The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The acceptance rate for in-state students for the class of 2025 was 47% and the out-of-state acceptance rate was 13%. There are about 19,000 undergrads.
In addition to the essay you provided with your Common Application, please choose two of the prompts below and respond to each in 200-250 words. Your essay responses below should be different from your common app essay response.
Carolina aspires to build a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that students can only achieve their best when they learn alongside students from different backgrounds. In reading your responses, we hope to learn what being a member of such a community would mean to you. 250 words
We often advise our students to tell a story in their supplement responses. You must do that if you choose to respond here. Perhaps you’re already part of a diverse community. If so, bring the reader into your world. Illustrate your role and tell the reader why you value learning from and being with people who are different from you. If you’re not from a diverse community, show the reader what is lacking in your community and tell them what you hope UNC will be.
Describe a peer you see as a community builder. What actions has that peer taken? How has their work made a difference in your life?
Whenever there’s a question about another person, we recommend tackling it by using that character to demonstrate positive traits that you gained. Also, when we talk about someone else, we are using them as a proxy for our own values and judgments. For example, one of our students has a friend named Becca who is a community builder. She is able to see the value in everyone and hosts small dinner parties/poetry nights that function as a cross-pollination of ideas and people. After each party, people inevitably leave with new friends. Becca would be a non-obvious example of someone who builds community. You don’t need to talk about someone as grand as Obama here.
Describe an aspect of your identity (for example, your religion, culture, race, sexual or gender identity, affinity group, etc.). How has this aspect of your identity shaped your life experiences thus far?
If you have a strong idea for this, you don’t need our help. If you’re not sure, there’s a world of possibilities. Start out by re-reading the second part of the question. What is it that you’re trying to tell UNC about who you are? When we think about identity or community, we tend to want to think small. You’re a student, but that’s a pretty broad topic to fit into a short word limit and it might be hard to get focused. You also want to make sure you’re centering yourself and not just explaining what the identity is you’re your whole response. Again…tell a story to avoid that pitfall.
If you could change one thing to better your community, what would it be? Why is it important and how would you contribute to this change?
We recommend answering this question. There are so many issues in the world and opportunities to affect change. Choose something you connect with that relates to your life here.
Former UNC-Chapel Hill employee, community service member, and civil rights activist Esphur Foster once said “We are nothing without our history.” Her words are memorialized on the Northside Neighborhood Freedom Fighters monument (https://jacksoncenter.info/the-northside-gateway/). How does history shape who you are?
This is also a great prompt. This is an opportunity to bring UNC into your personal world. You don’t want to talk about history broadly. Talk about your family or where you are from. You want to remember to tell a story here with a beginning, middle, and end.
The UNC Supplements are some of our favorites (we say this about a lot of schools). We find that they allow students to flex their creative muscles and tell meaningful stories that ultimately result in an acceptance letter. But, they are still very challenging. If you want to be a Tar Heel, you’re going to have to tell fun, deep, and interesting stories.
Need help writing a supplement? Reach out to us. We’re experts at helping students write standout essays and responses.