Halfway through - Facing my junior year at Carolina

May 7, 2005, I finished my sophomore year with a final in MUSC 44, better known as History of Country Music. As I sit in front of my laptop listening to Dierks Bentley’s “Lot Of Leavin’ Left To Do,” I realize that the last two years of my life have just flown by me. I can’t imagine entering my next-to-last year as an undergrad at UNC. It felt like just yesterday that I was sitting in front of a computer at C-TOPS, trying to decide what classes I would take my first semester. Now, I’m staring at my last two years as a Tar Heel undergrad and potentially my last two years at Carolina, and that’s a scary thought.

I’m writing about this because I want everyone to understand how important it is that you cherish every single year you have at this magical place. When you get to Carolina, it seems like this huge place where you won’t get to know anybody and you’ll spend four years studying. Trust me, you will spend four years studying, but you’ll also spend four years learning, talking, bonding, playing, dancing, singing, and reconnecting with your inner child. Here, you’ll make friendships that will last a lifetime and you’ll connect with people on a level that you never could before. You’re growing up and becoming adults together and it’s a lot more comforting to look around you and know that you’re not alone. You’re stepping out on your own and learning to be independent, but at the same time, you’re learning that you’re never completely alone. Tar Heels stick together.

When you come here, expect to work hard. Expect to be challenged and expect to be stressed out. But also expect to be respected, to be happy, to be a friend, to befriend some new people, and above all, expect to spend the next four (or more) years of your life in a place where you can truly call home.