Consider Public Health at Carolina

Charletta Sims Evans, assistant dean for student affairs at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, talks about public health and the opportunities available to those who decide to major in it.

Charletta, what’s a good working definition of ‘public health’? 
Public health is everywhere. It’s about protecting and improving the health of communities through health education, promotion of healthy lifestyle, and disease and injury prevention. Unlike medicine, which addresses problems as they occur and diagnoses individual problems, public health focuses on improving the health of populations through prevention.

Students can pursue several different areas of public health here at UNC, including biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health, health behavior, health policy and management, maternal and child health and nutrition.

What types of careers do students find themselves in after graduation?
They go into all sorts of different careers. They work in a variety of sectors from non-profits, commercial firms and pharmaceutical companies to hospitals and health care organizations, university research settings, government and consulting. A large number of them also pursue graduate work in public health.

What are some examples of public health initiatives students might know about?
Often when I’m talking with students about public health, I’ll ask them to think of what they see or read in the media on a daily basis. So much in the news relates to public health problems and potential solutions. Does your local drug store offer flu vaccinations? We have folks who can give you data about why the vaccination is a good idea. Did you read about the drought in the southwestern U.S.? Our environmental sciences and engineering researchers can tell you about water scarcity and climate change. What do you think of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! program? Our nutrition department knows all about why eating healthful foods and exercising regularly are important.

What is the one thing you'd like students to know about the programs or undergraduate experience at the Gillings School of Global Public Health?
Our school ranks as the top public school of public health in the country and is in second place among all public health schools (U.S. News & World Reports, 2012). Undergraduates are given opportunities to help with research and often are taught by and interact with professors who are renowned experts across many public health disciplines including cancer, global health, health disparities, and obesity and water safety, among others.

Our students also love to volunteer. They are very active on campus and in the community. Through their experiences here, they are able to gain fabulous skill sets and are more than qualified when they leave UNC to make a real difference in public health. Many join the Peace Corps or Teach for America, or enter competitive graduate programs.

Learn more about public health at Carolina.

Meet Us in Your Town

Fall is travel time for many of our admissions counselors, and we're traveling across the state, country, and even the globe to meet great students and tell them about Carolina.

Want to find out if we're traveling to your area? Check out Tar Heels in Your Town. We'll continue to update this list of our travels in the coming weeks.

Here are a few highlights of where we're traveling this week:

• Melissa Kotacka (@makunc) is on Long Island, attending college fairs in Cambria Heights, Rockville Center, and Uniondale. 
• Andrew Parrish (@bowtieguyunc) is in Tennessee (his home state) at college fairs in and around Nashville. 
• Patty Baum (@PattyBaumUNC) is all the way across the pond in the UK, meeting with students in and around London.

We hope to see you soon in your town!

Meet Olivia Hammill

Last week we introduced Brandon Carter to the blog, and today we'd like you to meet Olivia Hammill, another new admissions representative in our office. Olivia will be heading out for recruitment travel in just a week or two, so you might just see her in your school or at a college fair soon!

Title: Admissions Representative
 Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Alma Mater: UNC-Chapel Hill
Time at Carolina: Five years (four as a student, almost one as an employee)
Area of specialty in the office: Counseling and guiding prospective students through the admissions process

Why I love my job: After I graduated from Carolina, I didn’t want to leave. Now, I don’t have to! Being an Admissions Representative gives me the opportunity to share my love for this university with prospective students from all over North Carolina, across the country, and around the world.

Why I believe you should apply to Carolina: Carolina offers a college experience unlike any other. You have the opportunity to interact with the most incredible students, collaborate with world-renowned professors, and challenge yourself to be even more than you thought you could be. Once you’re here, no matter what you choose to pursue, you’re part of the Carolina family. That never changes, even after you graduate.

If I didn’t work in admissions, I would be: In the White House (eventually)
If I were a fictional character, I would be: Scarlett O’Hara, from “Gone with the Wind”
Favorite ice cream flavor: Coffee, even though I don’t drink coffee
Favorite song to sing when I’m in the car by myself: “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls

Carolina Moments

A group of our admissions ambassadors asked their fellow students, "What's your favorite Carolina moment?" What's the one moment that epitomizes their experience as a Carolina student? Check it out!

If you're a current student interested in applying to become an admissions ambassador, see their website for all the details!

Game Days at Carolina

Today we welcome Kelsey Pan to the blog. Kelsey is one of our admissions ambassadors who also serves as a football ambassador, introducing prospective athletes to Carolina. She got to attend the opening game against Elon last week, and shared these great photos and thoughts of her experiences so far as a football ambassador.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the game of football. Yet gameday Saturdays are still without a doubt one of the highlights of my week. Carolina football is so much more than just watching our incredibly athletic peers score touchdown after touchdown; it is seeing all of Kenan Stadium covered in a sea of Carolina blue, arriving an hour before kickoff to secure a spot by the tunnel, melting under the 90-degree sun with our closest friends, savoring every last drop of chilled water, and seeing alumni of all ages return with their everlasting Tar Heel pride.

