The following information is intended primarily for students who are new to the Penn community, but some continuing students may also find the information to be useful. We have listed the items below in the order in which they should be carried out. Please note that not all items apply to all programs – please check your program-specific student handbook for instructions and information that applies to your program.

• PennKey
• Penn E-mail
• Penn InTouch
• PennCard
• Student Health Information
• Financial Aid
• Online Writing Diagnostic Requirement
• Program-Specific Listserv

PennKey

An important element of the University’s online security is the PennKey, which is used to authenticate or prove one’s identity to many of Penn’s online computer systems. A person’s username is known as his or her PennKey and is used in combination with an associated password to verify the person’s identity. A PennKey and password are required to access such resources as Penn InTouch (see below), Blackboard courseware, restricted library resources from off-campus computers, and public campus computers. A PennKey is also required to obtain a Penn e-mail account. If you are new to the Penn community, you should receive a letter that will provide you with a temporary PennKey Setup Code and instructions on how to use the Setup Code to register/create a permanent PennKey and password. If you do not receive such a letter within two weeks of indicating your Intent to enroll, you may go to the Registrar’s Office in the Franklin Building and request a temporary PennKey Setup Code. You may also request a Setup Code and learn more about PennKeys at following web site http://www.upenn.edu/computing/pennkey/.

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Penn E-mail

The School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) provides an e-mail account for each LPS student free of charge. It is very important that LPS students establish and use a Penn e-mail account. Instructions on how to create a SAS e-mail account are available from SAS Webmail at https://Webmail.sas.upenn.edu/horde/imp/login.php. Within 24 hours after you establish your Penn/SAS e-mail account, you may view and send e-mail from any computer connected to the Internet via Webmail. If you do not have one, please create a Penn e-mail account.

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Penn InTouch

Penn InTouch (PIT) is an extremely useful student resource providing secure online access to course registration, class schedules, transcripts, billing, financial aid information, address correction, and more. A PennKey is required to access Penn InTouch at https://sentry.isc.upenn.edu/intouch/.

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PennCard

The PennCard is the official University of Pennsylvania identification card for students, faculty, and staff. A valid PennCard is required to access many University facilities and services. Your PennCard will display your 8-digit Penn ID Number, which should be used in place of a Social Security Number if possible. You must be officially enrolled in a course before you will be issued a PennCard, which should be carried whenever you are on campus. To obtain a PennCard, bring a valid form of photo ID (driver's license, passport, etc.) to the PennCard Center, 150 Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut Street. The phone number of the PennCard Center is 215-898-2646, and the web site is http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/penncard/.

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Student Health Information

The university requires all incoming students to be immunized for certain diseases and to submit a personal health history. Students will be required to provide this information on a secure web site. Please visit the Student Health Services website to complete the necessary forms: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/shs.

Full-time and dissertation status students must enroll in the Penn Student Insurance Plan (PSIP) or provide proof of acceptable alternative coverage. If proof is not provided, students will be automatically enrolled in the PSIP. Students may file their selection on-line through the Penn Portal beginning on July 1 for the following academic year.

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Financial Aid

For general information about applying for financial aid, please go to the Student Financial Services web site. For financial aid information regarding your particular student population, click on one of the following links:

• Degree Candidate Undergraduate Students
• Post-Baccalaureate Students
• Non-Degree Undergraduate Students
• Degree Candidate Graduate Students

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Online Writing Diagnostic Requirement

The University values excellent writing across the undergraduate curriculum in all academic disciplines, and writing well is a critical skill for your success in your degree program. In an effort to provide improved support and advising to LPS students on developing their writing skills, the Center for Programs in Critical Writing has developed an online writing diagnostic test that will provide feedback to students on their writing. This feedback will enable students, in consultation with their instructors, to target those areas of their writing which most need to be strengthened.

The online writing diagnostic examination takes approximately one hour; it will be administered in your writing seminar during the first week of classes. In order to be able to take this test you must have already set up your PennKey, your password, and your Penn email. Once you have established these, you must update your email contact information in the Penn Directory by logging into www.upenn.edu/directories and clicking on Update Directory Listing. This is the only way to ensure your access to the test.

You will receive more information about the test during the first session of your writing seminar. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact LPS at 215-898-7326 or at LPS@sas.upenn.edu.

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Program-Specific Listserv

Some of our programs have a listserv which the advising staff uses to inform students about changes in course offerings, campus events, important dates, and other useful information.

Undergraduate Listserv

To subscribe to the LPS undergraduate listserv, send an e-mail message to majordomo@sas.upenn.edu. In the body of the message type subscribe LPS_undergrads and on a separate line type end. Type nothing in the subject line of the header or anything else in the body of the message. If your subscription request is successful, majordomo will send you confirmation that your e-mail address has been added to the mailing list.

Pre-Health/Special Science Listserv

To subscribe to the pre-health/special science listserv, send an e-mail message to majordomo@sas.upenn.edu. In the body of the message type subscribe pre-health-program and hit a hard return after you type program. Type nothing in the subject line of the header or anything else in the body of the message. If your subscription request is successful, majordomo will send you confirmation that your e-mail address has been added to the mailing list. We recommend that you sign up from your sas account using sas web mail.

MLA Listserv

MLA students are encouraged to subscribe to the MLA listserv, which the advising staff uses to inform students about changes in course offerings, campus events, important dates, and other useful information. To subscribe to the MLA listserv, please send an email message to majordomo@sas.upenn.edu and leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message type subscribe mla-program. On a separate line, type end. Send the email. Upon receipt of your subscription request, majordomo will send you confirmation that your email address has been added to the mailing list.

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