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Life > Academics

Surviving Penn State Class Registration

Teagan Mayr
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

Each year Penn State class registration comes before you know it, and to say the least, sometimes getting into prescribed classes can be a real-life battle to the death. 

As a freshman, nobody gave me the heads up about the aggression surrounding class registration at Penn State, especially with Professor Piazza’s Terrorism class (if you know, you know). 

However, as I am wrapping up the fall semester of my third year, I am here to give you some tips and tricks to surviving Penn State class registration. 

Check your REGISTRATION date

This one seems self-explanatory, but the credit cutoffs for class registration can vary and it is likely that you may be in a different class ranking than anticipated. 

Class registrations are based on seniority. The higher you are in credit rankings, the earlier you get to schedule. So, now is the time to make use of your credits and try to get the earliest registration date possible. 

meet with your advisor

Maybe it’s just me, but it is beyond confusing to figure out degree requirements and what is the most efficient way to fulfill those requirements.

Even though I have made multiple friends in my major and am lucky to have mentors, when it comes to completing my degree, the only person that I trust is my advisor. She deals with my general incompetence when it comes to course selections and helps me make the most progress in my degree with the least amount of work. 

It is always better to be sure that you are making the correct course selections than to arrive at your last semester senior year and realize that you can’t graduate on time. 

schedule advising appointments ahead of time

There are a lot of students at Penn State and not enough advisors. With almost every student needing help in their class registration, getting an advising appointment can almost be as cutthroat as the registration itself.

So, make sure to schedule your appointments ahead of time. 

read professor ratings

Rate My Professors is a great source for general ratings of a professor, but if you are able to get feedback from people you know in the class, that is even better. 

A semester is 16 weeks long, so it is important to consider the quality and type of professor you are getting. Always prioritize the professor with the higher rating, even if the class is at an inconvenient time. You can change your sleep schedule, but you can’t change your instructor. 

Fill your enrollment cart

Always export to your enrollment cart ahead of your registration dates. With so many students at Penn State, it is not uncommon for LionPath to crash. 

I’m not saying you should take advantage of your peers’ misfortune, but if you are prepared, you are more likely to get the classes you want. 

Filling your enrollment cart ahead of time also ensures that you can complete any necessary prerequisite overrides ahead of time for registration day to go smoothly. 

Best of luck with class registration this year and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Teagan is a third-year student at Penn State studying political science and broadcast journalism with a minor in civic and community engagement. When she is not writing for Her Campus @ PSU she is watching Grey's Anatomy, caring for her plants and hanging out with her roommates.