GPA

"If I would have known then what I know now" is a phrase that is heard oh so often during the last few semesters. Most students don't know how one bad grade can damage their GPA and many more students have no idea how long it takes to raise a low GPA. Many things can happen during college life and some times we realize too late that we need a higher GPA to pursue graduate school or to even graduate. If you want to find out what it takes to raise your GPA check out the handy dandy tool provided by Back to College http://back2college.com/raisegpa.htm

Take it to the limit (but not over)

If you transferred to FIU from a 2 year college or from another university this is just for you. The maximum amount of credits that can be transferred over to FIU is 60 credits. If you want to take a class at another college or university or CLEP a language or class you can in order to fulfill your requirements but you will not receive any credits. For example you got your AA in Business at MDC and transferred over to FIU, now you are a Bio major and want to take Bio 1 and 2 at MDC, you can take those classes at MDC and it will show as if your requirement was met but those 6 credits will not transfer to FIU because you already transferred 60. I hope this helps you guys save some time and money!!

Picky Palate??

FIU has plenty of eateries to keep you full all semester, and enough variety to keep everyone happy. In the mood for a burger you can hop over to Burger King or Chick-fil-A, or if you want something refreshing you can grab a wrap or salad at Salad Creations or Moe's. Sushi Maki, Starbucks, Subway and Einstein Bros are some other big names that you can find on the main campus. There is also a Chili's and a buffet style cafeteria. Vegan or vegetarian? FIU also has vegan meals sold in the Graham Center and in the Green Library. Over at BBC you can find Moe's, Grille Works and Bleaker Street Cafe.

Be Smart!

If you are not to sure what you want to major in or what you want to do with your major, this is time to stop and think about what you are doing. Countless students reach their senior year only to find out that they need a graduate degree to pursue their career or that this is not the field that they are interested in. Getting your degree in ancient Babylonian makes you a genius but you won't find any work! Learning to blend something that you enjoy doing with a career that will make you financially stable is something most students don't think about until it's too late.

Too cool for school

Interested in taking some smoking hot classes this fall, but not sure what's actually available? FIU has a whole range of electives that will make all your friends jealous. You can rock out in the The History of The Beatles (MUH2730), learn to brew your own beer with Introduction to the Brewing Process (HFT3855 and HFT3855L) for this course lab and lecture must be taken together and students must be over 21. FIU also offers an array of wine courses (must be 21 to enroll) ranging from Introduction to Food and Wine Paring (HFT3871) to The History of Wine (HFT3873). Or you can get artistic with a ceramics course (ART2750C) or some classes in photography (PGY2110C) or (PGY2401C).

You did it!!

Congratulations to all those graduating next week. Whether you transferred from another school, were enrolled full-time or part-time, are getting your degree in nursing or business you deserve a round of applause. College is challenging and fun and I hope that your time at FIU was one that you will always remember. Some of you will be back in a few months to continue your education and others will start a new path in their lives, either way I hope your future is filled with joy, success and wisdom.

Finals

Midnight pizza run, bottomless cups of coffee and students on edge can only mean one thing...it's time for finals. Whether this is your first semester or last semester at FIU, it's always the same, too many exams and papers and too little time! If you can't study at home and everywhere else is kicking you out you can head on over to the Green Library, located on the main campus. Some nights during finals week the library is open till as late as 4 am, but make sure to get there early to secure a table or to reserve a room. If the library is too full or hectic for you to deal with head on over to the Graham Center (GC) which is a tad quieter.

Oh yeah and Good Luck on all your exams and papers!!