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Freshman Webcast Archive

Welcome to the archived videos of three live webcasts hosted by Dr. Dennis DeTurck, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. These interactive forums were intended to answer some of the questions presented by incoming students about advance registration and their entry year at Penn. Feel free to listen to all webcasts, or scan the list of questions for topics of interest.

 

The following webcasts can be viewed using QuickTime. The following webcasts can be viewed using Real Player.

 

Wednesday
July 22, 2008
6pm (EDT)

Panelists: Dennis DeTurck, Dean of the College; Tanya Jung, Assistant Dean for Advising; Gary Purpura, Assistant Dean for Advising; Rob Nelson, Associate Director, Office of the Provost; Douglas Stuart, Assistant Director for Admissions and External Affairs; Janet Tighe, Dean of Freshmen & Director of Academic Advising, History and Sociology of Science,

  Welcome and introductions view Is Persian offered at Penn? I would like to study abroad in Iran view
  Do I have to register for the language placement test now? How does that work? view Do most freshmen finish their requirements in the first year? view
  What can I do in advance registration to get the classes I want? view Do most students study in the dorms? Where else can we study? view
  How do I find out what courses fulfill requirements? view Can a student place out of a writing seminar? view
  How difficult is it to double-major, especially if I want to study aboard? view What is the difference between Math 103 and Math 104? What should I take if I took AP calculus? view
  How does course numbering work? view What are the best majors to get into Law school? view
  Are all freshmen writing seminars offered in the spring semester? view If I take a course over the summer at another college, can I get credit at Penn? view
  Can freshmen work with professors in their labs? view Wrap-up & Your Inner Fish view
  I want to take an art class. Would that fulfill any requirements? view   view
  How do athletes get permission from instructors when they have to travel? view   view
         
Thursday
July 10, 2008
4pm (EDT)
Panelists: Ivan Dmochowski, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Tanya Jung, Assistant Dean for Advising, Niel McDowell, Associate Director Academic Advising, Gary Purpura, Assistant Dean for Advising, Janet Tighe, Dean of Freshmen & Dir. of Academic Advising; History and Sociology of Science,
  Welcome and introductions view If I fail a test will my parents be notified?  Will they see my grades? view
  Can I declare my major right away? view When should I start looking for a workstudy job? How hard is it to work and keep up with studies? view
  I love English but want to be pre-Med.  What should I take?  Are there pre-Med advisors I should talk to? view What kinds of research opportunities are available to freshmen? view
  If I'm starting a new language, should I start in my first semester? view Do they take attendance in class? What happens if I miss a class? view
  What's the best way to communicate with my advisor? view I'm confused about how to count courses toward my major. view
  I'm nervous about speaking in public. Are there courses I should avoid? view I'm completely undecided about my major.  How do I decide what to do? view
  How can I get involved in things. Can I pledge a sorrority in my first term? view Do I have to have multiple majors to be a successful student? view
  What kinds of courses can I take to satisfy the Cultural Diversity requirement? view What do I do if I don't get all the courses I requested in Advanced Registration? view
  What do I need to do to prepare to study abroad? view Wrap up view
  What kinds of things can I talk about with my advisor?  Can I meet more than once a semester? view    
   
Thursday
July 19, 2007
4pm (EDT)

Panelists: Dennis DeTurck, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Math Dept.,  Douglas Stuart, Coordinator College Alumin Mentoring Program  Tanya Jung, Assistant Dean for Advising, Niel McDowell, Assoc Director Academic Advising,  Janet Tighe, Dean of Freshmen & Dir. of Academic Advising; History and Sociology of Science

View the entire webcast

  Should I register for both a freshman seminar and a writing seminar? view I think I want to go to medical school. What should I do in my freshman year? view
  What is online placement test for French like? view If I study abroad do I have to take courses in my major? view
  What do I do if I got a 5 on AP calculus view Can I get involved in research as a freshman? view
  When will we know what freshman seminars will be offered in the spring? view I already took 4 years of Spanish, but am interested in Japanese. Which should I take? view
  I'm an athlete. How do I schedule classes and still get to my practices? view How many electives do I need? view
  Should I enter alternate choices for my course preferences? view I already know what I want to major in. Can I declare right away? view
  Do I need to register for any placement tests? view Can I take a class that's not listed in the Freshman Timetable? view
  I scored a 5 on my Biology AP test. Do I take Bio 121 or 124? view Am I only allowed to meet with my advisor once a semester? view
  What is the difference between a foundational requirement and a sectional course? view What are exams like at Penn? view
  I took the SATII Spanish test. Should I also take the placement test? view Wrap-up view

