A lot of people tell me about how UNC was or is their dream school, and how they love UNC Basketball. I’ve heard things like that since 4thgrade. But for me that wasn’t the case.
For starters, no one in my family had gone to UNC. Not just my immediate family, but also my aunt and uncle and all of my grandparents. The only person who went there in my family is my dad’s cousin’s daughter. I didn’t see her from the time I was 4 until I was 17 at a family reunion. Point being, it wasn’t like UNC was around me or promoted to me by my family, unlike a lot of people’s families do. I had no attachment to UNC.
I also was not into basketball or sports in general until I was in 9thgrade, and then I loved sports. Even then being from Charlotte, I was not a college basketball fan.
My parents both went to Saint Louis University which isn’t a huge basketball school (although they did beat NC State in March Madness a few years ago). My brother and one of my sisters went to the University of South Carolina where 10 years ago some would say they were national title contenders in football. They aren’t anymore but it’s okay because they were good while they were there. They were also never really good at basketball while they were there. My other sister played lacrosse at Presbyterian College and basketball wasn’t huge there either. So, no one in my house was really passionate about college basketball. But I loved sports though and I knew who Tyler Hansbrough was and who Kennedy Meeks was. I watched the Carolina Panthers and a lot of NFL football, the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA and sometimes South Carolina football.
But anyway, in high school after some thinking I decided that I wanted to be a sports reporter and I was certain my mind would never change (it did after my first semester of college). I had no idea where I wanted to go to college though.
I applied through the North Carolina common app which got me into UNC-Charlotte, Wilmington, Pembroke, Asheville, ECU, and WCU. I also applied to Catawba College and a small private school called Queens University and the University of South Carolina. My decision was coming down to UNCC, Queens, and South Carolina. I was leaning toward South Carolina. It’s where I had wanted to go my whole life because of my brother and sister, and they had a good journalism school and lots of opportunities.
But then I got an email from the School of Media and Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The email basically said: Why haven’t you applied to UNC-Chapel Hill?, you should apply, you had great ACT writing scores, and good grades and won a national Ayn Rand essay contest in high school. The email also said my application fee was waived. It was a surreal feeling. Chapel Hill? I didn’t think I was smart enough to go there, I would never be able to keep up, I would struggle, but at the same time it is the top school in our state (besides Duke). The school that everyone talked about how difficult it is to get into since I was in 4thgrade. The school that no one in my high school (which was a small charter school) had gone to in two years. The school that all I ever heard is how cutthroat and elitist and hard it is. The school that above all else is a top 25 university in the nation.
The MJ-school had emailed me at the end of January and the application was due in the middle of February. So, I finally finished the application and turned it in a day before the deadline. I didn’t tell anyone about applying except for my immediate family, my best friend, and two teachers who I am thankful were able to write recommendations in such a short period of time.
I didn’t think I would get into to UNC. Every time my best friend asked me what are you going to do if you get in, I replied that I probably won’t get in, and he said you probably will. I just, for some reason, doubted my abilities back then. Maybe I didn’t want to leave friends behind that were mainly going to UNCC. Maybe I was afraid to fail and if I didn’t get in I would have nothing to be afraid of. I didn’t try to figure it out then.
But then two weeks later I got an email from UNC- Chapel Hill saying I got in. Everyone in my family was so excited for me, and I was too. Then it hit me that this is really happening. I told my best friend and he said I told you so and he told a lot of our friends that I got in. People asked me “You’re going right?” and when I said I wasn’t sure some people called me selfish and that people would die to go to UNC. I didn’t like feeling guilted into going to UNC.
My then girlfriend was going to UNCC and many of my other friends were planning on going there, too. She said she didn’t know if we would work out if I went to UNC. This was said on the same day people were mad at me for being unsure if I wanted to go to UNC. I felt like everyone was trying to make the decision for me.
I didn’t know that much about UNC besides it being a good college. I knew they were called the Tar Heels, and their mascot was a ram, which made no sense. I also knew they had a well as a logo and the well was a big deal. I knew Chapel Hill was near Durham and Raleigh in the northern part of the state. I knew it was a big college and I didn’t know if I would be able to handle such a big school and big classes.
Everyone in my family at one point in time sat down with me and said in one way or another that I should give serious thought about going to UNC. One of my friends told me to stop underestimating myself and that I’m one of the smartest people she knows.
I thought I might do better at UNCC with close friends, or at Queens with smaller class sizes (which I figured out I didn’t like when I visited), or maybe South Carolina because of familiarity.
Then I went to UNC for Admitted Student Day and I kept an open mind. I loved the campus immediately. I loved the school spirit, and 1 out of 10 people had a UNC shirt on. No other school I toured had that kind of spirit. I loved the Old Well, I loved the bricks, I loved the Pit. The first thing the Director of Admissions said to everyone who was there that day is despite what you may have heard we are not cutthroat. I felt like she was speaking to me because that was one of my worries about UNC. I then toured the School of Media and Journalism in Carroll Hall, and I learned UNC had one of the top journalism schools in the country. I saw Reese News Lab, and Carolina Week and all the opportunities in the MJ-school. I toured The Daily Tar Heel.
I asked someone who worked for Admissions if I should go on the campus tour or see the Carolina Basketball Museum. She said go to the Carolina Basketball Museum. The Museum was so awesome, and there was so much history and so much success. I also walked into the Dean Dome and it was incredible, especially because I wanted to do sports journalism.
The dorms (Craige was the model room) compared to other schools weren’t that impressive. The dining hall was the same quality as all the others I toured. None of that mattered to me though.
I also went to a review session with one of my friends from high school who was a sophomore at UNC. It was nice seeing a familiar face.
My brother called me the next day and I talked about UNC for two hours and at the end of the call he said, “So what else is there to think about?” With those words, he helped me realize that UNC is where I wanted to be and that all those reasons I was worried about don’t matter. Looking back, I wanted to make my own decision and he allowed me to do that.
There is just something about the campus at UNC that feels like home. I just felt happy when I visited. Plus, there’s the upside of great academics, athletics, and opportunities. In my three years at UNC, I have proven to myself that I can do it. I am succeeding at a top 25 school in the nation. UNC isn’t always easy but I’ve learned that when UNC has been challenging or stressful coming out on top makes me stronger.
I will be forever grateful to the ACT (never thought I would say that) and the people who read my ACT writing essay and gave it a good score. I will also be grateful to the MJ-school for waiving my fee and telling me to apply. Also, to all my family and friends who believed in me.
I learned to never back down from an opportunity. Why shouldn’t I shoot for the stars?
If I believe in myself, then nothing is out of reach.
Ceiling=Roof