As a Football and Admissions Ambassador, I hope to not only introduce prospective athletes to our prestigious football program (and excellent food) during tours of the Kenan Football Center, but also to express the greatness of the University that those jerseys represent. No matter what students choose to do in their free time, be it football, marching band, research, or a capella, they are first and foremost Carolina students. And a university as great as UNC-Chapel Hill makes it possible for all students to pursue their widely different interests while still being crucial pieces of the larger Tar Heel family. Whether you're on the field as a part of the team or cheering from the stands, we are all a part of Carolina and that's what game days are truly about.

--Kelsey Pan

A Family Member Lost

Today we lost a member of our Tar Heel family. We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our hearts are with the family and friends of Faith Danielle Hedgepeth.

Please visit The Daily Tar Heel for more information.

Meet Brandon Carter

We've been excited to welcome some new members to the admissions staff this year, so we'll be introducing you to each of them here on the blog over the next few weeks. If you meet us out on the road this fall in your school or at a college fair, you may well see some of these friendly faces!  First up is Brandon Carter, who first worked in our office as an undergraduate student. We are so happy to have him back as a full-time member of our staff!

Title: Admissions Representative
Hometown: Green Level, NC
Alma Mater: UNC-Chapel Hill
Time at Carolina: A little more than six years (four as a student, two as a Carolina College Advising Corps member, and two months in the Admissions Office)
Area of specialty in the office: Visit and Travel

Why I love my job: Spreading the message of overwhelming joy and ample opportunities Carolina provides its students rewards my heart and soul every day. I’m always looking to turn every person I meet into a Tar Heel!

Why I believe you should apply to Carolina: You work hard, and you play hard. Carolina has established and perfected the mixture of academic success and achievement with extracurricular and athletic excitement. It’ll be the most challenging four years of your life, but you’ll have the most fun doing it.

When out on recruiting trips, I like to: I have yet to travel, but I’m really looking forward to meeting prospective students who dream of attending Carolina.

If I didn’t work in admissions, I would be: Doing PR work for a non-profit organization during the week and traveling to a different European country during the weekend--gorging on delicious food, conversing with the locals, and taking amazing photographs to send back home to my family.

Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Favorite song to sing when I’m in the car by myself: “Don’t Disturb This Groove” by The System

FAQ Monday

It's not actually Monday but it feels like it after the long holiday weekend, so let's talk FAQs. Here are some of the questions we've been getting on the phones and by email lately:

How do I submit my teacher recommendation and counselor form on the Common Application? Go to the School Forms section on the left-hand side of the page. From here, you'll enter the email addresses of your teacher(s) and counselor. The Common App will email them with instructions on how to submit these materials. You'll want to follow up with your teacher and counselor to make sure they've received the email from the Common App and they have everything they need to submit these materials on your behalf. 

When filling out the Common Application, will my responses get cut off if they are too long? The free-response sections of the Common Application do have character limits, so you may need to edit down some of your responses to fit. You can double-check how your responses will appear by going to the Print Preview section once you've completed all the required questions. This preview will show you exactly what the admissions committee will see as they review your application.

Your essays will always appear in their entirety as these are documents that you upload separately. These do not get cut off if you exceed the recommended word limit--though we do appreciate it when you stay close to the requested length!



Where are the two essays on the Common Application? One essay is on the main part of the Common Application, and the second is on our school-specific supplemental form. Learn more about our essays.

More questions about the Common App? See their Support Center.


Will you accept my SAT/ACT scores if I submit them before or after the application deadline? Yes, you can submit test scores at any time. If they arrive before your application is submitted, we'll simply file them until your application arrives. And it's fine if your test scores arrive after the deadline as well. We can consider scores submitted through November for Early Action and through December for Regular Decision.

Does UNC grant credit for AP/IB/SAT Subject exams? Yes! See the full chart here.

Who is the admissions representative for my region/school? We don't divide our staff by geographic area, so any of our admissions counselors are happy to help you. Whether you call or email, you'll be directed to the dean of the day who can answer any of your questions about Carolina and applying for admission.

How will my college courses transfer to UNC? See our Transferring Your Courses page for lots of information about how we review transfer credit. The official evaluation of transfer credit is done in the spring after you've applied and been admitted to the University, but this page will help you predict how your previous coursework would transfer here. 

Any other questions? Please use the comments to ask!