Carolina Advice

I’m not sure when they will open it up.  Can you search for classes still?  If all else fails, just write down your possible schedules and take that with you to orientation.

The average scores can be found here on Collegeboard.

The application should be accessible from my.unc.edu. 

I don’t think they’ve announced the essay questions yet (somebody correct me if I’m wrong).  They’re usually posted at the UNC Admissions Blog first, so I’d keep an eye on that.

Thanks! We’re excited to have you. :D

Hm, it’s a daunting task to describe it in much detail.  It’s non-stop information all day for both days.  The best advice I can give is to relax.  All the information they give you can be found elsewhere, so don’t worry about trying to remember every single thing.  The most stressful part is picking and signing up for classes.  Remember that you can add and drop classes during the summer, so it’s okay if your schedule isn’t perfect at orientation. 

I don’t know any personally.  Some of them prefer to keep it kind of quiet, though.

Edit from Ben: I know a pretty good number of both. I could try to see if they could talk to you if you’d like. That’d be a little tricky because most of them are abroad for the summer at this point, but I could still give it a go. 

The only day I have noticed that is blocked off is the Spring Game, actually.  If there are any others, I’m unaware of them.  When they block off any parking area, which always happens on game days, they have a sign there telling you where the alternative parking is located.

That worksheet is terribly confusing.  It isn’t totally necessary that you have it done before orientation. They’ll go over it better there and help you fill it out.  Until then, we might be able to answer any specific questions you have.

I believe you have to make an appointment. 

Here’s the meal plan info.  It tells you how much they cost and everything.  Most people sign up at orientation, I think.  They give you plenty of opportunities to sign up for one there, and there’s Carolina Dining Services employees that can help you pick the plan that most suites your needs.  

They monitor the network.  The only things they expressly warn you about is illegal streaming of movies and downloading music.  That is probably because there are far more music downloaders than hackers! I would guess that they would not be too happy about hacking, either.  To be sure, I’d talk to IT when you get to campus.  There are also RESNET employees in every dorm who can probably answer any questions you have. 

There are a few around. My roommate used one last year at a hair salon on Columbia Street.  You can call (919) 942-4058 to ask him about it.

My roommate heard about that place just from a friend.  But I’ve heard of people finding places on Craig’s List and the like. You just have to do some internet digging.

It depends on the dorm you’re in.  If you’re the furthest away you can be, Hinton James, then it’s a bit less than a ten minute walk.  Lenoir is about twenty, or so.  That’s a pretty slow pace.  Any other dorm is closer than that. 

I honestly don’t know too much about it. There’s information about some services here.  The Counseling and Wellness Services are part of Campus Health. 

There are also some other avenues.  Many students, including the RAs, undergo various training to deal with some issues. They are OneAct trained, which is about dealing with Interpersonal Violence, for example. 

Yep. Fish are allowed under these rules from Housing:

Residents are permitted to keep fish in their room providing: (a) the fish tank is freshwater and its size does not exceed 12 U.S. gallons; (b) all residents of the room agree to have a fish tank in the room; and (c) all appropriate precautions are taken to ensure that the electrical connection to the fish tank is safe.

I like how part (c) is included. 

Yes, you have to go to another building.  Your flex pass will let you into all the dorms in your community so you can use their facilities.

No.  I haven’t witnessed any evidence of it, at any rate. 

It’s not that bad.  I turned mine in in person during the first week of school because I couldn’t get a doctor’s appointment in time.  I faced no penalty.  There’s some date into the school year where they will remove you from classes if you don’t turn it in, but it’s not for awhile.  You should be fine!

I got a random roommate, and it worked out wonderfully.  We get along very well, and we’re rooming together again next year. It can definitely happen!

Those are all fine, realistic choices.

Morrison is pretty sought-after since it’s the nicest of the south campus dorms (it’s the most recently renovated).  Craige North and Ehaus, however, are also getting renovations this summer, so they should be pretty nice also. They’re all pretty similar in that they’re all high rises dominated by first years.

I lived in Hinton James.  People like it the least because it’s the furthest away you can possibly be from classes and most everything else.  That is rather inconvenient sometimes. It’s also not the newest dorm, so it shows its age a little.  It’s not very aesthetically pleasing.

That said, it really isn’t horrible. Everything is what you make of it.  Turn the walk into something positive—quality time with friends, thoughtful reflection, practicing Spanish.  Or there’s always the bus. And you can  decorate up the facilities.  There’s also a unique kind of comradery with your fellow Hinton James residents, all living in the “worst” dorm on campus together.

It depends on the class, the school, and the instructor.  I would email the instructor and ask what the policy is on signing up for it.

More info about Macs in the Journalism school.  Thank you!

Thanks!  Why is the Mac better for the J-school?

I have AT&T and my phone works well everywhere except Kenan Stadium on game days.  I can’t speak for other providers, and everyone I’ve asked has AT&T.  Anybody out there got something else and have insights about their phone service on campus?

I only remember the exact date because I happen to be on vacation when they were assigned.  It was somewhere between June 6th-10th.  It was there when I got home, so I’m not sure which day. 

I would call housing first thing tomorrow if you haven’t got it submitted. 

Room assignments should be early June.  They don’t give an exact date, so I can’t tell you anything more precise.  The move-in days and times are based on where you room is.  There’s a move-in guide that will tell you that, released eventually on the housing website.

I’m not sure if there’s tax on expense or not either.  But there’s that about flex!

You carry your trash out into the dumpsters, located somewhere near all the dorms.  There are also recycling bins.  

