The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

What are UNC students doing this summer?

What time is it? It’s summertime, of course.

The spring semester may be over, but UNC students still have a lot on their plates.

Rising sophomore Maiya Peterson will be at UNC working with Edible Campus, a group that maintains the garden beds on campus. 

“My job is to maintain those garden beds and make sure that all the plants growing there are healthy and ready to be picked by anyone whenever," Peterson said. 

Peterson, in addition to many other students, will be taking summer classes at UNC.

Jennifer Na, a rising junior, will be taking classes at the School of Nursing while working at The Root Cellar Cafe and Catering. 

“Working will be tough. I’ll be doing 8-hour shifts a couple times a week, but I’m still making time to go to classes,” Na said. “It’s going to be a lot more relaxed than the school year just because last semester, I took 17 hours.”

However, rising junior Irene Zhou said she can never catch a break, even during the summer. 

“It feels like the school life is never-ending,” Zhou said. “Of course, I’m working because I don’t like having too much free time and it helps pay off fees for school.”

Meanwhile, rising sophomore Jillian Nguyen is hunting for a job while living it up this summer. 

“Hopefully, I’m going to go cop a job and be a productive member of society,” Nguyen said. “I’m planning on going to this EDM festival called Spring Awakening in Chicago. It’s going to be too fucking lit, I’m not going to lie.” 

Nguyen said it’s important for her to relax during the summer, meaning no classes or internships.

“I think this summer feels like it’ll be the last time I’ll be able to do anything before I have to involve myself in school for the rest of my life,” Nguyen said. “So I’m going to try to live it up this summer and be a degenerate if I want to.”

Rising sophomore Becca Menard shares the same sentiment as Nguyen, especially when it comes to internships. 

“This summer, I’m kind of taking it slow because it’s my last year of freedom,” Menard said. “I get a little exasperated about everyone chasing big-time internships their first year after college. So I’m just doing what I like doing for right now, and then I’ll worry about professional development as I go on. I am going to try to become a better person, not a better businessman.”

Patric Carman, a rising senior, said he is stressed about the internship process.

“I didn’t get an internship because I applied for less than 10, and apparently, you’re supposed to apply for a fuck-ton,” Carman said. 

Rising first-years, on the other hand, are spending their summer preparing for their first year in college.

“I go to orientation in June,” rising first-year Kathryn Hintze said. “And then I might try to order books in advance, if I can, so I can try to read them early.” 

While current students are busy working and taking summer classes, graduate Jennifer Ma is in no rush to become a full-fledged adult. 

“I'm not in a hurry to find a job since I'm already happy being here in North Carolina,” Ma said. “I don't plan on moving out of the state since I met many wonderful people here.”

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's 2024 Music Edition