Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Nov. 11-17, 2012



Well, it seems to be that time again, the one that makes every student on this campus just a little bit crazier. And no, I’m not just referring to Homecoming Week.  Sure, we are all quite prideful, who wouldn’t be as a UF student?  There’s a pride at this school unlike any other, and I call it tradition.

      What I’m referring to isn’t the typical game day crowd or spirited outfits, but rather the race to register for classes.  As a senior at the University of Florida, I have had my fair share of struggles with this process for three years now.  For that reason, I have some tips for the average student trying to get their schedule down just right.

  • Plan your schedule ahead of time.You need to know exactly which classes you want to register for before your registration time even begins.  This will make the process less stressful and much faster. Oh, and if you don’t know how to see your register time, just go on your ISIS, and attempt to register for spring/fall classes now. It will tell you.  I recently had to explain this to a freshman so don’t you worry, if you don’t know, then ask!
  • Be flexible! Suggested courses and critical tracking are just that: suggested for that semester.  Yes, you have to take them, but if for some reason your schedule isn’t working out then talk to your adviser. You may be able to switch things around. 
  •   Some courses are departmentally controlled. I wish someone had told me this when I first came to UF.  My entire time here, I have wanted to take Intercultural Communication as a diversity credit.  My minor is agricultural communications.  Guess what?  All of these classes are departmentally controlled.  Up until a semester ago I thought they simply weren’t offered that I would have to lose my major.  Finally, I emailed someone in the department and asked why I couldn’t view any of the classes.  After my email was bounced around from person to person, someone finally told me that I needed to be placed in these classes, which of course, were all full at this point.  Isn’t that just wonderful?  Well, at least now I know who to email to get placed into my classes.

Choosing your classes can be a little stressful, especially when you aren’t sure what to do with your life.  When I changed my major, mid-sophomore year, I just like the idea of it.  I didn’t quite know what to do, but still had to pick my classes.  It not an easy task to do when you have so many courses offered in your major.  The way major works, I only have 5 required courses.  Beyond those five I have to plan out my degree program based on my interests.  As you can imagine, when I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I couldn’t choose my classes.   

However, thankfully after speaking with my advisors and taking advantage of the resources that UF offers for career planning they helped me merge my loves of Spanish, Forestry, and Communications into a career path that fits me.  

After all, isn’t that what college is all about- discovering yourself and who you want to be?  So even though people get a little crazy and I see about 5 Facebook messages a day asking people to hold classes for them, this time of year is one of my favorites.   It’s this time each year when students are right in the midst of finding themselves ay my favorite school in the southeast!

Go gators!
Michele Goodfellow

Michele Goodfellow
Class: Senior
Hometown: DeLand, Florida
Major: Natural Resource Conservation and Spanish
Minor: Agricultural Communications
Involvement: Collegiate FFA Secretary, Sigma Kappa Sorority, Society of American Foresters Chairwoman, Forestry Club
Hobbies: Reading, Travelling, Water Sports
After College: Plans to teach English in Latin America for a year before returning to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Communication Studies or Leadership

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