Arriving at UNC: First Impressions of Chapel Hill

By Adam Lamin, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States)

Before arriving at UNC, I had already had a slightly unusual start to my year abroad. One of my friends from home came out to the US with me beforehand, and we spent a couple of weeks in Miami before eventually driving up to Chapel Hill. After that, arriving at UNC the day before orientation felt like the real beginning of the exchange.

I arrived at UNC knowing absolutely no one, but strangely, I did not feel nervous at all. I expected to maybe feel overwhelmed or slightly anxious, but instead I just felt excited. I had this feeling that I was about to start something completely new, and I wanted to make the most of it from the first day.

Orientation was where everything started properly. There were lots of exchange students there from different countries, and I quickly became friends with an Australian student called Nikhil. We clicked almost instantly, and he ended up becoming one of my closest friends for the whole semester. In those first few weeks, we did almost everything together, which made settling in much easier and also made the whole experience feel a lot less intimidating.

My first impression of Chapel Hill was honestly how beautiful it was. The campus felt huge, green, and very American in the best possible way. It genuinely felt like something out of a film. I remember seeing a big American flag waving on campus and having a moment where I thought, “Okay, I’m actually here now.” It was one of those small moments that made everything feel real.

The size of the campus also surprised me. Compared to what I was used to, UNC felt much more spread out, and it took a bit of time to understand where everything was. At the same time, that was part of what made it exciting. Every day felt like there was somewhere new to go, whether it was a different part of campus, a dining hall, a library, or just somewhere to sit outside.

The weather was another thing that stood out. Arriving from the UK, I definitely appreciated how warm and sunny Chapel Hill was at the start of the semester. It made campus feel even more lively, especially during the first few days of classes when everyone seemed to be outside. The atmosphere was busy, social, and full of energy. It really did feel like the kind of American college experience you see in films.

One thing I noticed very quickly was how outgoing people were. People would come up and start conversations with me, often because they heard my accent and realised I was English. At first, it felt slightly funny because I was not used to people being that direct, but it made meeting people much easier. Everyone seemed curious, friendly, and open to talking.

Of course, I missed my friends and family at home, but during those first few weeks I was so busy meeting people and experiencing new things that I did not have much time to dwell on it. That is not to say studying abroad is always easy, but at the beginning I felt lucky to be somewhere so different and exciting.

My advice to anyone arriving at UNC would be simple: do not stay in your room waiting for things to happen. Go to orientation, speak to people, say yes to invitations, explore campus, and put yourself in situations where you can meet others. The first few weeks go by quickly, and they can shape a lot of your experience.

For me, arriving at UNC felt like stepping into a completely new world – slightly surreal, very American, and genuinely exciting from the beginning.