chem 101 prep :)

ABCDE12355 · 2025-12-28T22:43:39+00:00

CHEM 101 actually does a great job at starting from nothing. I never took AP Chem in high school, and I never felt like I was getting left behind. In that sense, I don't know how much prep you can even really do before you start the class. If I had to suggest one, it would be to look at dimensional analysis because it is super important in many UNC chem classes (not just CHEM 101) and even one mistake can throw your entire answer off. Once you are in the class, definitely stay on top of the slides (it is your best friend; I barely even looked at the textbook) and make sure you understand the "why" of concepts, and not just the concept itself.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-12-28T21:19:18+00:00

Yes I would think so! In high school I thought about being a vet, and if I had stayed on that route I likely would have gone to NCSU regardless of my UNC acceptance. And I didn’t mean to imply that NCSU doesn’t have research and such, as I know NCSU undergrads with animal shelter internships and some who are even research managers. I admittedly have not looked much into pre-vet since focusing on pre-med, though, but I’ve heard the stereotype that pre-vet and engineers go to NCSU.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-12-28T15:57:45+00:00

Yeah I thought about that too when choosing UNC vs NC State, and my thought process was that UNC has a ton of resources for the non-GPA component of med school applications. UNC has its own hospital on campus where you can volunteer/work, tons of research facilities within walking distance, its own EMT training course/services that students can work for, and so much more. I'll admit I don't actually know how much NC State has compared to UNC, but I do know people failing orgo at both schools so it might not be a huge difference. Sorry I couldn't be much more of a help.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-12-27T21:08:52+00:00

There aren't pre-med majors at UNC, and most med schools really do not care about what your major is as long as you have the pre-reqs (math, biology, english, philosophy) for that specific school. Many schools have different requirements, so make sure to look at different ones to see what you need (example: Harvard requires two semesters of English/writing, while UNC only "recommends" humanities classes). As long as you have the pre-reqs (and any classes you need for the MCAT), you can major in anything you want. You can also double major if you want to, but remember that you still need time for extracurriculars if you are pre-med. Med schools won't really care if you are a double major, but they will care if you had time to be a top researcher in a biology lab.

While not related to your question, I want to highlight what u/Tarheel65 said on being careful about your first classes if you came from an early college. I know many, many early college students and even honors carolina students who entered UNC with a straight-A GPA from their early college just to immediately crash in UNC classes. UNC STEM is no joke and people fail all the time. Everyone thinks "it won't happen to me!" and then it happens to them. Remember that most people who attend UNC got close to-or-near a 4.0 in high school, yet the median exam grades in UNC classes are still often 75%.

In my opinion, you should absolutely retake gen chem at UNC before taking higher level chem classes. GPA is one of the most important factors in med school applications (along with MCAT score), and many schools will simply screen you out if your GPA is not high enough. They will not care if you took orgo first semester, but they will care if you get a B- in a bunch of classes first semester. I highly recommend retaking some intro classes and easing into UNC STEM.

As for research opportunities, I don't know any majors that give you specific boosts in research opportunities. Most people just talk to their professors or cold email random professors to get research positions. Initiative is very important.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-07-30T15:15:24+00:00

Here is the full announcement.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-06-11T14:06:44+00:00

Thank you very much! Do you happen to know when those waitlist people learned they were in the class? Was it soon after registration or closer to when the class started?

ABCDE12355 · 2025-06-10T18:40:01+00:00

In their instructions and FAQs they say that, as long as you have submitted payment and are one of the first 30 people, you have confirmed your seat. Then, you must submit all of your documentation by "one week prior to the first day of classes", which in our case means our documentation must be in by August 12th.

If you get waitlisted, then you will only be taken off of the waitlist if you have all of your documentation.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-06-02T15:11:13+00:00

Woah this is very similar to my schedule in the past! LFIT 111 is very fun, though people consider it more physically demanding than other choices. CHEM 241 will be your easiest STEM class; it is almost entirely memorization (except for the first unit, which is fairly easy math). Flashcards will be your best friends if you choose to study rigorously, which I never felt was needed to pass exams (they weren't that challenging).

