Student Success Plan
The Undergraduate Program Office is here to assist with academic advising and scheduling needs. A large portion of being a successful student starts with you. There are many things you can do to ensure academic success. We want to share some strategies with you:
- Create an academic plan. Outlining all of your courses until you graduate is a great way to ensure you will graduate on time and eliminate unnecessary stress on yourself when it’s time to schedule for the next semester’s courses. Suggested academic plans and flowcharts are available online. You may need to shuffle courses around depending on availability at the time you register. Please remember we strictly enforce course prerequisites.
- Check your degree audit every semester after scheduling your courses to ensure degree requirements are being met. For example, the degree audit system does not recognize every course that satisfies the Engineering Technical Elective or the General Technical Elective. Courses outside the major must be moved manually and will require you to submit a course substitution request at https://coursesub.psu.edu.
- Meet with a curriculum adviser once a semester.
- Be aware of University deadlines i.e., drop/add, late drop, withdrawal.
- Go to class.
- Work hard and ask questions. If you’re having trouble understanding the material, chances are pretty good there’s at least one other student in class struggling.
- Visit professors and TAs during office hours.
- Make friends in your major.
- Get involved in student groups such as the American Nuclear Society.
- Develop good time management skills.
- Communicate: Today’s society expects issues to be resolved quickly but that’s not always the case. Not every problem can be solved by an email. Make a phone call or stop by in person to talk about the issue. Be proactive!
- Express appreciation: Thank your professors, TAs, staff, and friends who are helping you on your journey.
- Obtaining your degree is not difficult to achieve if you put in the time and work required. Hit the books early and often. Familiarize yourself with course requirements and do your best to stay on track.
Things you should know:
- Academic advising is provided by the Undergraduate Program Office in 113A Hallowell Building. Walk in or email Beth Huber at bah41@psu.edu to schedule an appointment.
- Professional career advising is provided by your assigned faculty adviser listed in your LionPATH student center.
- Degree audit issues? Contact Beth Huber at bah41@psu.edu.
