University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Questions

Classes you'll take in your first two years (unless you come in with a large amount of credit) will probably tend to be on the bigger side, with up to a couple hundred if you're taking a class like BIOL or CHEM 101. As you progress in your major, classes will become smaller, usually between 15 and 35 students. The smallest class I ever took had four people, but that was third year Hebrew, and I don't think that's something that will interest most people! Depending on your major, class participation may or may not be essential. Some profs base a sizeable portion of your grade on how often you speak up in class (and the quality of what is said), while for others, "participation" on the syllabus means a free 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} for showing up and not missing more than 2 or 3 classes during the semester. Despite the fact that I was an English major (since one might think that English classes would be heavily discussion-oriented), many of my professors preferred to lecture the entire period, with maybe a few questions thrown in to make sure we'd been paying attention. The English department is quite hit and miss in my experience. Out of the ten required courses for the major, half of my professors bored me to tears and the other half were both knowledgeable and engaging. In my overall experience with classes at UNC, I am happy to say that I had more good professors than boring ones. And yes, it doesn't matter what the subject of the class is, the professor WILL make or break it, so sign up for pickaprof or whatever you have to do to find the good professors. Best class I ever took - Elementary Russian (RUSS 101 and 102) with Eleonora Magomedova. If you want to take something other than Spanish, French or the usuals to fulfill the language requirement, or if you just love languages like I do, TAKE HER CLASS! This woman is a phenomenal teacher and an amazing human being, and you will be all the better for knowing her.

Classes at UNC are stimulating, challenging, and interesting. I have absolutely no complaints about the academics at the school because the classes and the professors are constantly encouraging students to raise the bar. Students are smart, the smartest in the world, and this makes the classes interesting because of all the amazing input people have. I am definitely prepared and ready for the next step in life thanks to the academics at chapel hill. Some professors are research-oriented and seem to have little interest in the students, however the Teaching Assistants are always very helpful and informative when the professors are unavailable.

rigorous... if you are looking to skate by like you did in high school DO NOT APPLY! most people make the adjustment but i know plenty of people who let the freedom go to their heads. another reason i love this school is that pretty much everyone who goes here is intelligent and enjoys discussing things deeper than the weather or nba. i cant even begin to measure how much i have learned and how my opinions have been affected by just listening to people in the pit or talking in the union.

Students are very very intelligent and competitive. I woud say it should have been also an Ivy.

Due to the size of our student body, i have had the unfortunate experience of being in huge lecture halls. The professors doesn't know your name, half the students are usually asleep or on facebook, and the professor is probably glossing over the major facets of the class. Then because of these lecture halls, there are the recitations the accompany them. Small classes the Teaching assistants lead, which in my opinion is a waste of everyone one's time. Don't fret though, there are some large lecture classes, but there are many more smaller classes, and those are awesome. The ability to go into deep thought and discussion within your subject and relating it back to the class is a very unique experience.

Students study a lot, work hard, but again--play hard. You will always see someone you know at the library or out of Franklin St. Classes range from 300 students to 5 students--depending on your major or preferences. Getting to know your professors is really what you put into it. If you take the time than they will reciprocate.

it's amazing that at unc, women actually do speak up in classes and participate, which i did not expect at a coed school. there is definately a mix of students that take classes seriously and really try hard and make class interesting and those that just slack off. my suggestions on academics are listed above, but overall if you go to class, take decent notes, and read the material you will do fine. if you struggle, the professors are more than willing to help you outside of class at office hours or via email. or if they have a TA you can utilize them. sometimes, even if you just can't get the subject (econ, prehistoric life, and intro to jazz were like that for me), just talking with your professor and/or TA about the problems can make the difference between a D and a C or B. remember that it is a prestigious university and using the connections you make will take you much further post-graduation. make sure you develop a good repoire with some professors for later recommendations. Oh, and study abroad if you can. i wasn't able to because i had too many responsibilities at home, but the study abroad dept. is huge and the opportunities are many. almost every student goes at least one semester abroad and it is not only an amazing opportunity, but will look awesome on your resume.

Let me preface this by saying that your academic experience at Carolina is FULLY DEPENDENT on what your major is. Being a Biology major, I'm sure that my experience is quite different from, say, a History major's. A lot of people come to Carolina as I freshmen thinking of becoming a doctor/dentist/veterinarian/etc. Then, they drink four nights a week and pull out a nice 2.5 their first semester. Usually, they switch to something a bit less demanding. But, there are plenty of people who stick with it and perform well in the classroom, and we have many good candidates for professional programs. As a Biology major, I study anywhere from 3-5 hours a day Monday-Thursday, during the day on Saturday, and most of the day/night on Sunday, totaling approximately 25-30 hours a week in the library. But, I have friends who are Political Science majors who study 10 hours a week and make almost all A's. I can't really offer advice to those of you wanting to major is Economics, History, or Political Science, but to those who do want to enter some type of professional program after undergrad, I cannot stress enough the fact that you MUST choose your elective/perspective classes carefully. Taking easy perspectives is a great way to bump up your GPA if you aren't doing so hot in your chemistry or biology classes, and, if you do take hard perspective classes, it just adds that much more stress in your life. I would advise every single one of you to register and purchase a membership to Pickaprof.com--it gives grade distributions and student reviews of every professor for every class taught at UNC recently (within the past five years). Of course, there are other sites like this out there. But, definitely check them out.

The professors are very intelligent and hardworking, but they've allowed to get too comfortable with one way of teaching. You get tired of powerpoints very quickly and if that isn't your best way to learn, you have to make up for it yourself. Students are very competitive. Everyone tries to give the illusion that they are doing just fine in classes even the harder ones and few people will divulge their grades. It is considered rude, like talking about how much money you make. Some people have failed a class and had to have their curriculum changed and no one talks about why that person isn't in class with us anymore. It is a big stigma. I've read other students' writing while working on group projects and things and sometimes I can't believe I had such a hard time being accepted when these other students seem to barely know how to format a paper. It can be frustrating.

unc is not a heavily academic/elitist school. i think that at unc u get a healthy balance of academic and social life. the people here will talk to u about academic subjects, but they are also down to party. the focus here is definitely getting an education u can use in the job market.