Advising for First- and Second-Year Students
Your first years as a Penn State engineering student are full of challenges and opportunities: challenging classes, a growing social life, adjusting to being on your own, and choosing the path for your academic and professional future.
It can be overwhelming trying to figure out the best choices for you given your individual goals and aspirations.
The Engineering Advising Center (EAC) is here to help!
The EAC is your source for information about scheduling, degree requirements, entrance-to-major, and so much more. We can also help you make big decisions when it comes to your major, study abroad options, internships, and so much more!
Scheduling a Meeting
- Schedule Online: Plan ahead by using Starfish, the online scheduling system. You can schedule with any EAC adviser and can access the Engineering Advising Center for first-and second-year students service page within Starfish to see all calendars. In-major students who are beyond their second year should contact their assigned faculty adviser in LionPATH.
- Call: Not at University Park or transferring from another college at Penn State? Call us at 814-863-1033.
- Zoom Drop-Ins. We offer Zoom drop-ins at various times during the week. See below for more details about this schedule, what is appropriate for a drop-in (10-15 minutes), and the Zoom link.
You should meet with an adviser at least once per semester. The EAC is especially helpful when you are working on long-term scheduling, want to ensure that you can fit in a study abroad opportunity, or want to learn whether a specific major fits with your career interests and goals.
The EAC will be closed for the university’s winter break starting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23 until Monday, January 5. EAC advisers will not be available for appointments or responding to emails during this time. Students can access Starfish during the break to schedule an advising appointment for a time in January.
The EAC will hold regular zoom drop-ins the week of January 5. They are 12-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
During the first week of class (week of January 12) all EAC advisers will meet with students in zoom or in-person drop-ins to help with spring scheduling. The hours will be 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. each day that week. Use the EAC zoom drop-in link below to access the zoom room or come to 109 ECoRE to see an adviser. There will be no scheduled advising appointments the first week of class.
The regular drop deadline is Saturday, January 17, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and the regular add deadline is Sunday, January 18, at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
EAC Zoom Drop-Ins
Regular EAC zoom drop-ins will conclude for the fall semester on Thursday, December 18.
The EAC will hold regular zoom drop-ins the week of January 5. They are 12-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
For the first week of class in the spring semester (week of January 12) all EAC advisers will meet with students in zoom or in-person drop-ins for scheduling questions during the drop/add period. The hours are 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. each day for this special week of drop-in hours. Use the EAC zoom drop-in link below to access the zoom room or come to 109 ECoRE to see an adviser.
Regular drop-ins for spring will resume on Tuesday, January 20, following the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday.
The EAC also offers drop-in Zoom meetings throughout the fall and spring semesters. They are from noon to 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Thursday. Please use the link below to drop in for a Zoom meeting with an academic adviser. These are 10- to 15-minute quick-question meetings. These drop-ins are for first- and second-year students.
Engineering Peer Advising Leaders (EPALS)
First- and second-year students can also connect with the Engineering Peer Advising Leaders (EPALs). These trained College of Engineering students can help answer your questions on general education requirements, academic deadlines, general scheduling questions, how to get involved, LionPATH, Canvas, and Starfish. EPALs hold in-person drop-in hours in 109 ECoRE Building. You can find the schedule and full list of EPAL representatives, including their majors, at the link above.
EPALs will conclude their drop-in hours on Friday, December 12. Hours will resume on Monday, January 12, during the first week of class
Faculty Advising Representatives
During fall and spring semesters, a faculty advising representative from each of the College’s University Park majors offers three hours per week for first- and second-year students exploring majors. Meeting with a faculty advising representative can be helpful when you are working on long-term schedule plans (for ROTC, concurrent majors, etc.) or would like to learn whether a specific engineering major might be a good fit for your interests and goals. You can also get more detailed information about career paths, graduate school, and/or medical school from faculty advisers.
To schedule an appointment with a faculty advising representative, please click the button below to see the full schedule. You should connect via Starfish to schedule the appointment with an adviser directly. If you have any issues, please call 814-863-1033.
Faculty Advising Representatives Schedule
Faculty Advisers will conclude their hours on Friday, December 12. Hours will resume on Tuesday, January 20 following the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday.
If you are at a Penn State campus but have been admitted into a University Park major through the early entrance-to-major process, you will continue to be advised at your current campus.
