<p>[ITC</a> Software Central](<a href=“ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS”>ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS)</p>
<p>ITC offers a bit of free software. At the bottom of the page, click the OS you use, and you’ll be taken to a page of free software available for your system. Since most of you are off Grounds right now, all you need to do is log in to Netbadge (the same id/password to get into your e-mail) to download the program you want.</p>
<p>UVA also lets students download licenses for research/statistics software such as Matlab and Mathematica so you can run them from your computer when you are connected to the UVA network.</p>
<p>[ITC</a> Research Computing Support Center](<a href=“ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS”>http://itc.virginia.edu/research/center.html)
<a href=“https://www.web.virginia.edu/rescomp/SoftwareInfo.asp[/url]”>https://www.web.virginia.edu/rescomp/SoftwareInfo.asp</a></p>
<p>I am not totally sure if these programs work off grounds, but the Matlab on my computer stopped working after coming home by giving some message about the license.</p>
<p>You have to renew the license every year. My mathematica is working (in Philly) but says I’ll need a new license in two weeks.</p>
<p>Oh I see thanks for the tip.</p>
<p>Just saw that for Matab, it says “For use by all UVa Faculty, Staff, and Students, on computers connected to the UVa network (on- or off-grounds).” and “A license manager requires continual contact with the network. Users off-grounds must be connected to the Internet and authenticate to U.Va. Network using either UVA Anywhere or ssh tunneling so that they have continual connection with the license server.”
That’s probably the way to get it working again.</p>
<p>You can use a proxy server…</p>
<p>I used that before I even started classes to get meself some JSTOR papers :)</p>
<p>Oh! Speaking of UVA Anywhere!</p>
<p>It’s really nice to use when you are home on breaks since it will allow you to “fake” being connected to UVA’s network. You can use it to access JSTOR and other online resources without actually being at the library or whatnot. It’s really nice when you are living off Grounds and you need an extra article or two for a paper and you don’t want to go to the library.</p>
<p><a href=“ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS”>ITSWeb Home - UVA ITS;
<p>It works really well, and doesn’t really slow down your connection, even from 3000 miles away in the rural inland northwest.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info guys! Question: Where do I go/who do I contact to waive AP credit? I’m pre-med and I’d be much more comfortable taking my basic sciences at UVA then take credit from AP classes.</p>
<p>You just take the course.</p>
<p>Usually there are accelerated intro courses for people with AP credit … like 80 series for chem, 60 series for physics, etc.</p>
<p>To waive your AP credit: You would have to talk to the credit woman , and once you decide you don’t want your credit and forfeit it, you can’t get it back. Be polite and she’ll help you out. For now, just enroll in the class you want to take, and during the first week or so, go to Garrett Hall and ask to see Gloria Gates. Or e-mail her, and set up an appointment. Search her name through the people search on uva’s homepage and you’ll find it.</p>
<p>Unless your super interested in a subject or are declaring in that major, do yourself and your GPA a favor and do NOT take the accelerated intro courses. You have a much better chance getting an A in the 40 series for chem than an A in the 80 series. (Don’t let the curve fool you. The curve looks better for 80s series, but 40s series is much, much easier.) And as a premed, your GPA is extremely important, so save yourself the time and stress and take the normal intro class. I was in the 80s series for the first few weeks, and then switched down to 40 series and never regretted it. A friend of mine who was a 4th year Biochem major explained it the same way I just did.</p>
<p>Aww, I didn’t know you switched out! </p>
<p>IMO, a strong foundation in chemistry is needed for nearly any career in the applied sciences (whereas the finer details of particle physics and general relativity don’t have as much immediate applications). The 80 series really isn’t that bad. Before the 80 series, I pretty much hated the study of chemistry and was really passionless about it – never mind considering majoring in it – but it was in the 80 series that I changed my mind! </p>
<p>The classes are much smaller, and you also get personal attention … 80 students per class – with a high TA to student ratio. There is also far more coordination between the lab and lecture courses. 2/5 get an A and 2/5 get a B in the 80 series (whereas only 12% of the 40 series students can get an A). The prof for 181, Dean Harman, is also really really good and he’s awesomely nice. 
</p>
<p>You also get a nifty extra letter of recommendation at the completion of the 80 series how the courseload you took was exceptional compared to the 40 series to send to whoever you want to send come your fourth year … </p>
<p>IMO, the 80 series is <em>the</em> UVA classroom experience. Dean Harman is one of the best science lecturers I have ever seen. Whereas the 40 series is like sifting through powerpoint slides in a big 500-student lecture hall where the tests are entirely multiple choice. You also get good peer support networks in the 80 series. In CHEM 181 you get nifty test correction deals, too!</p>
<p>Sundberg, the orgo lecturer for 182/281, is a slightly different story – but then again he also teaches 241/242, so you’d see him in the 40 series anyway.</p>
<p>Take 40 series. It’s easier. You’ll save yourself a lot of headache. And once you get to med school, they’ll just reteach it to you. And you don’t need that extensive knowledge for MCATs. My hallmate was in 80s series, and all she did was chem work. chem, chem, chem. I went to class maybe 5 times for 141, and I was one point shy of an A+.</p>
<p>Harman is a great professor though. I considered staying in 80s just for him.</p>
<p>Take the 40 series, don’t listen to galoisien. Trust db and I, you’d rather sleep in and get an A than go to class in the 80 series.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. Also, I didn’t pay much attention during orientation, what are basement dorms like if anyone knows? I got a basement dorm in McCormick. Is it damp or anything? Are there full windows to fit box fans, or is a tower fan the way to go down there?</p>
<p>kind of random, but just wondering over the past few years when has financial aid directly deposited the refund check amount to your bank account if you sign up for that direct deposit thing, i’m referring to the refund check after tuition and everything like that is covered.</p>
<p>I’m not sure when they’d do it, I’m assuming it’s the date the checks are written, but I do want to add:
DIRECT DEPOSIT = AMAZING
Not only do you get your money faster (no waiting for check to show up) but you don’t have to cash it, it just is automatically in your bank account. All you need is a check you can void to set it up for most places. So much time saved.
UVA requires Direct Deposit for all of its employees (think how much paper they’re saving by not printing checks) but I also set it up for my other job downtown and I loooove it.</p>
<p>So with direct deposit you get any financial aid that is not “used” (by tution, fees, room, etc.) deposited into a bank account you provide, as well as any checks from any jobs you hold on campus? And another question, if you get extra financial aid from one of those independent grants or scholraship, we’re supposed to report it? What happens to the current financial aid you are recieving from the school? </p>
<p>I know they’re not the easiest questions, but I think they would be helpful to anyone applaying, or any first years?</p>
<p>I didn’t keep track of the numbers like I should have, but as far as I can tell when they processed my NMS, they took money out of my loan category, not the grants. So props to them cause I figured they were just going to save themselves money and lessen my grant amount.</p>
<p>This is a great thread! Thanks so much everyone :)</p>