Student Responsibility in Advising

The College offers tremendous opportunities and resources to help you succeed, but as a student, you hold the keys to your own success.

Thumbnail
Academic Integrity

Julia reflects on being a member of Penn's community of scholars.

As a College student, you will take charge of your education, ask for help when you need it, and seek advice and information from as many University sources as possible. It is up to you to connect with resources and come to them informed and prepared to make the most of their services.

Your faculty also want you to understand your responsibilities in producing your own work and attributing the work of others, which is why the University has a Code of Academic Integrity. Adhering to this Code means not only respecting the values of the University community but doing the best, most original work you can do.

College students are expected to:
 

  • Understand the structure and purpose of the College curriculum.
  • Read the emails sent from the College Office.
  • Become familiar with the information available on the College website. Reference the site throughout their undergraduate career.
  • Be aware of registration-related deadlines.
  • Use Path@Penn to make course and grading status changes and confirm the accuracy of their registration.
  • Keep appointments with their pre-major advisor and come to advising sessions prepared with a list of questions and issues to discuss.
  • Come to drop-ins, make appointments with or send email to assistant deans for advising in the College Office if they need advice outside the expertise of their pre-major advisor.
  • Make appointments with or send email to major advisors to discuss their progress in the major program.
  • Know the Code of Academic Integrity and, when unsure what is appropriate in a given course, ask the instructor to clarify the rules.

Students should make note of the following important milestones in their academic careers.

All the steps you need to take for academic advising and planning can be found on Compass, the primary guide for incoming students throughout the summer.

Upcoming Dates

  • Early June: First email from the College (early June) to incoming students
  • Mid-June: Second email from the College (mid June) to incoming students with advisor information
  • Advance Registration: June 26-July 17

Students should:

  • Have a discussion with their pre-major advisor during the first few weeks of the semester and again during Advance Registration in October and November, to discuss course selection for the upcoming semester. Incoming first-year students will be on registration hold, which keeps them from being able to participate in Advance Registration, until they meet with their advisor.
  • Let their pre-major advisor know of any problems they are having that are affecting their academic work.
  • Investigate study abroadresearch and other academic options.
  • Apply to become a peer advisor and help a new student entering Penn.

Students should:

  • See their pre-major advisor before Advance Registration in March and April to discuss courses for the fall semester. Incoming students are on registration hold for their first semester until they have an advising discussion with their advisor.
  • Investigate majors of interest. Start talking to faculty and students in their prospective majors. Attend one or more of the College’s Majors and More Dinners to learn about programs of interest. Attend classes in the major and get the student’s perspective through the Major Advising Program (MAP).
  • Investigate study abroadresearch and other academic options.

Students should:

  • Meet with their pre-major advisor to discuss progress toward finding and declaring a major and meeting the degree requirements during Advance Registration in October and November. This meeting is also an opportunity to explore options such as minors, research and study abroad. Until meeting with their advisor, Sophomores will be on registration hold which keeps them from being able to participate in Advance Registration.
  • Become completely familiar with the rules and requirements for their potential major. These are available on the department websites.
  • Investigate study abroadresearch and other academic options.
  • Apply to become a peer advisor and help the next incoming class.

Students should:

Students should:

Students should:

Students should:

  • Meet with their major advisor to make sure all requirements for the major will be completed and to discuss future plans.
  • Review the degree audit in Path@Penn to check their progress toward fulfilling requirements before the end of the Course Selection period.
  • Confirm that their intended graduation date and local address are correct on Path@Penn.
  • Visit the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) if considering research or information on post-graduate fellowships and scholarships.
  • Consider applying for Senior Awards.
  • Check with Career Services for information about graduate study and applying for jobs.
  • Consider sharing their major with underclassmen by becoming Major Advising Program (MAP) advisors.

Students should:

Students are encouraged to get to know and communicate regularly with their instructors by taking advantage of office hours and via email. The following tools also facilitate that communication:

  • Course Action Notices are used by student to notify instructors about absences and are sent by instructors when they have a concern about how a student is doing in their course.
  • The Hub is used when the College wishes to communicate sensitive documents to students.