People often say there’s no place like home, but all UNC students know there's no place like college homes.
Reed Frellick, a former UNC student who graduated in 2023, lived in a house on Noble Street for three years after his first year. Frellick said that the living room seating included chairs from an airplane, the backdoor to the house was in his bedroom and Apple Maps listed the house as a business called “The Noble Steed,” though the listing has since been removed.
“To me, it was the quintessential college house,” Frellick said. “It was old and kind of odd, but also just perfect for broke college kids to hang out.”
More recently, students have begun naming their college houses, with some sharing these new homey handles to TikTok. Names such as “Swamp,” “Home Plate” and “The Club” have helped students characterize their houses, giving them a unique identity.
Gemma Diaz, a senior studying environmental science, lives in “Pink House,” named for its salmon-colored exterior. With some decorations dating back almost seven years, including a goat statue from Kipos Greek Taverna, Diaz has developed a strong attachment to the house and its history. Its name, spanning back generations of residents, helped make the house more of an entity, she said.
“I think this house is really important to me and my friend group and my family now,” Diaz said. “And whenever I reference it, everyone knows what I'm talking about. It's really important.”
Some students have even branded their houses on social media. Abby Cowen, a senior studying nursing, shares a house with other girls who are a part of Summit Church’s college ministry. The house is called “The Post Office,” and its residents are called the “Pen Pals” — a nod to the phrase “you are sent," which is commonly used within the church. Cowen designed a logo for the house, which she then used as the profile picture for the house's official Instagram account.
Cowen said that the account was created to be a “finsta” — or “fake Instagram” — for her and her friends to share what life was like inside the house. When people visit the house and take pictures, they will sometimes tag the account when posting on social media, Cowen said.
Other students have used their houses for social media content as well, but for different reasons. Sabrina Krupenko, a senior majoring in environmental science, lives in a house that a local property management company listed as “The Rock House at Carolina.” She said the name stood out to her, so she coined “Rock House” and created an Instagram account to accompany it — it’s tagline: “a queer oasis.”
