My most memorable experience

Ah, the joys of being a freshman at Carolina: Everyone is just so eager to meet new people. I quickly relaxed and finally understood what my older cousin meant when he told me a year before, “What separates Carolina from everywhere else is the people.”

When I was in high school, I heard two sayings about college more than any other: “College is the best four years of your life” and “For every hour in the classroom, you will have three hours of homework.” How was I supposed to have the best four years of my life if I was doing nothing but studying?” I never could figure that question out when I was in high school.

I was definitely uncertain as to what to expect when I walked into my first college class ever: Calculus for Business Majors. Part of me felt that it couldn’t be that much different from high school, but another part expected to see proofs already on the blackboard. To my relief, there were no proofs, but for the first time since second grade I was walking into a classroom where I did not know one person.

I slid into my seat on the second row. Time, 8:55. A feeling of anxiousness still resided in me when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I swiveled around in my chair to see an open hand in my face. “Hey, my name is Ben,” he said. Ah, the joys of being a freshman at Carolina: Everyone is just so eager to meet new people. I quickly relaxed and finally understood what my older cousin meant when he told me a year before, “What separates Carolina from everywhere else is the people.”

As I think back on my first class at UNC, I do not remember if we lectured that day or just went over the syllabus. What is most memorable, however, is my realizing during my first college class ever that I had made the right choice.