Ask Questions about North Carolina State

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181

<p>Hope you are still answering questions now that you are a sophomore. We visited NC State last week and met with representatives from Chemical Engineering and Paper Science and Engineering. We were very impressed with everyone we talked to. Can you answer some questions for me about the programs?</p>

<p>1) How is the workload with the double major?
2) Were you able to receive any tutoring help? Were you placed in general engineering classes with other freshmen in PSE? Lastly–how are things going this year in Organic Chemistry? Are you able to form study groups with fellow PSE majors or get the help needed to be successful in the class?
3) How was the freshman retreat? Was it just for PSE majors or everyone in CNR? Was it an overnight trip and if so how long did it last? Where did it take place?
4) Would you say you have made better friends with fellow students in PSE or ChemE? (I know that CNR is a tightly knit group.)
5) Did you have an industry related internship this summer? If not, do you know of any freshmen who did?
6) Do the upperclassmen have a hard time finding internships or co ops?
7) Have you encountered any road blocks with either PSE or ChemE–hard time getting classes, unreasonable professors, etc.<br>
8) Would you recommend the PSE/ChemE double major to others?
9) What types of jobs have students been offered–both for internships and permanent positions? Are they always in rural locations?</p>

<p>Thanks for your help. We are just trying to find the right fit. We loved Dr. Byrd. Is he as animated in classes as well?</p>

182

<p>Of course I’m answering questions! And questions about PSE are my absolute FAVORITE. I apologize in advance for the novel I am about to write.</p>

<p>1) How is the workload with the double major? The workload is tough. Freshman year it isn’t much different than any other engineering major, but as you get deeper into classes a lot of people feel the heat. Some people are incredibly successful in this environment; those people tend to work on assignments way before they are due. Like in every major, some people will fail. These two majors are hard, and no one will sugar coat it, but the reward is incredibly worth it. And the upperclassmen that I know all still had time in the day to be social, attend sporting events, and lead clubs and organizations. They just became masters in time management.
2) Were you able to receive any tutoring help? Were you placed in general engineering classes with other freshmen in PSE? Lastly–how are things going this year in Organic Chemistry? Are you able to form study groups with fellow PSE majors or get the help needed to be successful in the class? Tutoring help is available through the Undergraduate Tutorial Center ([UTC</a> Announcements | tutorial.ncsu.edu](<a href=“http://tutorial.ncsu.edu%5DUTC”>http://tutorial.ncsu.edu)). I was placed in E101 with all the other PSE freshman, and we were scattered around in chemistry and calculus our fall semester. In the spring, many of us ended up in the same classes by choice and by accident, because we were planning classes around PSE201. I’m not in Organic right now because I’m on a co-op, but my friends have all gotten together to work on it. They know that Organic is a really tough class, but because we are all friends, we form study groups and help each other out in every class that we do together.
3) How was the freshman retreat? Was it just for PSE majors or everyone in CNR? Was it an overnight trip and if so how long did it last? Where did it take place? My freshman retreat was slightly different than the one held for freshman this year, so your mileage my vary. Friday night we had dinner and it was all about professional development. Dr. Kocurek gave us a book about interviewing, writing your resume, and being young professionals. We went over the book and he gave us additional information. Saturday morning we drove to a paper mill in South Carolina for a tour led by an engineer and an NC State student that had interned there the previous summer. Sunday was team-building on the ropes course that NC State owns. It was only for PSE majors. We were done by 6 or 7 each night, so it was not an overnight trip. I really enjoyed it; we all bonded as a group and this was my first time seeing a paper machine in real life.
4) Would you say you have made better friends with fellow students in PSE or ChemE? (I know that CNR is a tightly knit group.) PSE FOR SURE. I have yet to take CHE205, but once I do I know that my “academic friends” will remain the PSE kids. We are very tight-knit, and while I’m sure I will meet and befriend some straight CHE’s, PSE will be my family. As an ambassador, I was encouraged to get to know the faculty in my department, so I met with Dr. Joel Pawlak last semester. If I’m remembering this right, at graduation there is the big ceremony and then a smaller ceremony for each department (or maybe College). In the 12 years he had been working at NC State, only one PSE/CHE student decided to attend the CHE departmental graduation ceremony over the PSE one.
5) Did you have an industry related internship this summer? If not, do you know of any freshmen who did? I did! I worked at Sonoco in Hartsville, SC. Of the 40 or so students in the freshman class, around 15 of us were hired for a summer internship or Fall 2013 co-op. I decided to do both, with two different companies, but some companies will hire a Fall co-op for a “super co-op”, which is where the student works in the summer and fall.<br>
6) Do the upperclassmen have a hard time finding internships or co ops? I have not heard of any stories of an upperclassmen that couldn’t get an internship or co-op, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I think that if you are relatively successful academically, are involved in something outside of the classroom, and you can act as a polished young professional, you should have no problem getting your first internship. That work experience opens doors for plenty of other opportunities. And there seem to be no shortage of jobs; I interviewed with 4 companies (2 internships, 2 co-ops) and got 3 offers (1 internship, 2 co-op).<br>
7) Have you encountered any road blocks with either PSE or ChemE–hard time getting classes, unreasonable professors, etc. Not as of yet, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Dr. Byrd is wonderful when it comes to assistance scheduling, and he has been known to help students get into classes that they need if it is the only time slot that will fit around their PSE classes.
8) Would you recommend the PSE/ChemE double major to others? Yes, and I would also recommend the single PSE degree. I wish I could yell about this GEM of a program from the roof-tops, but I also don’t want it to get too big. :slight_smile: I like that we are small and act as a family.<br>
9) What types of jobs have students been offered–both for internships and permanent positions? Are they always in rural locations? Locations: There are jobs available all over the country, from Maine to Washington to Texas to Georgia. I had a friend work in Holyoke, Massachusetts this summer, and my company from this summer has a mill in Richmond, VA. Many mills will be in rural areas, but there are definitely some that are closer to metropolitan areas. I had a friend work for Voith in Wilson, NC this summer. Voith makes some of the fabrics that go on paper machines, and this internship was about 50 minutes outside of Raleigh. Interns can go into a production setting and work as a Process Engineering intern, but there are also opportunities working for “industry allies”, like for Ashland ([Ashland</a> Inc. | Specialty Chemical Company](<a href=“http://www.ashland.com%5DAshland”>http://www.ashland.com)), Buckman ([Buckman</a> | Home](<a href=“http://www.buckman.com%5DBuckman”>http://www.buckman.com)), EDT ([EDT</a> | Enzymatic Deinking Technologies](<a href=“http://www.edt-enzymes.com%5DEDT”>http://www.edt-enzymes.com)), or Voith ([Voith</a> | Voith Paper](<a href=“Voith”>Company Overview | Voith)). As for permanent positions, I have friends working in petroleum, pharmaceuticals, paper mills, semiconductor companies, and paper industry allies. </p>

