University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Questions

What is your overall opinion of this school?

Jill

The best thing about UNC is feeling comfortable with being out. The next best thing is getting involved with political action on campus. It's ridiculous how many groups we have. For example, if you loved trees and are left handed, there's probably a group here, with a giant list-serv, faculty sponsor, several upcoming events, a protest, and a volunteer program for it! I spend most of my time on campus everywhere on it. South campus (where I live) and the Student Union. Our Student Union rocks. It has everything: performance spaces, meeting rooms, computers, food places, etc. It's great. UNC-CH is an awesome college town. It has tons of food options. There are a ton of LGBTQ events going on all the time too. You can go see dances, art exhibits, or plays every week if you want to.

Robert

The best thing about UNC-CH is it's wide range of extracurriculars. Student groups are generally well funded and supported, and they have definitely have equipped mwewith marketable job skills where UNC's academics have generally failed me, so don't waste your time studying while you could be taking advantage of things that can really help you...The school is big enough that you can avoid people you never want to see, although somehow everyone still seems to be interconnected. Nonetheless, you're bound to find people you get a long with...I usually try to avoid campus and hang out on franklin street because I think campus waay too crowded. I'm generally ok with crowds, just being around college kids all the time gets really annoying. More annyoing though are game days when parents and alumni invade the town...UNC seems so big and impersonal mostly because it is run by cyborgs - try talking to financial aid, the registrar, and/or academic advising - they are all obviously interconnected yet they don't communicate...I see so much carolina blue all over town it makes em want to puke. Much of the school pride revolves around athletics, so if you're not interested in them, you should probably go elsewhere (I wish I did on basketball game days)...I say most of my friends complain about "feeling like a number," and I can say that complaint is 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} valid.

Torry

The best thing about UNC is the tuition. We get the education of an Ivy but pay lower costs. I would change the spending of the funds, however. I feel like UNC does not spend money on things we need, such as more parking or better food. We also should decrease the rate of acceptance for in-state students. This will increase our ranks and our name value. This is because not many people know about UNC internationally. We do not have many world-famous alumni compared to the top schools even though we are as good as them.

Dale

1.The people 2. The dining halls 3. Just Right 4. They are amazed and stupified. 5. In the fraternity. 6. College Town 7. Its good. 8. Dook vs Carolina in the Daily Tarheel 9. Yes 10. no 11. Joining Pi Lamda Phi 12. Humanities are way to hard.

Gene

One of the best things about UNC is its campus, which is beautiful. There is plenty of space for sports, games, and other activities. Students are frequently seen outside jogging, eating, and studying, etc., especially during the warm weather. Although South Campus is a bit confusing, much of the campus is well organized. The primary libraries, gathering places, and shops are all in the same place. Chapel Hill is a nice town, though small. Fortunately, it has a great (and free) bus system. Having a car can be a major negative unless you have a free place to park.

tom

the social scene is great and classes really teach you the information you need to get a job after school

Luke

You would truly be pressed to find someone at UNC who doesn't love every aspect about UNC. UNC is the perfect size, big enough that you can meet someone new every day and not too big that it gets overwhelming. The student body is diverse, fit, welcoming and smart. The school pride is contagious and overwhelming. I can't even count the times I've been back home wearing a Carolina shirt and have been stopped by people saying "go heel!". The campus is gorgeous, functional, and state of the art in terms of technology. Chapel Hill is the perfect college town. The town and the University have a great relationship and Franklin Street provides all a college student could want.

Andy

The best thing about UNC is the opportunities that are available here. There is something for every student, because of the wide variety of people, clubs, and classes. I don't know if there is anything I would really change... maybe the basketball ticket lottery so that I would get more basketball tickets. I love the size of the campus, I have been able to meet so many people and yet I am still able to have friends I stay close with. People seem impressed when I tell them I go to UNC, even Duke fans I know are very happy for me to be here. I spend a lot of time in and around my dorm when I am on campus, or with people I met in my dorm, unless I am studying, which is something that happens a lot on this campus. Chapel Hill is definitely a college town, with everything centered around the university. People wouldn't know of Chapel Hill existing without UNC. There is so much school pride, everyone I know on campus loves being a tar heel, and you can't go a day without seeing Caroline Blue everywhere. An unusual fact about Carolina is that we have a JV basketball team, because it is what Dean Smith wanted. Also, UNC has a lot of pit preachers. The one experience I will always remember is the first week of fall semester freshman year, when all sorts of clubs were competing for our participation. Fall Fest was a good experience, because it really showed off all Carolina extracurriculars have to offer.

Abby

UNC is very much a school that people fall in love with after coming here (if they didn't already come a die-hard Tar Heel fan). You will grow to cheer your heart out for the basketball team, to hate Duke, love the town as it is completely based around the school, and realize that our campus really is the most beautiful when you go visit friends at other schools. It is a large school but can be very small if you want it to be. There are thousands of organizations to get involved in ranging across the most diverse of interests. By senior year people realize that most everyone is connected to each other through random friends because everyone is involved in so many different things. People are real go-getters and entrepreneurial in their academic and social endeavors. UNC really provides the resources for students to follow their passions, whether through study abroad, fellowships and grants, bringing speakers, starting clubs, etc. Chapel Hill tends to be considered the liberal bubble of NC and is very politically active. For NC there is a much larger LGBT population and they are openly accepted. Students tend to complain the most about having to deal with registration and advising as it is such a large school and getting in to see people can often be difficult. Everything is automated and they try to cover it via internet, but sometimes it is necessary to speak to someone in person which can be a pain.

