University Park, Pa. -- Tip No. 6. Just because a student can't find something doesn't mean that it's not there. Maybe the student is not looking in the right place. To help students find what they are looking for, the Schedule of Courses, supported by a huge database of information, offers a robust "Advanced search" feature. Without this feature finding something specific, like a Writing Intensive or First Year Seminar course that meets the International Cultures requirement, would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Using the "Advanced search" doesn't require any special skill. It's really easy to use and with it achieving the perfect course schedule now becomes a possibility.
Many students have no idea that the "Advanced search" feature even exists, yet it has some of the most powerful and helpful capabilities available at the site. Here's how it works. When a student lands on the main course search page at "schedule.psu.edu" don't bother selecting the right semester, campus location or course abbreviation. Skip all that and go right to the "Advanced search" button and click it. Bam! Now it's time to slice and dice. On the "Advanced search" page students are presented with an array of variables that they can mix and match to their hearts' content. After selecting semester and campus location they can search and sort the available course info by open sections only, general education designations, the offering college as well as Writing Intensive, U.S. Cultures, and International Cultures course status. Looking for a course that satisfies the B.A. Other Cultures requirement and starts on a specific date within a particular time period? The advanced course feature can do that too. Give the advanced search a try now, before it's time to register. Play around and have some fun with it.
This tip is one in a series of monthly articles written to help students get the most from the Schedule of Courses online registration service at schedule.psu.edu. The Schedule of Courses offers an array of useful resources that can be used in preparation for course registration. These resources include registration timetables, listings of past course offerings, University Park building maps as well as advanced sort and search features for finding future course offerings and their associated scheduling information (i.e. schedule numbers, meeting times, classroom locations, department phone numbers, course descriptions, class limits etc.) All this right from your keyboard at schedule.psu.edu.
Tip #1: Become an expert level user of the Schedule of Courses located on the Web at schedule.psu.edu.
Tip #2: Know when to sign up for courses by using the "Registration Timetables."
Tip #3: Building the perfect course schedule.
Tip #4: An easy alternative to confusing acronyms.
Tip #5: Check out all course listing resources.