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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.
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| The following webcasts can be viewed using QuickTime. | The following webcasts can be viewed using Real Player. | |
Thursday, July 21, 2009 |
Wednesday, July 26, 2006 |
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| Thursday, July 21st 6:00 pm EST |
Topics: Research, Community Service, Living on campus, Majors, and Other Academic Opportunities. |
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| Welcome and introductions | view | What is a recitation? | view | |
| What should students know about Freshman Seminars? | view | How do I declare a major? | view | |
| How does a student choose a major? | view | Who should I talk to if I am on the pre-med/pre-law track? | view | |
| How do I choose which math course to take? | view | What if I can not take the language placement test before I get to Penn? | view | |
| How do I get my transfer credits accepted? | view | What programs are available within the college houses? | view | |
| How many alternate courses should I have? | view | What Work Study opportunities are available to students? | view | |
| Will my grades be sent home? | view | Can and How can I get into a full course? | view | |
| When is good time to start a research project as an undergrad? | view | Penn Reading Project Details | view | |
| What is city life like both on and off campus? | view | |||
| Thursday, July 9, 2009 4pm (EDT) | Topics: Registration, Course Planning, New Student Orientation, Faculty, and Advising. |
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| Opening | view | When my older brother got into Penn they sent him a packet of information about NSO, does this still happen and if not where can we get this information? | view | |
| Introductions | view | Penn is such a big place. What opportunity do I have to get to know my professors? | view | |
| What do I do if I don't get all the courses I requested during advance registration? | view | Is there a way to pass out of a language and if so should you still register for a language for the first semester? | view | |
| A question from a student who is unsure if they want to pursue a career in medicine. As of now she is majoring in psychology. In terms of choosing classes, should she keep medical school requirements in mind or should she just wait until she is sure she wants to attend medical school? | view | I was checking out some of the courses and found some more specific classes that interested me, however I noticed that the more advanced courses required prerequisites that were more broad topics. What should the balance be between the classes that have a more narrow scope and more foundational courses? | view | |
| Am I able to take studio art classes even though I don't plan on majoring in art? Does Penn have any open art studios on campus? | view | Why do I have to register in the summer? Why can't I just wait until the fall? | view | |
| Is it alright to talk to professors and other advisers other than my assigned assigned adviser. Can these other advisers take me off hold on my registration? | view | Can I still get into a course if it is full? | view | |
| For this years Penn reading project for NSO, is the "Gross Clinic" by Thomas Eakins just a visual piece of art for us to analyze or is there a text associated with it? | view | I've never had a roommate before, what do I do if my roommate and I don't get along? | view | |
| Regarding general curriculum requirements, what is the difference between the foundational approaches and the sectors? Do you have to take seven classes for the sectors and each class is also one of the foundational approaches? | view | Do I have a different adviser for my major and if so, when can I start talking to this adviser? | view | |
| What is student orientation like and is there anything I should be doing to academically prepare for orientation? | view | What do you do if you don't have your AP scores yet and you know you have AP scores coming in that might affect the courses you are going to take in the fall? | view | |
| Does my adviser have to approve the courses I take? Can a student take five classes first semester even though the advisers recommend not to do so? Who has the power to make the decision, the adviser of the student? | view | Conclusion | view | |
| I took AP calculus my senor year in high school, do I have to take math at Penn? | view | |||
| 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, |
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| 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 | |||
| How do athletes get permission from instructors when they have to travel? | 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 |
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| 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 | |
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| 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 |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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). |
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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 | |
