MDC

Once you are at a university it can feel like a step back heading to a community college, but don't be so quick to turn down MDC. MDC can be very beneficial to you during many points of your higher education life or even once you have graduated. If you are majoring in business or international relations and want to dab in foreign languages like Portuguese or Chinese MDC can offer you those classes at a cheaper rate but you also have the advantage that if you perform poorly in the course it will not effect your GPA. Community classes that can add to your major range from foreign language, business, computer classes and child care to classes you can take just for fun such as cooking, makeup, photography and jewelry design. MDC also offers prep courses for the SAT, CPT, GRE, and GMAT, although you will not get the one on one experience you would get with a private tutor it is much more affordable and the classes are relatively small (usually less than 10 students). MDC also has multiple campuses making a tad less hectic taking these classes, but make note that the large campuses tend to have the most classes. Visit their website for more information www.mdc.edu/ce

You've got mail

Checking your panthermail is the best way for FIU to communicate with you. Most of us already have personal emails as well as wok emails so checking yet another email can seem like a pain but it can be worth it. FIU sends bulk email about athletic events, campus events as well as information on your major. The most important thing is that financial aid and the bursars office will only contact you via your FIU email and it's usually important. If you are in danger of not getting aid because of various issues and you do not check your email your class may be dropped and you will not know. Also if you owe a fee to the school you may not be aware till it is too late and now you owe penalties as well. Panthermail is also a good way to learn about internships and jobs in your area of study!

Chit Chat

Making use of FIU's panther chat can save you a ton of "hold" time on the phone. Panther chat is available for undergraduate admissions, graduate admissions, financial aid, registration, technology services and housing. Although you will be waiting the same time as you would should you have called in, you don't need to be hanging off the phone (think of all those minutes saved). This is also helpful if you need to contact one of the above departments during work hours or while you are in another class and cannot be on the phone. Another great option for panther chat is that you can have the transcripts of the conversation sent to your email. Note that panther chat is only available during office hours, so no one will be able to help after 5 or 6 in most departments, and also note that if you use this option during peak times (registration at the beginning of a term) you will be on hold for a while. Well hope this can be helpful :)

Bonjour!

Language requirements can be a tad confusing for undergrads so here it is in a nutshell. FIU requires that you have competency in one foreign language, this can be fulfilled if you have taken 2 successive years of the same language in high school, or if you have have take 2 successive semesters of the same language in college (such as French 1 and 2) or if you have taken the CLEP (note that FIU only offers the CLEP in Spanish, French and German). The university is not looking for any credits, just competency, so if you have transferred the maximum amount of credits you can still CLEP a language. Now it is very important to note that each school has it's own language requirements that students must fulfill, such as the school of arts and sciences which requires you to have an additional language. Therefore if you took 2 years of French in high school it would fulfill the university requirement but if you are in the school of arts and sciences you will need an additional language. Remember to check with school umbrella that your major falls under so that you can have all your language requirements, because you may or may not need an additional language.

What if...

If after 2 years of business you decided that it wasn't for you, or if you took a class that changed your life or if you took a class in Biology and fell in love there are a few things you need to know about changing your major. Changing to a completely different major or changing to a major that you have no credits for will delay your graduation, sometimes by one class but most times by a few semesters. FIU now has a handy dandy tool that will help you decide if you want to change your major called a "what if report" (this can be found in myfiu.edu, under "academics", the second to last in the drop down menu). This can be a very useful tool and give you an overview of what you will be missing if you do decide to change your major.

No Parking

Parking at FIU sucks, that is the only thing I can say, but there are some ways to make it better. Getting to school earlier will not guarantee parking but will give you more time to work with when you have an exam. Classes are scheduled in time blocks, so knowing when the "time block" before your class is will be helpful because many students are leaving, giving you a better chance to find parking. Also don't limit yourself to the lots or garages nearest to your class, an extra 5 minute walk to your class may save you a 30 minute zig zag following people to their cars. The new PG5 (on 8st and 109 ave) has excellent parking, so does the lot near the gym (in the evening) and so is the lot near the frost museum. Also note that FIU will give you a ticket if you are parked without a decal or if you "created" a parking spot, but the first week of the semester they are pretty lenient. If you must park at the end of the world be sure to take a bottle of water so you don't pass out from the walk. Good luck and remember that parking at FIU will always be terrible so don't let it eat you up :)

But I need it

Is there a class that you need to have; maybe because you are a senior or because your work schedule will only allow you to take that 1 late class? Getting an override from your professor may not be the best route. Talking to your advisor may get you further than speaking with your professor, first because 20 other students are probably asking for that same override and second because your advisor can keep tabs on students dropping the class and in some cases they are also able to open a spot for you in the class. The best guarantee that you will get in a class is choosing your classes early and keeping an eye on your enrollment date (because they are not the same for everyone).