<p>I was wondering if any current students had any knowledge as to weather or not to place out of calc 1 and calc 2 at unc if you got a 5 on the ap exam and out of chem 1 if you got a 5 on the chem exam. Does unc's math and chemistry departments go over information that is not included in the ap curriculum? And also, would taking these classes over help if they are in my major? Also do the does unc teach how to do their chem labs in 101 and expect all 102 students to know how to do it their way? Pretty much I just don't want to screw myself over by taking classes that the ap exams didn't prepare me for.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t retake the math classes… Not worth it. Take the credit and run. Chem is kind of a different story - I actually thought it was helpful to waive AP credit and take Chem 101 over again. That way you can acclimate to the Chem department and labs and whatnot (college Chemistry is just “different”). I guess the 101 lab is helpful in the way that you get slowly introduced to the equipment and software, so you would be more familiar with the lab setting when you take 102. (I know some people on here say to take 102h because it is a combo of 101/102 - correct me if I’m wrong! - can’t comment on that because I didn’t go down that path).</p>
<p>Also - AP exams are pretty worthless in terms of preparing you for anything (just my opinion). The only nice thing about them is that you can get credit for some of your basic requirements (English, Math, etc).</p>
<p>I have this same question. I have maximum AP credit for both Calc and Chem, but I took them both my junior year, remember nothing, and neither is remotely related to my intended major (journalism), so I’m wondering if I’ll be able to just retake the easier levels instead of being thrust directly into Math 231 or whatever.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on Journalism, then I would just use the AP credit for both… My suggestion to retake the Chem is geared towards people who want to do science-y stuff. If you retake Chem 101 then you can kind of ease into the science classes and see what you’re getting into.</p>
<p>I agree with jambaby. My son registered at CTOPs yesterday. He didn’t have to take Chem 101 but dud it anyway since he wants to apply for a professional program later through the medical school. Plus everywhere we went, we heard how rigorous the math & chemistry departments @ UNC are, so we felt like he could use the extra “Carolina foundation” for lack of a better way of describing it.</p>
<p>mommydeerest, how did your son like CTOPS? Hopefully the new registration system for classes is better (putting everything in your “shopping cart” ahead of time, etc). When I went back in the day you had to enter in a number for each class individually… SO stressful!</p>
<p>Well, he’s not happy. He only got one class he wanted, everything was full. It will take him forever to get all the classes he needs & was forced to take classes that don’t apply to any of the programs he’s interested in. Even though they release a certain # of spots for each ctops session, you are broken down into groups & each group has an assigned time to register. His group registered late in the day & I don’t think anyone in his group of 30 or so got any of their desired classes. The open spots in each session must be filled on a rolling basis. Otherwise I think he enjoyed ctops overall. He didn’t get much sleep there & has slept all day today!</p>
<p>He should be able to sort some stuff out during the Drop/Add period… I know that always saved me. If that didn’t do it, emailing the professors/begging/showing up in class on the first day to get on the waitlist usually worked. And at the end of the day, first semester freshman year isn’t going to make or break anything, so he’ll be fine even if he does have to take some random stuff. Lord knows I did… LOL.</p>
<p>Thanks, jambaby…I’m hoping the add/drop period will help. But to be fair, I spoke with him again last night & he said that there WERE some open spots in the classes he wanted/needed, but that because he got Chem 101 & Chem 101L, that everything conflicted with it so I apologize for being misleading! I would’ve dropped the Chem & picked it up later in favor of getting more desired classes this Fall. Hopefully it will all even out, like you said. Btw, thanks again for your input! Sooo helpful!</p>
<p>I know that most of the students we met & spoke with were Chemistry/Science majors & we were told during the parent sessions that Chem 101 & up filled quickly so I guess my son felt lucky to get in one. He isn’t feeling good about his AP Chem score & even if he did well, again, he thought it would be best for him to start off with a good foundation in Chem @ Carolina so he would have an idea of the expectations & would go a long way toward helping him solidify a major. He took several Chem classes in middle/HS & some were easy for him & others were not…I think much depends on how the teacher’s instruction style relates to the student’s learning curve. Taking it early should show him the expected pace so maybe he should just keep his spot. (???..thoughts)</p>
<p>Ahhh don’t retake calc 2. :(</p>
<p>mommydeerest - definitely have him take the Chem 101 over again. It absolutely shows you what you’re getting into in terms of the science craziness, so it’s a great idea to get a clear picture of that early on… He’ll also be on the normal track if he takes it first semester (I know there can be some scheduling weirdness down the road if you try to take 101 second semester, etc - there will be fewer sections of the class offered and whatnot). You can usually find random gen ed classes to take whenever but getting out of sync with the Chem schedule can be a pain. I think he did the right thing! : -)</p>
<p>Thanks jambaby! Apparently he spoke with more than one advisor & was told conflicting things. As I said, parents were told, too, that the Chem classes fill quickly, so I agree he’s in a good place with that. My concern is all the Math classes are full…among other things. He’s just OK in Calculus…can struggle, but keeping it fresh makes it easier. Hate that he will have to sit out a semester so hoping something opens up in August.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the feedback guys. So what I am hearing is that I should retake Chem 101 to get use to the hard chemistry department at UNC and that I should probably place out of both calculus’ if I feel I have mastered the material pretty well. Also would it be too much to have chem 101 and another science 1st semester or should I stick to the liberal arts classes. I am planning on being a chemistry/environmental science major btw if that matters to whether or not I should retake calculus.</p>
<p>My advice would be to not take two science classes your first semester. That will put a lot of unneeded stress on you. You have all the time in the world to take those other sciences in later semesters. If you need to take more math classes past 232, then I would actually probably retake it, otherwise do not. I generally have heard just horror stories of kids that had credit for either Math 231 (calc 1) or 232 (calc 2), waived the ap/transfer credit and took the class and then did horribly.</p>
<p>So would it be possible with straight 5s on Calc and Chem to completely get out of taking either? I was under the impression that you had to take the level of each which you placed into but further research seems to be telling me that I can fulfill the gen ed requirements(QR, PL and whatever) just with my scores. Am I right? </p>
<p>And can I get some quick responses, I leave for CTOPS tomorrow and still have no clue what to sign up for.</p>
<p>celtics - yes. On the two science classes front - I wouldn’t try that first semester because it will probably be too overwhelming.</p>
<p>connoc - it is possible to get completely out of taking Calc and Chem if you use the scores. I only advise this if you don’t plan to major in anything science-y - then you’re really helping yourself out because you can check your lab requirement off right away, etc. If you are leaning towards a science major, then waiving the AP credit for Chem 101 and retaking it is a smart idea to see what you’re getting into. Don’t retake the Calc classes - so many horror stories out there of people who think they need a refresher and retake 231/232 and bomb. Not worth it!</p>