take us on a tour of the hospitals this time!
 
yeah the interview day was really disorganized and i didn't feel like i got to see anything about the school or hospital really. i guess i'm in state but i've lived out of state for the past 8 years so i agree that not much is ever discussed about unc. i hope more people add their thoughts...
 
I've heard the 2nd look at UNC is scheduled for April 5th, but I don't know anything else about it ...

As for the adcom, when I called on Mon, Mar 17th, I was told the comm was meeting as we spoke and that a lot more decisions would be mailed shortly. I was told to call back around March27-28th to get an update if I haven't received anything in the mail by then.

Of the schools to which I've applied, UNC has communicated the least. I interviewed way back in October and have rec'd only one letter from them since - a letter in Jan telling me that they wouldn't make a decision on me until later this spring.
Too bad ..... they were my top choice.
 
cptnplanetdc-- check yer PMs. 🙂

hmmm...thanks for the info, syalafinn...maybe i'll have to drop by the admissions office tomorrow to see if they've gotten around to looking at my file yet.

good luck everyone!!
 
i am going to the second look weekend. please send word if any of you are going 🙂
 
hm. . .i really really wanna go, especially since i wasn't so impressed by unc at my interview. . .sheesh, i don't even know what the problem was! on paper, it's an excellent school but for some reason. . .it just didn't seem like a great place to spend four years of med school.
but it doesn't look like i'l be able to go to second look day, b/c of a lot of deadlines i have. .
can anyone convince me that unc is awesome? good interview experiences, interesting tidbits, etc?? i want to love it, i just don't know if i do yet. .
 
Thanks for your PM Sweet Tea. Maybe you should write the same stuff about UNC on this thread since other people seem to be looking for the same information. I'm definitely going to go to the second look weekend. I want to love UNC too but I just have a sour taste of the med school after the interview. But most people speak so highly of it that I know I have to give it a second chance.
 
Sweet Tea, if you could post more info on this thread, it would be extremely helpful. 🙂

The thing I really liked about UNC was the students. My student host was incredibly nice . . . she even got a bunch of her friends to take me out the night before the interview, to talk to me about the school. They were all really cool: very intelligent, but not pretentious, laid back, but serious about their work and enthusiastic about medicine. They all seemed to be really enjoying life. Everyone just had that extra spark about them, and so I really felt like I'd love to live and work with such a great community of people. On our tour, we stopped in one of the labs, and a huge group of students were there . . . not killing themselves studying, but putting together an AIDS quilt! That pretty much exemplifies what I love about UNC.

Care Bear, is Jefferson the other school you're considering? If so, I've really got to say that personally, I was much more impressed with the people at UNC than the people at Jefferson. I just don't think the Jefferson students had that same spark to them. They were all very nice, and I'm sure they'll make excellent doctors but . . . ehhh. Location wise, I think Jefferson can't be beat (I'm from Philly, so I'm slightly biased) But otherwise, UNC wins hands down.
 
banannie--my experience with UNC students was quite different, but you bring up a very good point: *your own* connection with the students is a very (IMO, the most) important factor in the final decision. I had that spark you're talking about with students at Penn and JHU, but I've heard people say that Penn students are stuck up and Hopkins students are uptight, so this just goes to prove that the connection with students is really personal. I would urge anyone deciding between two schools to get back for visits and look for the sparks banannie mentioned. If I had not gotten into Hopkins, I probably would have gone to UNC, and I was praying that a revisit weekend at UNC would show my initial impression of UNC students to be inaccurate.
 
VW, you are totally right, and I probably should have more strongly qualified my statements with the fact that it is my opinion, and that sparks are indeed subjective. Also, my n is pretty small (like 6). I guess I was just hoping to stir up some more enthusiasm for the school!!!

I wish that all schools realized how important 2nd look weekends are!
 
Hey everyone,

I am currently a first year here at UNC, and I honestly don't think you can do any better. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I came here from out of state over several other highly ranked schools, and I don't regret my decision for a second.

Our classes are by and large great, with some really close faculty interaction. For instance, our Physiology prof e-mailed a bunch of us individually after the last test, congratulating us on our performance. It's little things like that that make it really nice to be here.

My class is also great and gets along well, we do a whole lot of social things on top of our classwork. For instance, we had Skit Night last weekend, where each class put together a set of funny skits. With only five hours of preparation, I'm happy to say that we won the golden stethoscope.

Anyway, post any specific questions here, and I'll do my best to respond to them promptly. Like I said before, this is a really great place to come to school.

Coalboy
 
Hi Coalboy,

I was wondering if you knew about any type of gpa/mcat cutoff for those applying out of state. Any idea what the avg gpa/mcat for those who get in, out of state?

