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Pre-Orientation Advice for New Students

Welcome to PSU!

Congratulations on your acceptance to PSU. As a student who is new to PSU, you probably have lots of questions about what classes to take, how to register, how to decipher your transfer evaluation (if you are a transfer student), and what services you will find on campus.

PSU requires all new students (both freshmen and transfers) attend an Orientation: Advising & Registration session, a program designed to assure that all new students:

  • obtain a thorough explanation of PSU's graduation requirements
  • receive free copies of the PSU Bulletin (also called the catalog), the Registration Guide, and the Student Handbook
  • have an opportunity to speak with either a faculty or professional adviser
  • register online for their first term of classes

The following information summarizes the basics of PSU's graduation requirements. You should review this prior to attending your Advising & Registration session so you will be better prepared to understand the essential information provided at this session.

Graduation Requirements

There are three sets of requirements for a baccalaureate degree at PSU:

Other Essential Information

Prior to selecting classes for your first term at PSU you should also be familiar with the following:

Important Publications/Websites

The Bulletin (catalog), an essential publication, contains extensive information about PSU, including the requirements and course descriptions for all the undergraduate and graduate programs.

The Registration Guide is a critical document which contains information regarding the University Studies program, academic policies & deadlines, registration information, final exam schedules and other pertinent information for fall, winter and spring terms.

The Fall 2010 Schedule of Classes is a list of all the courses being offered fall term.

Freshmen

As a freshman, one of your most important choices for the upcoming year will be which general edcuation track to follow: University Studies or University Honors. Most students complete their general education requirements with University Studies, beginning with Freshmen Inquiry. Whichever track you choose, you should plan to start this three-term sequence fall term.

NOTE: All freshmen are required to complete a web-based writing placement prior to attending their Advising & Registration session.

When thinking about your first term at PSU, please remember that your school week and workload will be very different from those in high school. In fact, if you are taking your first college courses, you might be surprised to learn that a weekly schedule for a full-time student will only be three to four classes, meeting for a total of 12-18 hours per week. However, you should plan to study two to three hours each week for every hour you spend in the classroom. Thus, if you register for a typical full-time schedule of 12-15 credits, you can expect to study 24-30 hours per week in addition to the time you spend in the classroom.

Transfer Students

Graduation requirements and institutional policies and procedures differ at every college and university. This is essential information that you, as a transfer student, will receive at an Orientation: Advising & Registration session.

Before attending this session, please review your transfer evaluation (received with your admissions packet) and make sure you bring it with you to your Advising & Registration session. In addition to listing the PSU equivalents for all the courses you are transferring to PSU, the evaluation shows how these courses fulfill some of PSU's graduation requirements. On the first page is a legend and narrative about the report; this is followed by a chronological list of your transfer courses and their PSU equivalencies. The next sections contain graduation requirements (e.g. total credits, residency, degree and general education requirements) and indicate how your previous coursework meets these requirements. You will also learn more about reading your transfer evaluation at this session.

The transfer evaluation does not include your major requirements; information about these requirements is found on each academic department's website and in the Bulletin. These requirements can also be discussed with academic advisers from each department at your Advising & Registration session. You can run a degree audit for your intended major by following these instructions. It would be helpful to also bring this report to your Advising & Registration session.

As a transfer student you should also review information about your placement for University Studies, one of PSU's general education options. If your transfer evaluation is complete (e.g. includes all the courses you took prior to being admitted to PSU), your University Studies placement will also be indicated on your evaluation.