Academic Advising Center

Versión en español de Cuando Empiezan Las Clases

How do I access my online classes?

UF uses the Canvas platform for online classes. To access Canvas, go to https://elearning.ufl.edu/ or go to one.uf.edu -> Student Self-Service. Click on e-learning in the left-hand menu. Log in to e-learning (Canvas) and your courses should appear on your dashboard. For helpful hints, see .

How can I talk to an advisor about academic concerns or to make academic plans?

If you want comprehensive advising (e.g., review a grad plan, talk about potential majors or double majors/minors, study abroad, etc.), see an advisor after drop/add but within the first month to six weeks of classes. Demand for advising begins to grow as registration for the next term approaches and advisors will have less time as the semester goes on.

In addition, during busy times many college advising offices will adopt strategies that allow them to assist the greatest number of students – so after a certain point, they may see students on a walk-in basis only or appointments may book up quickly.

If you are unsure of where to receive advising, see the college advising contacts.

How do I know what grade I am earning in a class?

Grading in any class is determined by the professor. Review your syllabus as it will outline grading in detail. Ask the professor if anything is unclear, of if you want to be sure of your standing in the class.. Many classes are not on a 0-100 point system, so it’s important for you understand the grading system for each class. Once you have begun to earn grades in a class, questions for the professor are best addressed in office hours, where the discussion can be more private.

I’m not doing as well in my classes as I’d like, what can I do?

Many new students struggle in early in their academic career because they are in a new environment with different expectations. You may think you need tutoring when you actually need to enhance your study strategies—what worked in high school will NOT always work as well in college. Of course, tutoring may help as well—take advantage of all the resources available to you at UF.

Our “What You Can Do To Improve Your Academic Success”, “Free Resources for Academic Success”, and “Strategies for Success in Online Courses” pages offers recommendations and resources to help you improve your grades.

I’m having difficulty understanding my professor because he/she speaks with an accent. What can I do?

Throughout your life and future careers, you will likely encounter culture and language barriers and it is always a learning experience. Give yourself some time to adjust. If you are in a traditional class, sit at the front of the classroom so you can be focused on what the professor is saying. In an online class, eliminate all distractions (notifications, phone, etc.) so you can focus on the professor and their lecture. Eventually you usually will get an ‘ear’ for their accent and how they speak. You can raise your hand, private chat the professor in an online class, or meet with the professor one-on-one in office hours to clarify any information that may be unclear from lectures. If there are TAs for the course, you can also get assistance from them. You may also find it helpful to find a couple of classmates and form a study group to review the material. Several minds working together can help to clarify the material and improve everyone’s understanding of what is going on. At the end of the semester, there are also instructor evaluations that are highly valued and allow students to anonymously give feedback about instructors and courses.

I’m thinking of dropping a class (after drop/add), what do I need to consider?

When should you consider dropping? If you are passing the course with at least a C or better and can realistically maintain that grade at the end of the semester, it is generally not recommended you drop. Consider using all resources to help maintain or improve your current grade by meeting with the instructor, seeking tutoring or study skills assistance, etc. Generally, if you are earning less than a C in the class and cannot reasonably improve that grade by the end of the term, then you should consider dropping.

Talk to the instructor to make sure you accurately understand where you stand in the course. Then talk with your college/major advisor to determine the potential academic consequences of dropping the class. Dropping may be a better option than getting a D or failing, but you should understand the potential consequences either way. Also, you have a limited number of drops, and each college has policies about dropping, so consulting your advisor is key. Finally, if you receive any financial aid or scholarships, you should discuss with your Financial Aid counselor how dropping would impact your aid.

If your current situation is due to extenuating circumstances over which you had no control (e.g., serious medical illness or illness within the immediate family, recent death of immediate family member, family/personal crises), then you may be able to petition to have the drop considered a ‘medical drop’. See the Medical Petition Portal.

