Monday, January 28, 2013

FAQs for Admitted Students

Good morning! Today I am posting some FAQs for Early Action admitted, deferred, and denied students. The questions for admitted students are in this post, please scroll down to the next posts for deferred and denied FAQs.

I've been admitted! Yay! Now what?
Congratulations! We hope you'll decide to make Carolina your home for the next four years. We might be biased, but we think it's about the best undergraduate experience to be had. We'll do our best over the next few months to help you find out all you can about Carolina, so that you can decide if it's the best place for you. One of the best ways to get to know our community and the opportunities available here is to join us for one of our admitted-student events. An invitation to Explore Carolina was included with your letter of admission, and you can find out more about it here. In the coming weeks, you may also receive invitations to a variety of other events, so be sure to check your email regularly.

Our Admitted Student website has detailed information on housing, orientation, and the steps you'll need to take when you're ready to enroll.

Will I receive any merit scholarships?

Most Early Action applicants who are being considered for a merit-based scholarship have been invited to campus for the first Scholarship Day. At Scholarship Day, students take part in discussion sessions with faculty members and other scholars. After the event, final scholarship selections are decided. A small number of Early Action applicants may also be invited to our second Scholarship Day in late March. The majority of the merit-based scholarships offered by Carolina are awarded to the students who attend Scholarship Day.

If you aren't initially offered a merit-based scholarship, please know that at Carolina you will have multiple opportunities to earn a variety of awards once you arrive on campus. Read more about Scholarship Opportunities for Carolina students.

Am I being considered for Honors or any other special opportunities?

We will be sending an email to select admitted students this week regarding Excel@Carolina, a special program featuring 11 extraordinary opportunities for outstanding first-year students. In the email, we will ask those students to indicate which of these opportunities they're most interested in. We'll then use those preferences as part of our final decisions about these opportunities. Students selected for other honors and special opportunities will be notified via mail and email throughout the month of February and into the spring.

What about financial aid?
All students who apply for financial aid by the priority deadline of March 1 will receive their aid in the weeks following the deadline. The Office of Scholarships and Student Aid awards student aid packages as quickly as they can, but you can help by making sure they have all of the information they need. Check your To-Do List in MyCarolina to make sure they haven't requested more information. Also, create your Onyen and UNC email account, as that is how the Student Aid office will communicate with you. More info is available on the Student Aid website.

Want to get advice from current students?
In recent years, current students started a Q&A blog for new students called Carolina Advice. If you want opinions and answers directly from current students, it's a great resource to learn more about life here. You can also check out the Tar Heel Blog to learn even more about student life from the current student perspective.

Congratulations again on your admission to Carolina. We look forward to welcoming you in the fall!