StudentsReview :: The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill - Comments and Student Experiences
-or-
Search for Schools by Region
 

or within distance of city

Similar Schools
Duke University -- Durham, NC
University of Virginia -- Charlottesville, VA
Harvard University -- Cambridge, MA


  Who's got the Best?

Perceptual Rankings:
You Make 'Em.
We Post 'Em.
You Vote 'Em Up.
You Vote 'Em Down.
Aww yeah.


The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

There are 130 Comments

View:

Sort By: [Date] [Major] [Rating]

Select Comments:

Positive Negative Neutral Advice
It?s September, I?ve already been at The UniversityAverageNeuroscience/Cognitive Science
It?s September, I?ve already been at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill for about a month and I am finally starting to settle into my classes and getting used to dorm life. As a freshman at this profound university, I wanted to find something that I knew would feel more like home, a place where I knew I would have a second family, and that was volleyball. It was not a hard decision to try out when I heard the club volleyball team was holding tryouts this past semester. I immediately texted the new friends I had made and said ?I?m gonna try out for the team, wish me luck!?. I have played volleyball since I was 11 years old and it has always been like a second home to me. A place I knew I could go to blow off some steam, relax, and just have fun.

It was the first day of tryouts, a Monday. I woke up, and went to my class at 9:30 a.m. and then to my next one at 12:30 p.m. Tryouts started at 8:00 p.m. and lasted until 10:00 p.m. As I was going through my day, I wasn't feeling anxious or nervous about the first day of tryouts, but rather excited and ecstatic to be able to show them what I could do on the court. Before going to Fetzer Gym A, I decided it would be a good idea to get some of my homework and assignments are done since I knew I was going to be up late, so I went to Davis for about three hours. I was so focused and relaxed, which is surprising since I usually stress over getting my work done. But aside from this, it was finally time to head to the gym. As I walked in I heard a speaker blasting some R&B music and saw about thirty girls in the gym, already wearing their knee pads and getting their numbers from the President of club volleyball at UNC, Cait Grubbs. After setting my stuff on the ground and putting on my shoes, sleeves, and knee pads, I looked up only to see Cait standing above me to ask ?Are you, Katie Whitesell??. I said "yes" in the calmest manner, only to be thinking in my mind ?Oh my god she not only knows my name but she's heard about me!?. She gave me my number and before walking away said ?I can't wait to see you bring your energy and show your skills?.

After the three days of tryouts and waiting had passed, I finally got the email. My stomach dropped and my heart started beating out of my chest. I have never felt so nervous when it came to volleyball until receiving this email. I called my best friend and told her to come to my dorm so we could open it together. She got to my room in the next thirty minutes and she opened the email for me. ?We are so excited to offer you a spot on Team White. You showed so much energy and outstanding skills during tryouts. We hope you will accept our offer!?. My heart dropped and that feeling of anxiousness left my body. I was so happy I couldn't sit still. I emailed back and told them I would ?gladly accept the spot? and I knew at this time that my next four years at UNC were going to be the best of my life. I not only had academics to look forward to but that feeling of building a second family and home as well. It was now the first week of October and we started to have our first practices of the season. We practice every Monday and Wednesday from 8-10 pm in Fetzer Gym A, with about 4 or 5 tournaments each semester. After about 5 weeks had gone by of practicing twice a week and I started to become good, if not best friends with every girl on my team. We each came from different backgrounds, cultures, and were even interested in different things, but it was volleyball that brought us all together and made us so close. This was my new second family and the reason that Carolina started to feel at home. Before coming to college, I was the typical nervous freshman, scared to live in a dorm on my own and branch out to make new connections in such a diverse university. By making the club volleyball team as a freshman, I have been able to go to my classes and feel so relaxed just knowing that I can still play the sport I have always loved doing. I will always love this team and the new group of girls that I have become so close to and I would encourage others at or coming to UNC to try something new or something that will bring them happiness, even if they are unsure of the outcome because I promise, this is the best decision I ever made since getting to Carolina.