All students admitted to UF as freshmen may drop two courses in their first 60 hours attempted at UF, and two more in their second 60 hours attempted at UF. Attempted hours include all hours taken at UF, except dropped or withdrawn courses. Incoming credits (AP, IB, AICE, or dual enrollment) and transfer credits do not count toward the 60 hours. It’s not easy to determine hours attempted at UF, feel free to contact your advisor to see where you stand.

If you do not have drops left, then you will need to file a petition requesting an additional drop with your college’s advising office. Keep in mind petitions are not always approved, so you should continue to attend and do the work for the course. If denied, you should do your best to earn the highest grade possible.

Key points about dropping a class:

1. The deadline to drop a class shows in the Dates and Deadlines section of the Catalog.
2. Dropped courses appear on the transcript with a W, but do not calculate into the UFGPA. For students registered full-time (12+ credits), they are considered by UF as having attempted a full-time load, even if they drop a course.
3. Dropping a class can put you off-track for the major (though earning a D or E will usually do the same thing AND lower you GPA). You need to understand your individual situation, so meet with an advisor.
4. You should consult with Student Financial Affairs about how scholarships and financial aid are affected by a drop.

Students may also withdraw from all courses via a similar process with the same deadline and should absolutely speak with an advisor as well as Student Financial Affairs first.

How do I drop a class after drop/add?

Speak with an advisor and your financial aid counselor (if you receive aid) before dropping a class.

1. To drop, go to one.uf.edu, in left-hand menu, under Registration, click “After Deadline: Add/Drop Classes” in the left-hand navigation and follow the instructions.
2. Some colleges may require that you speak with an advisor prior to dropping a class.
3. Some colleges may accept in-person requests to drop a class. Please speak with an advisor in your college if you have questions.
4. Submit your request no later than the published deadline.

When is registration for next semester?

All students receive an email about one month into classes with information about registering for the next term. You’ll be directed to a section to the Action Items Summary in one.uf.edu, and are required to complete “Registration Preparation”. A hold links you to Reg Prep and shows your current major, your advising contact info, your degree audit, holds, and your registration start time. Go to Registration Prep as soon as you receive that email.

Students are assigned a registration start time by number of credits earned and applied to the degree, so students closer to graduation are more likely to get the courses they need to graduate. Students with disabilities, veterans, and other small groups of students who need priority register before seniors. Honors students are also able to register early for a limited number of credits – they will receive information from the Honors office.

What do I have to do before I can register for next semester?

1. You MUST clear any holds that start with the words “You may not register”. Some of these holds you can clear yourself (e.g., updating emergency contact info). Others will direct you to do something specifically – or contact an office (e.g., Admissions or Bursar). You should follow the instructions in the hold.
   
   The ONLY way for the Violence Prevention hold to be lifted is for you to complete that online program. Violence prevention education is an integral part of the culture of care at UF. The goal of the online program is to help students make healthy decisions and promote a positive and safe culture on and off-campus. This is a one-time hold applied to student’s records after they register for their first term. It is a requirement for all UF students.
   
   To learn more about this requirement visit: https://titleix.ufl.edu/training/student-training/violence-prevention-hold/. The program takes a while so complete it at least several days before registration begins.
2. You have a degree audit that should include any posted incoming credits as well as current courses and shows how those credits are applying to degree requirements. Degree audits are not hard to read, but they are not intuitive. It can help to go over them with an advisor (see “How can I talk to an advisor” above).
3. Finding seats in desired classes/sections can be challenging. You should identify lots of options—but also, if a class is closed in during advance registration, that doesn’t mean it won’t open up at the end of this term or the beginning of next. There are many schedule adjustments going on over those months, so keep checking!

Finals are coming up, how do I do my best on my final exams/assignments?

