Why Carolina?

You know, when someone asks me “Why did you choose to come to UNC?” I always laugh because it’s actually not your typical response.  So here’s my reasoning.  As crazy as it seems, I am from a country town, called Bladenboro, North Carolina.  It’s so small that it only consists of two stop lights.  While in high school, I always wanted to attend a large university that was out-of-state.  I yearned for a completely different experience than I had growing up.  I wanted to embrace meeting new people, and gain knowledge of how to adapt in an unknown environment.  I had always lived in North Carolina, and I just knew that going to a university out-of-state would be my life-changing experience.  Initially, I had my mind set on enrolling at the University of Georgia, and even though I was accepted, as you can see I chose Carolina. 

As high school graduation approached, I realized I didn’t want to be as far away from home as I thought.  The notion of not being able to see my family, leaving my friends, and missing my mother’s home cooked meals started to hit me more than ever before.  UNC was actually my last choice, because it was in-state.  Then I realized going to an in-state university would actually be better for me.  UNC is only two hours away from my home. It’s far away enough so that I don’t feel like I’m going to school in my backyard; yet, close enough to home so that if something unexpected were to happen, I could have quick access to my family.  Fortunately, the moment I stepped foot on this wonderful campus of UNC I was amazed.  I loved the scenery, the beautiful flowers, the architecture, and the students.  Life at Carolina is amazing!  Not only is this university prestigious academically, but the atmosphere at UNC is friendly and accepting.  Even though I didn’t have primary intentions of coming to Carolina, there’s no other university I would rather attend.