 

       
Tuesday
June 26
4pm (EDT)

Panelists: Dennis DeTurck, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Math Dept  Katrina Glanzer, Assistant Dir. Freshmen Services, peer advising  Niel McDowell, Assoc Director Academic Advising  Wally Pansing, Assoc Director Academic Advising  Janet Tighe, Dean of Freshmen & Dir. of Academic Advising; History and Sociology of Science Dept.

View the entire webcast

  Welcome and introduction   Can I take courses not listed in the freshmen timetable? view
  Should I declare my major right away? view How can I figure out what clubs or activities to join? view
  What's the difference between foundational approaches and sectional requirements? view Some courses fulfill more than one requirement.  How does that work? view
  Does it matter when you register for classes? view How competitive are popular introductory courses? view
  Can I place out of the writing requirement? view How can a freshman get involved in research? view
  How do students balance classes with athletics or a job? view What happens if I don't get into my preferred classes or change my mind? view
  Does my advisor need to approve the courses I take? view How do I setup my Penn email address? view
  Will my parents be able to see my grades? view Wrap up view
   
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Panelists:  Dennis DeTurck, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Math Department; Flora Cornfield, Assistant Dean for Academic Advising; Justin Mazur, Associate Director for Admissions and External Affairs; Peter Conn, Pre-major Advisor, English Department; Janet Tighe, Dean of Freshmen and Director of Academic Advising; History and Sociology of Science Department.

View the entire webcast.

   
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Panelists:  Kent Peterman , Director of Academic Affairs; Katrina Glanzer, Assistant Director of Freshman Services, Peer Advising; Niel McDowell, Associate Director Academic Advising; Alice Kelley, Associate Director of Academic Advising; Andrew Binns, Pre-major Advisor, Biology Department; Gary Purpura, Assistant Dean for Advising

View the entire webcast.

  Welcome from Dr. Peterman view Should I take biology, chemistry and physics in my first semester as a pre-med? view
  How should I decide what courses to take this semester view I’m not very strong in math and need help with writing.  Where can I get help? view
  How often should I talk with my advisor? view How should I prepare to study abroad? view
  I don’t know what I want to major in.  How do I figure it out? view Can a class from my major count toward the one of the general curriculum sectors? view
  Why won’t my AP credits count in the sectors? view How much time should I expect to spend studying? view
  I find the process of selecting courses to be confusing.  How do I figure it out? view How do I figure out what groups and clubs to join? view
  How can I do research with my professors? view Can I sit in on classes, even if I’m not enrolled? view
  Do I have to write a blog? view What do I do if I don’t like my roommate? view
  Why aren’t all courses listed in the Freshmen Timetable? How do I know what I can take as a freshman? view I’m an athlete. What do I do if my courses conflict with games and practices? view
  Can my parents see my grades? view How do I find out what workstudy jobs are available? view
      What if I don’t get into any classes I want? view
   
Wednesday
June 28, 2006

Panelists:  Dennis DeTurck, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Math Department; Katrina Glanzer, Assistant Director of Freshman Services, Peer Advising; Niel McDowell, Associate Director Academic Advising; Nathan Ensmenger, premajor advisor; Science, Technology and Society Program; Health and Societies Program; Janet Tighe, Dean of Freshmen and Director of Academic Advising; History and Sociology of Science Department.

View the entire webcast or view to the discussion of a specific topic (below).

 

Welcome from Dean Deturck

view Can I do an language certificate instead of a minor? view
  What should I be doing right now? view How do athletes keep on top of classes and practices? view
  Does my advisor have to approve the courses that I take? view Will my parents find out if I fail a test? view
  When do I decide how to use AP credits? Can AP credits be used for the sector requirement? view When should I buy text books? view
  How do I combine my interest in science with history and literature? view As a freshman, should I be taking general ed. classes, or should I be focusing on my major? view
  Are the science placement tests very difficult? view Can freshmen only take courses listed in the Freshmen Timetable? view
  Can you double count courses between a sector and a minor? view I'm interested in study abroad.  How do I get started? view
  When can I access my Penn email account? view What should I do with my free time? view