Current discussions

• Arrival Back On Campus
  This month UNC students will return to campus for the fall semester, with a few days to decorate their dorm rooms, catch up with friends and make the rounds to their favorite hangouts before classes start. What were your first few days like back on campus after summer break? What do you remember about that first August when you showed up on campus as a freshman? Were you homesick, overwhelmed or excited about all the new people and freedom?

• Carolina vs. Duke Football Rivalry
  Carolina's Homecoming/RAMpage 2009 football game will be against Duke, supercharging a rivalry that stretches back more than a century. Do you have memories of a classic Carolina-Duke football game? Did you have a great time at "Beat Duke" parades? Why is this rivalry so special and why does it feel better to beat Duke than just about anybody else?

• Campus Trees
  From the history of the Davie Poplar to the splendid variety in the Coker Arboretum to the towering shade canopy across campus, trees dominate Carolina's landscape and give it much of its character. Do you have an interesting story about a particular tree, or maybe the backdrop trees provided for a special moment? What feelings do they evoke for you as you stroll across campus?

• Last Semester at Carolina
  Were you stressed out about passing that last required class during your final senior semester? Or were you determined to celebrate beating Duke one more time and make the rounds to all your favorite hangouts?

• Crossroads Classes
  Many of us came to Carolina with a particular major or career in mind, only to find out we were destined for other directions. You might have been aiming to be a doctor or scientist, but chemistry class determined that you should be a science writer. Or maybe an elective art class inspired you to pursue a creative career. How did you handle the change in direction? Was it a painful adjustment, or the best thing that could have happened?

• Library Memories
  A first edition of Keats' Poems has been dedicated as the 6 millionth volume in UNC's library collection. What memories do you have of Carolina's libraries? Did you make a research breakthrough? Did you use the stacks to get away and study? Or was it the best place on campus to meet up with friends?

• Homecoming Memories
  Tar Heels will come back to Carolina for Homecoming/RAMpage 2008. Do you have a special story from a past Homecoming? Did you meet up with friends you hadn't seen in years? Did memories from your student days on campus come rushing back?

• Class Rings
  It's 2008; do you know where your class ring is? Do you still wear it? Do you have an interesting story to share about it? Was it lost or found? Did it play a special role in your life?

• How You Got Around at Carolina 
  Did you have your own car at Carolina? Could you find a parking space for it? Or did you ride your bike or master the bus system? Did you wear the soles of your sneakers down to your Tar Heels walking everywhere? Tell us about how you got from here to there at UNC and any interesting adventures you had along the way.
  
  
• Summer At Carolina
  Did you go to summer classes at UNC or just find another way to hang around Chapel Hill between the spring and fall semesters? What was life like in Blue Heaven in the good ol' summertime?
  
  
• Favorite Campus Publications
  Was working at The Daily Tar Heel a way of life for you? Did you get a short story published in Cellar Door? Do you have a great story about Black Ink or a favorite memory of another student publication at Carolina? Did you help start a publication?
  
  
• Boshamer Memories
  With the new Boshamer Stadium rising and the Tar Heels playing the 2008 season at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, it’s a good time to swap tales of the old stadium. Did you see a bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam? Did you watch the Heels take on the Yankees in an exhibition game? Or was just soaking up the sun on a nice spring day enough of a good time?
  
  
• First Generation To Go To College
  Were you the first in your family to attend college? If so, what was that experience like at Carolina? What were the challenges and rewards? How did your family handle the situation? Share your experience on our Web site message board.
  
  
• Romantic Moments at Carolina
  Did you pop the question at the Old Well? Was it love at first sight in chemistry class? Did a reunion reconnect you with an old sweetheart? Share your experience on our Web site message board.
  
  
• Tell Us About How You Made It Through Finals
  It's final exam time on the Carolina campus. Tell us about how you made it through the most stressful time of the semester. Do you still have nightmares about missing one? Were all-nighters a way of life? How did you blow off steam after hours of studying in the library stacks? Share your memories on our Web site message board.
  
  
• Tell Us About Something Students Should Do Before They Graduate
  Looking back on your days as a Carolina student, what were some special things you did that you think every student should do before moving on to the real world? Sunning in the Arboretum? Enjoying a concert in Memorial Auditorium? Watching a drama at PlayMakers? Share your memories on our Web site message board.
  