• Review the syllabus for each course a month before the end of term. What does it say about the content/form of the final exam or final project/paper? You should be clear on what the expectations are—is it a cumulative final exam, is it a project with several parts, etc.? If the instructor has mentioned/described the final in class and it does not match what is the syllabus, talk to the instructor ASAP to resolve this.
• Confirm the exam time/deadline for paper/project AND place (to take the exam or turn the paper/project in). Again, this should be in the syllabus, but confirm with the instructor (especially the place, since with large classes students may be spread around campus for the same exam). Every semester we have students who miss a final because of a time or place change (or because they wrote the info down wrong in the first place).
• Make a list of what needs to be done between now and the end of term. Prioritize the list by deadline date AND by value of the assignment toward the final grade in the course. This means consulting the grade information in each syllabus and reviewing it to be sure you are clear what weight is given to remaining assignments/exams/papers.
• Make an outline of the few weeks before finals and identify when you are going to do what. Be realistic. You should have some idea now about how long it might take to prepare for an exam in a certain class, or how much time drafting and editing a paper may take. Final exams/projects/papers may be longer than in-term assignments, if so, prepare to spend extra time.
• It’s important to build in breaks around once an hour and to include time to eat, move/exercise, and sleep. Taking a break improves brain function. Try not to get sucked into online distractions during breaks as that is less refreshing than moving. Eating well and movement contribute to optimal brain function as well as stress reduction. If you are not a gym rat, go for a long walk – without using a device – everyday. (But don’t leave valuables unattended in a public area; get someone to watch books and take phone/laptop with you.) Set an alarm on your phone so you get back to work after 10-15 minutes.
• Get a decent night’s sleep every night. Sleep is especially important for memory – some processing of information in the memory ONLY happens during sleep.

What should I know about final grades?

• You can view your final grades in one.uf.edu->Student Self-Service.
• Check your Gatorlink email periodically over break. Colleges/advisors will use email to contact students who need advice based on their final grades, especially if the student is now off-track. Reading these messages and following the instructions is likely to help you more quickly and simply resolve any issues.
• If you need advice before next term classes, see if your advising office is available during break.
• If you have not registered for next term classes, the deadline to do so is 5:00 pm, on the last business day before classes begin. Students who have no classes on their schedule at that point and then begin to add classes after 5:00 pm will be charged a $100 late registration fee.
• If you feel an assigned grade is erroneous, first contact the instructor and arrange a time to meet and discuss the situation. These discussions are best handled in person, not via email. Many faculty and graduate teaching assistants may be away during break, so you will likely not be able to arrange a meeting until the beginning of the next term. (Note: Being dissatisfied with a grade does not necessarily mean it is erroneous, students should consult their syllabus to see if the grade was assigned properly according to the course grading policy.)

My final grades are lower than I anticipated, what now?

• You may be disappointed to get your first B, first C (or lower) and also have dropped a course. Success can be defined in many ways – sometimes earning a C is worthy of a celebration because of the effort and grit it took to pull the grade up from a bad start.
• Maintain a sense of perspective if you haven’t earned the desired grades. The first year transition is a challenge for many students and rougher on some. This is the first of what for most students will be eight semesters at UF. So ultimately, your first few terms will play a smaller and smaller role in your overall academic record.
• If you feel you could have done better, focus on what you learned about yourself as a college student. Maybe you can identify right now mistakes made and create a plan to avoid them in the future. A plan is important – academic development should not be a New Year’s resolution, but something you follow up on day by day. If you are have trouble following through on changes, consider something like Gatorwell’s wellness coaching, which helps students develop an action plan and coaches them through it.
• If you don’t really know what you could have done differently to improve your grades, an academic advisor can probably help. In addition, taking advantage of all the resources available through UF’s Academic Resources (including Study Skills workshops, etc.) can also help. It’s important to start utilizing these resources at the beginning of the term.
• Most students learn how to be more effective each semester. They tend to figure out which study approaches work better for which classes, they get better at budgeting their time, they get better at recognizing early when a class is going to give them trouble, or even if they are perhaps pursuing a field that does not engage them or does not play to their strengths. See this semester as part of the process of you becoming a successful college student and, ultimately, graduate. You got into UF because you are smart and capable, you just have to be prepared to adapt and try new strategies and pathways in order to achieve success at UF.
• Finally, there will be a few students for whom the semester went very poorly. If your GPA is less than a 2.0 (C average) or you earned a C- or lower in any class, then you should be talking with an advisor before the break or at the very beginning of the next term. You really must have a plan to recover and improve next semester.