We Have Moved!

Earlier this week, we launched a new website at admissions.unc.edu! Our new site offers a beautiful new format, including some cool features such as student community profiles and feeds for all of our social media channels. We also have a new blog that is integrated in the site. From this point on, we'll be blogging on the new site, so head over there for news, updates, and tips from UNC Admissions:

Visit our new blog.

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Applying for Residency on the Common Application

When you fill out the Common Application, you'll see in our "Member Questions" section that we ask you to fill out some information regarding your residency:

If you answer "yes" to the question "Do you believe you may qualify for in-state tuition?", then we'll ask you to provide further details about your residency (for instance, when you got your driver's license, if you've filed state taxes, and whether you're registered to vote). You'll also be asked to answer these questions for one of your parents. These questions help us determine your residency, so that we know whether or not to consider you a NC resident.

If you've applied to us before or if you're a counselor, you'll notice that this section is new. We're now asking all students who believe they qualify for in-state tuition to provide this information with their application. It's helpful for us to have this information up-front, rather than asking students to fill out long residency applications after they've applied. We're trying to keep things simple, for students and for us!

Below are a few of the common questions we're hearing about this section of the Common App:

How do I know if I qualify for in-state tuition? 
Residency classification is complicated, and each case is considered on an individual basis. Generally, a student whose domicile has been in North Carolina for at least 12 months prior to the term they enroll is considered an in-state student. To learn more about how we determine residency, go to Ask Admissions and type in "residency".

Which parent should I choose to provide residency information for? 
If both parents live in NC, you may choose either one. If your parents don't live together but share custody of you, choose a parent that lives in NC. If someone other than a parent has legal guardianship of you, fill out the information for that person (but if one or both of your parents have legal guardianship, you should provide information for a parent).

I'm not a U.S. citizen, but I live in North Carolina. Is there additional information I need to submit? 
Depending on your visa status, you may still qualify for in-state residency. If you're not a U.S. citizen, we'll ask you to fill out a supplemental residency form and provide documentation of your legal status in the U.S. (i.e., your Permanent Resident card or visa status). After you apply, we'll request this information by listing it on your To-Do List in MyCarolina, but you're welcome to be proactive and send us this information at the same time you submit your application.

Other questions? Please leave a comment below!

Who You'll Meet at UNC: Part 2

Each year, about 82% of our incoming first-year class is made up of North Carolina residents. But just because these students are NC residents, that doesn't mean they all grew up here! Many of them were born across the nation. (And beyond!) Check out this graphic for a visual.

Who You'll Meet at UNC: Part 1

Did you know? The incoming first-year class represents students from 95 counties of the total 100 in North Carolina. That's a lot of counties! Check out this infographic for the breakdown and a few fun facts about the in-state residents of the Class of 2017.

Arbra's 6 Simple Steps to Applying to Carolina!

Hi! My name is Arbra and I'm a Senior Communications Specialist who also happens to be a proud graduate of UNC. I've been with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for over ten years and throughout this time, it's been my honor and privilege to help thousands of young people apply to Carolina. If you're considering applying to us, I'd like to offer 6 simple steps that may help you along the way.

Step 1 – Go to www.commonapp.org
Step 2 – Click "Create An Account" and follow the steps to create your Common Application account
Step 3 – Click on "My Colleges"

Step 4 – Select "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill"  to begin the application.

Hint: For school or city name enter "Chapel Hill" in the "College Search" box. Then simply select "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill." Click "Add" and then select "Dashboard."

In this section you will begin the official Common Application portion that is required to apply to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There are six sections to complete:

• Profile – your personal information
• Family – mother, father, and sibling information
• Education – school(s) you have attended and academic information
• Testing - ACT or SAT information
• Activities – clubs, sports, or volunteer information
• Writing – Here you will see the Common Application's essay question prompts. Choose your choice (only one is necessary) of the five prompts offered and write an essay from 250-650 words. Hint: The Common App makes it easy on you by giving you a handy box to enter your essay into! See below.

Step 5 – Select "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" to complete the section of the application that includes the UNC-specific questions (also known as "Member Questions") that are also required.