  
• Kenan Memories
  Kenan Stadium marks its 80th anniversary this year. What are some of your favorite memories of the stadium? Was it Charlie Justice '50 breaking away? Julius Peppers '02 closing in for the tackle? Or just soaking up the sun and the roar of the crowd on a beautiful fall day?
  
  
• Carmichael Memories
  The arena is scheduled to undergo a major renovation beginning in 2008. What are some of your favorite memories of Carmichael? A big shot to clinch victory in the final seconds? A rockin' concert? Finding out you were good with an epee in fencing class?

Archived discussions
Alumni and friends of the University have spoken out on various GAA message boards. Some are closed for postings, but you can still read what others wrote. Click the links below to view the contents of each board.

• How You Found Your Dream Job
  Did you land your dream job? Whether the reality matched your expectations or sent you toward another career, tell us about the path you took.

• Classes by the Numbers
  Remember Econ 10? Math 31? Poli Sci 41? Share and compare memories of the long-familiar, now long-gone, course numbers.

• Camping for Tickets
  Ticket distribution systems for coveted men's basketball tickets have changed many times - and it changed again in 2006 - but most have included some long waits in lines at Carmichael Auditorium and the Smith Center. What are your memories of "camping" for tickets?

• Moving in With Mom and Dad
  Did you live with your parents after graduation? Are your kids moving back home again? Share your thoughts about being or having a boomerang kid.

• Tell Us About the Craziest Place to Find a Tar Heel
  Have you bumped into a roommate in Rome or a former professor in Cancun? Tell us about your most surprising run-ins with Carolina alumni. 

• Coming Back to Carolina
  How often do you make it back to campus? What brings you back? What was your best return visit so far?

• Your Favorite Chapel Hill Restaurant
  Among Tar Heel favorites are the Rat, Porthole, Hector's and Time Out. What was your favorite Chapel Hill restaurant?

• Halloween on Franklin Street
  Crazy memories of ghouls and goblins from years past? What was the best costume you ever saw? 
  

• Memorable Roommates
  What memories do you have of sharing small spaces with would-be strangers? Share your thoughts with fellow alumni.

• Extracurricular Fun
  What organized activities did you enjoy when you were a student at Carolina? Share your memories with fellow alumni of life outside the classroom.

• Decisions, Decisions
  What's the most difficult choice you've had to make? How did UNC affect your decision-making abilities?

• Tools & Technology from Your Student Days
  Share your stories about the tools that you relied upon as a student. Whether you had one phone per dorm, wrote with chalk and slate or went nowhere without a PDA, cell, iPod and laptop, we want to hear from you.

• How Did You Celebrate the Basketball Championship?
  Tar Heels from all over the world share how, when and where they were during "the game."

• Class of 2005
  Welcome to the real world!  Is it meeting your expectations?  Join in the discussion with other brand new Carolina graduates.

• Advice for New Graduates
  You may remember it like it was yesterday and for a handful of grads, graduation will be here in what seems like tomorrow.  What advice can you share with new graduates?

• Virtual Book Club
  Alumni weigh in on the summer reading program's selection.

• Blue Genes
  Which color blue is the true Carolina Blue? More than 7000 of you responded to this poll. See the results along with some of the voters' comments.

• Kenan Memories
  Kenan Stadium celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2002, when we first asked alumni this question: What are some of your favorite memories of the stadium?

• Best Barbecue
  Your comments and favorite barbecue locations from Wilmington to Asheville and beyond. The ultimate in the east vs. west barbecue showdown.

• Hark the Sound
  Should the words to our alma mater be changed? One alumnus suggested that "shouting N.C.U." sounds like we're supporting that other school down the road.

• Swim Test Sunk
  The 57-year-old tradition of the swim test was removed from the curriculum in 2006, about three years after we first asked alumni to share memories of the swim test as well as thoughts on its demise.

• Greek System Woes
  The Greek system at UNC has faced declining recruitment and retention rates, as detailed in the Carolina Alumni Review's cover story for November/December 2003. What changes should be made in the rush process?