Faculty Advisor: This faculty member will teach your First-Year Seminar (FS). S/he will advise you on class selection and academic and career preparation.
Peer Leader (PL): Upperclass students assist the FS instructor, help with class selection, and help the transition to college; they are a great resource and can answer questions you may have about academics and other areas of college life.
Peer Leaders also assist students transferring from another college. If you are a transfer student, your Peer Leader will meet with you to assist with class selection and aid in your transition to Allegheny.
In General
If you are a first-year student, you are already enrolled in a section of FS, Descriptive Communication and Inquiry, which is the first course in a set of three courses designed to develop the communication and research skills important for your success in college and in your life after college. FS is also designed to ease the transition of students entering college from high school. Most transfer students will be enrolled in FS 102, Persuasive Communication, which is the second course in the FS sequence.
The average course load per semester is 16 hours (four 4-credit courses). Since you are already enrolled in one 4-credit FS course, you only need to choose three more classes.
Classes are typically held M-W-F (50-minute classes) or Tu-Th (75-minute classes). The first class of the day is at 8:00 a.m.
Generally speaking, classes at Allegheny are challenging...and rewarding. The workload typically increases over the semester, and a lighter load in the first few weeks should help ease the transition. You will work hard at Allegheny, but the workload is manageable, and the knowledge gained is well worth the work.
The Groundwork
Consider your interests and possible career goals and how they may affect what classes you choose your first semester at Allegheny.
Familiarize yourself with the College catalogue that you received during your visit to campus, and review the Requirements for Graduation. You can also view the catalog by clicking here.
Prepare a list of classes in which you are interested based on the catalogue descriptions. Although it is important to be mindful of College graduation requirements, research indicates that students who register for courses they find interesting rather than focusing on getting requirements out of the way in their first semester are more likely to be successful in College, so identifying courses of interest is important. Please also note that only a portion of classes described in the catalogue are offered each semester, and some of those that are offered may not have openings because they have already been filled by students who registered before you. As a way to help students learn about their options and prepare for registration, many advisors suggest that students select 20 or more courses at the 100 or 200 level that they would like to take while at Allegheny. They further request that the courses be selected from 10 or more departments or programs and include at least 4 courses from each academic division.
Be aware that if you are planning to attend medical school immediately after graduation from Allegheny, your course selection will be more constrained. Many students choose alternate paths to medical school that allow them more flexibility and often improve their chances of being accepted to medical school.
Placement Tests
Students who plan to take math, chemistry or a foreign language while at Allegheny are encouraged to take placement tests over the summer. Results of these tests will help determine what classes you will take. New students receive information about placement tests in early July. If you do not receive the information, please call 814-332-2898.
Music placement tests are offered during Orientation on Monday, August 25.
Class Registration
During Orientation, you will meet with your faculty advisor and Peer Leaders on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at various times. Bring along any groundwork you have prepared and be ready to discuss the possibilities.
You will register for your classes on Tuesday during your meeting with your advisor. At this time you will decide what classes you would like to take and complete your registration.
Your advisor will give you a schedule card on Wednesday morning that lists your classes for the 2008 fall semester.
If your schedule is incomplete after Tuesday's registration (i.e. you were not able to get all of the classes you requested), your schedule card will indicate that you need to attend the Adjustment Arena on Wednesday. Your Peer Leader will be available at the arena to help you navigate the system.
