 Welcome to the North Carolina School of Science and Math. I'm Amy Scheck, I'm the Dean of Science of the Science Department here at NCSSM. Welcome and congratulations on being accepted to NCSSM. You are embarking on an exciting educational journey. I look forward to providing you with the highest quality science education in the world. While you're here at Science and Math, you'll take courses in biology, chemistry, and physics. And there are lots of choices. You are required to take one course in biology, of course you could take more. You're required to take two terms each of chemistry and physics, and of course you can take more. And in chemistry and physics, you'll be placed in a core and your second term of chemistry and physics will be an elective course of your choice. Plan ahead to meet the prereqs for advanced classes. It's important in your mind to have a priority science, a science that you want to optimize. You can optimize all three, but if one of these sciences is your favorite, plan ahead to meet the prereqs so that you can take more advanced electives. And know that at Science and Math there's more courses than you can possibly take. We have so many offerings here. So let's look at biology to start. There's lots of choices in biology. Only one term is required, but of course you can take more. So for example, you could take classical genetics. You could take developmental biology. You could take ecology, sports kinesiology. Any of those courses will satisfy your graduation requirement. On the other hand, if you want to take a course that has a prereq like on the top right, it might be hard to see. If you want to take population genetics, make sure you've also taken either classical genetics or molecular genetics so you have met the prereq for that advanced class. You'll notice on the bottom, we have a research class called Arbio. That is research in biology. This course is by application in the fall of your junior year, and it starts in the winter of your junior year during January term. It wraps around and finishes in the fall of your senior year. This is a course for students who want to dedicate a lot of time to doing an independent research project. We have similar courses in chemistry, in physics, and in computational science. Let's look at physics. Let's say your place into physics core mechanics. You complete that term, and then for your second term, you have some choices. You could continue with physics core ENM, which will give you the most comprehensive content coverage in physics. Or you can choose a different elective. You could choose waves and optics. You could choose computational physics or astrophysics. Any of those courses will satisfy your graduation requirement in physics. Let's say you want to take an advanced elective, like modern physics or quantum mechanics. Plan ahead. You'll need to satisfy the pre-rex in order to take those courses. Let's say you're placed into physics core mechanics, math intensive. In this case, you finish your first term. And then again, you have a lot of elective choices. You might choose to continue with physics core ENM, math intensive. Again, that's the most comprehensive content coverage. Or take one of those other electives, waves and optics, and so on. Plan ahead for those advanced electives, like modern physics. Some of you might have already had physics. In that case, you might qualify for a modified exemption of mechanics. Read the course catalog introduction and the physics FAQs to get more information about that. You also might qualify for AP Physics C. Again, read the course catalog introduction. Let's look at chemistry. Tons of courses in chemistry. Let's say you're placed into chemistry core atoms. Take your first term. For your second term, you have a lot of elective choices. You might choose to continue with chemistry core reactions, or you could choose polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, environmental chemistry. These are courses unheard of in high school, but they are available to you. Any of those courses will meet the graduation requirement. If you want to take the AP Chemistry exam, plan to take the January term bridge course, which will prepare you to enroll in AP Chemistry 2 kinetics. And finally, let's say you're placed into AP Chemistry 1 atoms and molecules. For your second term, you have elective choices. You may continue with AP Chemistry 2 or those other electives. Students who have already had chemistry may qualify for a modified exemption, in which case you could start in AP Chem 2 kinetics and energy, or chemistry core reactions and energy. Plan ahead for those advanced courses with prerequisites. If you want to take analytical, matchem, chemical engineering, make sure you need the prerequisites. Welcome to NCSSM, and congratulations again on being accepted. The world needs scientists now more than ever. No matter which science courses you take at NCSSM, you will get a great education.