Tim Fucci
Staff Writer
Think of it as your personal academic and administrative Facebook. Gaucho On-Line Data, otherwise known as GOLD, is your online portal to search, add and drop courses, review your academic progress and to order transcripts.
To log into GOLD, visit ucsb.edu, and select ‘Current Student’ on the left-hand menu. ‘GOLD System’ will be available on this page at the top of the middle column and after clicking it you will be prompted to the sign in page. You will be asked to enter your UCSB Net ID and password, which are the same as your Umail ID and password.
Once logged in, use the menu to the left to guide yourself through the system. One of the most important elements of GOLD is the ability to search for, enroll in, and drop courses. To search for courses, select ‘Find Courses’ on the left menu. You will then be asked which quarter and what subject area you wish to search in. To find courses with specific parameters – like courses offered on certain days or times – or to find courses in particular departments and at different course levels, use the advanced search option.
You will be taken to a page that has all courses offered during that particular quarter for that particular subject. Scrolling through this page will allow you to search what times lectures and discussion sections or labs are offered in that quarter. For a brief description of the course and textbook information, you can select ‘course Info’ next to the name of the course. If you find a lecture and discussion section or lab that you wish to enroll in, simply click ‘Add’.
“Make sure you check pre-requisites for the class so you don’t waste your time trying to get into a class you aren’t qualified for,” said Jill Matson, third-year business economics major.
To confirm that you have been enrolled in the course, click ‘My Class Schedule’ at the top of the left hand menu. This page will show all courses you have enrolled in, and it is on this page that you can drop enrolled courses, or switch discussion sections. The bottom of the page provides information about final examination dates.
“Check the weekly view schedule to make sure your classes aren’t conflicting,” suggested Matson.
Keep in mind your enrollment dates. If you are not in your enrollment pass time, you will not be able to enroll in any courses, but you still can search for courses available and enrollment size. This can be found under ‘Registration Info’ on the menu to the left side.
“Get on there at the earliest time of your registration date so you can get into the classes you want,” said Kari Opalk, fourth-year physical geography major. “And set up your schedule before your registration time and be prepared if you don’t get into a class you want.”
If you don’t get into a class you want or need, do not become discouraged.
“Some classes have waitlists,” said Jane Kim, third-year sociology major. “There are three different ways to get on a waitlist for certain classes. One is actually to use the UCSB waitlist (www.waitlist.ucsb.edu). Or you could try to email the professor beforehand and see if they even do have a waitlist. Also, some professors have a waitlist on their own personal website. You need to do a little research but it’s worth it if you want to get in your classes in the end.”
On GOLD you can also view your past grades and academic progress. Selecting ‘Grades’ will allow you to view all your coursework and grades during your time at UCSB. For new students, only the courses you have enrolled in for Fall quarter 2011 will be viewable.
To ensure that you are completing all your general education and degree requirements, click ‘Academic History’ on the left menu. This page allows you to set up your new student profile, which should be done sooner than later. The academic history page is essentially a database of all your academic work during your tenure at UCSB.
GOLD allows completing other tasks like ordering transcripts too. To order an official hard-copy transcript, select ‘Official Transcript’ on the left menu. Official transcripts are sent through the mail at a cost of $15 dollars per order.
GOLD may seem a bit daunting and confusing at first, but by maneuvering through and playing with the website, the basics of the system can be learned very quickly. Good luck, Gauchos!