With the start of classes just a week away, we’re all very excited for the beginning of the Fall 2012 semester.  Beginnings typically involve transitions, and advisers are ready to help, whether you’re transitioning from high school to college, another university to Penn State, another campus to University Park, or even if the transition involves adjusting back to your academic life after a great summer break.  We hope to see you at least once during the semester to discuss your current and future schedules, but we also encourage you to see us if you have other questions or concerns.  And, every so often, let us know how the semester is going for you; we’d like to know how you’re doing.  

The start of the semester marks the beginning of the Drop/Add period, which refers to the first ten days of the semester.  During this “crunch time,” all Liberal Arts advisers will hold standard walk-in hours Monday through Friday for students who have concerns about their current schedules or need to discuss an issue that is time-sensitive and needs immediate attention.  

If you need to see your adviser during the Drop/Add period and aren’t sure who your assigned adviser is, log into eLion and select “Adviser Information” from the menu on the left side of the screen.  You can also find out where your adviser’s office is located.

Please be assured that after the first ten days of classes, you will be able to schedule an appointment with your adviser.

So, what is the Drop/Add period?  You might wonder why it’s significant or what you can (or should) do during this time period.  Think back to when you put your fall schedule together–it was some time ago, right?  You probably made the best scheduling choices you could at the time based on your degree requirements, interests, and course availability.  The Drop/Add period gives you the opportunity to make changes to your schedule–in light of new information and new course openings– without any penalties.  You can use the Drop/Add period effectively by:

• attending all your scheduled classes to assess their goodness-of-fit for you and your learning style.
• reviewing the syllabus for each class to better understand the instructor’s expectations.
• evaluating the overall workload of the courses you’ve scheduled; you might view the combination of courses differently once you have more information about individual courses.
• paying attention to openings in courses that you wanted to add previously but which were full when you registered for classes.

It’s important to note that although there is no limit on how many changes you can make during the Drop/Add period, you should be mindful of how dropping courses may affect your financial aid.  With that in mind, please familiarize yourself with the Federal Student Assistance Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard.  

As you make changes to your schedule, you may be working quickly to adjust your schedule, so make sure you are dropping and adding the correct classes.  If you inadvertently drop a course, especially a popular course, the likelihood of re-adding it may be slim.
 
And–this is important–what happens after the Drop/Add period ends?  You should view your schedule as a fairly completed project at that point.  Any changes to your schedule after November 16 will involve a $6.00 fee, and dropping any courses will involve using your late-drop credits. 
 
We have also compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions that we often hear during the Drop/Add period.  We hope the responses to these questions might clarify a few of your own concerns. 

The Drop/Add period can be a bit stressful, and we hope to help you manage it as smoothly as possible.  Coming to see us during our walk-in hours is the best way to connect with us at this time.

Wishing you a safe, energizing, and successful semester!