For those of you who don’t know me, I go to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This within itself is amazing. From the time I was 6, I secretly wanted to go to UNC. Why I was so secretive about it, I have no idea. However, from the time I was 6, I knew I’d have to earn scholarships if I wanted to go to college. And of course, I wanted to go to college, so from then on out, I worked my butt off in school as much as I needed to make good grades. Or at least good enough to get in a school and get a few scholarships in my back pocket. Well, coming out of high school, I never imagined I could get into UNC, so I didn’t even bother applying. I ended up applying to a few schools, but decided to go to community college for two years. Why waste thousands of dollars on an education I can get for one thousand a year? Yeah, didn’t make sense to me either.
Anyways, coming out of community college…I really had no idea what I wanted or where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. I hated this because I have always been someone who knows what they want. But there was so much to consider…scholarships, tuition costs, out of state or in state, parents and how close/far away I wanted to be, etc. etc. Well…I decided that I had worked my butt off and deserved to at least try to pursue my secret dream. I applied to UNC and trying not to get my hopes up too much, crossed my fingers. Of course, doubting myself, I applied to other schools as well. I got in everywhere I applied except one school. Luckily, that one school was not UNC. UNC was the first school I applied to and the last school I received an acceptance letter from. But once I had that letter…I knew where I was going to finish off my college career.
I love Carolina. While I have not travelled every inch of this world, I am determined that nothing compares to UNC. First of all, nothing beats a little Tar Heel Spirit. School spirit here is enough to pull someone into the Carolina blue and white vortex yelling “Rah rah Carolina ‘lina!” at the top of their lungs as if their life depends on it. Second of all, the campus is beautiful no matter what weather we have…well, except maybe pouring rain, but even then there is something magical about this campus. In the fall, the quad is a blanket of leaves of all different colors, reflecting the diversity of UNC itself. In the winter, while the weather may not be the most fun, the campus still stands out in the fog and mist. The beauty of the lamp light at night reflecting on the brick walkways is something I never thought I would call beautiful. Oh, but when it snows in the winter…UNC turns into a magical winter playground. You can’t walk anywhere on campus without seeing a snowman or two. And you’re lucky if you walk through the quad without being hit with a horribly aimed snowball. I can only wait for the spring time. I can’t wait to see the flowers bloom and the sun sparkling through the spring rain drops on the trees. Yeah, there’s definitely something beautiful about UNC’s campus…something about it that you will never find anywhere else. Third of all, the atmosphere alone at UNC is…ineffable. You can’t not walk on campus as a student and not feel like you’re a part of something huge. I mean, yeah, it’s not like every student on campus knows every other student on campus on a personal level, but if you just walk around campus and people watch…it’s amazing to watch the human interaction at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Yes, my school inspires me today. Carolina gives me this feeling that I am truly a part of something bigger than myself and that is not to be taken fore granted.
“I’m a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred and when I die I’ll be a Tar Heel dead.”
♥
(P.S. Go to Hell Duke!)
