Welcome to Paradise as an FAU Owl Class of 2024! Now that you are accepted, you can now take that sigh of relief that a decision has been made and then take a look at our list of what to do next. First, this may sound silly, but check your admissions letter for accuracy regarding their name, entrance term, address and major. If any changes need to be made it needs to happen in writing or online at myfau.

When you applied, you would have gotten an ID number, or at FAU they are referred to as a Z-number. It can be found on your application status page. Save this number, you’ll use it for the next four years. When you were accepted, you received a computer account, or FAU Net ID, which can be found on your acceptance letter. This Net ID will be your username to access the MYFAU website. MYFAU is the main website you’ll use as a student to access everything from class information to tickets for football games. This NetID will also become your email address. With this NetID, you’ll be able to access the Owldone online resource, which is where you’ll complete each of the next steps.

You are going to want to get that $200 non-refundable deposit and form in by May 1 for summer and fall semesters and September 22 for the spring semester. Without the deposit, they won’t be able to register for the mandatory orientation, etc… This can also be done through the Owldone portal.

Then get that immunizations form completed and sent in. Registration cannot happen without this. You can download the form here.  By the way, while you are on the health services page, take note of all the amazing services they offer students. At FAU, it is not a requirement that every student has insurance. Students, regardless of their coverage, can access all of the services and programs that student health services have to offer. More information about student health services can be found here.

Be sure to confirm the following:

• Your residency status for tuition purposes
• That your student has signed up for Bright Futures
• Arranged for any final transcripts and scores (AP, IB, AICE, CLEP, and transfer credits) to be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions
• Your Florida Prepaid program if you have one (You will need to be familiar with what you paid for with Florida Prepaid as it may only cover certain fees or dorms – although it does not preclude your student from living in certain dorms; they may just have to pay any overage fees.)
• Finally, if you have not already done so, get that FAFSA form started.

Check out the housing information. There are many options at FAU both on and off-campus. If living in a particular dorm or having a single dorm is very important to your student, don’t wait too long to send a deposit and apply for housing.

Finally, check for any holds on your student’s account. It could be the simplest thing, but there is nothing worse than going to register for classes and not being able to because of a simple thing that could have been fixed earlier. This includes making certain that a final transcript from high school (other colleges if transferring) has made its way to the FAU Office of Admissions. This must get to them in a sealed envelope. Your student and you will receive Orientation information from the Office of New Student Orientation. This is a mandatory two-day event for your student and yourself.

Check out our blogs on Housing, Meal Plans, and Orientation for many more helpful details.

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Finding the ideal roommate(s) can be tough and a hassle. I’m here to tell you a couple of ways to make that process easier. Being an incoming freshman is a stressful time with a lot of different things to worry about. While you might find yourself scrambling to get everything done, you do not want to rush picking your future roommate.

One easy way to find a lot of different possible roommate options is to join the official class page for your graduation year. For example, I joined the FAU Official Class of 2020 page on Facebook. The Facebook page is a great way to find people that you gel with. Once on the page, I uploaded a couple of my favorite pictures of myself, and a short description of me and what I was looking for in a roommate. This is a great way to find someone who has similar interests as you, as they will then like or comment on your post if they think they would be a good fit as your roommate. I also recommend you do the same, and browse the page looking through other posts as you may stumble upon someone you like that you already know, or someone new! Some of my friends have met their best friends (that they are still friends with) from making a post in the Facebook class page, starting up a conversation, and then becoming roommates.

Another great way to find a roommate is from mutual friends. You would be surprised what a small world it is. While I did not personally find my roommate this way, many of my friends did. A good way to do this is to reach out to your friends and ask if they know anybody who is going to FAU. They could have friends from their high schools going there, family members, or camp friends who are going to FAU or know someone who is going. The great thing about finding a roommate this way is that you know they will be a good fit. If your future roommate is friends with one of your friends, you know they will be an awesome match because you mesh well with the same people.

In addition, if you want to try something exciting and spontaneous, you could do a random roommate. For as many people who have horror stories of their random freshman year roommate, there are the same amount of people who turned out to have a great experience. Sometimes people create the best memories with someone they barely know. While it is a risk, it could turn out to be the best leap of faith you ever took. Besides, college is the time to try new things and step out of your comfort zone, why not start off with a random roommate?

I am a sophomore transfer student at FAU, so while I didn’t do a random roommate for my freshman year, when I moved into Upark this year I got three random roommates. Upark has you take a personality test with questions about yourself and your habits. While we all aren’t necessarily friends, we coexist well and I enjoy living with them. Sometimes we have our differences, but they always get worked out quickly. Next year I am getting three new random roommates, and I am looking forward to the experience.

Overall, my advice to you is to describe what you are actually interested in and your priorities, that way you can find someone most suitable for you, not the façade you put on. You can tell a lot about a person by who they surround themselves with, and what is important to them in their lives, so keep that in mind when you’re lurking their social media. And finally, don’t stress too much about the process, even the “perfect” roommate has their faults, living with someone new in a dorm is an adjustment period for everyone.

I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor. Happy roommate hunting!

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College grading systems can be especially confusing when coming straight from high school. The biggest difference between the public school and college grading scale is the plus/minus addition to the traditional As and Bs.

At FAU, the plus/minus grading scale adds weight to the letter grade. For example, the difference between an A- and an A is 0.33 points (see FAU grading scale). In order to get an A and not an A-, you need to achieve a grade of 93 or higher. An A- is within the range of a 90 to a 92.5. Most teachers will be nice enough to round your 92.5 or above to a 93, which would give you the complete A. Many students complain about this system and the way it works considering an A- is a 3.7 to your GPA, while an A is a full 4.0.

