University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Questions

Academics is a complicated process. Most of the early classes are large, and the professors probably won't know your name unless you are a constant troublemaker or a sycophant. If at all possible, stick to smaller, discussion-based classes as these are where the best learning can take place. Some of the professors of huge lectures seem like they aren't too excited to be teaching a 101 course, but if you get them into a small 30 person class about their favorite topic, it's like they are a different person.

The academics are pretty rigorous. Like in any college, there are smaller classes and larger classes, but the bulk of my professors make an effort to learn my name, regardless of class size. Many of my classes involve intellectually stimulating conversation, and it's always awesome to have discussions where we can get deeper into the course material - I feel like THAT is what learning is all about!

The academics are brutal, but manageable. You can definitely balance studying with a social life. Just be prepared to work really hard when it counts. I'm in the Journalism School which is one of the best in the nation! Any journalism prospects should definitely check out UNC. Students are very competitive and always vying for the best internships. All the professors are really open to office hours and meeting outside class. They'll often work with your schedule and see what is best for you. UNC prepares you for the outside world. They are always giving us information about career fairs, internships, resume building workshops, and more.

As a Journalism and English double-major, I know about both regular major requirements as well as professional school requirements. UNC-Chapel Hill is a school based on the excellence of its students. The academics at UNC-CH are rigorous and really push students to think in virtually any subject. In the Journalism school, we are pushed to our limits to become better writers and journalism. In the English program, I am introduced to so many new books and themes, not to mention I get to meet a lot of the writers of the novels I read. Although the requirements of UNC-CH are strict, thus students are allotted less time to explore classes outside of your main concentrations, these restrictions allow students to immerse themselves more in their area of concentration, which will help them in the long run.UNC-CH is also equipped with University Career Services (UCS) which provides many great opportunities for students. UCS host networking nights for students to make connections in their fields of interest. UCS provides a website full of available jobs and internships in Chapel Hill and around the world. Plus, UCS has its own presentations from different majors and companies that it helps prepare students for by offering resume help and mock interviews. Students are given the best academic training in both their school work and their future careers.

Unbelievably superior. I just went to the dentist and he couldn't stop talking about what a great school UNC is. He went to NC State. My professors call me Shannon or Ms. Smith. I have one professor for an 8 am class who always asks each person in the class what they did the night before. If you say you went out, he'll be like, "yeah, I thought that was you!" And you're like, oh no, oh please no. But he's just kidding. It's fun. The professors share the same friendly, upbeat passion for UNC that the students do. For an advertising class after a final, the professor invited everyone out for a beer on him. You get really close to your whole class after a semester. For that one class, I wasn't really friends with anyone outside of the class, but now that the semester is over, I have 18 more people I say "hey" to on campus. I haven't really had a professor I haven't gotten along with. I'm not exactly a science girl, but I thought my biology professor was so smart and interesting, I'd actually look forward to sitting in his class. He was funny, so I'd kind of tune out the chemistry stuff and wait for his little stories and puns he'd make throughout the lecture. He's really good at his job. Students are huge "studiers" here. It's very much a work hard, play hard, then work even harder atmosphere. Sometimes I'll be grabbing dinner with some friends and we'll wind up debating something we talked about it one of our classes. When we notice what we're doing we're like, "we're such UNC students." And whatever that means, it's true. But that's what makes us so different from any other school. I'm a studio art major, but the most unique class I've taken is an environmental science class called Estuarine Processes. We took a weekend trip to the beach and went out on the boat and took some water samples. We brought them back and our final was based on analyzing the data we collected. Very hands on, real life kind of stuff. I like it because it doesn't feel like I'm wasting my time in a class that doesn't have anything to do with my major. That's a good education.

Carolina is a liberal arts school - with two years of general education requirements and two years in your major. If you already know what you want to do, the general education requirements can be annoying. However, the design of Carolina's curriculum is to give students the opportunity to explore something that they may not have had the time to do at a non-liberal arts school. Have you always wanted to taste foods from across the world, but you want to be a doctor? Just take a course on food studies. Want to learn how to ski? There's a course for that? This curriculum design allows our education to be focused on learning the material for your own sake versus throwing information at you that you may or may not use in your career. While gen eds spark your personal interests, once you enter your major courses, you can network with like-minded individuals and begin to take what you're learning in the classroom and discuss it in everyday conversation. There are no easy classes at Carolina, but there are a ton of rewarding ones.

Class at Carolina is what you make it. We have huge lecture halls, as well as small intimate classrooms. We are a very competitve school and take academics very seriously. But there are so many opportunities to get to know our professors and receive as much help if we need it. These opportunities included paid lunch trips with our professors, professor's office hours, learning center, tutoring etc. Carolina is preparing us for the real world through our academics, and the real world things are not always given to you on a silver platter, you have to work hard for what you want and use all the available resources to get it.

Although UNC is such a fun-filled and loving environment, the academics match this extreme. Long nights don't only come from partying too much, but also from late night studying, especially during exam season. There is not a minute of the day where someone is not studying. Whether it's the library, dining hall, dorm, etc., work is always getting completed. Many of the courses here are pretty tough, but there are many resources to help you succeed such as the writing center, office hours for professors, study groups, the math help center; the list goes on. It's important to have a good balance between your academics and social life.

We take academics fairly seriously here at UNC. UNC has a reputation as a member of the "public school Ivy League" for a reason. The academic course load is rigorous and professors expect you to perform up to par. But don't worry, there is still plenty of time to have fun and enjoy the social aspects of college at the same time. Everyone thinks that because UNC is so big, all of the classes must have hundreds of people. This simply isn't true. While some of the entry-level lecture classes do have several hundred students (Bio 101, Econ 101, etc.), all of these classes have a separate, smaller "recitation" section that meets once a week for discussion. Recitation sections are typically about 20 students. Higher level courses and language courses tend to have smaller class sizes as well.

Do what you love, love what you do. This ideology rings true to my educational experience at UNC-Chapel Hill. I love all of the things I'm trying, learning, and doing for the first time in my courses. One rarely hears, "I don't want to skip class" coming from a college undergrad, but that's a phrase I've often uttered. I truly enjoy all of my courses in the school of Journalism and Mass Communication. I feel if I skip class, I'm missing out on so much. I often share the information I learn in class to my friends. So much of the content we cover is relevant to today's ever changing modern world. Each and every one of my professors brings enthusiasm and positivity to their subjects. Also, all of my professors are considered experts in their field of study, which is outstanding. My teachers encourage hands-on approaches to learning, so I feel prepared to utilize the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom in the workplace.