So, this is it. You’ve made your decision, and you are–officially–a Penn State student in the College of the Liberal Arts. Before anything else: CONGRATULATIONS! You are one of about 700 students in the College who are beginning what we hope will be an exciting academic, personal, and professional journey. Secondly: WELCOME! Right now–and from the moment you accepted your offer of admission–we consider you to be a member of the Liberal Arts community. We’re happy to have you here, and we’re ready to help you get off to a successful start.
The College of the Liberal Arts is big. Of the eleven academic Colleges at Penn State (Engineering, Business, Science, Education, Arts and Architecture, Health and Human Development, Agriculture, Communications, Information Science and Technology), Liberal Arts is the 2nd largest behind Engineering. But we pride ourselves on–and celebrate the fact that–Liberal Arts “feels” like a small College. Most of our majors are small, and many of the courses we offer are small, too, with 30 students or less. That student to faculty ratio translates into lots of opportunities to interact with faculty in class, to do research with faculty, to travel with faculty as a component of a particular class, and–very importantly–to see them during office hours.
But even before you attend your very first class and meet your professor, there are steps you can take to become a connected, informed, and prepared Liberal Arts student.
Be curious. Find out what’s going on in the College and on campus by joining and following us online:
Twitter: @LAUSDeanLong, @AdvisingLAatPSU, @LAUSatPSU, @psulauc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LAUSatPSU
Career Enrichment Network: https://www.facebook.com/LANetworkatPSU?fref=ts
Bookmark important websites: Here are a few you can start with now–the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies home-page, the Career Enrichment Network website, the Paterno Fellows website–along with a few other helpful websites.
⢠laus.psu.edu
⢠laus.psu.edu/network
⢠laus.la.psu.edu/current-students/paterno-fellows
⢠http://laus.la.psu.edu/current-students/advising/advisers-by-major
⢠http://laus.la.psu.edu/current-students/academics/academic-policies-and-procedures
Remember what you learned at NSO. Become well-acquainted with eLion, the Schedule of Courses, and the Welcome Week Schedule (http://orientation.psu.edu/welcomeweek). The first ten days of the semester are designated as the “Drop/Add” period. You might want to adjust your initial class schedule then–and you learned how to do that in your first scheduling appointment during Orientation. Remember that you can revisit the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Advising Video Library to review how to schedule an appointment with an adviser and how to schedule courses (http://laus.la.psu.edu/current-students/advising/video-library).
Become familiar with the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network (CEN). Students often wait to take advantage of this important office until they are approaching their senior year. That’s a mistake you’ll want to avoid. Connecting with the CEN should be part of your Liberal Arts experience from Day One. In fact, you could have a look at the services it provides right now (laus.psu.edu/network).
Come to the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (LAUC) Pizza Party on Sunday, August 25.
The members of this group are very engaged Liberal Arts students, so they are an excellent source of information and support for new students. You’ll meet nice, approachable people who were in your shoes not long ago, and they want to help you feel comfortable. And, you might like them so much that you’ll consider joining this organization.
Know who your adviser is. You can find the name and contact information of your adviser on eLion. You can also learn the names and locations of other advisers in the College of the Liberal Arts here (http://laus.la.psu.edu/current-students/advising/advisers-by-major) if you are exploring other majors and minors. Establishing a working relationship with advisers early on will make it much easier for you to access resources and assistance when a need arises.
Meet with your adviser. During the drop/add period (the first ten days of the semester), all Liberal Arts advisers offer 15-minute walk-ins. Afterwards, however, you can make an appointment with your adviser and find out when his or her regular walk-ins are by using this website: http://www.la.psu.edu/advising-appt/.
Pay attention to invitations to group advising sessions. Many Liberal Arts advisers coordinate group advising sessions for first year students. Chances are, your questions will be very similar to those of other first-year students, and group advising sessions allow you to obtain foundational details early. Then, your one-on-one interaction with your adviser during appointments can be tailored more toward your specific goals and plans.
And, practice this any chance you get: We ARE . . . Penn State!