This post is about Academic Reviews, and the College of the Liberal Arts professional academic advising staff wants you to watch for yours – coming to your PSU email inbox this summer and every summer!
Each summer as a current or incoming transfer or change of campus student in the College of the Liberal Arts you should receive an email from your academic adviser with this subject line, “eLion Academic Review: [your name here].” If you are a graduating senior or had a difficult semester, you might also receive one over the winter break, checking in on your progress and requesting that you check back in with us sooner rather than later.
As academic advisers, we know our students sometimes suffer from information overload, particularly in the form of emails. But this is one of many important emails you should not ignore. We will say it until we are blue in the face: we hope you come see us at least once each semester so we can chat about your current semester, the upcoming semester, curricular and vocational goals, and any other questions you may have about making the most of your time here at Penn State. As President Eric Barron might say, don’t drive this sports car of an education only 20 miles per hour while you’re in the drivers’ seat! And your “driving lessons” can happen in those half hour appointments with advisers in your majors and minors of interest.
Other than appointments with your academic adviser, this one email, if you still haven’t reviewed your upcoming semester schedule with your academic adviser or have made changes to it since meeting with an adviser, is an opportunity to learn if you are making progress through your degree program(s), should make some adjustments to your schedule, or need to contact an academic adviser as soon as possible. If you are a College of the Liberal Arts undergraduate student, you are guaranteed to receive this one email over the summer. Please pay attention to it!
If you are new to University Park or Penn State, entering your seventh or eighth semester, or have had one or few tough semesters, you will receive this eLion academic review email in the first few weeks of the summer term. Open it. Consider the advice. Savor the messages that say, “Your educational plans and academic record look fine. You may wait until later in the semester to meet with me.” And actually meet with your adviser no matter how great or trying of a semester you’ve just had.
We’ll see you soon!
Shannon Telenko, speaking for all professional academic advisers in the College of the Liberal Arts, is an academic adviser in the psychology department.