Thanks for the help.

BDF
 
Originally posted by banannie
VW, you are totally right, and I probably should have more strongly qualified my statements with the fact that it is my opinion, and that sparks are indeed subjective. Also, my n is pretty small (like 6). I guess I was just hoping to stir up some more enthusiasm for the school!!!

I wish that all schools realized how important 2nd look weekends are!
Click to expand...

BTW, banannie, above I meant "*your own*" as in the editorial "you" (that is, "one's own"). I didn't mean to come off as though I was discounting your experience because it was just one person's. But you got my point just the same--that "I'm-home" feeling is highly personal and really important.

Let me know what you decide--as I recall, you have some pretty handsome options. 🙂
 
wow, thanks so much to everyone who gave me advice, opinions, etc! this may sound kinda sudden, but after a recent big talk with my mom, and hearing from friends back in NC, i had this sort of sudden realization that NC is in fact pretty much where i'd like to be. . .and so i'm trusting that everyone is right when they say that first impressions change. i think for me the big thing was just that i didn't meet any students except my tour guides; i'm originally from raleigh so i stayed with my parents, not a student host. . so part of my reluctance might just be that i didn't get a chance to really have that 'click' with anyone.
but i'm sure that will change as soon as i meet some people there. . .
so. . .i even changed my sdn signature 🙂 and i'm quitting the waitlist-whining, you can't beat $5000 tuition.
 
Originally posted by care bear
you can't beat $5000 tuition.
Click to expand...

sure you can...ecu is $4000 😉

I didn't like my UNC interview experience, either. Fortunately, I knew more about the school before going in (by virtue of living and working here 9 years). UNC is a great school, the students and faculty are really nice, and I really like the focus on public health (I think public health is often overlooked by med schools...but this could just be b/c my research is PH-oriented so I'm biased). There are tons of things to do in Chapel Hill...Franklin St., UNC athletics, and you're close to both the mountains and the beach if you need to get out of town.

Honestly, UNC is not my first choice, but it's not b/c of anything bad about UNC...ECU is probably a better school for me (I want to stay in NC and work in primary care), and after 9 years it's time to move out of my hometown. I've also always been in massive classes, so a class size of 72 sounds really good! But I know I'd be perfectly happy at UNC.

I don't know why the UNC interview sucks. I don't know of anyone who had a good experience interviewing, but I know lots of happy med students. The worst thing about UNC right now is the massive amounts of construction going on (including the health science library), but *theoretically* that will be wrapping up soon and the class of 2007 will have a new room their second year. Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
 
Originally posted by BobbyDylanFan
Hi Coalboy,

I was wondering if you knew about any type of gpa/mcat cutoff for those applying out of state. Any idea what the avg gpa/mcat for those who get in, out of state?

Thanks for the help.

BDF
Click to expand...

Hmm, beyond what you might find on the US News web site, I don't think I could quote you any hard numbers. They are definitely very selective when it comes to out-of-staters, but I don't think they base even those decisions solely on GPA or MCAT. I think it's more of a "whole picture" sort of thing, but that's just my feeling on it. If you are out of state, and seriously interested in the school, just make sure to make that clear in your application.
 
Originally posted by Sweet Tea
sure you can...ecu is $4000 😉

I didn't like my UNC interview experience, either. Fortunately, I knew more about the school before going in (by virtue of living and working here 9 years). UNC is a great school, the students and faculty are really nice, and I really like the focus on public health (I think public health is often overlooked by med schools...but this could just be b/c my research is PH-oriented so I'm biased).
Click to expand...


It is strange that med schools, and applicatnts don't care more about their affiliated schools of public health. But maybe I'm just an epi proc-freq 😉

As far as UNC, the feeling I get is that UNC-CH School of Public Health is top notch and has a good medical school as well. Had my research not been in Minneapolis, I would have applied to UNC.
 
Originally posted by Sweet Tea
I didn't like my UNC interview experience, either. Fortunately, I knew more about the school before going in (by virtue of living and working here 9 years). UNC is a great school, the students and faculty are really nice, and I really like the focus on public health (I think public health is often overlooked by med schools...but this could just be b/c my research is PH-oriented so I'm biased). There are tons of things to do in Chapel Hill...Franklin St., UNC athletics, and you're close to both the mountains and the beach if you need to get out of town.
Click to expand...

I have to give a big "ditto" to the interview experience. Though I go to UNC undergrad and work near the med school..I don't feel like I know that much about it even now. I really like it and I like the curriculum. The only reason I'm probably going elsewhere is because I've been in NC all my life.

