Visiting Carolina

We're honored to have so many people visiting our campus over the next couple of weeks. We've met almost 3,000 people so far, and we're expecting to meet many more in the coming
days! We can't wait to introduce everyone to our vibrant community and tell them about the many great opportunities available here. We're also committed to making sure that each visitor receives a warm Carolina welcome and that no one leaves with any unanswered questions.

I'm very sorry to say that if you have not yet scheduled your official tour and information session, then we will be unable to accommodate you over the next two weeks. All of our sessions are full, but fear not! There are other ways to visit Carolina. Not only do we have self-guided tour maps that you can pick up right outside of our office in Jackson Hall any time day or night, we also have a Tour Carolina mobile app! Both options allow you to customize your tour and explore campus at your own pace. The Tour Carolina app, which you can download from iPhone and Android app stores, even allows you to tour our beautiful residential campus from anywhere in the world.

If you can't come to us, we very well may be coming to you! Check our website to see if any Tar Heels will be in your town in the coming months. And while we may not be able to accommodate you in an official tour right now, we offer information sessions and tours twice a day, Monday through Friday. We're here year round, so take a look at our visit page to reserve your summer or fall campus visit.

FAQs for Denied Students

I'm so sorry we disappointed you. We know how hard it is to receive this kind of bad news, and we really hate delivering it. Please know that it's not you, it's us. We have so many talented applicants – close to 31,000 this year – and space for just under 4,000 in our first-year class. We have to deny so many students who would do great things here.

Through our work with the Carolina Covenant, we've had the pleasure of getting to know Josh. He's an outstanding student who came to us as a junior transfer and is now earning his MBA through Kenan-Flagler Business School. Below is a little of his story:

I was not accepted to Carolina as a high school senior, but I knew that this is where I wanted to be so I decided to work hard and transfer. It was like a dream come true when I finally got my admissions letter and then found out that I could graduate debt free as a Covenant Scholar. Once I got to campus, I took advantage of the countless resources that are available to students. Thanks to the support of faculty and staff mentors, I was able to land a job in banking after graduation. It was during that time that I started thinking about getting my MBA, and I knew I wanted to return to Carolina. I applied to two business schools and received my acceptance letter to the other school first, but I knew that if I didn't get into Kenan-Flagler the first time, I was just going to work harder and try again the following year. Luckily, that wasn't necessary. I'll be graduating with my MBA in May, and I already have a full-time job lined up! – Josh

Josh is proof that there are many paths to Carolina. We hope you have an amazing college experience wherever you choose to attend. But if you're interested in transferring in a year or two, we hope you'll keep us in mind.

Is this decision final?
Yes, I'm afraid it is. We can't re-consider your application this year. However, if your heart is set on Carolina, there's always the option of transferring after a year or two at another school.

Why did you deny me?
There isn't a simple answer to this question because our review is holistic. We don't deny any student on the basis of a single number or a single grade, but instead we consider everything we know about a student. We review each application multiple times, and ultimately, we have to make a lot of hard decisions. The unfortunate truth is that we just don't have space for the many talented students who apply.

I have my heart set on attending Carolina one day. What should I do?
Each year we enroll approximately 900 transfer students into the sophomore and junior classes at Carolina. Transfer students bring with them a diversity of background and experiences that enrich our community tremendously, and we welcome them into the full academic and extracurricular life of the University. For more advice, please see Applying as a Transfer Student.

Please let me know what other questions you have.

FAQs for Waitlisted Students

For those of you we waitlisted, we're sorry to ask you to wait even longer for your final decision. We know you have already waited so patiently, and I know how frustrating this can be – particularly for those of you who applied early action.

If you accept a place on our waiting list, we'll consider you for any spaces that are available in the class after we hear back from our admitted students by the May 1 enrollment deadline. In the early part of May, we'll determine how many spaces are available, and we'll review the applications of all of the students who accepted a place on the waiting list. Since the list isn't ranked, there's no way to predict any student's chances of admission.

