UNC’s unique sustainability culture
Pancake nights are very popular at UNC. Just remember to bring your own plate!
Sometimes I wonder whether UNC students bleed Carolina blue or grassy green.
As an incoming first-year, I didn’t fully understand Chapel Hill’s commitment to sustainability. That first semester, one of my friends gasped in horror when I threw a plastic soda bottle in a garbage can. I was puzzled at the time – but three years later, I now carry my plastic soda bottles around for hours until I find the next recycling bin. Once you’ve been here long enough, those things start to happen!
One hallmark of Carolina sustainability culture is B.Y.O.B. residence hall events. Elsewhere, B.Y.O.B. has a much different meaning than you’d expect to find in a Carolina residence hall. Especially after reading the strict Community Living Standards’ stance on alcohol, I raised my eyebrows the first time I saw a “B.Y.O.B.” event advertised. But in Carolina residence halls, that acronym is far from an encouragement to drink. Instead, it’s a creative way to reduce paper and plastic waste at residence hall events by “Bringing Your Own Bowl!”
New to UNC? Get a glimpse of Carolina’s campus culture
The UNC Class of 2017 Facebook page is a great way to start talking with other first-year students. (Source: UNC Class of 2017)
UNC Class of 2017: This Facebook page is a perfect way for incoming first-years to meet other students and start talking about classes, orientation, roommates and more. I still use the one for my year, Class of 2014, to find stuff like cheap textbooks. It can definitely come in handy.
Carolina Advice tumblr: This is another great resource for incoming first-year students. Submit any question you have about life at UNC, and one of three current first-years will respond. What makes this page so great is that because all of the writers come from different backgrounds and have different interests, most of the answers come from their own personal experiences. Don’t be afraid to ask whatever’s on your mind – it’s completely anonymous! The page also posts lots of other great information, like news and events happening in the Carolina community.
Read More »
Peter, left, our Danish visiting student roommate, really enjoyed his time here at UNC. But my roommates and I enjoyed living with him just as much.
Living with an international student
After two years of living with Daniel and then Walt, last summer I was presented with perhaps the wildest roommate assignment one can get: an international student.
While Walt was studying abroad in Italy for the semester, my other two roommates and I in Ram Village were assigned to live with a visiting Danish student, Peter.
We were unsure what to think about living with a Dane. We had heard very few great stories about living with international students, but we also hadn’t heard any bad ones. This was what made our assignment so strange – we really didn’t know what to expect.
Read More »
My sophomore year I roomed with one of my best friends from home, Walt. Here we are before high school prom; I’m on the right, he’s on the left.
Living with friends, and keeping them
Though my first year at UNC living with Daniel was great, my second year I took the opposite approach to finding a roommate. It seems simple: You want to live with someone you really like and get along with, and no one fits that bill better than your friends, right? So not only did I decide to live with a friend, I decided to live with my best friend from back home, Walt, who I’d known my whole life.
I have to admit, I was almost just as nervous about living with one of my best friends as I was living with a stranger. I expected that the best-case scenario was that we’d get into a couple arguments, and the worst-case scenario was that we’d never speak to each other again after the year was over. After all, one of the best parts about living with someone I didn’t know was that when I was having problems with friends, I could get a break at home. Now I would not only have to get along with my friends, but I would have to live with consequences of having friend problems as well. I was a little bit worried about losing one of my best friends. Read More »
Overcoming the fear of living with someone new
My roommate Daniel (left) and me on Halloween night before going out on Franklin Street.
With those warm, beautiful summer days quickly approaching, I know many of my fellow Tar Heels will be taking lots of time out of their schedule to focus on the upcoming fall semester…yea, right. But hopefully sometime between that summer job and hot days on the beach, you’ll at least think about one thing for next year: your roommate.
If you’re an incoming first-year student, you may be excited about the opportunity to live with your friend from high school or worried about the idea of moving in with someone you’ve never met before. If you’re an upperclass student like me, you’re probably just hoping your friends won’t completely destroy your place next year or that your new roommate assignment isn’t a nocturnal bongo player.
However, don’t fear! Over the next week, I’ll be sharing the three very different roommate experiences I’ve had in my last few years here at UNC – a best friend, a roommate I’d never met and an international exchange student. Read More »
Don’t be intimidated by the idea of meeting your professor
What are Office Hours for anyways?
When you get your first college syllabus, you may be confused or frightened by the idea of office hours. However, from experience, I know you shouldn’t feel apprehensive about meeting with your professor, nor should you think the benefits of office hours begin and end with grades.
These hours offer you the chance to build a relationship, make the course more enjoyable and simply have fun meeting your instructors.
Office hours are normally a specific weekly time and place that professors and teaching assistants make themselves available to meet with students. Many people will visit office hours to have grades explained or to get help with specific problems, but simply getting to know your professor can make the class more enjoyable as well. Read More »
“Carolina Snapshots” exhibit highlights possibilities for campus involvement
If you were around campus last summer, you might have seen the “Carolina Snapshots” photo installation in the Carolina Union Art Gallery. As a way to introduce new students to what Carolina has to offer, it was created in order to showcase the diverse experiences of various individuals, groups and organizations on campus.
The exhibit will return again this summer with new photos and stories. Stop by the Carolina Union Art Gallery to check it out any time from June 2013 through August 2013. After that, the exhibit will travel to different Residence Hall communities across campus, so make sure to keep an eye out for it!
If you want to share an experience to help inspire the newest Tar Heels this summer, there is still time left to submit a nomination for a friend, student group or yourself. The deadline is April 5, 2013 by 5:00 p.m.
Read More »
Were you just admitted to UNC?
Do you have questions about Housing or UNC in general? Housing staff will be traveling to area cities for the Admitted Student Receptions:
- Wilmington – April 10 at 7 p.m., Hilton Wilmington Riverside
- Fayetteville – April 11 at 7 p.m., Hilton Doubletree
- Charlotte – April 15 at 7 p.m., Hilton Charlotte University Place
- Greenville - April 16 at 7 p.m., Hilton Greenville
- Triangle – April 17 at 7 p.m., Sheraton Imperial Hotel in RTP
- Triad – April 18 at 7 p.m., Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons
There will be a program at the reception where current students and professors will speak about their experiences at Carolina. After the program, there will be a Q&A session with many campus organizations. You can also meet fellow students who live in your area who are also attending Carolina. Maybe you’ll find your roommate or future best friend.
Comparing the benefits of first-year housing options
Beginning in fall 2013, most first-year students will be assigned to live in one of the designated First Year Experience (FYE) Communities. Alternatively, first-year students can choose to apply to live in a Living-Learning Community (LLC). I know it might be a little confusing to decide which is right for you. Hopefully this diagram will help sort out most of the main differences between the FYE Communities and LLCs.
Read More »