Custodians aren’t allowed into rooms.

Theoretically, you could.  The advantage to using the flex and expense accounts is that it’s billed through your tuition.  Therefore, if you have scholarships and/or aid, it will pay for it.  Also, you can only do laundry with a Onecard but can’t with a debit card. 

Nobody checks the beds.  You can sleep wherever you want.  People spend the night in other people’s rooms, or go home.  It’s not an issue.

It’s hard to say.  There’s twelve orientation sessions and roughly 4,000 people in a class, so a little more than 300.  You spend most of the time in your smaller group though, so it’s not too overwhelming.

Flex money is just for food, a supplement to the meal plan.  Expense can buy food, but it also works for laundry and various other non-food related costs.  Mainly, dining flex is for the bottom of Lenoir (which is compromised of various restaurants). At the convenience store type places, they’ll ask you if you want to use flex or expense. 

Honestly, you’d probably be okay if you just put money on your expense account because it will do everything flex does plus the things flex doesn’t buy.

Neither of them give you a discount.  It’s just straight up money, like a checking account. 

Meal swipes can’t be used for anything other than getting into the dining halls.  Flex (or expense) is for buying food at other places to eat.

There’s a laundry room in every community.  Communities are made up of several dorms, so you might have to go to another building for laundry.  Some buildings are communities by themselves, like Hinton James.

It honestly boils down to personal preference.  There’s not a distinct advantage to having one over the other, except maybe that you have to shell out a little more money to pay the difference between the cheapest Macbook and the laptop grant (about $300).

I think it’s alright to say you’re pre-med.  If people look down on you, that’s their problem. I don’t think it’s a prevailing problem on campus.  It might be better to say “I want to go to medical school” since pre-med is not something you actually declare.

Orientation focuses a lot on the general education requirements that apply to everyone.  Your orientation group meets with advisers, and they explain how the gen eds work to everyone.  Then they give you worksheets to fill out so you know what you need to take.  Later, you meet with the adviser in small groups of three to discuss your situation individually. 

You’ll get a big Undergraduate Bulletin that has all the courses required for majors.  That will be helpful in choosing your classes.  The responsibility to choose the right ones is ultimately up to you. For the majority of majors, you don’t need to start taking major classes right off the bat. A lot of first years don’t know what they’re majoring in yet, which is fine.  If you do know, it’s a good idea to check for prereqs though.

Academic advising is pretty simple.  You set up a meeting with your adviser online (whose name should be on Connect Carolina, if not now, eventually) and they fill out a worksheet with a rough plan for your four years of classes.  You’re required to meet with them at certain points: at least once during your first year, to declare your major, etc.  You also meet with them to change majors, drop classes, or just get class advice. 

Ten minutes is plenty of time for most classes, but it really depends on where the buildings are.  Occasionally, they’ll be a combination that’s too far to get in ten minutes. 

I don’t think they are up yet.  The essay questions from last year were released on July 12th, and they generally follow the around the same timeline every year.  The Carolina Admissions Blog is a good place to watch; they’ll post the prompts as soon as they’re available.

Well, this is the first year that UNC has used the Common Application, so I honestly don’t know much about it.  Since it’s so early, it probably just isn’t up yet, if that is what the common application says.  The UNC website links only to the Common Application site now, so it appears as though they’re doing all applications through there.

This page says to mail it to the address on top of the form, which is

ATTN: New Students and Parents (Deadline MAY 15th) UNC – Chapel Hill Campus Health Services
A Division of Student Affairs

I think classes at outside institutions only affect your credit hours, not your UNC GPA.

I’m a successful English major with a perfectly good grasp on the English language.  I don’t meticulously edit my tumblr posts because that seems unnecessary. If you find it so unreadable, nobody is making you read it. 

Let’s keep Carolina Advice a friendly and productive place, please.

The English major is about literature.  Here’s what you have to take.  Basically, you read literature and discuss the themes and implications of various pieces. Assignments usually consist of reading a novel, short story, or poem and writing a paper that defends a thesis about said work.

I wouldn’t think so. If Connect Carolina shows that the sections are full, I’d suggest contacting the professor and seeing if he/she could squeeze you in. If there’s literally a chair in the classroom that’s not occupied, then you can probably manage to get in. 

Edit: Email Anita Braxton at braxtona@email.unc.edu.  She got in me into a creative writing class just last week. She’ll also be able to tell you how to proceed if you can’t get in this semester. She’s the creative writing program guru!

I highly recommend Introduction to Literary Criticism, particularly with Matthew Taylor.  It’s a really informative class and provides a solid base for other classes as you sift through criticism for your own writing.  Also, Dr. Taylor is a very good teacher, chooses good readings, is very accessible, and a fair grader. I highly recommend the class for all English majors!

First of all, the creative writing program is separate from the English program.  Creative writing is only offered as a minor.  You start taking creative writing classes your Sophomore year (so I’ll start next semester) and take one every semester until you graduate.  The professors have to recommend for you to progress into higher level seminars. If they don’t recommend you,  you can complete the major with other classes, though.

As for the English major, UNC has an amazing program.  The professors I’ve encountered, for the most part, have been excellent.  The small classes I’ve had have been very discussion based, with room for all sorts of interpretations.  You must be willing to read insane amounts and write 7-12 page papers regularly, but it shouldn’t be a problem if you’re serious about the major.  The bigger lecture classes (like Shakespeare, which is a major requirement) have smaller recitation sessions with much of the same environment as a small class.  There is a lot of opportunity within the department for study abroad and undergraduate research.  I can’t recommend it enough!