<p>Hey,
I've been accepted to UNC out of state and really like the campus, "college" feel, united student body, and academic opportunities in journalism. My question is about the social life/student body. I like to have fun, but I am not a big partier, and I don't plaan to drink much if at all. I also do not want to join a sorority. I know Greek is big, but I would rather not join one.
SO basically, How hard is it for out of students to fit in, do all the instaters know eahc other and what now? Will I be able to fit in and find things to do on campus? Must everyone go greek to have a social life?</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your help (and honesty please)!
:)</p>
<p>As a OOS freshman who doesn't drink or go to parties, I can promise you there is still plenty to do. Once you get in, no one really cares where you are from. Occasionally, you get in-staters kidding about how much smarter the OSS are, but that's all it is, just joking. </p>
<p>As for fitting in, I have had no problem making friends. I can't really remember how I met my friends in the first place now, but I can tell you that most of them are in state, and it really doesn't make a difference.</p>
<p>And you definitely do not have to greek to have a social life. I'm pretty sure there's an organization that has parties that are completely dry.</p>
<p>Something else to consider is that North Carolina is a state, moreso than any other state w/ a similarly nationally highly rated flagship, where, demographically, someone admitted as in-state student is very possibly an OOS transplant. 82% in-state is, in UNC's case, really misleading for that reason. The in-migration to NC is very significant, and many of those students end up at UNC. I don't believe there is any bifurcation of IS/OOS students. I also believe that the top tier of UNC in-state students can and do compete with ease academically with the OOSs. (PS: Not a current student, but know tons of 'em and deciding (accepted EA) whether to attend UNC next year...live 10 miles from campus.)</p>
<p>You sound just like me, and you would do fine here. :) More than fine even. </p>
<p>Absolutely don't have to go Greek to have a social life. In-staters will know more people coming in, but all are friendly, looking to meet new people and distance themselves from high school. If you are uncomfortable being OOS, there is an OOS association to help you out. But really, it's super easy to meet friends in the first few days. And all the time, actually.</p>
<p>"no one gives a **** what state/city you are from. That's the biggest myth that floats around on these forums."</p>
<p>Exactly. It matters for maybe the first month of freshman year when it might be marginally harder to make friends since IS kids tend to cling to people they know, but even then it's not a big deal. After that, it makes absolutely no difference.</p>
<p>Hey I'm also a journalism major. Well, that's one of my majors. I'm in my first journalism class now and I really enjoy it. I've gone to the professor's office hours and he has been incredibly helpful with my career goals.</p>
<p>There's plennnnty to do on campus without drinking. The Union shows free movies all the time, there's concerts, stuff like that.</p>
<p>I'm a little chagrined to say it, but my son is more of a partier, and he found that most of the people he got to be friends with in his dorm were not big partiers and did not go out a lot. That was an adjustment for him, since he came from a bigger city, but his dorm floor was so much fun (they took an empty room and made a ping-pong room out of it, had cookouts, had regular birthday dinners, all kinds of things) that you didn't have to be in a Greek organization or drink to have a good time. He went out for rush three times before he found a frat that was right for him (he wanted a frat with some cultural diversity), but was friends with a lot of non-drinkers before that -- and those relationships have continued since he joined the fraternity. If you're a church-goer, there are wonderful, wonderful churches in the Raleigh-Durham area, too. Churches that balance head and heart, which can be hard to find elsewhere.</p>
<p>S2 is an OOS freshman at UNC, and I was very concerned as to how it would be for an OOS student at this time last year! We put those fears to rest when he went to orientation during the summer. He met lots of students right away and was very excited to start in August. His roommate is from NC, but one of his suitemates is from our metro area, and now they are great friends! He has had a great time, has been involved in intramural sports, the newspaper (another journalism major) and just joined a fraternity. Lots of his friends are from OOS, but he has made lots of NC friends, too (certainly they make up the majority of his friends). He is very happy with his decision! Good luck with yours!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
The in-migration to NC is very significant
[/quote]
This is so very true. I don't live in the triangle area and even where we are transplants are very, very common. In fact when meeting someone for the first time, you usually start the conversation with "Where are you from", as it seems the majority are not native North Carolinians (me included).</p>
<p>Of the 4 people I consider my best friends here, 1 is originally from Romania, 2 are originally from South Carolina, and 1 is originally from North Carolina. All applied as instaters.</p>
<p>Oh, and I'm originally from Florida and also applied as instate.</p>
<p>To add to my previous posting: if you are OOS and have a stereotype about "the South," as I did when I first moved here (and have since come to believe it is only that...a stereotype), I assure you that, while UNC is in the South, UNC is not your father's "South." Of the three others I know from my HS (here in NC) going to UNC, not one is originally from here. Add me to that list (NC, via Maine, Greece, and China) and that makes 4 IS, sort of/maybe/not really...and, as the previous poster indicated, no one really gives a rat's ass anyway after a week or so.</p>
<p>Also, does UNC tend to be more liberal or conservative, I myself have become more liberal over the years and am just wondering about the political atmosphere around campus...</p>
<p>I definitely disagree with this--Carolina's administration, its students and its faculty are all very liberal on the whole, and its reputation matches. I'd estimate that progressive student groups probably outnumber conservative groups 3:1. </p>
<p>The Greek system is pretty typically "Southern," but often members of fraternities and sororities are liberal politically even if they are somewhat traditional socially.</p>
<p>Gotta agree with leah on this one. I remember last semester when Good Morning America filmed on campus last semester. They lined up students in such a way that it looked like there were the same number of Obama and McCain supporters out there at 5:30 in the morning. The reality was there were like 300 for Obama and 20 for McCain. Take that with a grain of salt because I wasn't there, but that is what my friends of both political affiliations have told me.</p>
<p>aem800, when Obama won, students rushed Franklin Street and enough showed up that they had to close the intersection between Franklin and Columbia down. I hope that answers your question.</p>
<p>From a noted Travel Guide’s description of Chapel Hill:</p>
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</p>
<p>Incidentally, The zoo quote refers to a time when the state of North Carolina was thinking about building a state zoo. For the record, Helms also often said that UNC actually stood for the “University of Negroes and Communists…”</p>
<p>haha. This is definitely interesting and really helpful.
packerfan89: That sounds awesome, I wish I could have seen that. And yes, that certainly helps answer my question
:)</p>