Many students, including myself, feel that the A- is not an achievement, but rather a punishment, as we came so close to getting an A and now our GPA’s are not going to go up as much as they could have with a 4.0. One of the main problems is that a 3.7 added to your GPA versus a 4.0 creates a big difference in the averages. Many feel that since we were above a 90, that in itself deserves a solid A. I believe the A- is discouraging to students because there is not a big incentive, versus the way a 4.0 incentivize students to keep working hard.

Though the popular saying is “C’s get degrees”, the type of C received will determine if a student receives the degree of their choice. To see your specific degree program requirements, see the FAU website. When it comes to graduating with honors, getting an A or A- may mean the difference between graduating Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude. FAU recognizes superior academic performance by granting baccalaureate degrees of distinction to undergraduates who have earned at least 45 credits at FAU as follows:

• Cum Laude for an FAU average of 3.50
• Magna Cum Laude for an FAU average of 3.70
• Summa Cum Laude for an FAU average of 3.90

The +/- system can have a lot of negative impacts on your GPA, especially if you are looking to go to grad school. To calculate your GPA, check out FAU’s GPA Calculator.

Sabrina Kaplan, FAU Intern, HaveUHeard

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When we pick what college we want to go to our senior year of high school, we always believe that it is going to work out and be the perfect fit. While that turns out to be true for some people, it is not always the case. In fact, the transfer situation is a lot more common than you might think.

I went to the University of California Berkeley for my freshman year of college. I was recruited to play D1 lacrosse on the women’s team, which was an amazing experience. At the end of my freshman year, I got a career-ending injury. Since I was born and raised in South Florida, I decided it made the most sense to recover from my injury back home. When I was in Florida, I knew that this was the place I was supposed to be.

My sophomore year of college was my first year at FAU. For the fall semester, I lived at home in Parkland and commuted to my classes. I was not able to find FAU housing before the semester began, but honestly, I did not really look that hard either. In my honest opinion, commuting is terrible. There is traffic every day, and I had to leave so much earlier before my class actually started. I felt like I was always wasting time and not being productive because I was driving so much.

Transfer Story

I also found it was really difficult to meet people and make friends besides meeting people in the class. Everyone at FAU is super friendly, which is awesome because I was able to make a lot of friends just by sitting next to them and striking up a conversation. Besides in class, I found that being a commuter was pretty anti-social. Sororities aren’t my thing, and I didn’t really feel like joining a club just to make new friends. While it was really nice to live at home with my parents and have a great support system, I didn’t want to commute anymore; I wanted to be an adult living on my own, and have a real college experience.

In late December, I moved to Upark for the start of the Spring semester. I picked random roommates based on a personality test that Upark has you fill out. I was pretty nervous considering random roommates are a huge risk, but luckily mine aren’t bad at all. We don’t all hang out, but we are friendly and coexisting is very easy between us. I love living off-campus because it’s very close to the beach, close to classes and places to eat, and very social. Upark always has something going on, and when I moved in, I instantly made friends with my neighbors and the people who lived there. The pool and turf area are really cool places where people are always hanging out. I have a service puppy, and she loves Upark too! A lot of other people at Upark have dogs as well, which is really nice for the dogs because they can run around and have friends too.

Overall, my transfer experience to FAU has been smooth. Not to sound corny, but I know FAU is really the school I was meant to go to all along. It has something for everybody and has a very welcoming atmosphere. The faculty, teachers, and facilities are super helpful as well. I definitely take advantage of the free tutoring and workout services that the school provides. I would say that FAU is an easy school to transfer to, as they receive a lot of transfer students and have made the process as easy as possible for students.
My recommendation to anyone transferring would be to embrace the uncertainty of the process. I can’t imagine going to any school other than FAU and am so happy I took advantage of the transfer process and ended up where I am. Transferring can be a hard experience, but if you go into it with an open mind and a positive attitude, it can be much easier than you would think.

I would definitely recommend getting involved on campus in some way or another. Whether it be with a sorority or fraternity, a club, or intramural sports, there are tons of options and different ways to meet people on campus. Check out our blog on Getting Involved. Getting involved will also look good on your resume when you go to apply for internships or a job upon graduating. All you have to do is put yourself out there!

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Some students leave for college unsure of what to find and realize when they get there it is not the place for them. Perhaps too they never actually went away but had been living at home for college and are now ready to go away.  If transferring to FAU and becoming an Owl is something your student is considering, they can start by checking out the requirements here.

Please note that applicants with less than 30 credit hours must meet both the transfer student and freshman applicant requirements. If students are transferring with more than 60 credits or with an Associate degree, they must have earned the degree at a Public Florida Institution and have completed the State of Florida’s foreign language requirement. There may be additional requirements based on the majors or programs to which they are applying.

The application fee for FAU transfer students is $30, nonrefundable. For fall acceptance, the deadline is July 1, 2018.

Transfer students must attend a one-day transfer preview program that covers all the information a new student will need to have a successful start at FAU. This one-day session goes from 8:15 a.m. until approximately 5:00 p.m. Click here for additional information.

Once your student has made the transfer to FAU, Owls that previously transferred to FAU recommend getting involved instantly by joining clubs and attending events and before they know it, they will feel like they have been Owls all along. Start where you are and become an Owl if that is your destiny.

HaveUHeard offers real information like this to help you have the best college experience possible. We glean great tips from our own experience and the experience of real parents and students from the schools we present. Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram,  Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource here. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.

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