And UNC basketball! We may not be in the NCAA this year...but I love it! It's so great.

The worst thing about UNC right now is the massive amounts of construction going on (including the health science library), but *theoretically* that will be wrapping up soon and the class of 2007 will have a new room their second year.
Click to expand...

Yeah...I don't believe that for a second. I HATE the construction. You know how you have a certain path you walk to get to places? I really hate having to constantly relearn how to navigate the campus.
 
Dude - I thought I was the only one with a bad Interview-day there!!!! I guess they really don't go out of their way to impress interviewees.
Regardless - it's a great School. It's the whole package.
 
Gee, I thought that my interview experience was bad just because I was there during the ice storm and all I did was interview (no tour...ate lunch for like 5 minutes with two students). Guess I didn't miss as much as I thought I did. Oh well, hopefully the second look will be a lot better!
 
Is anyone still waiting for response back from UNC? I still haven't heard anything from them. 🙁

My interview experience wasn't bad, I interviewed with Dr. Hoole, but we didn't get to see much of the school at all. It was really rushed. The students that I met were really nice.
 
Originally posted by am33877
Gee, I thought that my interview experience was bad just because I was there during the ice storm and all I did was interview (no tour...ate lunch for like 5 minutes with two students). Guess I didn't miss as much as I thought I did. Oh well, hopefully the second look will be a lot better!
Click to expand...

Well, I hope the students you talked to were good....

(I was one of them)

🙂
 
I'm so glad this thread has finally come alive!

I have a question: is the tuition deposit at UNC refundable before May 15th? I couldn't find that written anywhere in my acceptance packet, but I'm assuming it's true, since it's true everywhere else.

Thanks!
 
I'm not sure, but I would imagine that the deposit is refundable before May 15th. Best bet would be to call or e-mail the admissions office and ask ( Randee Reid ).
 
banannie--I asked them in November and they said it WAS refundable. That having been said, I withdrew 10 days ago but haven't heard anything from them ...
 
VW-- 10 days??? Welcome to the slowness that is anything dealing with money at UNC. It takes forever to get refunds. :laugh:

SK-- I finally learned my way around the med school last year and how all the buildings connect, and then they moved to a new are of construction and I'm having to relearn everything. Gah!

But still, I'd love to go there. (umm...so, if any of y'all with multiple acceptances would mind deciding against UNC and opening up a spot for someone who has yet to be accepted anywhere...I'd sure appreciate it 😉)
 
Originally posted by banannie
I'm so glad this thread has finally come alive!

I have a question: is the tuition deposit at UNC refundable before May 15th? I couldn't find that written anywhere in my acceptance packet, but I'm assuming it's true, since it's true everywhere else.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


yeah it is refundable. i called and asked before i sent it in and she said as long as you decline before may 15th then you get your money back.
 
thanks for the encouragement sweet tea! 🙂
(btw, people knowing what 'sweet tea' is, and having it available in every single restaurant, is something i'm looking forward to having again🙂)

yeah, i'm excited about the school of public health as well. that's another great unc thing i've been remembering. i'm definitely interested in public health- i'm a polisci and bio major right now and my undergrad research has been only at yale eph. . .does anyone know if it's very common/possible for med students to take classes at the school of public health without going for the MPH? or to do research there?
 
I'm glad people have started writing pro-UNC posts. I'm a lot more excited about going to the second look weekend now and I hope that it clears everything else up for me. Everyone keeps writing about how UNC is great for primary care and public health stuff. What if those are the two things that I'm pretty sure I don't want to do? Would you guys still go there in that case?
 
Originally posted by cptnplanetdc
I'm glad people have started writing pro-UNC posts. I'm a lot more excited about going to the second look weekend now and I hope that it clears everything else up for me. Everyone keeps writing about how UNC is great for primary care and public health stuff. What if those are the two things that I'm pretty sure I don't want to do? Would you guys still go there in that case?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Not everyone here wants to do primary care. I wasn't much interested in it when I started, though I must say that it has begun to grow on me a bit with our Community Weeks and whatnot. As a personal example, I will be doing some grant-funded research this summer with the Computer Aided Surgery and Imaging Lab, a kind of cross between Computer Science, Surgery, and Radiology ( Project Web Page ). I know lots of other people who are doing research with lots of other departments. In addition to the top-notch primary care, there is a whole lot of research stuff going on here. They just finished the new Bioinformatics building, and the new Molecular Bio building is almost done. I think there are a couple of other new/renovated research buildings in the immediate future as well. This makes for a lot of construction hassle, as people have previously mentioned, but it seems like a worthy sacrifice.
 
