The upcoming Spring semester registration will feature a new option to make it easier for students to register for their classes.
UF will add an “Add to Wait list” button to its ONE.UF course registration page for next semester. Students will have the option to add themselves to a list that reserves spots for full classes. As students drop the class, those on the waitlist will have the option to enroll in the course.
The waitlist feature will start as soon as enrollment opens for next semester, on Oct. 25, or Oct. 19 for Honors students, and will continue until the last day of the drop/add period on Jan. 11. Only certain departments will enable the waitlist option for their courses. It is unclear as of Oct. 10 which departments will offer it.
As soon as a spot opens up, students have a limited time to accept their seat, otherwise they will be removed from the waitlist. From Oct. 25 to Dec. 27, students will have 24 hours to accept. From Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, students will have 12 hours to accept. During the drop/add period, Jan. 5 to Jan. 11, students will have just four hours to officially enroll in the course.
The new feature is a welcomed change for students like Adriana LaVopa, an 18-year-old materials science and engineering freshman, who had trouble finding open seats for her desired class in August.
She checked the openings during drop/add week — once in the morning and once at night — but she never saw a seat open up for a Secrets of Alchemy course she was interested in.
“I feel like that's a thing that should have been always in place,” LaVopa said.
She said if she can’t get the classes she wants for the Spring, she will use the new waitlist feature.
To successfully enroll in a waitlist, and to register for classes, students have to clear any holds on their account and meet class prerequisites. After enrolling, students receive notifications about their waitlist status via their phone number or UF email.
“During drop/add period a lot of people drop the class and then there's open spots in the class but you don't really know about it,” Andy Rodriguez, 18-year-old biochemistry freshman, said. “The hardest part is finding the right period because they fill up pretty fast.”
After students accept their spot, they will be dropped from any other waitlists for other sections in the same course.
However, waitlists can fill up and will show up as “Full” on the waitlist button.
Students can monitor their waitlist status on ONE.UF, in a new “Wait-Listed Classes” section under the “My Schedule” tab.
Contact Max Taylor at mtaylor@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @MTaylor_Journ.
Max is a first year journalism major. In the past, she worked as the Editor-in-Chief of her high school's yearbook, and she is now a News Desk Assistant for The Alligator. When she isn't reporting, Max enjoys reading and rock music.
