Full Classes

<p>I am an incoming freshman and my ftcap is next week. My major has classes that I need to take for my major. Ex: math 140, chem 110-111. What happens if some of those classes manage to get full and I cant take them? Because second semester I am supposed to take the second parts of those classes. If I can't take the classes needed for my first semester I wouldn't be able to take other classes that require those as Prerequisites.</p>

<p>Here is the recommended academic plan for my intended major:
<a href="http://downloads.cas.psu.edu/currentstudents/AdvisingHandbook/VBSC/VBSC.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://downloads.cas.psu.edu/currentstudents/AdvisingHandbook/VBSC/VBSC.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>That is also a concern for my son since he is hoping to be part of the Blue Band and that has ruled out a lot of options for him. </p>

<p>I would hope that they would try to make things work for you, especially for something like Chem, which is critical for your degree. But, I would have a list of back-up courses (general education stuff) ready when you go in for advising…just in case.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about it yet. Both MATH 140 and CHEM 110 have a TON of open sections w/ a lot of seats since they plan on a lot of incoming freshmen enrolling in them. I would only worry about not getting in them if your FTCAP day was in late July/early August. </p>

<p>The only class I would be concerned a little about would be CHEM 111 (Gen Chem 1 lab). There looks to be a little over 100 open seats total in that yet. Since your FTCAP is next week you should be able to secure a seat. If you miss on it just keep an eye on the schedule of courses of the summer, people will be adding and dropping classes all the way till the first week of class this fall. I’ve gotten into several classes this way after I’ve changed my mind after scheduling during the year. </p>

<p>If you can’t get into the chem 111 then you could just take it with CHEM 112 during your second semester and push back CHEM 113 till the fall of your soph year.</p>

<p>Ambergurl, where do you find the recommended academic plan for your intended major? Thanks.</p>

<p>cwryan1 - after you get your initial schedule done…can you change it yourself (online) or do you have to go through an advisor? </p>

<p>In other words - if ambergurl101 can’t get into one of the classes next week - but it becomes open during the summer …how does she go about scheduling it?</p>

<p>Grcxx3 - You can change your schedule yourself. Also, there is a new texting system that your son can sign up for when he registers that will send him a text message if a course he is interested in comes open. They should be talking about this during the FTCAP session. If not, search under e-lion (once he has set up his access), it’s there. (I don’t recall exactly what the program is called, but they told us about it during D2’s FTCAP session on Monday.)</p>

<p>QuietType - were you there for the Honors College FTCAP? </p>

<p>DS was supposed to go, but there was no way we could get up there (long way to travel and way too many mandatory commitments), so they are helping him do it “long-distance.” Not ideal by any means - but his only option. He and I will go up there in mid-June and finalize things.</p>

<p>Yes, D2 was there for the Honors FTCAP. I would think that “long-distance” registration would work well, actually. D2 said that her advisor (who was actually her Architecture program advisor - the other non-direct-admit majors spoke with a DUS advisor, not necessarily their major advisor) wasn’t that experienced with the actual computer registration program. D2 had printed out all sections of classes that she was interested in at home and used those for reference when she was sitting at the registration computer. That saved her from having to bounce back and forth between class section screens when looking for open classes. (Actually, she lent these out to the other kids, all her preferred sections were available.) I would think that registration in front of a computer at home would be as effective as sitting in front of a computer at UP.</p>

<p>By the way, as a parent, you didn’t miss much. The morning session was mostly regurgitation of information already known/provided/on-the-website, etc. It was in the afternoon when the parents (and kids) got to meet with the advisors and professors in the actual department where new information was exchanged. Actually learned a lot from talking with the other parents in the group. D2 was happy to meet with her future classmates and get a chance to time her walks from one class building to the next.</p>

<p>The honors college put DS in touch with someone in his major department who looked over the proposed schedule we had put together, made a few recommendations/comments, and then said everything was fine. I think an assistant in the department actually entered his classes into the computer. </p>

<p>He is looking forward to getting up there in June to check out the honors dorms (we didn’t do that last summer), and talk in more detail to people in the honors college, his major department, and the band.</p>

<p>slipjig: here is a link of thw website. Just pick your college then your intended major
[DUS:</a> Recommended Academic Plans](<a href=“http://www.psu.edu/dus/semplans.htm]DUS:”>http://www.psu.edu/dus/semplans.htm)</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>[Schedule</a> of Courses - Main Course Search](<a href=“http://soc.our.psu.edu/soc/]Schedule”>http://soc.our.psu.edu/soc/)</p>

<p>Here is a link where you can see the open sections and do a little pre-planning.</p>

<p>And thank you, too.</p>

<p>this is kinda off topic, but is it a bad idea to take 18 credits first semester? right now, that is what I have scheduled, but does anyone know if it will be overwhelming as a first semester freshmen?</p>

<p>Depends on what those 18 credits are of…</p>

<p>18 credits of JUST Math and Science courses may get rough, especially in your first semester. But if you mix up some math and science with some electives and other supporting courses it isn’t that bad. </p>

<p>What do you have scheduled?</p>

<p>I did my ftcap a couple days ago… I only sceduled 14 credits for the fall mainly because I’m taking 2 classes this summer ( already the first week has passed ) and I wanted to take it easy freshman year.</p>

<p>I have econ 002, english 015, soc 001, span 003, and math 140. The other thing is I took 2 years of AP Calc in high school, and so I don’t really have to take math 140, I am just choosing to.</p>

<p>How is that 18 credits? It looks just 17 to me, but I could be missing something. </p>

<p>You should be fine with that course load. Most students have 5 classes/semester.</p>

<p>sorry, that’s my fault, I forgot to include my first year seminar which is 1 credit.</p>

<p>Ah, okay. Well regardless, I think it is a doable schedule especially since you have already seen the calc material in HS.</p>