Are there a lot of people considering going into surgery or radiology? I know that the match rates for people going into primary care from UNC are great but how hard is it to match for something more specialized? Thanks everyone for writing!
 
Thanks for the match lists, Coalboy.

Has anyone heard anything lately from the admissions office? A big batch of letters was supposed to go out around 3/15, but when I spoke with Randee Reid 3/24, she said the letters still hadn't gone out.

Ooooh, I would very, very, VERY! much like to get an acceptance from UNC.

Maybe I'll make an anonymous call tomorrow. Think they have caller ID?
 
Maybe I'll make an anonymous call tomorrow. Think they have caller ID?
Click to expand...

Use a pay phone.

🙂
 
I was wondering the exact same thing about the admissions office...if I call today, I will post what I find out. I think that I will need more than a pay phone though, I need a voice scrambler too. I am pretty sure that everyone who answers the phone recognizes my voice by now.🙄
 
Eroland, SweetTea, and others waiting on a decision from UNC -

I got a response email from Randee Reid this afternoon. She said they are sending out letters this Wed.

Hmmmm... deja vu.
 
Good luck to everyone!
 
I just wanted to second all of the positive things being said about UNC. I am currently a fourth year student at UNC and will be starting my general surgery residency at UNC (where else?!) in June. My class did extremely well in the match, with over 80% getting their first or second choice. UNC is great for people going into primary care, but I also have a lot of friends who went into rads/anes/derm/opth without any trouble.
Good luck to everyone in the coming weeks. I hope to see you at UNC on your third and fourth year rotations.
 
ShaylaFinn,

Did you get good news or just news that they were sending out letters? I hope it was good news!

Best of luck to everyone too! This waiting has been really awful. Perhaps the letters will really come out on Wednesday.
 
By the way, for those of you who were [ahem] less than impressed with our lecture hall, next year, all lectures will be held in the new Medical Biomolecular Research Building. There are two lecture halls, at 250 and 500 seats, with built in ethernet and power jacks at each seat. I haven't seen it yet (it's not quite done), but it should be pretty darned nice. It is a little bit of a walk from Berryhill, where the labs will still be, but not bad at all. Very much worth it for the new lecture digs, I would say.
 
So they're mailing out letters this wednesday? Does that include acceptances w/o a phone call? I'm assuming that since I haven't gotten a phone call since December (my interview) I'm pretty much out of luck. But I dunno how they handle this last round of decisions, whether they still call everyone who gets accepted, or just mail out a bunch of letters. Anybody know?
 
Chemguync--I was accepted in November, but I never got a phone call. So even earlier in the season, they don't call everyone. Good luck, everyone!
 
I'm still awaiting a decision like a lot of ya'll. I interviewed at the beginning of October, then received a letter in mid-Jan saying that I was still under active consideration and that I'd hear back later in the spring.


Does anyone know for certain whether the class is already full or if UNC made the AMCAS deadline of sending out at least 160 or so acceptances (I think that's ~the size of each class) by March 15th?

Good luck to those of you still waiting!
 
I am surprised you got an active consideration letter. I didn't even get that. My question last time I talked with the admissions folks was 'Has anyone received a rejection letter yet?' and they said 'No.' I would imagine that there are about 200 to 230 people waiting to hear something.

Good luck everyone. Hopefully Wednesday will be the day! I started studying for the MCAT in January. I am a non-trad older applicant, so that and volunteering are the two ways that I hope to improve my app for next year.
 
Okay, today is supposed to be the day. Anyone going to call and find out their status? Or are ya'll just gonna' wait a few days for your letter to come in the mail?
 
Bad news. I just called and asked about my status. They said that they were STILL making final decisions and that letters should be sent out by FRIDAY.

I asked if rejections had been sent out yet and she said that the letters being sent out would be rejections or waitlist and that most everyone should be notified already if they were accepted. She said that all of the applications had to cross Dr. Hoole's desk again. So, I guess the last little bit of hope that I had was just squashed like a bug.
 
Aww, don't throw in the towel yet, Eviroland.

The very fact that it's taking so long for this last batch of letters to go out gives me some hope. After all, if it was a big stack of rejections, what's there to deliberate about? Also, if they don't expect waitlist activity this year, why put so much effort into formulating it?

I refuse to give up until 1) I have a rejecton letter in my hand or 2) fall classes have started and I still haven't heard from UNC.


Best wishes to all of you who are still waiting to hear.
 
Eroland - please accept my apologies for misspelling your name. I don't know what I was thinking - must be the stress of being in the "No Acceptances Yet Club" in April.🙂
 
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