We'll begin making offers to waitlisted students by the end of May. We may make several rounds of offers, but we promise to have a final decision to all students by the end of June.

A list of FAQs was included with your letter, and you can also view it here. Please read it carefully as it should answer most of your questions, but feel free to post a comment below if you have others.

FAQs for Admitted Students

Good morning! Today I'm posting some FAQs for Regular Decision admitted, waitlisted, and denied students. The questions for admitted students are in this post; please scroll down for the waitlisted 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 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 you can decide if it's the right 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 and Carolina Bound was included with your letter of admission. 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 Regular Decision applicants who are being considered for a merit-based scholarship were invited to campus for our second Scholarship Day. At Scholarship Day, students took part in discussion sessions with faculty members and other scholars. After the event, final scholarship selections are decided. The majority of the merit-based scholarships offered by Carolina will awarded to the students who attended 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 nine 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 spring.

What about financial aid?
All students who applied for financial aid by the priority deadline of March 1 will receive their aid in the weeks following the deadline. If you have not yet completed the financial aid application, please do so as soon as possible. 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!

How To View Your Decision When It's Available

Heads-up Regular Decision Applicants!

To view your decision online when it's ready, please follow the instructions below. Please note that due to the high volume of traffic on our server, you may experience delays. We apologize for any inconvenience.

1. Go to at my.unc.edu. 
2. Under Applicants, click on “ConnectCarolina Student Center.” 
3. Log in with your Guest ID. If you do not have a Guest ID, please follow the email instructions we sent to you. If you do not have these instructions, please email us at unchelp@admissions.unc.edu. 
4. Under Admissions, click on “Click here to view your decision in a new window.” Please make sure popup-blocking software is disabled.

In order to view your decision, the pop-up blocker feature on your browser,  if applicable, must be disabled. Below are instructions for disabling pop-ups in the popular browsers:

Internet Explorer

1. In the menu bar, go to Tools and navigate down to “Pop-up Blocker Settings.”
2. Click on “Turn-Off Pop-up Blocker.” 

Google Toolbar

1. Click the Google Pop-up Blocker toolbar icon. 
2. The Pop-up Blocker icon should read “Popups are okay.” 

Mozilla Firefox

1. In the menu bar, go to Tools and navigate down to Options.
2. Select “Content” tab or icon. 
3. Uncheck box labeled “Block pop-up windows.”

AOL 

1. Click on “Blocking Pop-ups” at the bottom right corner of the AOL window.
2. Uncheck box labeled “Suppress pop-ups from websites I visit.”
3. Click “Save” button.

Yahoo Toolbar

1. Click on the Yahoo Toolbar's popup blocker icon option arrow. This arrow is pointing down beside of the popup blocker icon.
2. Click on “Enable Pop-up Blocker” to uncheck. 

Chrome
To allow blocked pop-ups when you're already on a site, follow these steps:

1. Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar
2. Select "Settings"
3. Click "Show Advanced Settings" 
4. In the "Privacy" section, click the Content setting button
5. In the "Pop-ups" section, select "Allow all sites to show pop-ups."

Safari

1. Open the Safari menu and select the “Preferences” option.
2. In the window that displays, click on the “Security” option.
3. Remove the checkmark from the “Block pop-up” windows option.
4. Close the window. 

Or, for an older version of Safari, try

1. Open Safari 
2. Click on the Safari Menu 
3. Uncheck “Block Pop-Up Windows”

Music in Our Schools Month

If you’re an aspiring musician, then Carolina’s got you covered. From a Music Department where students can focus on areas such as jazz and composition and participate in ensembles such as The Olympic Sport Pep Band and The Carolina Choir to student organizations such as Samaa, an a capella group that fuses the sounds of Bollywood with contemporary chart toppers, music is alive and well at Carolina. So it’s befitting in March that we celebrate Music in our Schools Month. Check out the UNC Symphony Orchestra (pictured above) serenading the crowd with a little Brahms Symphony No. 2.

