Frequently Asked Questions
Contacting Us
Majoring/Minoring in Psychology
Closed Courses
When is the Psychology Advising
Office open?
The main office for Psychology Undergraduate Advising in S105 Elliott Hall is open 8am-4:30pm
Monday through Friday, including May & Summer sessions. Evening appointments may be available upon special request. The advising office hours may vary, depending upon appointments, meetings and advising
events. To be sure that someone will be available to assist you, please call (612) 625-8520 before stopping by or to
set up an appointment.
FALL 2007 WALK-IN HOURS:
Holly (S106 Elliott): Wednesdays 8:30am-10:30am
Becky (S102 Elliott):
Mondays 12:30pm-2:30pm
If an advisor's door is open
(not during walk-in hours), can I knock?
We prefer that you schedule an appointment. However, if an advisor's
door is open, you may knock to see if the advisor is available to
assist you.
If I am told to meet with Holly
Hatch-Surisook, is it okay to meet with another advisor?
Yes! If you are referred to Holly Hatch-Surisook, typically you can meet
with any of the Psychology Advisors. Since Holly is the Advising
Coordinator, other departments happen to know her by name.
My transcript says I am a psychology
major, but I've never met individually with an advisor in Elliott
Hall. Do I need to?
Yes! Though it may show up on your transcripts that you are a Psychology
major, that is not truly the case until you have completed a major declaration appointment in Elliott Hall (see "I
want to major in Psychology, what do I need to do?" below).
When your office is busy, what
is the best way to contact you?
We check both voicemail and e-mail on a regular basis. For scheduling
appointments, it is typically easier by phone, (612) 625-8520. If
you have a specific question that you want answered, our walk-in
hours or e-mail (psyadvis@umn.edu)
are better options.
When are the busy times of the
year?
We are busiest during registration (mid November through early December
and mid April through early May) and at the beginning of the term (the first 2 weeks of Fall and the first week of Spring semester).
When are the best times to schedule
an appointment?
In the middle of the term, between terms, or in the summer we have many openings for
appointments.
I
want to major in psychology, what do I need do?
First, we require you to complete an Educational Planning Questionnaire to give us some background information on your interests and your
reasons for choosing to major in psychology. To set up an advising
appointment, please call 612-625-8520 or email (psyadvis@umn.edu). Expect the meeting to take
at least 30-40 minutes.
Majoring in Psychology
Educational Planning Questionnaire (PDF)
General sequence
Honors sequence
I want to minor in psychology,
what do I need to do?
We ask that you complete Psy 1001 and 2801 before declaring your
minor in psychology. When you are ready to declare your minor, you
can either set up an appointment or stop by our walk-in hours to
complete the necessary paperwork.
I have a hold on my record because
I haven't declared my major, but I register tomorrow- can I get
in to see an Advisor today?
During registration time, it is extremely unlikely you will be able
to meet with an advisor that quickly. Many people are in the same
situation, and we schedule appointments on a first come, first serve
basis. In addition, we ask that when declaring the major you take the time to complete an Educational
Planning Questionaire prior to your advising appointment.
I'm closed out of a course I
need to graduate. Can I have a Permission number?
We don't distribute permission numbers for courses that are full. Once a class fills
up, we ask that you continue checking the enrollment of the class;
often times students change their schedules after initial registration,
so a seat may open up for the class you want. Otherwise, on the
first day of class you can attend class, and if a registered student
does not attend, the instructor may let you into the class. If
neither of those methods works, we will start a Priority Waiting
List for the following term. You can contact the Advising Office
AFTER the term starts to be placed on such a list. The only exceptions
are Psy 3902W: Major Project, and Psy 4801: Introduction to Statistics.
What about contacting the instructor?
No! Instructors for our courses will gain access to permission numbers on the first day of class. Once our courses are full, they are full. It is worthwhile to
continue to check on-line for open seats since the Department occasionally
increases class enrollment even after registration has begun.
Updated 8/31/07