Go to the "Writing Supplement." In this section you are asked to upload answers to your choice of one of five essay questions specific to UNC (400-500 words) and to answer six short-answer questions directly into the boxes on the screen.

 

Hint: As you make your way through the Common App, look for the green check marks that will appear as you complete each of the required sections: the Common Application; the Member Questions (questions specific to UNC); and Assigning Recommenders (where you'll input email addresses for your teachers and counselor). 

The screen to the left shows that an applicant has completed all required sections of the Common Application. 

 

 Step 6 – Almost there! You may now proceed to the "Application Submission" screen as shown below. Here you'll have a chance to review  your application one more time, submit your payment or fee waiver, and certify it with your electronic signature.  Click "Start Submission" to submit your application.

 

For additional questions about applying to Carolina, you are welcome to post them here and we'll do our best to answer them promptly. For technical issues related to the Common App or applying to other schools, we refer you to the Common App's Applicant Help Center, which provides an excellent database of the most frequently asked questions.

We thank you for your interest in Carolina and look forward to reading your application and getting to know you.

Meet Us on the Road this Fall

Asst Director Melissa Kotacka and her college fair tablecloth in NYC

School is starting again and so is our busiest travel season. Throughout September and October, our recruiters will be hitting the road and bringing Carolina to schools, college fairs, and other events across the country and around the world.

Where are we going? We’re glad you asked!

In North Carolina, you’ll find us at every CACRAO event – our admissions reps (David, Olivia, Brandon, and our newest team member, Joe) will be crisscrossing the state to talk Tar Heel with students from Murphy to Manteo. We’ll be traveling with lots of other colleges and universities, so these events are great opportunities to connect with plenty of schools. Elsewhere in NC, we’ll be attending as many parent nights and school programs as we can, along with additional visits to high schools to connect with students.

For those outside of North Carolina, we’re coming to see you, too! We’ll be hitting up the Atlanta metro; Dallas-Fort Worth; Columbus, OH; Boston; NYC, Long Island, and a few counties north of the city; Charleston, SC; Tampa, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale; Orange County, CA; the DC metro; Chicagoland; and the Virginia Tidewater.

Speaking of out-of-state travel, we’re also teaming up with Emory, Notre Dame, and UVA to visit a total of 19 cities in 15 different states in September – details here!

We’re even doing a bit of overseas travel to find the best and brightest students. Melody and Jen will be in Toronto for the NACAC college fair; Jared will be heading to London and Paris; Patty is heading to Central and South America; Melissa will be in Turkey; and Andrea will be in Bangkok, Ho Chi Min City, and Manila. 

We also have amazing alumni ambassadors who are covering college fairs in even more places around the country and occasionally overseas, too.

WHEW!

We are pumped to meet you in your towns, but we also want you to come to ours if you can – it’s a great way to learn more and get a feel for what it’s like to be a Carolina student. Whether we see you on the road or here on campus, WE ARE EXCITED. Travel season is super fun for us, because we get to talk about opportunities and possibilities – and it builds anticipation for reading season when we get to learn even more about the amazing things you’re doing.

 See you soon!

-Melissa Kotacka

Tour's Over... What Now? Part 4

Finished your tour, but haven't gotten your fill? Check out advice from Olivia, a UNC alumna and current Admissions representative, for her top five must-sees of Chapel Hill and the surrounding area.

Phone Troubles

If you've tried to call our office today and have experienced troubles—such as a loud crackling noise—we're very sorry. Our telecommunications department is investigating the issue and we're optimistic it will resolved soon.

In the meantime, please feel free to email us and we'll be happy to answer your questions as soon as we can.

Thank you for your patience, and as always, we appreciate your interest in Carolina.

Tour's Over... Now What? Part 3

Finished your tour, but haven't gotten your fill? Check out advice from Deseré, a current senior at UNC, for her top five must-sees of Chapel Hill and the surrounding area.

Tour's Over... Now What? Part 2

Finished your tour, but haven't gotten your fill? Check out advice from Joe, a UNC alumni and current Admissions representative, for his top five must-sees of Chapel Hill and the surrounding area.

Consider Carolina! The Common App is Now Live.

