Welcome to Penn State! The first step in being a Penn State student is participating in New Student Orientation (NSO). The goals of NSO are to familiarize students with the University Park campus, start building your community at Penn State, and help prepare you for academic studies at the University.
Your orientation to Penn State will involve action items and activities in three main areas:
- Your NSO Tasklist
- Your online Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling window, and
- An in-person New Student Orientation program.
We've broken down each of those areas below. Please read these descriptions carefully so you know what to expect for your New Student Orientation experience.
Step 1: NSO Tasklist
Your NSO Tasklist is part of the orientation process. Think of it as your 'to-do list' for becoming a Penn Stater. The tasklist hosts a series of individual modules that you will complete before starting classes at Penn State. You'll use your NSO Tasklist to schedule your in-person reservation for NSO, opt in for text messages, provide information about who is supporting you through your transition to Penn State, and much more!
NSO Tasklist Goal
The goal of the tasklist is to help you learn the essentials about academics, technology, finances, and social and personal life at Penn State. We want to prepare you for success as a student!
Deadlines and Timing
Deadlines for each task and pre-requisite items are listed in your tasklist. Please make sure that you're paying attention to when specific tasklist items become available for you, the posted deadlines, and pre-requisite items. We've designed the tasklist items to be self-paced so that you can take your time to learn the information and return to any item if needed throughout the process, but it's important that you complete all tasks by their posted deadline so that you are ready for the learning that will come next.
Step 2: Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling
One of the hallmarks of New Student Orientation is meeting with an academic adviser and scheduling your first semester courses. Having a class schedule is an important first step on becoming a Nittany Lion and we want you to do this as soon as possible! As part of your New Student Orientation, you'll sign up for an online Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling group. This group will define the timeframe during which you will meet with an academic adviser and schedule your classes. There are two parts to the Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling process: 1.) academic consultation, and 2) course scheduling.
Part One: Academic Consultation
First, you'll choose your Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling group when you make your reservation to attend in-person NSO. Part of registering to attend in-person NSO is choosing your online Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling group, which occurs online, over the course of two weeks, before you attend the in-person NSO.
Tip: Please choose a timeframe during which you will be able to dedicate at least two hours of time to meet with an academic adviser, work independently to complete requirements, and schedule your classes. One week before your Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling timeframe start date, you'll be able to make a specific appointment for your academic consultation where you'll meet online with an academic adviser one-on-one or in a small group. When you schedule this consultation be sure to select a date and time that works for you - consider your other commitments like high school obligations, sports, work, etc.
Your Academic Consultation will be either a one-on-one or small group virtual meeting with an academic adviser in your academic college. During this meeting, you can expect to talk with the adviser about your interests, your educational goals, the academic requirements for your intended major, and how you'll work with an academic adviser throughout your Penn State career. You'll also discuss what courses you will enroll in to begin to meet your goals and interests.
Tip: For this meeting, you should be in a place that is free of distractions, have headphones if you're in a shared space, and be prepared to have your camera turned on. Some of the systems you'll use during this consultation work best on a laptop or desktop computer, so please consider joining the meeting from a device other than your cell phone.
Part Two: Course Scheduling
You won't schedule your courses during the academic consultation, but your adviser will help you know what courses you should enroll in. Your course scheduling window is the second week of the Academic Consultation and Course Scheduling group. You will have one week to schedule your courses, and during that week, our Orientation Leaders will host virtual registration labs in case you need help. During the virtual registration labs, student Orientation Leaders will answer questions and help walk you through the course registration process.
Note: To be eligible to schedule your courses you must attend your academic consultation. If you do not attend your academic consultation, your course scheduling window will be cancelled.
Step 3: In-Person NSO Program
Please read through the information below and watch the video and then refer to the details for new student orientation for Spring.
Your in-person New Student Orientation program at University Park campus will help you:
- Navigate the campus and become familiar with locations
- Provide an opportunity to meet and connect with other new students, staff, and faculty, and
- Learn about resources available to you throughout your first year at Penn State.
Community Focused
We've designed our in-person New Student Orientation with a strong focus on building community. During NSO, you will also be introduced to other students - both other incoming first-year students and Orientation Leaders who are upper-division student leaders that will share their experiences with you and give you an important student perspective on what it takes to be a Penn Stater. You'll attend a session hosted by your academic college where you'll continue to make connections with the important people and resources who will support during your time at Penn State.
Set Expectations
There is a lot of learning that will happen during your visit to NSO - we'll share our expectations of you as a student including your responsibility in taking ownership of your education and your decisions. We'll get you into the largest classroom at University Park, so you can feel what it will feel like to be in such a large space. We'll discuss the importance of getting involved on campus, ways to stay healthy and safe, and more.
Navigate Campus and Stay Overnight
You'll also be introduced to the physical campus -- you will be assigned an NSO roommate and stay overnight in one of our residence halls, enjoy dinner, breakfast, and lunch in a dining hall or on-campus eatery, and attend sessions that are spread out across campus. Penn State University Park is a big place, and it will sometimes take you between 15-20 minutes to get between buildings. You'll experience what this feels like to help you plan for your first semester.
At the end of your NSO, we want you to leave feeling affirmed in your decision to attend Penn State and be set up with people and resources who will help you find success as a student. We are excited to have you join us as a member of our community!