Planning for your future
Getting to know and working closely with your academic adviser can be key to your academic success. Academic advisers help you with your academic plan and progress as well as your academic schedule, choice of major, and other academic activities and career goals. Ultimately, your academic adviser will help you make important decisions that lead to accomplishing your goals and graduating from Penn State. We encourage you to meet with your academic adviser at least once a semester. Learn more about the student-adviser relationship by reading the Advising Syllabus.
Peer Advising
Peer advisers are current students in the College of the Liberal Arts who are trained to help new students adjust to college life, explore opportunities for social and academic engagement, and find ways to connect to the college and to peers. Peer advisers also work with upper-division students to address a variety of academic and other concerns.
- Mondays–Fridays, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., 119 Sparks Building
Facing Academic Challenges?
Resources and support are available for students facing academic challenges. The college’s academic recovery specialist can assist if you are not making positive academic progress or are navigating academic warning, suspension, or dismissal. Through this partnership, you will set attainable goals and have an additional support system with which to work. You can schedule an appointment via Starfish.
Ten Tips for Succeeding at Penn State
- Find the name of your assigned academic adviser and locate their office.
- Visit Starfish to schedule an appointment with your academic adviser.
- Consult with your academic adviser to plan your semester.
- Check out advising.psu.edu for information on just about everything academic.
- Check out and bookmark Penn State’s academic calendar to track important deadlines.
- Learn about the Career Enrichment Network and career-related resources.
- Get into the habit of reading your Penn State email every day.
- Go to your classes, read the course syllabi, and make note of important assignment due dates.
- Upload your résumé, and check out internships on Nittany Lion Careers.
- Visit your professors during their office hours.