If you're a rising high school senior, and you're thinking about college, we hope that you'll consider Carolina. Here you can build a circle of friends who will inspire you to do great things.

Preview of the new admissions website coming soon!

We also wanted to let you know that the Common Application (CA) is now live. The UNC section (known as "Member Questions" on the CA website), which is what you'll need to fill out before your application is complete, is still being finalized. We expect that it will be available by the first of September, if not sooner. In the meantime, however, you can go ahead and start working on your essay questions. To help, one of our students has recently posted a series of essay-writing tips.

Additionally, we are proud to partner with the College Foundation of North Carolina, a free service of the State of North Carolina that helps students plan, apply, and pay for college. CFNC is a partnership of Pathways, the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority, and College Foundation, Inc.

We have chosen for CFNC to link to the Common Application for students who are interested in applying to Carolina. A link to the Common Application (which will include the additional questions for UNC) will be available on the CFNC website in early fall. If you attend a N.C. public high school, you can use CFNC.org to send your official high school transcript to us for free.

We encourage you to take advantage of all the free career and college planning resources on CFNC.org. By visiting this site, you will be guided to the best option for applying to your choice of North Carolina colleges or universities.

The first deadline for Fall 2014 admission to Carolina isn't until October 15, which will give you plenty of time to complete the application and the UNC member questions. Students who need more time have until our final deadline of January 10 to apply. Neither deadline is binding and all admitted students have until May 1 to enroll.

Very soon the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will also be launching an exciting new website, which provides even more reasons to consider Carolina. The students featured on our site will give you an inside look at their own communities so that you can start imagining what your life might be like if you decide to join our campus one day. Stay tuned!

Tour's Over... Now What? Part 1

Finished your tour, but haven't gotten your fill? Check out advice from Chelsea, a current senior at UNC, for her top five must-sees of Chapel Hill and the surrounding area.

Guide to the Perfect Tour

Planning a college visit trip? Whether you're going to be on the road for a day or a week, here are a few tips to prepare you and your family before you get there and how to get the most out of your stay.

Stuff UNC Kids Say

"I'm about to catch the RU and meet you at the UL to study for our JOMC exam."
"Ugh.. my ONYEN password is about expire."
"I have class in Dey Hall this semester, I mean Day.. I mean Die.. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN."

Translation:
The RU is one of the main bus routes around campus (very handy in case of rain).

The UL is the Undergraduate Library, where librarians, resources, and study space abound.

JOMC refers to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. AKA the J-School.

Your ONYEN is the "only name you'll ever need." It's your UNC username, used for everything from your email to class registration. Having to reset your Onyen password every 90 days is great for security, if a tad annoying.

And Dey Hall, home of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Romance Languages, is indeed pronounced "Die."

Want to learn some more #stuffUNCkidssay? Head over to Twitter!

How to Plan for College

It’s never too early to start thinking about future college plans, so why not start this summer? If you are a high school student wondering what steps you should be taking to ensure you are a strong college applicant, you have come to the right place! No matter where you are in your high school career and college search, here are a few steps you can take to ensure you are on the right path.

If you are interested in Carolina and what we have to offer, create a MyCarolina account to receive information directly from our office that caters to your specific interests. Also, be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, meet current Tar Heels on our student blog, and visit our campus!

Internships & Study Abroad - Student Spotlight: Hunter Motte and Jenny Bingham

After that last final exam of spring semester, it’s done for the summer right...? Well, not exactly. Many students at UNC extend their educational learning from the classroom to the real world with study abroad programs and career-related internships, and in some cases, both.

Two students in the Entrepreneurship minor, Jenny Bingham and Hunter Motte, are making the most of their summers in New York City and Beijing, respectively.

Hunter is interning for ClubFootball China while taking classes as part of his minor, including a Chinese language class taught almost entirely in Chinese! What he’s liked most about studying and interning abroad is the chance to see exactly what another culture is like.

“UNC allows us as students to see the world in a different way after complete immersion in a society that some only read about in textbooks.”

Hunter said that the coolest thing he’s done by far was hike and camp on an unrestored section of the Great Wall. He and his group met people from across the world including Australia, Singapore, Germany and Belgium, and hiked for four hours without seeing a hint of tourism. They ate barbecued chicken hearts, lamb and potatoes cooked by Chinese locals, then set up camp on the Wall.

