UNC v Wake Forest?

[OnTheRoad]

pwned, sorry. 

Mae8, are you Emory UG or Law?

[mae8]

emory law, i went to THE best school in nc for ugrad though 

what you said about overall quality of public universities may not be wrong at all, i was just thinking law school...

[OnTheRoad]

Yeah I think I was doing exactly what I was complaining about people doing and confusing general rep with law school rep, lol. How do you like Emory? I'm thinking of applying but a bit scared of Atlanta in general. Where are most of the people that go there looking to practice?

[the prince]

I'm a NC native with wake undergrad.  Go to carolina everytime over wake for law school, but go to wake undergrad if you know you want to go to lawschool when you graduate.  Wake undergrad network is as loyal as they come.  However, wake grads from NC all want to move to chapel hill for law school.  Wake is the fallback for people who score in the 160s with gpa's less than 3.5 (unless you get big money).  Ask anyone who finished in the bottom half of the class to compare their opportunities to those in the bottom half of unc.

I thought this debate was settled a long time ago.    

[m. esquandolas]

*Bump* 

Does anyone have any advice for an in-state NC student who is considering these two schools?  Like many of Wake's admitted students, I was invited to apply for several endowed scholarships that would close the tuition gap.  The previous posts were very helpful - any fresh perspective will be greatly appreciated.

[wiseowl]

next cycle when i apply i plan to treat these two as essentially equal.  i'd love to go to either (but would love to go to duke more, obviously).  i have soft ties to both schools (legacy with an uncle at wake law plus wife got masters there, whole family went to unc undergrad except me and im getting phd there).  wake seems much more generous with scholarships and seems a little easier to get into.  i nearly went to wake for undergrad and would love to have another chance - i love the campus and winston was cool when my wife lived there.  unc seems to have fewer scholarship opportunities...obviously for in-staters its almost cheap enough as to not need them.

long story short..i think you'd be happy with either.  they're tied in the rankings (honestly, i could see wake going higher this round) and im nervous about the prospect of the law school moving at UNC while i would be there (i think it is moving to a new campus in 11-12.)

where are you planning to practice?  that is the biggest factor.  obviously UNC places better than wake nationally but in state, especially in charlotte, they're closer than you think.

[donwario]

your thoughts? in terms of prestige/rep/street cred

Wake Forest is far better in terms of student and faculty quality. I think the "man on the street" might be more impressed by the UNC name. The most troubling occurance at UNC is their money problem and loss of top faculty. It would be a concern for me in this rankings-obsessed world.

[m. esquandolas]

Good points made by all.  Looking at career prospect only, however, UNC does appear to still have the upper hand in my personal opinion.  When the cost of attending to two schools is considered to be roughly equal (for an in-state student with the potential to get scholarship money at Wake), it seems like UNC has an advantage for prospective students who are interested in practicing (long-term anyway) in the Southeast.  Does anyone disagree?

[Temporary Relief Assistant Trailer Park Supervisor]

your thoughts? in terms of prestige/rep/street cred

Wake Forest is far better in terms of student and faculty quality. I think the "man on the street" might be more impressed by the UNC name. The most troubling occurance at UNC is their money problem and loss of top faculty. It would be a concern for me in this rankings-obsessed world.

Why do you say student body quality is better?  Wake takes anyone with a pulse and a 160, so long as the GPA is over 2.0.  UNC is much more difficult to get into, and they tend to require a very solid GPA even with a great LSAT score.

[donwario]

your thoughts? in terms of prestige/rep/street cred

Wake Forest is far better in terms of student and faculty quality. I think the "man on the street" might be more impressed by the UNC name. The most troubling occurance at UNC is their money problem and loss of top faculty. It would be a concern for me in this rankings-obsessed world.

Why do you say student body quality is better?  Wake takes anyone with a pulse and a 160, so long as the GPA is over 2.0.  UNC is much more difficult to get into, and they tend to require a very solid GPA even with a great LSAT score.

 

Wake's 25th percentile is 161