Carolina Advice

There is an LFIT requirement.  It meets two days a week for an hour.  The choices of LFIT are:

• adapted physical activity
• aerobics
• exercise and conditioning
• indoor sports
• beginning jogging
• intermediate jogging
• outdoor sports
• racquet sports
• beginning swimming
• swim conditioning
• walking
• weight training
• special topics (volleyball, tennis, ultimate frisbee)

I decided to get one from school because it came with all the programs on it (hooked up to wifi and unc system, microsoft, etc) and because of the insurance.  If something happens to your laptop, ITT can fix it and if they can’t fix it in a short amount of time, they’ll give you a loaner laptop.  They also have a really good replacement policy should it get broken, stolen, etc.  If you have a laptop at home that is reliable and has everything you need on it, you could always use it without any issues.  I hadn’t had a laptop before and UNC’s Computing Initiative was really nice for me.  They can be a tad bit expensive, but given everything you get from the program, I think it’s worth it.  It’s really up to you what you decide to do.

The printer situation is up to you.  It’s nice to have a printer if you’re working late in your dorm on a paper and have an 8AM so you don’t have to worry about getting to a CCI printer before hand.  However, UNC gives you plenty of money for printing through CCI so you can always do that.  It just depends on what you want to do.  I have one but I don’t use it that often.  My roommate uses it quite alot.  It really just depends on your preference!  Make sure if you have your own printer you have to make sure you have plenty of ink and paper!

Before classes start, go by CCI in the bottom of the student store and they’ll set it up for you.  I also think you’re able to do it during orientation, but I’m not 100% sure about that.

CTOPS is basically:  Carolina Testing & Orientation Program Sessions. 

This is a fancy name for orientation.  From the Daily Tar Heel: “All incoming freshmen must attend one two-day CTOPS session, which are offered throughout the summer. At CTOPS, students register for classes, pick up CCI laptops, and have an opportunity to become more familiar with the campus. Parents are invited to attend CTOPS.” 

Yes, that is perfectly normal.  Most of my friends only have one major.  Just find something you’re passionate about-that’s what really matters.

It’s kind of a hard thing to answer because different things work for different people.  Everybody has their own study habits.  You should always read the syllabus.  The professor will outline exactly what they expect from you.  Read the material before class, don’t procrastinate on writing papers, go to office hours if you aren’t understanding material, use UNC’s resources like the Writing Center and Dey tutoring, study hard and often, stay organized, attend classes (no matter how early in the morning they may be), etc.  The biggest thing about the transition for me was that there were so many more distractions in college. When I was in high school, I went to school, then had practice, then went home and did homework.  In college, classes are spread out and there are so many things to occupy your time with from activities to clubs to performances.  The transition can be a little rocky, but its nothing you can’t handle.

No.  AP just gives you credit.  It does not effect your GPA.

I’d go ahead and take the AP exam and try for it. The thing about labs at UNC is it depends on what class you take it for and what TA you get. There are some classes with labs like Geology, aka Rocks for Jocks. Needless to say, it’s not the toughest class compared to Chem Lab or Bio Lab. If you want to be a science major you’ll need to get over your fear of labs. However, if you want to be a liberal arts major, you only need one. Did you take any other science IBs? You might be able to get credit for a lab with one of those. If not, and if you don’t make the 4 on the AP exam, don’t worry. The labs here are definitely doable and not so bad at all.

Around May, UNC will release a first year guide.  This guide will have a lot of classes offered in the fall that they recommend for freshman.  They will be sorted by which gen eds they fulfill.  It is really helpful for figuring out which classes to take.  At orientation, you will also meet with a counselor who will look at the classes that you plan on taking and tell you their opinion.  They will also recommend classes to take.  You can also use connectcarolina.  Through the student center, click on search.  From here you can see any class unc is offering in the fall.  You can search by gen ed requirements as well by clicking on the magnifying glass. 

What I would suggest doing:  For now, just worry about gen eds. Look at the academic worksheets.  If you are coming in with AP or IB credit, figure out which gen eds each fulfills.  This will give you a good idea of what you need to focus on in the fall.  If you’re going to be majoring in maths or sciences, consider taking classes like chem 101, econ 101, etc because theyre prerequisites for alot of more advanced classes. I wouldn’t so much map out a schedule per say of exactly what you’re going to sign up for.  I made 3 different schedules going into orientation and only ended up with 1 of the classes, chem 101.  Anyone, even the academic advisors, will tell you how stressful orientation is.  As a freshman, alot of classes will be taken by upperclassmen.  This is not to say that every class if going to be full.  Watch out for CTOPS classes when you’re searching-these are classes with saved classes for freshmen. If you’re worried about professors, I would suggest myedu.com, blinkness.com, and ratemyprofessor.com.  My favorite is myedu because it has grade distribution as well as comments where as blinkness and ratemyprofessor just have comments. 

We will be telling more information about orientation and class registration as it get’s a little bit closer.  If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask!

Sure can! Here ya go!