<p>Does anyone use the optional essay section (tell us anything we need to know about your background, interests...) to write about why they want to go to UNC? Or is this only to explain special circumstances?</p>
<p>I have always heard that it is best used to describe special circumstances, or at the least cover something that really wasn’t covered in the application. This can include more tragic special circumstances like the death of a family member, or something like how going to NC Governors School changed you (though I wouldn’t recommend that unless you have a really kickass essay, since 1/2 the campus seems to have gone there…)</p>
<p>UNC knows that you want in; you are applying for admissions. They don’t want to be brown-nosed. Unlike some competitive colleges where level of interest is a factor, UNC doesn’t track campus visits or give an advantage to people who apply early.</p>
<p>Plus, essays like the infamous “Why Duke…” always come off corny, and take a lot of work to actually sound somewhat decent. Unless the “Why UNC” essay is absolutely phenomenal, I wouldn’t take the risk of it coming off as “Please let me in. I will say a bunch of nice things about you if you do.”</p>