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.