PrintAdvisers and Advising: Who is your adviser?
If you don't already know who your adviser is, you can find their name in Lionpath or Starfish.
You should have learned a lot about your academic responsibilities vs. your adviser's responsibilities in the New Student Orientation's, Academic Advising module(link is external). Academic Advisers are here to help you navigate the ESP degree requirements, but they are not experts in:
- Financial aid
- Tuition bills
- Reading your mind
How can your adviser help you?
Your adviser can't help you if they don't know you need help! Reach out and communicate with your advisers regularly, that is what they're here for! To make sure you’re on track for meeting your degree requirements, we recommend contacting your adviser at least once a semester, and in any instance that you have questions about your degree, transfer credits, dropping a course, etc. You can learn more on the Acadmic Advising, Undergraduate Students page(link is external).
Plan accordingly:
If you wait until the week before classes start, or the first week of the semester, you may not hear back from your adviser until after the drop/add deadline has passed. So, get in touch early - when registration opens so that you have plenty of time to make decisions and changes to your schedule!
How to contact your adviser:
Penn State policy dictates that advising matters should only be discussed using Penn State email addresses. Therefore, you should always use Starfish or your @psu.edu email when contacting your adviser.
Tools
When you were admitted to the program, your adviser should have provided you with a checksheet listing all of the required courses for the ESP program. If you did not receive this, it is possible that it was sent to your personal email address or your PSU email before you had it set up. If you do not have the checksheet file, please contact your adviser immediately and ask for a copy.
A note on transfer credits:
If you run an Academic Requirement Report using Lionpath, chances are it will not understand how to use your transfer credits and therefore, won't adequately reflect your standing. You should double-check your checksheet and the Lionpath Academic Requirement Report to ensure that all of your prior coursework is showing. If there is missing information, please contact your adviser immediately!
*All students need to complete 120 credits to earn the ESPBA or the ESPBS degree. Completing all the courses listed on your checksheet alone, will not ensure your graduation, a total credit count is also required. Talk to your adviser about your total credit count. It is possible that your transfer credits will make up the difference. If not, you may want to consider picking up a minor while completing the 120 credit requirement.