University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Questions

There are loads of activities to be involved in at UNC. If you are not an athletic (but were you highschool) then you can try out for a club team or play intramural sports. Along with that, there are two gyms which are both open until 12 and offer great fitness classes ranging from yoga to kickboxing and even to Zumba (African styled dance). I am not so much into the whole sorority and fraternity scene, so I would rather not comment on that. But I am involved in student organizations, such as Unite For Sight. We help with the underpriveleged in the community and give free eye exams, as well as collect donated glasses to make new (free) glasses for those who can't afford them. So, even if you don't join a sorority or fraternity you can still be involved in the community.

You have to get involved somehow if you are out of state-- if not you are going to feel very lost. There are many ways to do this. I think the easiest of which is joining a sorority or fraternity but this also confines you because the school is very split (greek and non-greeks) This may just be true as a freshman, i can't speak on older years.

The Greek life at UNC is very active. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night you can basically find some frat that's having a hall crawl, kegger, pj party, etc. So if you're looking to drink, no worries. You'll find something. We also have Franklin Street right above north campus that is home to Players (a club) and several bars. We have over like 300 clubs so anything that you may possibly be interested in is probably covered in one of the clubs. Some of the most active are the BSM (Black Student Movement), GAA (General Alumni Association), Frats, Sororities, and the millions of fundraising groups (Dance Marathon, Relay for Life, etc.) Traditions-Exam week houses some of my favorite traditions. The night before the first set of finals a group of guys streak in the library. The Clef Hangers (an a capella group) perform at the Old Well the last day of class. Things to do that don't involve drinking-UNC always has different performers coming into town. If there's nothing at the University, Cat's Cradle in Carrboro always has great bands coming to perform. The GAA also sponsors recently released movies to screen for free for students every Friday and Saturday in the Student Union.

If you want it, there's quite a good bar and party scene. Fake IDs are very common, and if you can get your hands on one as an underclassmen, you can get into a lot of bars and have a lot of fun. House parties happen sometimes, too, as long as you know people holding them. Most people are involved in some sort of organization. I did Dance Marathon which was my favorite thing in the world and became my life. I met incredible best friends, found a good cause to devote all of my energy to, and helped thousands of people and children at the NC Children's Hospital. Other groups people do are ballroom dancing, campus aerobic groups, intramural teams, Carolina Fever (supports sports teams), Black Student Movement, SANGAM (for Indians), CHiSPA (for Hispanics), and tons of religious-affiliated groups.

There is an amazing amount and variety of extracurricular activities, and limitless opportunities for students to get plugged into organizations that fit their personalities and interests.

Franklin Street has everything you would ever need for a social life! There are several bars and great restuarants right off campus. When the basketball team beats "Dook" or wins the national championship (2005!!) everyone rushes Franklin! The Greek scene is also very popular at Carolina... you can always find parties at the frat houses. The amount of groups/organizations/clubs that UNC offers is amazing! The intermural champion t-shirts are a highly coveted commodity on campus, and Campus Rec offers so many different sports for students to play. Since I do not drink very often, it was important for me to have other accessible things to do on the weekends. There is a great mall and movie theater 10 minutes from campus. Chapel Hill is very close to Raleigh and Durham, so you can easily venture into other cities. Going to sporting events is also popular at Carolina. We have one of the very best athletic departments in the country!

Athletic events are huge. The dating scene sucks because of the skewed guy to girl ratio, especially African Americans. People party alot fraternities and sororities are big. If you dont feel like drinking you can still go to parties or ice skating, movies, just hanging out.

The social life here is amazing. A guy just joined our fraternity after transfering from Wake Forest because he said there was no social life. The Greek system is amazing and we have a lot of fun, but there are many other great organizations to get involved with. Some of the people i consider my best friends are people I met in my dorm freshman year. Even though football isn't that good here (its on the rise just watch) people still love going to games on Saturdays and everyone loves basketball games. There is a lot of pride at this school, in athletics and academics. Having grown up in NC, no matter who you talk to everyone agrees that UNC is a great school and only Duke fans say that our basketball team sucks. If drinking is your thing then Franklin St. and Rosemary St. have a lot to offer. No matter what night you are looking to go out there is always something to do. If drinking is not your thing the University offers many activities such as movie nights, and general hang out events. There are also live music events around Chapel Hill and plays at local theaters.

You can't go wrong with any of the activities on campus. If you're a sports fan, join Carolina Fever! I've been in Fever since my freshman year and met my closest friends at the sporting events. If you're a partier, there's plenty to do, and if you're not, you won't be the only one on campus staying in for a girls/guys night on a Saturday night. It's easy to find a group of people that you'll fit in with and enjoy doing the same activities with.

IM sports are popular on campus, so that you can continue the sport you loved in high school. Carolina Fever is also really popular because you can have a better chance of getting basketball tickets, which is everyone's highest priority. Basketball is by far the most popular event on campus, but I really encourage any future students to experience all of the types of events that the campus has to offer. I met my closest friends through hanging out in the dorms and at parties. Most people party at least every Thursday and Saturday. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am leaving He's Not ($2 Blue Cups) or Lucy's(1/2 Everything). Others party almost every night. Greek life is only 15{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} on campus, but if you live in Granville Towers(dorm), it is 85{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}. The last weekend I was at Chapel Hill, I went to almost every bar on Franklin St. between Thurs., Fri. and Sat. night. But, there is other stuff to do that does not involve drinking. You could go see a movie for free at the Union, go to see a movie on Franklin St. or at Southpoint (the mall), or go get ice cream or coffee. You could go see a show at Memorial Hall, or just hang out with friends at one of your places. Most people go off campus to go to Southpoint, the mall, which is about 20 minutes away from campus. You can also go to Carrboro to go to Weaver St. Market.