Advice for Incoming #UNC23 Students

Tuesday marks the beginning of classes at UNC and over 5,000 incoming freshmen and transfer students are set to start a new journey in Chapel Hill.

We put out the call on social media for the best pieces of advice for incoming students. Here are some of the best responses we received:

• “Enjoy every moment and work hard. It is the best school and best time of your life. Go Heels!”
• “Enjoy this wonderful time in your life, and check in with your family as often as you can!”
• “Volunteer when given the chance. You never know what impact it may have on your life and others.”
• “Go to class. Read your assignments. Then have fun…”
• “Please remember to vote!”
• “Read. The. Syllabus.”
• “Call. Your mother!”
• “Go to class. Even if it’s 8:00 am”
• “Stay focused on what is important. You’ve improved your physical self, now develop your mental self.”
• “Study abroad! Do a whole year.”
• “If you see someone who is alone, go to that person and start a conversation.”
• “Don’t be too cool to join in on goofy stuff. Everyone feels awkward, but it’s more fun to do than to watch. When you see groups on campus getting together and doing freshmen stuff like scavenger hunts or whatever, go ahead and join, even if it looks dumb. Shared experiences make great friends, and great friends make the experience work. Signed, a 1996 college freshman who smoked cigarettes on the steps instead of joining.”

While most comments were short tips, Kelly Dalton on Facebook responded with a much longer and in-depth answer:

Work hard at school, but never let it take over your life or cause you anxiety or sickness. If you feel any of that creeping in because you’re stressed about grades or anything academic, find someone you trust and be honest and talk about it. Find a resource like advisors, mental health counselors, financial aid advisors, etc. (sometimes you have to be squeaky and seek them rather than the other way around and hold their feet to the fire re: what you need and when you need it). There are a lot more resources for that than I realized when I was a student. Don’t slack off, but keep in mind that your best memories from college will come from aligning your passions with ways you can get involved with your friends and peers, and the friendships you develop at this time in your life when you likely have more time and fewer major responsibilities like strictly set schedules and/or kids, mortgages, full time jobs, passion projects, etc. are the things you’ll remember and carry with you for the rest of your life. Don’t get so busy that you aren’t also soaking up the best parts of college: the friendships and adventures. Also when you’re out having fun, be careful, be safe and take care of yourself and others. A degree can be helpful, but you’re capable and can find success with or without one. It’s all what you do with it once you’ve earned it. And it’s not the end all be all (unless of course you want to be a doctor, dentist, or lawyer😉). But make sure you really want to be any of those things and don’t be afraid to get off the path if you decide it’s not for you anymore. Study abroad and if you think you can’t afford it, go talk to someone in the study abroad office. There are ways to make it happen!

Good luck to all #UNC23 students!