Elizabeth

The best thing about UNC is the camaraderie students and alumni share. That could probably be said for all universities, but I think it's more intense here given our rivalry with and total detestation of everything Duke. If only thing I would change about UNC is the expensive cost of food on Franklin St. When I'm able to I walk or drive to nearby Carrboro where food is cheaper. When I tell people I got to UNC they either love it and are impressed or absolutely hate it. I guess a lot of people hate UNC because students and alumni have so much school pride that it's mistaken for arrogance. I spend most of my time on campus between classes in the Student Union. I hate libraries and it has great corners to hide and study, a tasty bagel shop, and comfy chairs to sit in and chat with friends. I even feel comfortable enough that I'll take naps there between classes. I think Chapel Hill is the quintessential college town. The town built up around the university and caters to students. Anything that Chapel Hill doesn't have, (like a big mall), can be reached in Durham or Raleigh by a short bus ride or drive. There's a ridiculous amount of school pride here. I don't think I could encounter a school with more of it than I see here. I completely understand it though, I absolutely love my school. I've said that I'm glad I didn't go to other schools I considered so many times. When I'm outside of Chapel Hill I'll often talk about it to my non-UNC friends and they get a little tired of hearing it and sometimes mistake it for bragging. I honestly don't intend to brag, but it's hard not to when you love it as much as I do. I think there are alot of unique things about UNC. I can't quite explain all of them though. Maybe it's just the overall atmosphere. When I visited the campus for a tour I immediately felt that this is where I belonged. People just seemed to be so happy here, despite all the homework and studying. I also visited a handful of other campuses like Wake Forest and Appalachian State. Before my UNC tour I had decided to go to Wake Forest (which I had visited). Wake is also intensely academic, but I felt it was missing that social aspect I needed to keep myself sane between classes and exams. When I walked through The Pit for the first time at UNC in November 2005, there was a group of guys chugging milk and eggnog and throwing it back up into trash cans. As gross as that was, I thought it was hilarious and knew I'd never see that at Wake. I'm serious about my grades, but I also like to have fun. That can also be said about the student body here. We're known for our academics, but also for our antics. However, the thing that separates us from a "party school" is our delegation of priorities. In general, the people I've encountered here study hard and then go out and have fun. Being surrounded by people with these priorities helps me keep mine intact. My most memorable experience here thus far is when our mens basketball team beat Duke's team at Duke last year. It's what I'd been hoping to experience as soon as I sent in my first deposit to UNC. It was exhilirating. People literally ran from middle and south campus up to Franklin St. I was ecstatic and felt that I had achieved the biggest part of my UNC experience. I didn't jump over a bonfire like many people do because I'm really clumsy, but I screamed a lot and took plenty of pictures. The most frequent student complaints are about the distribution of mens basketball tickets. This is no surprise since we have an excellent program and most people follow it religiously. Students (including me) also complain about the alumni at games. Many of them pay gross amounts of money for season tickets and never stand up or clap during the games. Many also leave before the games are over with to beat traffic, even in tied and rival games.

Brian

UNC is an awesome place to go to school - it has a perfect blend of academic quality and extracurricular opportunities. It has both big-name NCAA Sports as well as smaller club teams, and there is a seemingly unlimited number of student groups to get involved with. Franklin Street is great for some quick shopping or dining, and the proximity to Southpoint is excellent as well. There is a ton of school pride, and there's always some sort of controversy on campus, which isn't necessarily a bad thing-it just proves that students are passionate.

Cindy

Best thing about UNC? Two words: Men's Basketball. The biggest controversy to hit this campus in years was last year when the athletics department moved to end the Saturday morning, 6am bracelet line for basketball tickets in favor of an online lottery system. They practically had armed revolt on their hands, and "true fans" are still pissed that obtaining tickets is now a matter of luck rather than dedication. Carolina is a pretty big school with a really vibrant array of student organizations, almost everyone's involved in at least one. You have to be, or you'll risk having no social life whatsoever. Most any group or sports team will occasionally host unofficial off-campus house parties for their members and friends - our school paper, the Daily Tar Heel has hosted some epic keg parties since I've been here, all of the clubs I'm in have done the same. Last year they passed laws making it more difficult to get a keg, so a lot of big house parties will opt for PJ instead, since high-proof grain alcohol like Everclear is still legal in NC and more easily obtained. Most of your first two or three years will be spent at house parties, unless you have a good fake or an older sibling that looks like you. The most frustrating thing for me freshman year was not being allowed to have a car. They tell you how great the bus system is, but without a car, grocery (or any other) shopping is practically impossible. It doesn't get much easier after freshman year either - there's practically no parking on campus. A lot of people overcome this by paying friends off campus to park in their yard or driveway. I actually paid the rabbi to let me park at the Chabad house for two years and was much happier. Many sophmores, juniors, and seniors move off campus for just this reason.