Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Scheduling an Appointment with Your Adviser

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appointment.jpgNow that the Drop/Add period is over, all Liberal Arts advisers are available for individual appointments, along with their scheduled walk-in hours. It is important that you see your adviser at least once per semester to check your progress and discuss your fall semester classes. However, if you have any other concerns or questions, you should make it a point to see your adviser as often as necessary, or just stop in to let us know how your semester is going. Due to high demand, adviser availability will be reduced as the semester progresses, so don’t wait until the last minute to schedule an appointment! The earlier in the semester you see your adviser, the higher the likelihood that you are prepared to schedule your classes when you are eligible. If you aren’t sure who your assigned adviser is, you can look it up on eLion under Adviser Information.  You can also find useful information about Liberal Arts advisers and their walk-in hours on Departmental websites and on the Appointment Scheduling System.

Scheduling Appointments
Follow the instructions below to schedule an appointment with your adviser:

  1. Go to the Appointment Scheduling System.  
  2. Click on “Appointments.”
  3. Register.

Your username and password for this website do not need to be the same as your Penn State account. Remember to write them down, as you will need them the next time you schedule an appointment.

You can also refer to this quick video tutorial to learn how to schedule an appointment with your adviser.

Appointments Versus Walk-In Advising
Appointments are meant for issues that you know will take longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Examples of topics that could be covered in an appointment include:

  • Change of major or concurrent major paperwork.
  • Long-range planning.
  • Study abroad plans.
  • Major/career exploration.
  • Class schedules for the upcoming semester.
  • Other topics that you want to discuss in detail and would like a designated time to do so.

A few important points:

  • Appointments are made in � hour blocks.
  • If you are assigned a specific adviser, you should schedule an appointment with that adviser.  
  • If you are considering changing your major or declaring a second major, you should schedule an appointment with an adviser in your area of interest.

To Email or Not to Email
There has been a significant increase in email interactions with students in the last few years. Below are a few guidelines to help you determine if email is the appropriate way to handle your concern.  Additionally, there are tips for you to follow should you determine that email correspondence is appropriate:

  • Send your email from your PSU account.
  • Include your name, a greeting, and your Penn State ID number.
  • Clearly outline the problem/question. Please do not use text message lingo; we can’t understand your emails if they include partial words. This is something you should get used to; your future employers will expect the same.
  • We are happy to answer quick questions via email. We cannot, however, replace an advising meeting with email correspondence. For example, discussing possible courses for the next semester is something that you should do in person rather than through email correspondence. If your question is too difficult to explain through email, or involves additional questions and an extensive reply, we’ll ask you to schedule an appointment. Please limit your emails. If you have several questions, email them all at once.

We’ll do our best to answer your questions as quickly as possible, but we might not be able to answer them on the same day, especially during peak advising times.  This is why it is important that you do not wait until the last minute to see your adviser.

Hopefully, your fall semester is off to a great start.  We look forward to working with you throughout the semester!

Welcome Back, Students!

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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.  

Fall 2012
Drop/Add Walk-in Hours
August 27 – September 5, 2012
8:30 am -11:30 am and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

**Please note that Wednesday, September 5, walk-in hours will not begin until 10:00 am. ***

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!

Advisers Welcome Back Students!

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Welcome Back! We are so happy to have you back on campus and are excited for the 2010-2011 academic year to start. We hope you are just as excited for the new opportunities that await you this year. Advisers are here to help you with your transition, whether that transition is from high school to college, another university to Penn State, another campus to University Park or just making that transition back into school from a great summer break. We hope to see you at least once during the fall semester to discuss your spring semester classes, but also hope you will come see us if you have any other questions or to let us know how the semester is going! During the first ten days of classes advisers will hold walk-in hours if you have concerns about your current schedule, would like to discuss dropping or adding a course, or have an issue that can’t wait. After the first ten days of classes you will be able to schedule an appointment with your adviser. If you aren’t sure who your assigned adviser is, you can look it up on eLion under Adviser Information, which will also give you our email address so that you can contact us. The Scheduling System, as well as department websites, also have good information on advisers, hours and ways to contact your adviser.
 
SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS:

You can schedule appointments and see our calendars by visiting the Liberal Arts Appointment Scheduling System.

  • Click on “Appointments”
  • Register

Your user name and password do not need to be the same as your Penn State Account. Remember to write down both, and keep them in a safe place for the next time you want to schedule an appointment.

APPOINTMENTS VERSUS WALK-INS:

Appointments are meant for issues that you know will take longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Examples of topics that could be covered in an appointment include:

  • Change of major or concurrent major paperwork
  • Long-range planning 
  • Study abroad plans 
  • Major/career exploration 
  • Class schedules for the upcoming semester 
  • Other topics that you want to discuss in detail and would like a designated time to do so

A few important points:

  • Appointments are made in 1/2 hour blocks.
  • If you are assigned a specific adviser, you must schedule an appointment with that adviser.

TO EMAIL, OR NOT TO EMAIL:

There has been a significant increase in e-mail interactions with students over the last few years. Below are a few guidelines to follow when you write an e-mail to one of us, and decide when you should:

  • Include your name, a greeting (ex. Hi Shery), and your ID number.
  • Please do not use text message lingo, we can’t understand your emails if they include partial words. This is something you should get used to, our future employers will expect the same. 
  • We are happy to answer quick questions via email. We will not, however, replace an advising meeting with e-mail correspondence. For example, discussing possible courses for the next semester is something that you should do in person, not through the computer. If we feel that something is too difficult to explain over the computer, or a reply would be too extensive, we’ll ask you to come in and speak to us personally. 
  • Please limit your e-mails. If you have several questions, e-mail them all at once. Avoid sending multiple e-mails on the same day.

We’ll do our best to answer your questions as quickly as possible, but we might not be able to answer them on the same day. We also do not answer e-mails during vacations, holidays, and on weekends.

Have a great first week of classes, we would love to hear about your summer and we look forward to working with you throughout the year!

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