Wednesday, March 18, 1998
Ask the Adviser
Q. EARNING LOW GRADES: I'm not doing very good this semester. I just received a letter from the registrar saying I was getting below a C in English 15 (Rhetoric and Composition). I thought I might get below a C in some of my other courses, but I didn't get a letter for any of them. Since I didn't get a letter, does it mean that I'm doing ok?
A. No. You should contact your instructors right away to find
out how you are doing and discuss what you can do to improve your
grades. You should also see your academic adviser to discuss your
academic difficulties and options. There are several reasons why
you might not get a mid-semester report from the Registrar. First,
not all instructors provide mid-semester report information to
the Registrar. Second, this below-C warning letter is sent only
to degree candidates and provisional students who have less than
28 cumulative credits.
Q. LOOKING FOR A STUDENT-DESIGNED MAJOR: I can't find a major
that fits my needs. I'd like to design my own major.
A. There are a number of majors that provide students with the
opportunity to be involved with the design of their degree program,
but in every single case, a great deal of thought and early planning
is required.
Here are three possibilities. The most flexible program is the
Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil). This major allows students to
design their own programs in conjunction with a faculty mentor.
For more information, consult the Baccalaureate Degree Programs
Bulletin; www.psu.edu/academic/bluebook/in.html is the World Wide
Web site address.
The Letters, Arts, and Sciences (LAS) major in the College of
the Liberal Arts is more structured than BPhil, but it still provides
a significant amount of flexibilty by allowing students to build
a portion of their program in one of six options.
For more information, consult the Baccalaureate Degree Programs
Bulletin; www.la.psu.edu/cla/bluebook/las.html is the Web site
address. The Integrative Arts major in the College of Arts and
Architecture is designed for students who want to combine a concentration
in the arts with courses in other disciplines and colleges in
order to achieve a personal, academic or career goal.
For example, some integrative arts students combine courses in
one of the performing arts or studio arts with business courses;
other students have combined arts courses with math and engineering
courses. For more information, consult the department's Web site
at wgn111.ce.psu.edu or call 865-1750.
Provided by the Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), "Ask the Adviser" appears every other Wednesday on this page. E-mail your questions to DUS@psu.edu and specify that you would like them to be answered in the column. Do not address questions to The Daily Collegian.