There’s no doubt that Brahms is pretty amazing, but perhaps the most unique sounds you’ll hear as you stroll through campus are those of the Carolina Ukulele Ensemble (CUE), which just happens to be the world’s first collegiate ukulele ensemble. And yes, we know how extremely awesome this is. “Since we started in 2011, we’ve been playing covers of popular songs in The Pit and on the steps of Wilson Library,” said group member Ryan Aves, a junior. February was a busy month for CUE, pictured bottom right. The group performed during the UNC Dance Marathon, a benefit to raise money for the North Carolina Children’s Hospital and at the Catalyst Conference, which invites high school students to Carolina to explore issues of diversity and social justice.

And if you want more music at Carolina, visit the UNC Bands YouTube Channel to hear the sweet sounds of The Marching Tar Heels entertaining the crowd before a football game and more.

Thanks From a Carolina Alum

Happy Thursday! We know that many of you are going to have to make some tough decisions over the next several weeks, so we thought it would be helpful to get some insights on how alums view the community, faculty and learning experience they receive at Carolina. The blog post below is from Sallie, a senior in our School of Journalism and Mass Communication who will be leaving us for her first professional opportunity following her graduation in May. Visit Sallie's blog to learn more about her adventures.

 
Dear UNC J-School,

Thank you. Thank you for enhancing the lives of all the students who walk through the doors of Carroll. Thank you for mentoring. Thank you for teaching. Thank you for critiquing, pushing and strengthening. But, most of all, thank you for caring.

It’s easy to let four years slip away as we press forward with our lives constantly looking for what’s next and forgetting who helped us get there. I was reminded of this the other day, when my friend Josh asked me to speak at the J-School’s information session for Explore Carolina. Professor Napoleon Byars led the session, which included the basic facts about the school, the opportunities available, and a quick tour. As I listened to Napoleon speak, it brought back memories of my own Explore Carolina experience back on a snowy day in January 2009.

I remember listening to all the presenters confident that what they were saying was simply by the book. However, in listening to Napoleon, I began to realize that everything this school told me four years ago was true, completely true. And now, it was my turn to speak.

I started by saying that I remember what it was like to sit in their seats. It wasn’t easy making a final college decision or even transitioning from high school in general, but that the J-School was where I found I belonged. The journalism school develops students into storytellers. It develops them into entrepreneurs, creative thinkers, and strategic communicators. It also allows them to get involved in a variety of clubs, take a wide range of classes, and meet some of the most interesting people on campus.

However, while I was talking, I realized the importance of what is behind the school: the professors. They care. When I first came to Carolina I worried that all my classes were going to be filled with hundreds of students where the professors do not even know my name. That is not the case here. They care. The professors care about your success in and out of the classroom. They also want to build lasting relationships with students, and as a result do not simply think of students as their PID, but as people with stories.

Thank you, Trevy McDonald for introducing me to the Journalism School. Thank you, Napoleon, for critiquing my resume for the first time. Thank you, Winston, for making me enjoy writing. Thank you, Dana, for pushing my creativity. Thank you, Brian, for your patience. Thank you, Heidi, for your enthusiasm. Thank you, Professor Sciarrino, for my worst grade in the J-School, but conversely one of my favorite, although hard, classes. Thank you also for your guidance and support during my job search this Fall. And, lastly, thank you, Gary, for your unconventional classes that have truly taught me to think differently about the world.

Thank you, all.

Meet Jen Kolb

Next up in our new staff introductions is Jen Kolb. Welcome Jen!


