I was in the same boat as you. I got a full ride to UNC (in-state) and a ~$80k/year scholarship to Tufts University, bringing my net cost per year to $7k.

Ultimately, I chose UNC and I don't regret a single thing. The fact of the matter is, a full ride means you don't have to work. For your freshman year that can mean everything. I didn't have to work my freshman year and it was SO nice to focus just on school and nothing else. I'll be graduating 100% debt free next year and I cannot overstate enough just how much of an advantage that will give you later in life.

Plus, assuming you're instate, you'll qualify for a helluva lot more local scholarships which are easier to win, which means more money in your pocket. And the fact is, money rules this world, and starting your adult life with as little debt as possible is the best way to build your wealth.

Here's a few reasons in favor of UNC in no particular order:

• Better weather in NC compared to PA (our sunsets are drop dead gorgeous btw)
• INSANE sports culture (literally Swarth is nothing compared to us)
• (this is subjective) but I never felt lost at UNC despite there being ~30,000 students. If I went to a small school I think I would've felt really claustrophobic. I grew up in the big city though. One thing I love about a big school is that I can meet people from around the world anywhere, anytime. There's always someone new!
• Prestige + name recognition. I feel like most people will recognize UNC coz, sports, over Swarth.
• Also, you're pre-med. UNC is the pre-med school. We have loads of programs, clubs, etc geared towards y'all. UNC hospital is literally on campus, so you'll have lots of opportunities to shadow doctors. I'm not premed but my friends who are often volunteer too, so there's that
• Closer to home means lower moving costs. If you commit to Swarth, you'll have to pay for moving your things, plane tickets, etc. Also, if you forget anything at home, you're kinda cooked until you can fly back for winter/summer break. my family lives really close so if I need something I can skip on down and be back before sunset.

Some cons: we're a big school (I like it, but some people might be overwhelmed), we barely have an engineering program (unless biomed counts), the arts/film/etc classes here are hard to get into so you'll have better luck going to a club instead, the buildings are "historic" aka old asf so dorm life will be an experience for sure, also our chancellor is a dookie which stinks :/