No, UNC isn't perfect, but I'm giving it five stars on Yelp because, objectively speaking, it's…read morestill a great school and one of the biggest and most-recognized brands when it comes to universities (academics) and college athletics. There's no denying that.
I have an interesting relationship with UNC. I was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina. My parents went to Wake, so I grew up a Demon Deacon fan. I was in the minority, starting in elementary school, because most of the other kids cheered for Carolina and Duke. In middle school, I became a member of the ABC Club - Anybody But Carolina.
A lot of my high school friends and classmates went on to attend UNC. I went to Georgia Tech and settled in Atlanta. Fast-forward about 15 years and my wife matched into her ophthalmology residency at UNC. We moved away from Atlanta and spent the last four years of our lives in Chapel Hill, so my wife could slave away as a resident physician for UNC Health. For her, it was the most difficult and grueling years of her life.
For me, I used it as an opportunity to explore Chapel Hill - mainly the businesses on and around Franklin Street - and go to Carolina men's basketball and football games when they played Georgia Tech. As expected, we beat Carolina in football, even when they were ranked and favored, and lost to Carolina in basketball. It was a lot of fun to attend the games at Kenan Stadium and the Dean Dome.
I do have to mention I was at the last men's basketball game between Tech and Carolina on January 30, 2024 in Atlanta. Tech upset Carolina, then ranked No. 3 in the country, 74-73.
UNC has a beautiful campus and the Town of Chapel Hill is a great college town. Generally speaking, in this regard, I think UNC is a model university for the classic American college experience. It seems to have it all and is more well rounded than, say, Georgia Tech, which is heavily research and engineering focused (not as typical a college experience, in my opinion).
After spending four years in Chapel Hill and getting to know a part of the UNC community, mainly through my wife's program, I've softened on Carolina. I do admit I was very proud of my wife as soon as I learned that she matched into UNC's ophthalmology residency (Kittner Eye Center). Funny enough though, my wife still rooted for Georgia Tech over North Carolina and still does to this day. I successfully brainwashed her.
Aside from certain things related to her work - much due to the broken US healthcare system, not necessarily specific to UNC or UNC Health - we leave UNC with nothing but good memories.