<p>Dr. Byrd is incredibly animated in class. That man loves paper more than anyone I have ever met. He’s also one of my favorite teachers I’ve ever had. I can’t say I’ve loved listening to someone speak for 50 minutes, 3x a week, as much as I have in PSE 201.</p>

183

<p>THanks–just wondering if the jobs are in the factory 100% of the time. My son is concerned about continuously working in a factory until he retires. Just wondering if there is a mix with analytical/office work?</p>

184

<p>Oh yes. As an intern, co-op, and future Process Engineer, I would say that ~40% of our jobs is on the floor and ~60% is in the office working on projects, analysing data, improving safety, or doing something else.</p>

<p>As you move up, the amount of time spent on the floor decreases. I would say a typical Mill Manager spends less than 20% of their time on the floor.</p>

<p>There are also opportunities to move into a Senior Executive position down the road, so that his entire job would be in an office or travelling.</p>

<p>If that doesn’t sound appealing, some of the students choose to go into an R&D role for a chemical company, enzyme company, or a paper company. There’s also other avenues, like sales. And of course, a PSE/CHE (or a steller PSE-only student) can go into many other fields. There is 1 required manufacturing internship that corresponds with the PSE211 class, but besides that, you’re never forced to work in a factory.</p>

<p>I didn’t think I would like working in a factory. I’m a pretty small girl, I don’t like to get very dirty, and it’s hot. But the work is loads of fun, and now I dread when I have a day that I can’t be out on the floor!</p>

185

<p>Thanks so much for the information. I think the majors are definitely something our sons are intersted in. One last question and I will sign off…is it really true that paper science majors at nc state have a 100% placement rate? I saw other schools in the country that offer a similar degree and they claim the same thing. However, we liked the program best at NC State.</p>

<p>One more question–do most people receive some scholarship money? I was thinking that not everyone did–but it seems that a lot do. Even $1,000/year is better than nothing.</p>

186

<p>We officialy advertise a 80-100% job placement rating, and it has held at 100% for the past few years (to my knowledge). I have not heard of anyone that’s had trouble finding a job since I’ve been here, and most people graduate with multiple offers. </p>

<p>The other paper schools also have excellent job placement ratings, and although we there isn’t a ranking of the schools, NC State is considered one of the best (if not the best). To my knowledge, we are the second oldest program, the largest, and have the newest technology in our labs and pilot plant. I’m not a recruiter or official spokesperson for PSE, so I can’t say that with 100% certainty. It just what I’ve heard over the past year. </p>

<p>As for the scholarship, I think about half of our students receive it and the amount depends on in-state or out of state. The actual figures are available under the Scholarships tab somewhere on cnr.ncsu.edu/fb</p>

