The University of North Carolina - Charlotte

Date: Apr 22 2007
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
Despite some general negativity about the university currently, the school is undergoing a lot of changes. The school itself has big plans for expansion in the next several years, rising to around 25,000 students by year 2015. This increasing size should cause Charlotte to have a better name throughout the state as time goes along.

Also, the university desires to equalize the current difference between it and Chapel Hill and NC State. Currently, State and Chapel Hill are seen as the two big state flag-ship schools. The plan is to push Charlotte up enough to have it be competitive with the current top two state schools, which is a likely possibility in the next 10-15 years. Being a university in the largest city in the state and the second largest financial center in the nation, Charlotte has all the ingredients for gaining a better reputation in later years.

A student planning to attend Charlotte now will benefit from the expansion plans, as a students' degrees will likely appreciate after graduation. This should be a good reason for those hesitant about attending Charlotte to give it the chance it deserves.

Now, Charlotte's faculty, at least in the economics and political science departments, is generally good. I have had bad professors, but I can, thankfully, count those on one hand. My advisors in my departments were excellent. My economics advisor was extremely helpful and energetic; she talked with me for over half an hour in her office about whether I should pursue a Masters in Economics or attend law school. Her advice helped me decide on the latter.

The professors that I've had have generally been very good in the classroom and class size remained relatively small, compared to schools like NC State and Chapel Hill. However, the smaller school mentality is changing rapidly as the university desires to join the ranks of Chapel Hill and NC State over the next couple decades. Renovations and new buildings at Charlotte have exploded. In my four years alone, the campus has changed almost entirely. I've even heard professors verbally complain that their courses next year have increased enrollments and are scattered around campus in some of the new buildings, but this is due to Charlotte's goal of moving away from the teaching oriented approach for a more research intensive approach. This will have the most impact on undergraduates.

The school does have problems with school spirit. This is mainly due to a lack of a football team, though the university has plans to create a football, possibly within the next decade. The basketball team was good my first two years at Charlotte, but it has declined as of late. I'm not sure why that is the case, but the success drought will probably subside soon, as the school has generally done well in basketball over the last seven or eight years. Nevertheless, school spirit has wained due to a lack of a football team and the lack of success of a usually successful basketball team.

Overall, Charlotte is worth the money. Professors are good, class sizes are decent, the campus is nice, new buildings are going up everywhere, student enrollment is blooming, and your degree will likely appreciate in the years after graduation. Granted, the school has flaws, and certain departments are worse than others (I've particularly heard bad reviews of the English Department), but all-in-all it's not a bad choice to attend Charlotte.