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Advising

Penn State is a huge place, and sometimes it is easy to feel you are just another face in the crowd. The wide variety of available opportunities and the vast selection of courses from which to choose are wonderful, but they can also seem overwhelming at times. The English Advising Center located in 127 Burrowes Building is available to help you clarify requirements and choices and to empower you to take charge of your education and to take full advantage of the many opportunities at Penn State.

Plan to meet with your adviser at least once a semester to discuss course scheduling for future semesters, to review your degree audit, to plan for study abroad and other co-curricular opportunities, and to ensure that you are making the most of your educational plan. Your adviser will also make appropriate referrals to other people and resources that can help you.

The final responsibility for fulfilling major, College, and University requirements is yours. Students who self-advise run the risk of discovering at graduation time that they have not met all requirements. Don’t let this happen to you—take advantage of the advising services that are available to you!

Appointments versus Drop-In Hours

Appointments are appropriate for time-intensive issues that require thoughtful preparation by both the adviser and the student, such as:

  • scheduling questions for upcoming semesters
  • degree audit review
  • long-range planning
  • change of major to English
  • study abroad issues
  • concurrent majors
  • discussion about potential minors
  • ROTC planning
  • academic difficulty

Appointments (30 minutes) with Julianna Chaszar are scheduled at: https://www.la.psu.edu/advising-appt/.

Drop-in advising is appropriate for brief questions or concerns that may be addressed within 10-15 minutes.  Typical drop-in items include:

  • review of courses scheduled
  • graduation checks
  • requests for course substitutions
  • discussion about late drop
  • explanation of major, College, and University policies

Visiting the Advising Center (127 Burrowes Building)</h2

Currently enrolled students seeking advising assistance should determine whether their concerns are more appropriate for an advising appointment or drop-in advising.

Appointments are scheduled by using the appointment scheduling system (Starfish) at www.la.psu.edu/advising-appt; select Julianna Chaszar as the adviser when using this system.

Honors Advising

The Honors Program in English provides the opportunity for superior students to broaden and deepen their literary understanding through seminars and individual study. Students take three Honors Seminars and write a Senior Honors Thesis under faculty supervision. Names of candidates for the Honors Program are submitted by Department of English faculty.

Students who have a GPA of 3.7 or better at the end of their fourth semester or later and who also have a GPA of A- or better in English courses other than English 015, 030, or 202 are eligible to apply for membership in the Honors Program.

Honors students are advised by the English Honors advisers, Claire Colebrook and Matt Tierney.

Paterno Fellows Advising

The College of the Liberal Arts, in partnership with the Schreyer Honors College, has launched the Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows Program. This program extends the benefits of the Schreyer honors experience to more students and will challenge students to high achievement. For more information about the program, visit the Liberal Arts Paterno Fellows site.

Transfer Student Advising

Change-of-Location Students (from other Penn State locations)

Change-of-location students accepted into the English major at University Park are advised by the adviser at their current location until they arrive on campus. If students have advising questions or concerns prior to their arrival, they may email Julianna Chaszar at jxc50@psu.edu for assistance.

Transfer Students (from other institutions)

Transfer students admitted to the English major are contacted by the English adviser after their credits have been evaluated towards their degree requirements. NOTE: This doesn’t happen until AFTER students accept the offer of admission, pay the acceptance fee, and transfer their credits from any previous institutions attended. You may be asked for syllabi if credits are evaluated as general credits rather than as direct equivalents of Penn State courses, so please keep information from your previous courses.

If you want to get an idea about how your credits might transfer prior to accepting your offer, you may use the transfer credit tool at https://admissions.psu.edu/info/future/transfer/credit/.

Academic Advising:

Honors Advising:

Claire Colebrook
Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, Philosophy, and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Honors Adviser
(814) 865-6413
Matt Tierney
Associate Professor of English
Director, Digital Culture and Media Initiative
Honors Adviser

Internship Coordinator:

PXL_20230207_191327462 (2)
Associate Teaching Professor of English
English Department Internship Coordinator