VCU Chemistry: Scheduling & Advising

VCU is currently renovating space on the second floor of Oliver Hall. This space will become two new General Chemistry Laboratories. The new labs allow us to offer enough seats in CHEZ101 and CHEZ102 for all the students who need them, beginning fall 2009, and at the same time, we can return to reasonable class sizes (24 students per lab).

We will also be able to offer more seats in the Organic Chemistry Lab courses, CHEZ301 and CHEZ302. One of the rooms currently used for CHEZ101/2, on the first floor of Oliver Hall, has been changed to an organic chemistry lab. For fall 2009, we will have a total of 5 new sections of organic chemistry lab.

If you are registered for CHEZ101L or CHEZ102L, you will not see the actual room number for your lab. That is because the room numbers have not yet been assigned. Those numbers should be posted shortly, and we will post announcements online and around Oliver Hall noting the changes. Because of delays in construction, the actual first day you are in lab will be after the first week of classes. Be sure to check your email and Blackboard for announcements.

Posted by Sally Hunnicutt at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Summer classes in chemistry:
Most of our classes are full, including CHEM101, 102, 303, and 304. All sections of lab were full, but recently seats have become available. Seats do become available in the full classes. If you want to get into these classes, check for open seats regularly. Continue checking up to and including the first day of classes. Remember, we cannot give overrides for these full classes. The class size is set to the size of the room.
Fall classes in chemistry:
I will not change class size limits for chemistry classes until summer registration for new students (first year and transfer students) begins. This means some of our classes do not have seats now, but they will have seats opening up during the summer. However, there are a few seats left in CHEM100, 101, and 102. Keep checking for open seats in all sections. Other courses have plenty of remaining seats. For example, there are three sections of BIOC/CHEM403, and two of these have seats remaining.

Posted by Sally Hunnicutt at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How do you change your major? Perhaps you would like to add a second major, a minor, or simply change your concentration within your major. If you are selecting, adding, or changing a major (or minor) within the College of Humanities and Sciences, complete the pdf form called "changeofmajor.pdf". You can download the form; search "change major form" from vcu.edu, or go here. You will need to get an authorizing signature; if you are adding chemistry (or changing your chemistry concentration), I sign the form. Then turn the form into Hibbs 211. If you are adding a major in another school (such as the School of Business), you need to take the form to the School of Business for approval.

Before changing your major or adding a second major, I suggest that you meet with an adviser within that department. Make an appointment with me (send me an email at sshunnic@vcu.edu) if you are changing to chemistry or adding chemistry as a second major. You can also get information about the chemistry major by reading the VCU bulletin or visiting the VCU Department of Chemistry website.

Posted by Sally Hunnicutt at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Suppose you would like to become a TA for a chemistry class, either a lab or recitation. How do you go about doing this? You must first take the class CHEM350, Guided Inquiry in Chemistry. If you do well in this class, you may be asked to continue as a teaching assistant, possibly with pay. In order to do well, you must be responsible and professional: You must be on time to your class, you must attend all TA meetings, and you must follow the instructions for teaching the class. You need to have taken the course you are a TA for (such as CHEM101), and you must have earned an A or a B in that class. You will need to review the material as you are teaching. You must interact with your students during class time: No checking email or Facebook!

Becoming a TA is an excellent way to review chemistry material, and it certainly adds to your resume. Many students enjoy helping other students succeed in their chemistry classes. Moreover, the CHEM350 course helps the TA's learn more about "learning" - how students learn and research-based methods of teaching. If you think you would like to become a chemistry TA, please contact me by email at sshunnic@vcu.edu, or stop by my office, Oliver Hall 3035.

Posted by Sally Hunnicutt at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There were two searches through this blog recently: one for "graduation worksheet" and one for "how to make an appointment". You can find the graduation worksheet for chemistry, for students admitted fall 2008, on the Chemistry Majors Blackboard site, under Important Documents. To get an older version of the worksheet, you can stop by the chemistry department office or try in the central advising for the College of H & S, in the Hibbs Building. To make an advising appointment, contact your adviser directly by email or phone. Please give them a day to reply! If you do not have an adviser assigned yet, email me (sshunnic@vcu.edu).

Posted by Sally Hunnicutt at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Instrumental Analysis Lab, CHEZ409L, has two laboratory classes as prerequisites: CHEZ303L and CHEZ309L. Students must successfully complete each of these lab classes before taking CHEZ409L. Students who register for CHEZ409L without the necessary prerequisite courses will be administratively removed from the class.

We do have a reason for this: experience has shown repeatedly that students who do not have the prerequisite courses fail or withdraw from CHEZ409L. In the long run, you will have a better experience and actually require less time getting your degree if you take these labs in sequence.

Posted by Sally Hunnicutt at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)