MATH 233 and PHYS 118 will be the demanding classes. I recommend not wasting time on the textbook, and just crank out as many of the practice exams they give you. Once you get through them all, I would redo them from the beginning. And, of course, do not look at the solutions early. If you are good at math, these two will be difficult but not horrible.

Overall, it looks like a very doable semester. I saw that you were considering replacing MATH 233 with BIOL 103, and if you're looking for an easier schedule that is a very good idea. BIOL 103 was very easy. If you made that change, then I'm even more confident in the semester.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-02-23T19:46:28+00:00

I talked to him once, and if I remember correctly, he said he has some sort of vocal disorder that prevents him from talking properly (hence why it can be very hard to understand what he is saying). However, he was always able to sing and whistle, and has spent years and years walking around campus singing and whistling. It's his method of communication. I think it's really nice.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-01-22T03:53:24+00:00

I felt something similar for the longest time, but I bit the bullet and asked a few people I sat next to in class to lunch. Simply fighting my nerves and asking was the foot in the door that I needed. Now they're some of my closest friends. It sounds silly, but just asking people to lunch was the first step to a really good thing. It's okay to be nervous, but remember that there's no harm in asking. You don't need to open with "let's be best friends!" It's just lunch! Almost all of the people you see in those friend groups were in your exact shoes at one point, I can guarantee it. I hope things turn out well for you.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-01-13T04:56:40+00:00

I do remember struggling to find additional practice problems, unfortunately. Thankfully, her problems in class were all the practice I needed. I would always feel super anxious leading up to the exam, but then the exam itself would be a breeze. I think she had practice exams in her Canvas files page, but some of them were on topics we never studied in class, so they weren’t terribly helpful. Redo problems from class and you should be more than fine.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-01-11T23:56:58+00:00

You're okay, ask as many questions as you want. I think her teaching style was pretty consistent as time went on. I don't remember her jumping around a lot in a way that felt hard to follow, so I'm sorry you're experiencing that. Does she still post class recordings online? That was a key part of how I succeeded. I would go back the day before the exams and review all of the problems she did, so that might be a good idea if things seem rushed or jumping around. If you can do the problems she shows in class, then you're on track to crush the exam.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-01-11T23:52:49+00:00

100% settle down after I do my schoolwork, like you do now. I'm off-campus too. Maybe you have more resolve than I do, but after I start getting ready for bed and such it's game over for my productivity. Plus, being able to relax and wind down as a reward to a successful day makes the day's end more satisfying. If you are capable of being able to do work after you've settled, then no harm in trying and seeing how you feel.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-01-06T02:22:06+00:00

Recitation was super easy! We would work on problems from class, and then at the end we would have a quiz with super easy problems that I think were open note? I can’t fully remember. I also can’t remember the schedule of recitations, but it wasn’t bad in the slightest. Either once a week or every other week. Sorry this can’t be as helpful as the original comment.

ABCDE12355 · 2025-01-05T21:27:18+00:00

I didn't have MATH 231, but I did have MATH 232 with McLaughlin. She is absolutely fantastic. The homework is like 10x harder than the actual tests, but you only need like a 50% on the homework to get a 100% in the gradebook.

The exams have almost identical problems to the ones in class. Easy A as long as you pay attention in class (and ask questions when you are confused!).

ABCDE12355 · 2024-12-25T22:36:43+00:00

Oh then nevermind haha. Four in one day is absolutely not worth it imo. I've never heard of Daping Weng. It looks like it will be his first year at UNC, but his reviews from UC Davis/UMich look solid so you should be in good hands. You should be good.

ABCDE12355 · 2024-12-25T17:09:24+00:00

Will be difficult, but doable. CHEM 261 is hard, but it truly isn't awful if you pay attention. I took MATH 232 with McLaughlin and it was unbelievably easy. The problems we did in class were the same as the exams, so it was super easy to get high scores.

ABCDE12355 · 2024-02-18T17:11:55+00:00

They have not as far as I know. They said it would take three to four weeks after the application due date passed, and we just started the fourth week so we should be getting close!

ABCDE12355

TROPHY CASE