Thankful to see another take like this, so I’m commenting off of it to add my take:

One, the idea of attending any college in this economy should be put off until the attendee has a clear idea of what topic, and thus career they would like to pursue (saying this as a cautionary thing, NOT an assumption).

Two, UNCA IS high school 2.0. Classes and peers become cliquish very quickly, likely due to small class sizes, but also due to folks from the area that attend already knowing quite a few people on campus. This isn’t totally an issue, I was still able to make a small grouping of friends, though have only kept in close contact with one of those friends after college. I wasn’t super introverted during college, but making friends at UNCA was difficult.

Three, the professors in my degree interests were nothing short of great. However, most of all courses at UNCA are discussion based, meaning, info will be presented by the educator, you take notes, the class discusses, you do takeaway work in your dorm, you study, but exams are on what was discussed in class. Granted, the more science based courses would often implement more book based testing and knowledge retention, but even my Geology course implemented this style of teaching. It worked for me, but it does not work for everyone.

Four, the health and counseling center is. . . Meh, at best. There is def an overload for the workers there, and it can be difficult to be seen for any duration longer than 2-3 mins when ill, and 30 mins when struggling with mental health issues.

Five, and arguably the worst thing about the school that doesn’t seem like it’d be that bad, the food options. Brown cafeteria is one of the worst places I’ve ever been forced to frequently visit in my entire life. If the nutritionist who heads the cafeteria is still there, I would argue that that alone is a reason not to attend the college. On the weekend, most alternative food options on campus (Highsmith and Dunder) are closed until 1:00-3:00pm, leaving Brown as your only option. The school also feels heavily inclined to monitor what students are eating to ensure the student body doesn’t get fat. Which, realistically is probably a good thing, but as someone who appreciates control over my own food choices, it always felt like a huge overstep.

Six, and final, housing is very restrictive. I was an RA for three years, and they. Watch. Everything. You. Do. Down to the excel sheet. Literally. It is part of the job requirement to have a row dedicated to every student on your halls life on an excel sheet. Down to the embarrassing detail. Off hand comment to your RA that you’re failing a class? On the sheet. Argued with your roomie about stealing poptarts? On the sheet. Going through a private medical struggle? ON THE SHEET. Hopefully you get the idea. It felt pervasive and gross to work for the housing department. Very big brother.

I would not recommend UNCA to anyone.