No two journeys are alike

No two journeys are alike. What’s your next step?

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See how students make their ways at Carolina.

70+

Programs of study you can pursue at Carolina

That’s how it is with learning.

One thing leads to another.

Ask any Carolina student about the path to his or her major, and you’ll get an interesting story.

Chance encounters, inspiring courses, and just plain old twists of fate tend to play a role in how your journey unfolds here. And to prove it, we asked three current Tar Heels how they ended up studying what they’re studying.

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iFAQs These are Infrequently Asked Questions because it seems like hardly anybody ever brings this stuff up.

But they certainly should.

Does my senior schedule matter?

Definitely. And not just your senior year—even though that’s when many students tend to take some of their most challenging coursework. We encourage you to take at least five core academic courses—math, science, English, social studies and foreign language—through each year of high school.

Should I take both the SAT and the ACT? Go right ahead, if you want to, but we require only one test score, either the SAT or ACT (we require the writing section for both). We don’t have a preference between them, and there is no minimum test score required. It’s not unusual for students to take both tests and to do better on one versus the other. If you take both, we’ll consider only your highest reported score when evaluating your application. The same goes if you take the same test multiple times. We consider the highest reported subscores across different administrations of the exam, a practice often referred to as “superscoring.”

Which test is better?

Either test is fine with us. But there are some differences. Some applicants prefer the ACT, which has been described as a content-based test. Some like the SAT because it’s based more on reasoning and critical thinking skills. There are also some structural differences. The SAT lets you take a little of the critical reading, math, and writing skills throughout the test, while the ACT goes over one complete section at a time.

How important is that test score?

That score is just one part of the holistic review we use to evaluate applicants. Still, we think either test, when considered in combination with your courses and grades, is a valid predictor of your performance at UNC.

When can I start applying?

We offer two deadlines for first-year admission—mid-October and early January. Neither deadline is binding, and we encourage you to choose the one that is best for you. But please know that students who apply by our first deadline have a slightly stronger chance of being considered for scholarships and are even eligible to later apply for the Global Gap Year Fellowship, a special opportunity open only to admitted students who applied for admission by our first deadline.

How is my roommate assigned?

Can I live with someone I know?

We make your housing assignment by looking at your preferences and seeking a vacant room in your first-choice location. Then, if nothing’s open, we work our way down your list. Only if we can’t find room in any of your preferences do we make a random assignment,

bring mymy dog?dog?

CancanI ibring

based on a lottery number that was given to your application when

We love all animals; don’t get us wrong. But

you applied. Of course, random housing assignments have led to

for health reasons, we don’t allow pets in our

some great friendships, but if you’d rather room with someone you

residence halls unless you require the use of

know, just list that person’s name on your housing application.

a service animal. Fish are allowed. Missing

Don’t know anyone yet? Try the online roommate finder!

good ol’ Mr. Barkworthy? The good news is that there’s an abundance of dogs in Chapel Hill, and their pettability is proven.

Does it cost money to apply?

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Does taking a tour and showing that I came to visit matter?

Well, it would certainly warm our hearts. But is it a factor in our admissions decision? No. Still, let us

Like all institutions, Carolina does

re-encourage you to schedule a visit to campus. It’s

charge an application fee to cover

just the best way to see if you would feel at home

our expenses. This is currently $80

here. Not only will you attend an information

and may be waived for students

session with one of our admissions counselors,

with financial hardships.

you will also have the opportunity to take part in a small student-led tour.

I don’t know if I can afford college.

Should I still apply? 9198435664 Undoubtedly. Carolina’s commitment to access and affordability is ferocious, and our tuition and fees are among the lowest in the nation. Moreover, we strive to meet the full demonstrated need of all admitted students who apply for aid on time. About 47% of students receive financial aid, and the average aid package is approximately $18,000. Through the Carolina Covenant, just one of many opportunities offered here, we promise a debt-free education to any eligible student whose family income falls at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (about $44,700 for a family of four).

Even back in high school in North Potomac, MD, michele bresler, ’14, knew she wanted a career in the sciences. So when she came to UNC, she explored courses in both Chemistry and Biology, but ultimately went with biology as her major. The time she has spent doing undergraduate research in Dr. Susan Henning’s gastrointestinal stem cell lab has only confirmed she is in the right place. “Not only am I helping other scientists with their groundbreaking research, I’m actually doing some of my own. And being an undergrad working alongside med students, grad students, MDs, and PhDs has shown me so many routes I could take once I graduate.”

rodrigo martinez, ’15, came to Chapel Hill by way of Brevard, NC, but is originally from Mexico City. And though he walked onto campus with about six potential majors in mind—Photojournalism among them, which led him to join the UNC Yearbook staff—he’s firmly settled in and completely inspired by his current studies of environmental health science. He traces some of that back to his ANTH 147 course, taught by Michele Rivkin-Fish.

“Comparative Healing Systems opened my eyes to the holistic nature of health and how it’s perceived differently in cultures around the world. After that, my plan to be a lab technician and have no contact with patients was out. Now I want to help people directly, and I’m pursuing a career in public health.”

The connection started with a joke for kehinde adeoti, ’14, who is a Hope Mills, NC, native, and turned out to be a pretty serious case of life-changing advice. “Joe Bongiovi is my advisor for my major. He loves to tell new classes that he and the lead singer of Bon Jovi are related, which they actually are.”

But it turned out that Joe had useful guidance, in addition to a celebrity connection: “Well, my major is management and society, but when I hit sophomore year, I was kind of unsure what I wanted to do with it. Joe told me all about Human Resources, since he has experience in it.” Kehinde got solid direction on how to break into the field and what certifications he can earn to distinguish himself. “He helped me a lot,” remembers Kehinde. “I would consider him not just an advisor, but a really good friend.”

office of undergraduate admissions university of north carolina at chapel hill campus box 2200, jackson hall chapel hill, nc 27599-2200

Phone: (919) 966-3621 Fax: (919) 962-3045 admissions.unc.edu unchelp@admissions.unc.edu

40+ Points of interest listed and shown, with pics and videos, in the Tour Carolina app

facebook.com/uncadmissions twitter.com/uncadmissions instagram.com/uncadmissions

What to do now (besides visit us): Stay involved. Look for—or create—opportunities to make significant contributions to your school and community.

Bonus points: Think about things that can “outlive” you. Is there something you can do now that will continue helping out the cause after you graduate?

Research the schools that interest you.

Seriously, if you can, visit campus. We’d love to show you around. You can learn more about setting that up at admissions.unc.edu/visit.

Policy on Nondiscrimination: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to equality of educational opportunity. The University does not discriminate in offering access to its educational programs and activities on the basis of race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, creed, genetic information, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The Equal Opportunity/ADA Office (100 E. Franklin Street., Unit 110, CB #9160, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-9160 or (919) 966-3576) has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the University’s non-discrimination policies. For more, please see: http://policy.sites.unc.edu/files/2013/04/nondiscrim.pdf 75,000 copies of this publication were printed at a cost of $7,721 or $.10 per copy.