University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Questions

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They are very relaxed, and mostly liberal.

professors in my department are all very famous. I love them

This varies depending on your department. I would recommend signing up for a few honors classes if possible because they are usually 15-25 students and it's a lot easier to build relationships with peers and professors. Coolest classes I've taken: Coral Reef Ecology (spring break spent snorkeling in St. John), a dinosaur class in the geology department, a class on conspiracy theories, concepts of nature in the anthropology department, journalism and mass media in mexico (spring break spent in mexico city), gay & lesbian lit, chinese contemporary art etc. etc. Try finding classes outside of your major/minor and you never know what you'll end up loving!

There is a wide array of extremes among the academics here at Carolina. We have classes that range in size from 10 or 15 to 200 and even 400. Even in our biggest lectures our professors get to know the students who make an effort to be noticed, and theres always recitation and lab to build relationships in smaller group environments. In first-year seminars, about 15 students meet with a world-class professor during regularly scheduled class time to build an understanding about a topic of interest, learn about the university, and build a close knit relationship that will help them in the future. In the biology department, we have on of the premier programs in the country, and well as an amazing curriculum. I feel as though the course load in the biology program is fair, but more importantly extremely stimulating and effective. The meaning of a degree from Carolina is significant, and employers are looking for a great background like the ones that Tar Heels have to offer!

There is a wide array of extremes among the academics here at Carolina. We have classes that range in size from 10 or 15 to 200 and even 400. Even in our biggest lectures our professors get to know the students who make an effort to be noticed, and theres always recitation and lab to build relationships in smaller group environments. In first-year seminars, about 15 students meet with a world-class professor during regularly scheduled class time to build an understanding about a topic of interest, learn about the university, and build a close knit relationship that will help them in the future. In the biology department, we have on of the premier programs in the country, and well as an amazing curriculum. I feel as though the course load in the biology program is fair, but more importantly extremely stimulating and effective. The meaning of a degree from Carolina is significant, and employers are looking for a great background like the ones that Tar Heels have to offer!

The academics are pretty rigorous at UNC. Some majors are easier than others, as is expected, but overall there is a high standard of academic excellence at UNC. Many students were valedictorian/saludatorian of their High School before they came to UNC. Academic competition is something frequently talked about at UNC, and studies are taken pretty seriously. All that being said, you can graduate from UNC and party hearty all four years. However, to maintain a GPA over 3.0, you will be spending some weekends in the library.

It depends on what your major is. The departments have different grants that they have earned and different expectations from students. For example, the analytical chemistry department is world-renowned. The professors in that department have been published and won awards for their discoveries and lab work. The bar has been set very high and that will transfer to the students, the next generation of analytical chemists. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is ranked number 2 in the nation and commands a higher caliber of students. Most other programs and graduate schools at UNC are similar. Despite the difficultly students might have while trying to complete a degree, almost all of the students that graduate find jobs within 6 months of graduating. By difficulty, I mean challenging. The challenge is greater than one might find at another University, but the brand of the school calls for it. The students that UNC produces are desirable in the job market. Employers know how UNC molds and tempers its students. They become great leaders.

Many of the professors are worried about grade inflation, and therefore try to grade "on the true curve." Aside from that, all the professors are really helpful and are very willing to get to know the students on a more personal basis. Professors often hold classes outside on nice days, or invite students for breakfast or dinners in groups. I am an Economics and Mathematics major. Economics is one of the most popular majors and has a great department head and great staff overall. The content of the courses is really interesting, and I feel that it is very applicable to real-life situations. The academic requirements are not too strenuous, and leave plenty of room to pursue a second major or a minor within the four year time-allotment.

Many professors know students by name at UNC. They are always willing to help and tend to be understanding if something comes up to affect classroom participation. A lot is expected out of students here, and studying is absolutely a must. While the studying was not always fun, I have genuinely learned so much here. Classroom participation is expected in smaller classes, but large lecture classes do not require much participation. Larger classes usually have a recitation section where students' grades are largely based on participation. The difficulty of classes really varies by department and by a student's overall interest in the topic at hand. In my personal experience, science classes have been much more difficult than humanities classes.