A few weeks ago the early action admissions for Carolina were released, and I received several text messages from my high school friends saying they were accepted. It made me think back to the day I got accepted and how extremely excited I was about it. It was just an inexplicable feeling of accomplishment. I feel as if now, upon deciding to come to Chapel Hill for college, that it is my personal duty to convince everyone who is accepted to take advantage of this opportunity that they have been given and to come here.

You can’t even really explain it, why Chapel Hill is such a great place to go. You just have to trust that you’ll fall in love with the school and accept your admission. You will have no regrets. I was uncertain about committing at first, the decision seems so final. If something is holding you back, you should come and visit for the weekend, and I’m sure you can clear a few things up.

There are some things that I’ve heard a lot when people are trying to determine whether or not to come.

“It seems like it will be really hard and too much work.” Ok, first of all yes, it is hard there’s no denying that, but not overwhelmingly so. The workload can easily be managed if you handle your time well. It is 100% possible to join clubs, play sports, join fraternities or sororities, go out, AND even relax a little, and still be able to handle your work. Of course, this is dependent on your major, but as a Biology major in several science classes I haven’t had too much of a problem. PLUS, if you were able to get into Chapel Hill in the first place, you’ve probably figured out how to get your work done and maintain good grades by now. If you couldn't handle the challenge, you probably wouldn't have gotten in, so why not come show everyone that you can handle it? 

I’ve also heard concern about the football games. We may not be a school that is particularly known for football, but the games are still a blast. Tailgates might be a little different than say an SEC school, but you can still go outside to the frats lawns and tailgate there. There are usually bands and tons of people around, and there is still that tailgate feel. Football games are a blast to go to, and then we also have a great basketball team, so there are fun sports to be into all year long.

Another reason to love Carolina (there are many, many reasons) is our school colors. You can’t go wrong with Carolina blue. It works for guys and girls and it’s so easy to find. I swear, now that I’ve come here half of my wardrobe has turned to blue, but I love it. ALSO, Franklin Street is so fun. There are tons of great restaurants and cool bars and nice places to shop. I walk on Franklin at least once a day. Thirdly, I wouldn’t call our campus small but it’s also not too big. I don’t have a car, and although I would love to have one, I really don’t need it. You can easily walk to every place on campus, which is quite convenient.

Finally, if you’re worried about “having fun.” Don’t. No matter what you’re into, there are always things to do here. Tons of clubs, tons of different interests, you’ll find your place so easily. Big events go on every weekend; I’m never bored. There are over 20 fraternities and chances are someone is having a party. The weekend starts on Thursday. You really can’t even keep up with how many things there are to do.

Chapel Hill is such a college town, it’s the perfect place to be and you get the full college experience. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on any aspect of college here and am so happy with my decision to become a Tar Heel. If you’ve just been accepted, I’m honestly jealous of you because if you make the right choice, you’ll get to start your freshman year here and still have a full 4 years to enjoy the best time of your life. Chapel Hill was a place that so easily became my home, it's so welcoming and enjoyable. You may not have been a Tar Heel born, or even a Tar Heel bred, but when you get a chance to be a Tar Heel, you take it. 

Footnote: The head picture is not professional, nor from google images. My sister who also goes to school here casually took this while walking to class the other day. This just shows the reality of the beautiful campus we get to be a part of every day.