Minneapolis,MN Vs Winston Salem,NC

[AT9]

Originally Posted by BlizzardsAndSuch

When looking to choose between 2 states, if one is older and therefore has more amenities, why should that disqualify that state? That's just preposterous. Play that through - "I'm trying to decide between Minnesota and NC, but it's not fair to appreciate NC's world class institutions because Minnesota is newer, so I need to wait 100 years for it would be a fair competition" LOL

Haha, U Minnesota and Macalaster don't even come close to Duke and UNC. Both NC schools are far more selective and prestigious, with more well regarded programs.

Yeah, but students from Winston-Salem all apply to UNC and the top students also apply to Duke. UNC is their state school, and it's way nicer than U Minnesota.

This sort of thing only comes to mind of people on CD. I've lived in WS, and the "shadow" you're seeing is actually just the great access people in WS have to several small to medium cities, which allows them to explore their state. It's actually really convenient because there's quite a few different vibes to choose from.

1. The point is that OP asked about Winston-Salem vs. MSP, not NC vs. MN. It's not preposterous to consider history in a state comparison, but it is preposterous to start including schools two hours from W-S. That said, UNC is not "far" more prestigious than UMN. Its undergrad program is smaller, more selective, and ranked higher (#5 public vs. #26). On the graduate level, however, they're ranked equally. So as overall universities, they're not that far apart. W-S and the Triad generally doesn't have anything like a UMN--Wake is good but it's 1/5 the size.

2. The "shadow" means W-S doesn't get the same recognition, growth, or benefits that other cities get. That might be a positive for some, but being a couple hours from Raleigh or Charlotte doesn't compare to being IN Minneapolis.