So you've been to Preview, learned the chomp, met advisers and heard a plethora of presentations. But as the euphoria of diving deeper into the Gator Nation wanes, there are things those who've crawled the swamps before you want you to know, like how to get the classes you want when 50,000 Gators are chomping for the same bite.
Each student gets an allotted time for registration based on credit hours earned, honors criteria, athletic schedules and other special needs, according to Mary Ann Hagler with the UF Registrar.
Registration can be a pain in the backside, said Casey Spears, a senior at UF, but if you know how to take advantage of it, ISIS can be a helpful tool.
"You can't have the perfect schedule," he said. "That's just impossible."
So when you're not first on the list to sign up for classes, a good plan is the most important part of scheduling your semester, Spears said.
If you take a little time to think about what you want to do at UF, he said, it's easier to get a good schedule each semester.
The other important thing is to watch ISIS like a hawk, he said. Students are constantly changing their schedules, especially at the beginning of each semester, and the class you really want can become available at any time.
Sara Drumm, a journalism student, said she thinks of herself as a bit of a control freak when it comes to planning her semester.
She makes an Excel spreadsheet with the days of the week at the top and the class periods offered on the side so she can have a visual of her schedule. Then she looks over the course descriptions listed on ISIS, takes a peek at the Rate My Professors website and matches the courses she's interested in with the professors who have the best reviews.
Don't freak out if you get into a class that you're not sure you'll enjoy, she said. That's what drop/add week is for.
"This is your time to explore and take what interests you," she said.
Another big part of registration is talking to advisers, said sophomore Ryan Blades.
"It seems really mechanical and impersonal, the whole online thing," he said. "But there's a lot of room to talk to people and get what you want."
Students also suggest befriending classmates with more credit hours and higher priority registration because they can register for the class you want and hold it until it's your time to register. It's akin to having someone hold a parking space for you until you arrive. When it's your turn to register, they just have to drop the course and it's available on ISIS for you to pick up.