<p>Please don’t hesitate to ask anymore questions!</p>

187

<p>First off its really amazing that you’re answering all these questions and helping so many people. You’re awesome for that.</p>

<p>1)So I’m in my senior year in Bangalore, India and I’m looking to major in genetics/biology.
Do you have any idea what the bio program is like or how good it is? What about research-wise? </p>

<p>2)I’m a US citizen so I think ill be considered a domestic applicant for financial aid purposes, so how generous is the financial aid and stuff?</p>

<p>3)And about the people and campus vibe… how easily do you think an international student will be accepted into the campus community?(even though i’m not technically international i remain Indian)</p>

<p>4)What about on campus housing vs off campus housing? How relatively expensive is it and what about the quality?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for eveything!!</p>

188

<p>Hello Chinmayajoisa:</p>

<p>You couldn’t be more correct! ncstatefreshman has helped many people (me included)and does an amazing job providing great information! </p>

<p>I can’t provide any insight into your first question. The financial aid question is tricky as well. Too many variables to give you a good answer the FAFSA will give you a good idea of what to expect.</p>

<p>Campus vibe - fantastic! This is a large diverse school. Regardles of your interests or background you’ll likely finds dozens of people that share them both. If any of the “villages” interest you I highly recommend them. These are groups within certain dorms for people of similar interest. For example, our son’s in the Arts Village. He moved into his dorm room at 2:00 in the afternoon not knowing anyone on campus, by midnight he was texting us from a new friend’s room to tell us how many people he’d met and that he loves it there. </p>

<p>State also does a really nice job of offering engagement events for the students - there’s always something going on. As an incoming freshman, I would recommend you consider staying on campus. This will give you the best chance to met people.</p>

<p>Our son was born here in Raleigh, but is Filipino. So after he was admitted we received this material in the mail from NCSU about a Summer Start program. In short, it was a program designed for international students to assist them in acclimating to life in the US. Of course we didn’t sign him up - and it sounds like you may not be interested, but it does speak to the number of international students they have there as well as their intentional efforts to welcome them. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>PS: ncstatefreshman- glad to see you’re still here helping folks :slight_smile: !</p>

189

<p>Hey everyone!</p>

<p>Sorry for disappearing. I’ve been on a co-op this semester and work has been crazy. If anyone (parents, prospective students, or current students) has questions, please don’t hesitate to post here!</p>

190

<p>Can anyone tell me if ST 101 (Statistics by Example) is an easy math class? I’m really bad at math but I need to take a math class this semester. Also I have Ronald West as my teacher and I can’t find him on any Professor rating site. I’m tied between this class and MA 114 (Intro to Finite Math)</p>

191

<p>Hello ncstatefreshman,</p>

<p>I’ve been reading your postings with great interest. My son was just admitted to the college of engineering and has received a letter about possibly double majoring in paper science. This would require an additional semester after senior year to complete. Is this the program you’re in? From what I can tell his first year would be standard engineering but thereafter all his elective courses must be filled by chemE courses while his major courses would be in paper science. He has been invited to apply to the honors college. Is it possible to complete this double major and also be in the honors college? Honors college requires seminars and it’s not clear to me whether these would be electives or not or an addition to the regular semester classes? Also, will it be difficult socially for you to graduate a semester after your friends do?</p>

192

<p>Brittany93,</p>

<p>I’m sorry, I can’t speak to the ease to ST101 or MA114. Does anyone else have any advice?</p>

193

<p>Neonpinklime,</p>

<p>I could speak for days about CHE/PSE, so I can answer every question you throw at me.</p>

<p>To begin, I would like to address a common misconception about this program. Many people go into it thinking its a 9 semester program, and that it is common to finish in 9 semesters. In reality, people graduate in anywhere from 8 to 11+ semesters for a variety of reasons. I am on a full 5 year plan because of a co-op I completed this past semester. So, because we all take different amounts of time to graduate, you befriend people in classes above and below you. I’m a sophomore, but I will be with the current freshman class for PSE212 because I missed it on co-op. I can’t speak to the social difficulty of graduating “late”, but the friends I have that graduated after 4 years didn’t seem to have an issue. Everyone graduates at different times in this program.</p>

<p>It is possible, and highly recommended, to join the Honors College while in the program. To figure out if graduation would still be possible in 9 semesters, you would have to sit down with his incoming AP credits, courses required to graduate, and Honors electives required (yes, they are extra seminars outside of required electives and classes. Some may take care of two requirements, but that’s on a class by class basis). While financially it is best to graduate in as little time as needed, I usually stress to parents that if your child takes an extra semester to graduate it is OK. The money they will make on internships will help that burden, and in my opinion, it’s not worth the worry.</p>

