New undergraduates savor first collegiate weekend

One weekend down, and just four years to go.

UNC’s freshmen are already well on their way to being Carolina connoisseurs. They’ve navigated the perils of the P2P, had their official welcome and celebrated Fall Fest and the various post-Fest activities and parties.

And scrounged for as much free food as possible, apparently.

“I like to call it Fall Feast,” says freshman Abbas Rattani, after describing an ice cream social he raided Saturday afternoon.

“It’s basically like trick-or-treat.”

The sheer number of clubs on display at Fall Fest overwhelmed some of the students milling from booth to booth, gawking at students dressed in everything from spacesuits to medieval garb.

“There are some crazy sports ones,” says Rattani, who joined 10 to 15 clubs and plans to whittle them down later. “I mean, underwater hockey, what the heck is that?”

The first few days are full of introductions as freshmen start to build up a new core of friends.

“Stuff like Fall Fest is just making it easier, because it gives you an opportunity to meet a lot of people, to establish yourself,” says freshman Aaron Harrill.

But even that can be a little overwhelming at times.

“I’ve never had to meet so many new people before and remember so many names,” says freshman Rob Stephens.

The first few days are harder for out-of-state freshmen, says Allison Nichols, a freshman from West Chester, Pa. “But I have no doubts whatsoever that I made the right choice in coming here.”

Despite the hustle and bustle of the obligatory face memorization, some of the students are finding that UNC reminds them more of home than they’d thought.

“I thought it was going to be kind of stark, and have a not really friendly kind of atmosphere ­— but people are really nice,” says freshman Abby Keiper. “It feels like home.”

Stephens, a Robertson Scholar, had the chance to experience the more intellectual side of college life Sunday afternoon.

He took the Robertson bus to Duke University to hear Maya Angelou speak and was even able to talk to her.

“The highlight of my weekend was definitely going over to Duke,” Stephens says.

“But it wasn’t Duke,” he adds quickly. “It was the speaker.”

Nichols dropped by a cultural show Friday night that showcased campus singing, dancing and even poetry talent.

“I really enjoyed it,” she says.

Rattani had a celebrity encounter, getting John Edwards’ signature on a slightly macaroni-and-cheese-stained napkin.

Students also flocked to Fraternity Court in the evenings to get a taste of Greek social life.

“It was so packed it was kind of ridiculous,” Stephens says. “But it was fun anyway because I got to meet a lot of people.”

And to get there, the students started studying the intricacies of the P2P.

“It was kind of a fun experience in itself,” Keiper says. “It was crowded and rambunctious.”

But Rattani found that he might need a few more late-night crams before he’s mastered the bus.

“What they don’t tell you at orientation is that if it’s jam-packed, the driver just drives off and laughs at you,” he says.

Then it was all over. “The first weekend just went by really fast,” Stephens says.

Excitement and opportunity are on every freshman’s mind, but not all students are quite ready for classes to begin.

“I hope for the first four months UNC suspends classes,” Rattani says. “I haven’t even experienced one-ninetieth of the things there are to do.”

Nichols says she can’t wait. To her, the beginning of class doesn’t mean fewer opportunities but more.

“I feel there’s so much out there, and I just can’t wait to start getting into it.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.