Jenny, on the other hand, took a slightly different approach to her summer “abroad.” She’s been spending it in the Big Apple, interning for PR Consulting, a brand imaging and public relations development firm for fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries. Her internship has brought her renewed motivation, not just for school, but for life in general.

Although it sounds cliche, she told us that New York City is always buzzing and if you seize the right opportunities, you can end up on a rooftop 30 stories high watching the sunset or riding scooters around Google’s headquarters. She suggests that for students interested in Public Relations or Advertising, networking in Manhattan is key. Already this summer she’s worked on accounts connected to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Beyoncé! Even if fashion isn’t your thing, she thinks that being in the city opens your eyes to all kinds of college and young professionals who are so motivated to be successful.

“It’s like being surrounded by driven Carolina students, but throw in a couple 4 a.m. nights, skyscrapers, celebrities and constant adrenaline. The saying, ‘The city that never sleeps,’ is 100 percent spot-on and is perfect for college students because after all - all nighters are our thing.”

Ready to spend next summer exploring new cities and gaining real life experience? Check out these resources at UNC and start planning ahead now!

Study Abroad - http://studyabroad.unc.edu/studyabroad.cfm

UNC Career Services - http://careers.unc.edu/students/internship-search

Entrepreneurship Minor - http://www.unceminor.org/internships

We're hosting a Twitter chat... and you're invited!

PSA: UNC Admissions will be hosting the hottest event of the summer -- an interactive Twitter chat on Friday, July 19th -- and you’re INVITED! Come join in on the fun and get all of your most burning questions answered about applying to college, writing college essays, or about life at Carolina in general. We’ll be starting the chat with a few open ended questions to get your thinking juices flowing, but don’t hesitate to chime in with whatever comes to mind. The more the merrier, so tell all of your friends!

The good news is you’re already really good at using social media... so, all you have to do is compose a 140 character (or less!) question using the hashtag #UNC2018 and/or mention @UNCAdmissions and we’ll reply with our best answer. This is geared toward the potential Class of 2018 (so that’s you rising high school seniors!), but it’s open to anyone with questions about attending or applying to UNC. No question is stupid, only the ones that aren’t asked!

Can’t wait to hear from you!

Essay Writing Tip #5: Be Yourself.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for... our fifth and final essay tip of week! 

Quite simply, be yourself. Instead of trying to figure out what you think we might want to hear, figure out what you love to talk about and well... talk about it. Ask yourself how you can portray your unique voice and let this lead you in the direction of your writing. Don’t forget that this is your only opportunity to show us who you are aside from the facts and figures of your transcript, so make sure it’s full of life and personality. Don’t make the mistake of guessing what we want to see in your essay; wow us with your passions and what interests you the most!

Essay Writing Tip #4: Don’t feel strictly tied to prompts.

Even though we work hard to create our essay prompts, they merely serve as jumping off points. If you feel so inspired, allow your creativity and frenzied fingers to take you where they may. At the end of the day, we want to read an interesting essay and if it strays in a slightly different direction from the rest of them, that’s perfectly fine with us. In fact, we love to see diversity.

However, while we want to know that you can take something and make it your own, we also want to know that you can stay on topic without rambling. It’s one thing to be creative and add your own flavor to a prompt, but it’s another to write entirely off-topic. Find a happy medium! If we’re talking poetry here... follow Robert Frost’s advice and take the road less traveled.

We’re still looking for more awesome essay advice, so please Tweet at us with the hashtag #UNCessays with your best!

Essay Writing Tip #3: Just because you're the writer, doesn't mean you have to be the topic of your essay!

While your college essays are meant for the admissions committee to get to know you better, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to be all about you. In fact, some of the best essays can be about people, things, or ideas outside of your own life. In a sense, removing yourself from the prompt can make it easier to write objectively and with a stronger focus than getting caught up in recounting each and every detail of an event you’ve experienced. Even if you’re not the center of the essay you write, your words can still show us a lot about your personality and you as an individual.

We’re still looking for great advice, so keep it coming! Share with us on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #UNCessays - we’d love to hear from you!