1st Year Female -- Class 1926
Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: B
Rate this comment:
Useless (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Helpful
Question
I feel a need to say that IQuite BrightPublic Policy
I feel a need to say that I am from North Carolina, Charlotte to be exact, but coming to Chapel Hell was like stepping into a different world. A world of superficiality and unadulterated racial tension. The racial tension is not outward, no, not in the South...but it comes in waves. I am African-American and the way that I am looked at (anywhere from genuine curiosity to pure contempt) to the way that I am spoken to (it seems as though a sizeable number of the White students at UNC have never dealt with African-Americans or anyone who did not look/act/think just like them...I just want to spoken to like a person and approaching me with slang and street hand gestures is NOT impressive) to the way that I am often treated (as if I, and every other African-American at this school got in solely because of race) is really getting to my head. I have never felt so disheveled in my life...so out of place. And it's not that I don't think that I can cut it...it's becoming that I don't want to. I don't want to be a part of this plastic world of sugar-coating and condescension. I literally find it impossible to get up everyday because the walk from my dorm to class is like a walk over a mile of hot coals. The distance isn't bad, the hill from South Campus isn't even that bad, but the awkward looks and the way the people always seem very careful in how they treat me...I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE.

Academics here are...I honestly don't know how to describe them. The professors here, if you ever actually get a professor, are half-decent but many of them are condescending to their students and many of them don't really seem to know what they are talking about. The TAs are even worse about talking out of the side of their necks...but they speak so definitively about the subject matter until you ask them a question and that whole facade of knowledge crumbles. The Public Policy Analysis program feels completely disjointed and the intro course, the course in which you learn to put together a true Policy Memo, is ridiculous...the professor also teaches the Capstone course for the major so (somewhat understandably) that is where most of her attention lies. She is able to tell you that your memo is wrong but she can never really tell you what's wrong with it and/or how to fix it. Several other students and myself concluded that as she stopped returning first drafts she must have just stopped reading them. But don't get me wrong about her...I feel as though she was one of the few professors that I had that actually knew what she was talking about but the lack of attention at such a critical point in the Policy Analysis major is ludicrous.

Social Life here...I almost died from laughing at the person who said that all people do here is drink and smoke weed BECAUSE ITS TRUE. The partying made my second semester here fun because the first semester all I could do was sit in my dorm and lament my college choice. But by the end of my third semester I was partying every weekend, sometimes starting Wednesday or Thursday, and I have just recently come to the conclusion that there HAS to be more to life than this.

The town...I HATE CHAPEL HILL. I think that this town really exemplifies what the University stands for. Superficial notions of progressiveness while not doing anything too extreme to disturb the rather high average income of Chapel Hill. The naming of a building after Nelson Mandela and a gathering of socialites (mostly from Chapel Hill) to drink expensive wine and eat cute little finger foods while feeling a sense of accomplishment.

In short, I want to transfer to a University where people are alive. I swear everyone here is overly concerned with grades and future career ambitions and that's fine, but take a little time out to question and live and experience. Everyone here seems so complacent, even the activists who seem like most of what they do is purely for show. AND why are so many activists wearing shemaghs when they know absolutely nothing about the history or cultural significance of them.

I understand that I can not speak for everyone hear because most of my friends LOVE it hear...but this place is just not for me.

AND I MUST NOTE THAT RACIAL DIVERSITY DOES NOT ALWAYS ENTAIL IDEOLOGICAL OR ECONOMIC DIVERSITY. It doesn't matter that there are many races present on campus when so many of them seem so eager to please the majority. Be sure you are choosing this school, AND ANY SCHOOL FOR THAT MATTER, for the right reasons. This school is WAY OVERHYPED and the madness has got to stop.

