<p>I'm an intl. student who's just been accepted to Smeal for fall and i was wondering if any current undergrads could spill the beans on the inner workings of the penn state system? class of 2016</p>
<p>Ok here are my inquires. </p>
<p>1) We have the freedom to pick general education classes right? as long as we fulfill the number of credits required by a certain time? (e.g i can pick math x over math y, arguably i would pick something that would be of more interest or that would help me later on)</p>
<p>2) How big are general ed classes? does it depend on which class you pick? (I come from a small school and i might have trouble adjusting to huge classes)</p>
<p>3) How's the workload?</p>
<p>MORE IMPORTANTLY:
4) When do we start picking courses for fall? I want to make sure i can get a "first mover advantage"</p>
<p>5) And oh yeah, i was thinking of residing at the north halls, watcha think?</p>
<p>Also, you know how there’s a credit requiremnt. Is it possible to surpass it? Because i want to take more health and physical activity courses!!! (just one more so i would surpass it by 1.5 creds)</p>
<p>Any of you guys doing a major/minor at dif colleges as well? i want to take marketing and prob hospitality management if that’s possible?</p>
<p>Just a friendly reminder that “Penn” is the nickname for the ivy league University of Pennsylvania in Philly, not the nickname for Penn State. </p>
<ol>
<li>Yes</li>
<li>Gen Eds range from about 150 to about 350 students. Some are even bigger.
3, Well, it’s college. So the rule generally is 3-4 hours of work outside class for every hour in it, at a minimum.</li>
<li>You won’t pick fall classes until after you’ve finished your FTCAP testing. Registration for upperclassmen starts next week and continues through the spring. SHC students also are given advantages in registration. (Sr. SHC students are probably already registered for fall, for example, they go first)</li>
<li>North Halls is quiet, small, and has many SLO’s so you may not get to live there as a freshman but posters here have had that happen. It’s over by the arts/business section of campus.</li>
</ol>
<p>I’d like to point out that some gen ed classes are made to be small so you have more smaller classes, like ENGL15 has a pretty low maximum for all of its classes. And you can take more phys ed and health classes than required, it would just count as an elective.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes and no - you have to fulfill all the myriad requirements for different TYPES of classes, plus your major will often dictate some of those classes for you. As an example, engineering students have their math requirements laid out for them end to end.</p></li>
<li><p>Gen ed classes are usually the largest classes on campus, but there are some smaller classes and even the larger ones are usually divided between massive lectures and smaller recitation or lab sections.</p></li>
<li><p>It depends on the credit load and specific courses. As another respondent noted, the assumption is 3-4 hours outside of class for every hour inside of class. For a 15-credit semester, that means 60-75 hours of class and study per week. In reality it varies widely by the individual - some people taking heavy loads in areas difficult for them will do little besides study, while other people taking lighter loads in relatively easy areas will have lots more free time.</p></li>
<li><p>Registration opens on different dates for different people, based on credits completed and status. Honors students and student athletes pick first, and then it goes by decreasing number of credits - as a freshman, you will pick last.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>I never cared for North Halls personally - I favored the South/Central/Pollock area, in part because of its proximity to the town. Still, each to their own.</p></li>
<li><p>You can absolutely exceed the minimums in any area, but just to warn you, the good physical activity classes fill up FAST. It is rare to see non-honors non-athlete freshmen in most of the gym classes, and many people wait until thei junior or senior years just so they can get the classes of their choice.</p></li>
<li><p>There is not usually a problem with crossing colleges for minors or double majors, so long as they are not controlled. Should not be a problem for you.</p></li>
</ol>