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Top 5 Tips For Scheduling Classes at Penn State

1. Know when your first day of registration begins

Penn States Academic Calendar The first thing your student will need to know is the day their registration becomes available. It is different for everyone based on seniority and how many credits have been complete in past semesters. Don't allow your student to assume anything based on class level because one junior may have a different registration date than another junior.

2. Have a premade list of desired classes prior to registration

Students should have a list of the classes they wish to take prior to registration day. A great way to prepare is to copy down all numbers of desired classes into an Excel spreadsheet or Word document. When it is time to register, the numbers can be copied and pasted into the registration form. This may seem like overkill, but a few extra seconds may mean getting a desired class at the desired time or missing it all together.

3. Midnight is the first minute class scheduling can begin

Scheduling Your Classes at Penn State That's right, if your registration day is December 2nd, then the first minute scheduling can begin is 12:00AM (late night on December 1st). Most PSUMoms members will recommend that classes be scheduled at midnight for the sole reason of class size. If your student waits too long and the class gets filled, it could ruin their entire schedule.

4. Caffeine

The cheapest and easiest way to secure desired classes on registration day is to be alert and ready to adapt with some additional caffeine. It's possible all classes will be available and the schedule requested is complete in under 10 minutes. However, if the registration page goes down or if classes fill up it can make for a long night. Do yourself or your student a favor and purchase some additional caffeine boosting items. Here are some excellent ways to get some extra caffeine on registration night:

5. The degree audit feature on your student's Lionpath page

Penn State's Degree Audit Feature One of the most common concerns expressed by students of our PSUMoms members is "I know what my major is, but I don't know what classes I have to take for it". This can be easily figured out by speaking with your advisor; however if you view the Lionpath student page you can also find out by looking at a 'degree audit' which will list all of the required classes and their completion level by your student. It will even show if something equivelent has been completed that also counts for the credit. Lionpath also lists the grades you earned in completed courses.