Meet our Mentors | Gabe’s journey to UNC Chapel Hill

We interviewed one of our many incredible Mentors, Gabe, who graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2021! Read on to see how Gabe applied to UNC and enjoyed his four years there!

Gabe, thanks for sitting down with us. Let’s start with the basics. Can you share where you went to college, when you graduated, and what you studied?

I went to UNC Chapel Hill and graduated in 2021. Coming on three years somehow! I was a Business Major with a Computer Science Minor.

I want to flash back to junior and senior year of high school and your application process. Did you apply anywhere early, whether that’s Early Action (EA), Restrictive Early Action (REA), Early Decision (ED), or something else?

I only applied to two schools! I applied to both UNC and NC State early. I’m not from North Carolina, but was applying from a North Carolina high school as an “in-state” student. My parents are immigrants, so I’ve lived a few places in the world. But my formative years wound up in North Carolina primarily.

And I already know the answer to my next question, which was going to be where else you applied over the course of the whole application process. Would you have applied anywhere else if you didn’t get into UNC/NC State early?

Yes, definitely. Tuition at UNC and NC State was so affordable because I was applying as a North Carolina resident. Affordability was a key criteria for me. It was maybe even my most important consideration. I just wasn’t OK with taking on hundreds of thousands in debt. I’m glad I got into UNC and NC State so I had excellent, affordable options.

Did you apply to any specific university scholarship programs?

I applied to all the standard, merit-based scholarships at UNC and NC State. I didn’t wind up getting any of them. Looking back I strongly regret not having put more effort into the scholarship applications. There are lots of opportunities to write a few good essays, meet a few deadlines, learn about a few good organizations. Following through on these, very frankly, can save you thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars. That is one of the things I most advise students to focus on.

Why did you choose UNC?

UNC has a great business program. That was a big reason for me. Ultimately, the pricing for UNC and NC State was very similar, which was my first check. From there, either would have been great options. UNC was a better fit for me.

What was the best thing about UNC?

I didn’t know this going in, but the global opportunities are outstanding.

There are the direct study abroad opportunities. I never thought I’d be able to afford studying abroad, but through UNC I was able to apply, and got, a scholarship that made it affordable. That was one of my best college experiences.

Then there are the awesome extracurricular activities. My sophomore year, I was part of a public health organization on campus that took me to Botswana to meet with one of our partner organizations.

You do have to look for these opportunities. But if you do, you can find incredible ones at UNC.

And how about your least favorite things about UNC?

Chapel Hill is a town of about 35,000 people. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just something to know. Because the town is small, it’s challenging to form a social life off campus. That can be exactly what you’re looking for in a college, or it might not be the right fit!

Relatedly, there are not a ton of big city amenities and events. For example, if you are someone who wants to go to a concert at a large venue with a big-name artist, that is unlikely to happen in Chapel Hill. Not the end of the world, not the experience everyone is looking for. But if you read this, go to UNC, and then are unhappy that there aren’t weekly, 20,000-person concerts, you can’t say I didn’t warn you!

What have you heard since graduating that you’ve realized are unique things about UNC?

How good we are at basketball. For example, we are much better than Duke.

Moving on to more general college reflections, what do you think you’ve learned about college since you graduated?

It flies by. I look back and cannot believe I started school seven years ago.

Another big takeaway I had my senior year is sure, college is fun. But at the end of the day, it is a step toward what you’re doing next. You do need to recognize that it is a tool.

The reality is that two things are true. In college, you should explore and enjoy, and you should also use it as a tool to put yourself in a good position for after college. So that’s doing two seemingly conflicting things at once.

This is how I’d square that. No matter what specific thing you want to do after graduation, there are a few critical times when you’ll need to sort of buckle down and make sure you do the right things to put yourself in a good situation. The really challenging part is knowing when those are. You need to be looking for that moment, and then do the right things in that moment. For example, for me, the critical time was the summer before senior year and senior fall while applying for consulting jobs. That was a specific window where it was really worth buckling down.

A very specific thing people think about is how much to focus on having a great GPA. The answer to that question really depends on what you think you might want to do in your mid-20s. For example, GPA does matter, quite a lot, for applying to med and law school. But for other things, it’s not as important! There are real tradeoffs you have to make in terms of how you spend your time. You just want to know where those tradeoffs actually lead and which ones actually matter.

Any regrets about your college application process, decision-making process, or how you approached college? What’s that one thing you always tell high schoolers about college?

If you choose to go to an in-state school, you’ll likely have a lot of high school friends who go with you. I wouldn’t say this is a regret, because I’m so happy I’ve maintained those friendships. But I would say I could’ve pushed myself to do things that were totally outside of the network I already had from high school. I think there’s a nice mix of both: maintain friendships and add new ones.

Finally, what made you decide to be a Cohort Mentor?

I have always loved sharing my experiences with younger folks who were in my shoes. I also definitely benefited from talking to people who were a couple steps ahead of me. I can’t emphasize enough how important that was for me and my path. The combination of how much I go out of those conversations and how much I enjoy teaching is exactly why I am a Cohort Mentor.

Thank you, Gabe. It’s been great learning about your journey to Harvard. Thanks for your time