Freshman FAQS

Advisors can vary depending on your college/major. It’s recommended you meet with your advisor once a semester. This is required if you are in the College of Engineering. You can discuss your 4-year plan, how to possibly change your major, how drop/add works, or how to apply to take transient classes.

Find advising contacts:

• For your specific college
• For Pre-Health
• For CALS (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
• For CLAS (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
• For College of Engineering
  • Note: Freshmen do have a specific first-year advisor based on your last name
  • You will also have a Canvas course which includes specific assignments (I.e. Resume, goals, 4-year plan, etc.) you should complete before your advising appointment every semester

Also, don’t forget to consult SASE members using #study-chat. In general, upperclassmen are great for advice since they have gone through your program themselves!

As a baseline, you can start off by making your schedule similar to the model semester plan listed for your major (I.e. the Industrial Engineering one looks like this).

ONE.UF is also useful to see your requirements.

• To see your major’s requirements listed in categories:
• Academics > Degree Audit
• You can see which classes your AP/IB/AICE credit has covered:
• Transcripts > Transfer Credit Report
• To explore the requirements of another major or see the requirements of a double major:
• Academics > Degree Shopping

Your college will offer different electives (technical, interdisciplinary, etc). These are usually listed on your respective college’s page. Also, if you have time, try to take classes outside of your major to gain perspective and develop interdisciplinary skills. Or just take a class for fun if you have the space for it.

If you're still confused about your requirements, you're not alone! You can reach out to both upperclassmen and your advisor.

Now that you have a basic understanding of your requirements from 1.2, you can start filling out your 4-year plan. Your 4-year plan is a document that lists out 8 semesters and the specific classes/credits you plan to take each semester. Don’t forget to keep track of required prereqs. Upperclassmen/mentors can help a lot, especially with professor recommendations and maintaining a balanced schedule.

Note that it is normal if your 4-year plan deviates a little from the model semester plan or changes a lot as you progress.

Here are some templates you can use:

• Engineering Academic Planner (Can be sued by other majors as well)
• Less congested general 4-year planner
• Simplest and great overall view 4-year planner

A few weeks out from registration, your registration date will be available on ONE.UF. Usually, upperclassmen get priority and get an earlier date.

On the date and time listed, your registration will open up. Beforehand be prepared with what classes you want to take. Reference your major requirements and 4-year plan for this. You can create a mock schedule using Coursicle or Registr-UF to work out the timings of your classes. Also, it's very important to include backups as some classes fill up fast.

If possible reach out to an upperclassman (or someone who has an earlier date than you) because they are able to access how many seats are left for a specific class/section starting from their registration date.

On the day of, log in at your given time (usually 9 AM or 2 PM) and select your classes relatively quickly. If you don’t get a class you need, don’t stress out yet. More seats may open later on (so keep checking). Also, schedules change a lot during add/drop week, so getting a seat then is another possibility. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to email an advisor/professor.

Actually, go to Office Hours! Going to your professor/TA’s office hours can save you a lot of time on your assignments. Also, professors sometimes share unique information about the class/exam during office hours. It’s a great chance to get to know your professor which is helpful for rec letters or other professional development opportunities.

In addition, there is free tutoring offered by CLAS for Chemistry 1/2, Physics 1/2, and various math classes (pre-calc to Calc 3). You can schedule an appointment or drop in to ask a question during the specified time.

You can use the #study-chat or reach out to people using the Class Connector (Fall 2023) as well.

You can print up to 250 pages for free at the Reitz Student Union (on the lowest floor). Also, Newell Hall has free printing.

Marston (sometimes LibWest) has a bunch of equipment/hardware you can rent for free. This is especially handy if you forgot your calculator for your macro exam (totally didn’t happen to me).

All sorts of things like tripods, GoPros, MacBook chargers, binoculars, Arduinos, Raspberry Pis, a Computer Mouse, DAD, drawing tablets, drill sets, extension cords, HDMI cables, headphones, laser presenters, projectors, sewing machines can be rented out.

Note these items can be rented anywhere from 3 hours to 7 days depending on the item.

Here’s the link.

It depends. Talk to people who have taken the class before to get more information.

Sometimes your assignments are embedded within the online textbooks, so in that case yes. Also, some textbooks can be found online. Sometimes, finding used textbooks on eBay or FB marketplace can be a cheap alternative too.

UF provides Office 365 and some OneDrive storage for free. Other software is discounted. For example, Adobe Creative Cloud is $65 for 6 months, and Grammarly Premium is $35.

Check it out here.

This is completely normal and happens to a lot of people. Talk to your advisor since they need to approve the switch. Also, try to talk to as many people as possible in both your current and exploratory major.

Check out this link, if you want to see some data based on major and career outcomes (median/average salary, internship percentage, etc.).

It depends on your vibe.

Transient credit is a great way to knock out some gen-ed requirements over the summer at your local Community College/ Florida university. Classes like Calc 2 or Physics 2 are commonly taken at CCs like Sante Fe/ Broward College, or Florida universities in your hometown (i.e. UNF in Jacksonville).

The transient credit does not count toward your overall UF GPA but does count toward your critical tracking GPA. Bright Futures also applies to these classes.

Get started at this link. After filling out the application, inform your advisor for their approval. After a couple more approvals, you will receive a login link from the other state college/university to register for classes.

Note, start this process relatively early in the Spring semester as seats do fill up for popular classes like Physics 2. Don’t forget to also send your transcript back to UF once the course is finished. Account for the time needed to send/process transcripts especially when taking prerequisite classes.