Prepare for your advising meeting
This initial advising meeting is an opportunity for you to talk one-on-one with an academic adviser about your academic interests and goals and to outline your initial steps to reach them.
The more prepared you are, the more the advising appointment can focus on you and your individual goals.
- Complete and be able to discuss your NSO Tasklist. The transfer credit worksheet and the educational planning survey are important parts of the orientation advising meeting.
- Complete the content shared at the University welcome and in the Canvas modules.
- Complete the Course Planning Guide (part of the Canvas content) to build your tentative first-semester schedule in your LionPATH Enrollment Shopping Cart prior to your advising appointment.
- Complete your pre-registration activity guide and major preferences guide in LionPATH.
What to expect during the advising meeting
During the academic advising meeting, you should expect to discuss your academic goals and interests—including how they relate to your academic journey at Penn State in general and your first-semester schedule in particular. This meeting is your final step to enroll in first-semester courses.
We hope that you will continue to engage with academic advisers throughout your academic career and that this will represent the first of many interactions.
Schedule as soon as possible
Schedule the first available appointment that works for you. The sooner you have this meeting, the more choices you will have. Reach out for help if you have trouble finding a time that works.
How to schedule your appointment
We have connected you to an academic adviser who will work with you for orientation. Please watch this very brief video for scheduling instructions.
When you click the “Log in to Starfish” button below, you will be prompted to log in to Penn State’s WebAccess if you are not already logged in. If you have not done so already, you will need to Enroll in Two-Factor Authentication. Instructions are linked on the WebAccess page.
You must select Virtual Orientation Academic Advising when picking your appointment. DO NOT SELECT "Advising for assigned advisees" or your session will need to be cancelled and rescheduled to a Virtual Orientation Academic Advising session.
Please note all meetings are in Eastern Time (GMT-5). Please join the Zoom meeting promptly at the start of your appointment time. That is, if your appointment is from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. (Eastern Time, GMT-5), you need to join the meeting by 9 a.m. (Eastern Time, GMT-5).
You must check your Penn State email for the advising appointment confirmation. This confirmation email will contain the day, time (in EDT), and Zoom URL you will use to meet with your orientation adviser. If any changes are made to your scheduled appointment, new information will be sent to your Penn State email. Please check your Penn State email often, including immediately prior to your orientation advising appointment.
If you have trouble scheduling an advising appointment, please contact Jen Dilts, jak344@psu.edu.