Title: Assistant Director
Hometown: Framingham, MA
Alma Mater(s): Harvard College (bachelor’s) and Carolina (master’s)
Number of years at Carolina: Two and a half years (two years as a graduate student and six months as an employee)
Area(s) of specialty in the office: I'm on the Visit Team, so I'll responsible for welcoming students to campus as they visit us to learn about all that Carolina has to offer.
Why I love my job: I'm so excited to be joining the Admissions Office because doing so means I'll have the opportunity to help promote access to one of the best universities in the country to some of the brightest and most motivated students in the country.
Why I believe you should apply to Carolina: At Carolina you'll receive a world-class education that rivals that of any Ivy League school. You'll be a member of a friendly, collaborative and humble student body. You'll be situated on a beautiful campus in a region of the country known for its gorgeous weather, intellectual capital (the research triangle region has the highest percentage of Ph.D.s in the country), eclectic music and art scene, college sports rivalries, and much more! And, you get all of this at a cost that makes Carolina the best value in the country.
If I didn’t work in admissions, I would be: A college soccer coach or the owner of a bakery.
If I were a fictional character, I would be: Pippi Longstocking because she’s fun, carefree, adventurous, loves sugar and is super strong! For those of you who don’t know who Pippi is, Hermione Granger is a close second.
Favorite ice cream flavor: This is easy. My favorite ice cream shop back in Boston has a flavor called Cookie Monster. It’s vanilla ice cream packed with oreos and cookie dough – my two favorite flavors combined into one!
Favorite song to sing when I’m in the car by myself: I love singing songs from musicals. My favorites include Moulin Rouge, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Wicked, and anything Disney!

Senior Sitdown: Study Abroad

Senior Sitdown: Study Abroad

Next up in our senior sitdown series is Senior Sitdown: Study Abroad! Meet Reid, Cate, Alexandra, Alfredo, and Will and learn more about their experiences in England, New Zealand, Spain, Denmark, China, and Germany. About 60% of Carolina undergraduates study abroad, so if it's something you're interested in, it's never too early to start planning. There are more than 300 programs in approximately 70 countries, so there's definitely plenty to choose from. Hangout with us for a bit and learn more about the amazing study abroad opportunities available at Carolina.

When you decide where you want to go, the Study Abroad Office is happy to help students plan their adventures, and as the seniors said, the website is a great place to start or to plan your entire trip. Through the website, you can also meet the peer advisors that Cate mentioned and even reach out to one if their study abroad experience interests you.

And if you have a question for one of the seniors featured in the sitdown, post a comment below.

Welcome to Carolina: We Have Puppies

If you haven't been reading the Tar Heel Blog, you might want to start. It's a great way to get the current student perspective on everything Carolina – including puppies. Wait, who am I kidding?! Especially puppies!

Check out this recent Tar Heel Blog post by Ashley S.
 

So, to say I look happy in this picture would be considered an understatement, no? You see, this past couple of weeks have been crazy hectic and my idea of coping was watching Scrubs on Netflix until I understood medical lingo. Too bad I’m in Journalism. But I’m the kind of person that when I feel stressed, I need something that will make me happy and The Walking Dead only comes on once a week. But a fellow Tar Heel was carrying around Matilda (the adorable puppy in my arms) and allowed me to hold her.  Believe me when I say I never wanted to let go. (I’m pretty sure kidnapping a puppy is frowned upon in society.)  But you wanna know something even better than looking at a picture of me holding a puppy...


BAM! Our very own Ramses was out, sporting his spiffy suit, and can be seen holding little Matilda.

I wanted to share this experience with you because life at Carolina is made up of moments. I’m not trying to get philosophical on you (I haven’t taken that for my General Education requirements, you see) but it is true. But these little moments are what you will reflect back on after you’ve graduated from UNC and you’ve moved on to make your place in the world. I’ll never forget the puppy or the ram that put that smile on my face in the middle of midterms and meetings and work and cravings for Chipotle.

Sometimes, we get caught up in the big picture. Lately, I’ve been trying to balance obligations such as work, meetings, classes, deciding on housing, and other nonsense things that can really make you want to pull your hair out when you tend to over-analyze things like I do.  You have to learn to take a step back, and no one can really tell you how to do that. For me, I used to read. I don’t really have time to do that, so I had to find a work around. But to be with friends out on Polk Place, chilling with our school’s mascot and a puppy on a b-e-a-utiful, warm, still February Wednesday, gave me the boost I needed to turn the week around.  Everything just looks brighter when you do something that makes you smile.