1st Year Male -- Class 2010
Faculty Accessibility: A+, Individual Value: F
Rate this comment:
Useless (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Helpful
Question
Carolina is an excellent university.BrightPublic Policy
Carolina is an excellent university. The campus is beautiful,safe and laid out well. Dorms and the campus cafeteria are pretty decent. The students are intelligent, but down-to-earth and the heavy work load doesn't stop students from going out. Chapel Hill is a small college town that generates a feeling of pride and belonging; it is also borders two mid-sized cities Raleigh and Durham. There are plenty of extracurricular activites and even though greek life is strong you can make friends and find people who share your own interests without buying into the greek system. Be outgoing, open up, and remember this isnt high school anymore, the great thing about college is that you are free to be yourself and in a decent sized college like Chapel Hill the concept of popularity is non-existant, you can always find a group of friends who share your interests. As far as academics go, first-year and general requirement classes are large and often boring. However, once you find a major that interests you and get into specialized classes the class sizes decrease and the classes are interesting. You get what you put into your education; if you do your work and try to get to know your teachers you will learn a lot and you can succeed at Carolina.
3rd Year Female -- Class 2005
Scholastic Success: A+, Useful Schoolwork: B+
Rate this comment:
Useless (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Helpful
Question
The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Compare UNC-Chapel HillSave UNC-Chapel Hill

StudentsReview Advice!

• What is a good school?
• Statistical Significance
• How to choose a Major
• How to choose your Career
• What you make of it?
• How Ivy League Admissions works
• On the Student/Faculty Ratio

• FAFSA: Who is a Parent?
• FAFSA: Parent Contribution
• FAFSA: Dream out of reach

• College Financial Planning
• Survive College and Graduate
• Sniffing Out Commuter Schools
• Preparing for College: A HS Roadmap
• Talking to Your Parents about College.
• Is a top college worth it?
• Why is college hard?
• Why Kids Aren't Happy in Traditional Schools
• Essential College Tips
Ah, college. Considered by many to be the time of a young person's lif... more→
• Cost of College Increasing Faster Than Inflation
According to NPR, the cost of college... more→
• For parents filling out the FAFSA and PROFILE (from a veteran paper slinger)
Just so you know, filling out these forms is a lot more than penciling... more→
• How to choose the right college?
My name is Esteban Correa. I am currently a second year INTERNATIONAL ... more→
• Create The Right Career Habits Now
Getting ahead in your career can be easier if you make the choice to b... more→

• Senior Year (Tips and experience)
It's the end of junior year and everyone is anticipating the arrival o... more→
• Informational Overload! What Should I Look For in a College or University?
We are in an instant information age, where you can find almost anythi... more→
• Personality Type and College Choice
Personality type is something very important to consider when deciding... more→
• A Free Application is a Good Application
As a senior finishing her scholastic year, I feel that it is my duty ... more→

• College Academic Survival Guide
The leap from high school to college academics is not an insignificant... more→
• Getting Involved: The Key to College Happiness
As a tour guide, the absolute, most frequently asked question I got wa... more→
• Choose a Path, Not a Major
Unless you're one of the fortunate souls who's already found their cal... more→
• The Scoop on State Schools
A recent college graduate, I vividly remember touring campuses as a p... more→

• The Purpose of a Higher Education
You are one of the millions of people this year applying for admission... more→
• The Importance of Choosing the Right College Major (2012)
One of the most important academic choices you'll make while in colleg... more→
• How to choose a college major
I was not sure what college major to choose. When you are in your late... more→
• How to guarantee your acceptance to many colleges
Are your grades are not what you think they should be from high school... more→

• Nailing the College Application Process
College applications seem to always be put on top of students procrast... more→
• What to do for a Successful Interview
Interviews seem to become more commonplace in every facet of life as o... more→
• I Don't Know Where to Start (General College Advice)
Preparing for college is a difficult time for every student and it?s o... more→
• Attitude and Dress Code for an Interview (General College Advice)
An interview is something we all have to go through when we get a job... more→

• Starting College (General College Advice)
College is a huge milestone in your life. You?ve seen the castle like ... more→
• Boston Apartment lease: Watch out!

Are you a student and about to sign the very first lease in your li... more→

• What college is right for you?
When thinking about their choices for colleges, many students and pare... more→