UNC favors the bold.
I mean that academically — go to office hours and ask questions in class. Seek out mentorship and work with faculty. Study abroad and learn about yourself and your academic interests from another perspective. UNC has something for every passion, but in a school of 29,000 no one will hold your hand and tell you what to do.
But I also mean beyond academics. UNC is full of people, places and things that will pass right by you if you keep your head down and maintain the status quo. When I think back on my most memorable times at UNC, I don’t envision times in the library, or even the times on Franklin Street.
I remember watching sunsets on the roof of Davis Library, having faculty and friends over for dinner, talking about life with the arboretum whistler, going on a date with the pretty girl who smiled at me in the Union and even getting caught (and released) by the cops in the tunnels behind Ehringhaus.
The common theme is all of these experiences should have passed me by and would have if I didn’t seek out the experiences that gave me the most happiness. I can’t fathom how different I am because of them. I also can’t imagine how much better off I would be now if I had been living like that throughout my time at UNC.
The bottom line: Do what makes you happy and don’t be afraid to be bold while pursuing whatever it may be. I missed so many amazing people and experiences while I was figuring this out. Don’t let them pass you by.