And it has been busy for me. For those of you reading this that already know you’re coming to Carolina, I’m already excited to meet you at orientation this summer. In November (or was it December?) I found out I was going to be an Orientation Leader, working with first-year and transfer students. I was floored, honored, nervous, and excited.  Meeting you, whoever you are reading this, is all I’ve been thinking about since I applied in October (or was it September...?) However my sense of time is skewered, one thing I do know is that everything I do now is turning me into the person who will help you transition to UNC. No pressure or anything.

It’s strange. I’m a rising junior, already reflecting back on what it felt like to be in your shoes. It probably doesn’t help that Imagine Dragons' It’s Time is blasting through my headphones. Talk about a song that makes you feel nostalgic for the good ole days. I’m looking forward to study abroad, finding internships, and still craving Chipotle. Your time will fly while you’re here, that I can promise you. I didn’t believe it when I started here and yet, here I am telling you that that’s not the case at all.

Like I said: little moments. I have so many, I couldn’t possibly fit them all here. But those little moments are the ones I want to share with you (starting with Matilda because I just can’t resist that face), and I hope I get to do that with you this summer.

I hope you come to Carolina. I really do. Despite those moments where it feels overwhelming, I love being a Tar Heel because my campus knows how to brighten my day, whether it’s intentional or not.  I hope you have tons of questions about UNC, because I’m prepared to answer them all. So find me on Facebook or Twitter or shoot me an email (amspruil@live.unc.edu).

Hope to see you this summer!

We're On Weibo!

In case you haven't heard of it, Weibo is basically the Chinese counterpart to Twitter. Since we have a good number of prospective students and eventual applicants from China, we thought it was a good idea to find our way onto this rapidly expanding platform. And thanks to one of our awesome Chinese international students, we've done it! Carolina Weibo has been going strong since for almost three months.

Since students in China aren't able to access our website, Blog, Facebook or Twitter accounts, Carolina Weibo is a perfect way for us to connect with them. We've already posted on many aspects of Carolina – from admissions to classes to student life to athletics. So far, the most viewed post is one about Michael Jordan's connection to Carolina (yep, he's still as big of a deal there as he is here). Other posts include the history of Carolina's rivalry with Duke and the differences between Carolina and NC State. Apparently the Chinese characters for UNC and NCSU are very similar, so students sometimes confuse the two. Similar to prospective American students, Chinese students also want to know more about Carolina and Chapel Hill, so photo albums have also been popular on Weibo.

Any ideas for Carolina stories we can share with students in China? Post a comment and let us know!

Transfer Appreciation Day at Carolina

The positive energy exuded at today's Transfer Appreciation Day made me think of a book recently loaned to me by Brian Woodard called The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. Positive energy and positive people create positive results. The energy at this event was contagious. and it was no wonder the sun itself seemed to be shining its very own beam on the Pit today.

Pictured are Shannon Smith,the President-elect of Tar Heel Transfers, which sponsored today's event and Rebecca Egbert, who oversees the C-STEP program. Free food, a chance to sign the tablecloth and even T-shirts reinforced the welcoming message. We met current UNC transfer students from as close by as Fayetteville to as far as way as Kansas and California. The back of their T-shirts summed it up beautifully: Sorry we're late; we got here as fast as we could!

Spending Time with High School Students in Raleigh and Siler City

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting with a group of high school juniors at Enloe High School in Raleigh (pictured). And on Monday, we enjoyed spending time with students from Jordan Matthews High School in Siler City.

As we seek to recruit and enroll the best students at Carolina, we think it's important to talk to the true experts—the students themselves! The purpose of our visit was to get some honest feedback on some marketing ideas and boy, did they deliver!

All students impressed us with their friendliness, intelligence, and kindness, and we cannot thank them enough for taking time out of their busy schedules to meet with us.

A big thanks to Enloe counselor Valorie Hallenbeck and to Allee Olive at Jordan Matthews, which is one of the schools served by the Carolina College Advising Corps. We can't wait to come back.