194

<p>Seasons Greetings, ncstatefreshman,</p>

<p>I have a few questions if you have a moment:</p>

<p>Daughter was accepted (OOS) into Engineering (undeclared intent). She also has been invited to the Honors and the Scholars programs. After looking those over, she wants to go with the Scholars program (which is fine with me). </p>

<p>Since it looks like she can apply for housing before paying the deposit and committing, she is working on that. She is interested in a Living-Learning Village, possibly:</p>

<p>Scholars Village (Sullivan Hall), WISE (Lee Hall), and lastly Engineering Village (Metcalf Hall) - in that order. She want’s the be around dedicated kids that preferably aren’t ALL engineering majors, so the Engineering Village is her lowest choice.</p>

<p>Do you have any personal opinion or insight into these three villages? Also, if you choose more than one village, is the selection made by using the students housing priority list on the housing app (1st choice Sullivan, 2nd Lee, 3rd Metcalf)?</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

195

<p>Hello! I’m so impressed with nc state freshman… A book of knowledge! I also have a question regarding housing. My son, a biology major for premed, has also been invited to apply to honors and scholars program. He is leaning more towards the honors program and is applying. However, he and his best friend, who has been accepted into biomedical eng, are looking to apply to housing ASAP. Can they go ahead and apply to 1. Bragaw 2. Metcalf 3. Bowen before being considered for the honors program? Could he change housing if accepted?</p>

196

<p>jbinmd,</p>

<p>Congratulations on your daughter’s acceptance to NC State, as well as her invitations to both Honors and Scholars. What an honor!</p>

<p>I lived in WISE Village myself, so I do have a personal opinion on WISE. I LOVED it, and I lived there before Lee Hall was renovated (Summer 2013). You can get as involved or uninvolved in WISE as you’d like but I really enjoyed living with girls majoring in the sciences/engineering. We would all get together in one room to work on Calculus homework, whine about Chemistry tests, or nerd out about Periodic Table jokes. It was a really positive experience and that suite is where I made some of my closest friends.</p>

<p>I don’t know much about the Engineering Village because I’ve been on a co-op during Fall 2013, which was the first semester the LLV had been rolled out. Metcalf, however, is well-regarded as a dorm as lot of people want to live in. Nice rooms and a great location make it an awesome dorm.</p>

<p>As for Scholars, I know a few people in Scholars that lived outside of Scholar’s Village, and they seem to have still enjoyed the program. I think because you can be involved in Scholars without living there, living in another LLV would give your daughter an excellent opportunity to be involved in two unique communities. </p>

<p>I cannot answer your last question about priority, you would have to call Housing for that. I’ve spoken with them on the phone before and they have been nothing but helpful.</p>

197

<p>Mommaralph,</p>

<p>Congratulations on your son’s acceptance, and thank you for your kind words. I genuinely enjoy helping parents and students, so keep the questions coming.</p>

<p>Yes, your son can apply for housing and I think he should apply quickly if he wants to be placed in either of those three dorms. They are considered great dorms and upperclassmen tend to snatch up those spots! </p>

<p>If accepted into Honors, I’m pretty sure he does not have to live there if he would like to live in one of the three dorms you listed. However, housing assignments are not given out until May, so if he hears back from Honors before then (I’m fairly certain you will but I can’t speak of that timing first hand) he should be able to apply for the Honors Village and change his Housing Application to reflect wanting to live there. </p>

<p>Good luck, and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.</p>

198

<p>My kid is transferring to NCSU as a CHE in Fall of 2014. She is having to take CHE 205 as an NDS student Spring 2014 and CHE 225 in Summer so she can stay on track. She already had to take Calc III as an NDS student, because her community college only offers it once a year and she didn’t want to take a chance on not having it in time. Plus, she wants to make sure and take Diff EQ before CHE 225 in summer because both at the same time would be hard. Pre-reqs are tight; 8 semesters in a row. </p>

<p>Why would anyone want to dual major? Isn’t a single engineering major enough? Why even concentrate? That’s what grad school is for.</p>

199

<p>Nealinnc,</p>

<p>I know that I wanted to dual major in PSE/CHE because it’s just such a good deal. A (basically) guaranteed job at graduation, small community, scholarships, so much help getting internships, and foot in a door to one of America’s largest industries. For just a couple more classes, I think it’s worth it.</p>

<p>A single engineering degree carries enough weight to prove you know how to learn and get you a job, but some people just want more. More options, more of a challenge, more of a specialty into one area. Also, not everyone wants to go to graduate school; I know that I don’t want to and many CHE’s will never go to grad school. When getting two degrees, or a specialty, at an undergraduate price is cheaper and less time consuming, it seems like a good deal.</p>

<p>You child will make their own decision, and I didn’t write all that to sway you one way or another. I merely wanted to explain my point of view on the topic. I’m one 19 year old… I have a lot of answers but not all of them.</p>

200

<p>ncstatefreshman,</p>

<p>Thank you for your reply. Very informative and helpful!</p>