As high school student’s last year of college nears an end, they are faced with an important decision – college or not. In North Carolina there are numerous universities where students can further their education. Here are the top then colleges in NC that students have chosen to attend in 2006.
(1) UNCW
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is located on the southeastern coast of the state. Many teens go here because it is at the beach. UNCW also has outstanding educational opportunities in many areas such as education, nursing, biology, marine sciences, as well as art and foreign languages. The campus is beautifully designed and landscaped. All the classroom and buildings are within easy walking distance. Student intramurals and extracurricular activities are numerous all year long. UNCW has many foreign study partnership agreements with colleges around the world that a lot of students take advantage of.
(2) UNC-Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been one of the top most applied to colleges in the United States. Part of this, I’m sure, is due to the influence of the UNC Tarheel basketball team. Many people attend UNC-CH to study education, medicine, and religion. UNC-Chapel Hill also has a long list of degrees with majors and minors in almost anything you can think of. This University is located near the center of the state, very close to the state’s capital of Raleigh.
(3) Duke
Duke University is the hardest college to be accepted to in this state! They are extremely selective, not to mention pricey. The private university is most known for its championship winning basketball team, the Duke Blue Devils. Duke is located minutes from UNC-CH and NCSU. The campus of Duke is large and spread out over many acres. Duke, NCSU, and UNC-CH are very similar in their course offerings and numerous activities that students can become involved in.
(4) ECU
Much to the disapproval of parents, East Carolina University has the image of being a “party school.” A lot of students that go to ECU drop out and do not succeed in their first year there. Those that do are able participate in and enjoy a myriad of activities and community events around Greenville, where ECU is. ECU has excellent opportunities for students to earn degrees in nursing, education, art, foreign languages, and many others. ECU has lately been recognized for its course offerings for distance education.
(5) VGCC
For those that don’t want to attend a four-year college, there are other options. Vance Granville Community College offers students Associate’s Degrees in a variety of areas. Students take courses in Welding, Auto Mechanics, Cosmetology, Law Enforcement Training, and Early Childhood Education. Often, students attend VGCC for their 2 years and then transfer to a 4-year college to earn their Bachelor’s Degree. There are several campuses of VGCC around Franklin, Vance, and Granville counties.
(6) Wake Tech
Wake Tech is another popular 2 year college in the Piedmont of North Carolina. It is similar to VGCC, with almost identical course offerings.
(7) NCSU
North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, is home to the Wolfpack! My brother currently attends NCSU and is majoring in computer science. NCSU has a diverse course listing with majors and minors ranging from textiles to agriculture. There’s also academic programs in military ROTC and scholar programs.
(8) Appalachian
Appalachian State University is situated in the cold Blue Ridge Mountains of NC, in the town of Boone to be exact. If you don’t like cold weather and snow during Winter, then this would not be a happy place for you to be. Appalachian offers over 170 degree programs and several special programs such as Distance Education, Teaching Fellows, and Women’s Studies. Enrollment numbers here reached 14,000 for 2006.
(9) Louisburg College
Louisburg College is a private 2 year junior college located in the quiet town of Louisburg, a few miles northeast of Raleigh. Louisburg College students typically transfer to four-year colleges after their first years here. Thus, many degree opportunities and programs of study are structured towards transfer criteria. You are, however, able to obtain Associate Degrees in more popular areas such as business, marketing, and science.
(10) Wesleyan
North Carolina Wesleyan College has been around for many years. Like Louisburg College, Wesleyan has very small class sizes and recently adopted a football program too. Their top enrollment is 900! That makes the teacher ratio 17:1. Their academic programs include education, business, sciences, theater, and social sciences. There are also athletic programs like basketball, baseball, and volleyball to name a few. The Wesleyan campus is right outside of Rocky Mount.
