Current students, alumni, and even those that don’t go to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill know that it is the best school on Earth. Coming up with just twenty reasons this university is the best is difficult because there are so many, but here are the top 20 reasons why UNC is the best school on earth.
In 2018, the University of North Carolina was ranked number 80 in universities in the world, number 30 in universities in the United States, and number 5 in public universities in the United States. Not only is the school as a whole highly ranked, the Kenan-Flagler Business School was ranked number 9 in the United States in 2016, the Gillings School of Global Public Health was ranked the number two public health school in the United States, and the School of Media and Journalism is consistently ranked in the top Journalism and Communication schools.
The University of North Carolina is known as a research university. We are ranked 6th in the United States for federal research. The university is the 11th largest US research university in research volume and annual expenditures. With this big of a research university, there are so many opportunities available to you no matter the field of interest. Many students find faculty members who will allow them to join in on their research or help them start up their own project. This is one of the top reasons UNC is the best school.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill opened in 1789 and is the first public university in the US. With a university this old, there are many famous alumni that have attended the university. This includes the eleventh president of the United States James K. Polk, Andy Griffith, Michael Jordan, and Mia Hamm. Knowing that so many successful people have attended the same school as you not only makes you proud to attend the university but wonder what you can do for the world to become one of the notorious alumni.
Not only does having a school full of history mean you have many amazing alumni, it also means there are many traditions that are just as old. These traditions include drinking from the Old Well at midnight on the First Day of Class to get a 4.0, rushing Franklin street after big basketball games, and climbing the bell tower and signing your name as a senior. The traditions here truly make UNC is the best school.
The campus may be huge, but there is always something beautiful to see when walking to and from class. During fall, the campus is filled with giant trees with leaves of all different colors. In the winter, the campus occasionally gets covered in snow, allowing students to spend their day(s) off class having giant snowball fights, igloo and snowmen making competitions, and sledding on extra mattress. In the spring and summer, the flowers all over campus are in full bloom and the quad is filled with students playing with Frisbees, studying, and enjoying the warm temperatures. No matter the season, there are always things for students to do outside. No matter what the season, UNC is the best school.
UNC is located right next to one of the best streets in the world, Franklin Street. The street is home to many big food chains including Moes, Panera Bread, and Chipotle. It is also home to many local restaurants including Cosmic Cantina, Sup Dogs, Spicy 9, Benny’s, Top of the Hill, and Purple Bowl. These are just a few of the many restaurants on Franklin Street, meaning you can never go hungry!
UNC is known for its big rivalry with a school only 8 miles down the road in Durham, Duke University. While the two schools often work together in research, clubs/organizations, and other things, when it comes to sports the two schools do not get along at all. The rivalry forces you to choose a side, and we all know that UNC is the better side. In men’s basketball, the two teams have had 248 match-ups, with UNC winning 136 of them. Friendly competition never hurt anyone and this one really makes UNC is the best school. If UNC beats Duke, all the students rush to Franklin Street, setting things on fire, singing our Alma mater, and chanting UNC chants. Don’t worry, the UNC fire department monitors the whole event so it is as safe as possible.
One of the reasons UNC is the best school is because it is well known for its popular sports such as men’s basketball, football, and women’s basketball. Aside, they are also really good at many other sports. The women’s fencing team won their first ACC championship during their 2018 season. Then, the women’s tennis team just won the National Championship for indoor tennis. The women’s field hockey team also won their 20th ACC championship this year. These are just a few of the successful UNC athletic teams, seeing as they have 28 varsity sports teams. No matter the sport or season record, UNC students come out in huge numbers to show school spirit for our student athletes.
UNC has two dining halls, both with a wide range of really good food options. This includes vegetarian and vegan options. They have salad bars, sushi bars, burrito and burrito bowl stations, dessert bars, omelet stations, pizza and pasta stations, and stations that change daily. The vegan and vegetarian stations are also very good with a variety of food options, and that is coming from someone who eats meat. The dining hall on South Campus is open until midnight during the week with what they call Late Night. Late night has breakfast food and other food you might crave late at night. No matter what or when you’re craving food, there is an option for you that comes with your meal plan.
