Important Questions About Life At UNC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
1

<p>Food:</p>

<p>I have read in numerous places (<a href="http://www.campusdirt.com)%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.campusdirt.com)&lt;/a>, and heard from numerous sources that the food at UNC's dining halls is beyond terrible. I have heard tales of food posioning and nightmares about the "runs."</p>

<p>My basic questions follow: Are the dining halls acceptable to the student wishing to eat healthily and (a lot) during their stay at Chapel Hill? Is the food in these dining halls good (taste/variety)? AND Are there options for fast food (pizza/burgers/wings)? Can you order in food to your dorm at late hours when you may be studying/hanging out/watching the game?</p>

<p>Construction:</p>

<p>To what extent is the construction prevalent in the campus? When will the construction cease (any exact dates would be awesome :))</p>

<p>In essence, does the construction take away from the overall beauty of the campus? Is there a chance the construction will be done during the next four years?</p>

<p>Drinking:</p>

<p>I have made it a point to not drink (at all) throughout high school. I am friends with a group of kids who are pretty popular, and who drink from time to time, but they have accepted the fact that I don't drink which has made high school awesome for me. I am wondering how I will fare at UNC? Will I be able to hang out with a group of cooler kids and not drink? Will I be able to have fun?</p>

2

<p>Food,</p>

<p>Personally I prefer the food at Ramshead a lot better than Lenior. They both are all you can eat with a wide selection to choose from. Most of the time I really like the food at our dining halls but it does get old at some point just because you eat there all the time. No matter your eating habits you should be able to find something to eat. Now for the food poisioning incident, that happened about 2-3 years ago, i can't remember exactly when. That was a very rare and one time incident with something about spoiled lettuce at the salad bar. I wouldn't worry, I've never expierenced any problems.</p>

<p>Construction:</p>

<p>When will the construction cease? hahaha, good question. All this construction is a huge master plan that will go on for years and years. You're kids will probably be having to put up with it if they go to Carolina for college. Now it can be annoying, I lived next to the construction of Ramshead my freshmen year and I now live next to the construction of a giant parking deck in north campus. Construction pops up in areas and usually lasts a year or so. I wouldn't really say it takes away from the overall beauty of the campus, but it has its moments in isolated parts.</p>

<p>Drinking:</p>

<p>If you don't want to drink then you don't have to. I would recommend applying for Substance Free housing. Its theme housing dorms consisting of Joyner, Alexander and the 2nd floor of Hinton James. I live in substance free this year, I like it and its mostly people who don't drink and those who do drink, do it rarely (and not in the dorm because they'd be kicked out). Substance free dorms have very strict rules when it comes to drinking and stuff like that. So try and look into that.</p>

3

<p>Good questions. I'm happy to provide my own perspective.</p>

<p>Food: I'm really surprised to hear that UNC is getting negative reviews on its dining services. I personally have been very pleased with my meal plan, and I eat at the dining halls regularly. Sure, the food isn't like what mom used to make, but is any college dining hall really that good? I've eaten at dining halls at several other colleges, and UNC's has been the best by far in terms of both choice and quality. As for the getting sick, I certainly haven't. There was a one-time incident with food poisoning apparently the year before I arrived, but that seems to have been resolved, and I personally haven't heard any complaints. I think it is significantly harder to eat healthy food in college, regardless of where you are, as the temptation to head to the burger line again gets to almost all of us. Fortunately, if you have more self-discipline then I do, there are always a number of healthy items available. There is a fast food/video game place that is open til 11 or 1 every night, and there are plenty of delivery options in Chapel Hill. In fact, there is a business that will pick up food from almost every restaurant in town and bring it to your door. </p>

<p>Construction:</p>

<p>Is it prevalent? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes. Do we get nice, renovated/new buildings opening up all the time? Yes. For me, construction seems like a necessary evil of campus life, and UNC certainly isn't the only school to face it. When I get over my annoyance at new fences popping up all over the place, I am thankful for the dedication our school devotes towards providing us with modern facilities. As for it being done, I don't think that construction will ever officially cease. The university has too many new projects on tap for it to finish in the near future. However, I think we may be in a particularly bad spell right now, and rising construction costs are already threatening to postpone some of the plans, so it is possible for you to see a letup during your time on campus. Personally, though, I wouldn't make this a huge factor in choosing a school -- you will find it at every school, and it doesn't really detract from the campus experience. </p>

<p>Drinking:</p>

<p>I am pretty much in the same situation as you are when it comes to drinking. I spend time with folks who do, but I usually abstain. I love UNC because it is entirely possible to avoid the drinking culture which seems to be so ingrained on so many college campuses. Yes, there is a party scene which is enjoyed by many, but for people like you and me, there is a large group of folks who can find ways to have fun sans the alcohol. Whether it's playing capture-the-flag on the quad at midnight on a friday, doin some serious hide-and-seek in the library, popping in a DVD with a group of people back in the dorm, going to see an a cappella or improv comedy performance, etc., there are plenty of ways that UNC students have fun sober. In addition, I have found absolutely no pressure from anyone to drink, which is great. And I really had no trouble finding friends who were like me in this way. I've heard from my friends at other schools that you have to look long and hard to find the non- hard core partiers, so I'm glad that the culture is so accepting at UNC.</p>

4

<p>Food: Let me just say, I was (reluctantly) hanging out with a Dookie, we went to Ramshead, and he commented on how good the food was (before tearing every other aspect of UNC apart). so I think that says a lot about the food. Personally, I prefer Lenoir to Ramshead, but Ramshead is a lot closer to Hinton James, which is a whole other issue. </p>

<p>Construction: Yes, construction goes on all the time. Does it really affect the campus? Not as much as you might think. I mean, when they were redoing the pit a month or so ago, people just went around it. no biggie. i'm sure that people in Cobb dorm will disagree, but construction isn't as terrible as one might think. And there is virtually none going on in the quads, which are the prettiest parts of unc anyways. also, i certainly don't think you should base a decision on the amount of construction that is going on. actually, it will probably ease up (like the above poster said) because of rising construction costs.</p>

<p>Drinking: You will have no problem. I am by no means a big drinker, and the only times I have gotten drunk were the first week and on halloween. and those were times that i chose to get drunk. otherwise, i have been with drunk people and chosen not to drink, and it is not a big deal. although i think franklin street is probably a lot less fun on halloween if you are sober ;) but really, it is your choice and no one really questions it. For people saying that UNC is a party school, it certainly is pretty tame.</p>