UNC has fifteen libraries, all of which are open to UNC students. Some of the libraries are hidden away in buildings on campus, allowing for quiet and small study spaces. Davis Library, on the other hand, is in the center of campus and is eight stories. The ground floor of Davis allows for talking, but as you get higher up in the library, the quieter it gets. The Undergraduate Library is also in the center of campus and is open 24/7 for those who pull all-nighters before exams. My favorite library is the Stone Center Library. Not many people know about it and the building has a gorgeous view.
One of the most important things that make UNC is the best school, is the people. With a student body of almost 30,000 people, it is surprising that everyone that goes to UNC is nice, helpful, and caring. When you’re struggling in a class, your neighbor is usually more than willing to help you with a problem or form a study group. Say your hands are full of books, someone will hold the door open for you. If you look like you’re having a rough day, someone you don’t even know will recognize it and attempt to cheer you up in passing. UNC is not only a great university, but the people that go there are also great.
UNC has over 800 clubs and new ones are added every year. There are also more than 50 intramural sports for those of us who aren’t super athletic or good enough to be a Joel Berry in our sport. UNC has a Campus Y which is a building that is the hub for social justice and social justice based clubs. There is such a wide variety of clubs, including clubs for the environment, many different faiths, school spirit, mental health awareness and there is even a club for lettuce eating (yeah, I’m not really sure what they do, but we have it!). So, no matter what you’re interested in, there is a home for you somewhere at Carolina. UNC is the best school.
UNC is located right near two major North Carolina cities, 8 miles from Durham and 27 miles from Raleigh. UNC is also only 2.5 hours from both the mountains and the beach. This means that whenever you get too stressed from school work, you and your friends can take a day trip to get a break without having to go too far.
UNC requires all first-years to live on campus in a dorm. Many parents have horror stories about, but UNC’s residence life is amazing. While not all first-years live on what UNC students call South Campus, there are five large residence halls on South Campus that are only for first-year students. All of the residence halls on South Campus have a bathroom in the suite that residence chair with either three or seven other people. Some of the residence halls overlook the baseball field or are a short walk from the Dean Smith Center. These residence halls may be a 10-15 minute walk from the center of campus, but living with other first-years is for the best. They are going through the same transition as you. This allows you to find life-long best friends that you get to share the next four years with.
Carolina blue is not only the best blue, but the color looks good on everyone. This solves the issue of picking a school with unflattering dark blue, yellow, or bright red colored t-shirts. UNC has such flattering colors, you can’t walk around campus without seeing at least fifty people in UNC gear.
Everyone knows that college is expensive, especially for out-of-state students. Despite this, UNC is often ranked at the top of the list for affordable colleges in public education. Over half of UNC students receive some kind of grant aid from the school. With this much aid and being ranked in the top universities for affordability, UNC is the best school for those who need assistance paying for college, which is almost every student.
I know everyone claims that their university has the best looking campus, but UNC’s campus is like no other. I can’t put it into words on how beautiful the campus is, but sometimes I catch myself going the long way to my classes just to remind myself how amazing my university is.
With a campus as big as UNC’s, it is almost inevitable that you will get tired of walking. The city of Chapel Hill and the university provide bus services throughout the day, and then at night. The P2P serves as the transportation system. These buses are not like any other bus. The bus drivers are usually extremely nice, despite driving around annoying college students at 3 in the morning. They usually play great music and make great conversation. One goal I have before I graduate is to just sit on a P2P bus the whole night and eavesdrop on as many conversations as I can. Let me tell you, you can’t hear these insane stories anywhere else.
Going to a University with almost 30,000 students means that large lectures are almost inevitable during your first year or two. That doesn’t mean professors and TA’s are unreachable. Professors at UNC make sure they have office hours that are available to most of their students. If you can’t make the office hours, they are usually more than willing to schedule an appointment with you. When you begin to make connections with professors, they will recognize you on campus and ask about your new semester/year. The professors and TA’s at UNC truly care about the success and well-being of their students, which is usually difficult at a school this size.
One thing UNC prides itself in tremendously is its men’s basketball team. In the 2016 basketball season, UNC made it to the championship game and lost to a buzzer beater, breaking the hearts of millions of fans across the nation. In the 2017 basketball season, UNC was determined to redeem themselves, and that they did. UNC become the 2017 men’s basketball NCAA championships. With this win, UNC students began to refer to the university as the University for National Championships. That my friends, is a good enough reason in itself to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC is the best school.
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