Penn extends course selection deadline following two-day suspension of University operations

After winter weather caused Penn to suspend operations and classes for two days, the University extended its course registration add deadline to Thursday.

The deadline — initially set for Jan. 27 — marks the final opportunity for students to add additional courses to their schedule. According to a Tuesday email from Wharton junior and Undergraduate Assembly President Nia Matthews, the change came in response to student concerns that the snow days impacted their ability to “finalize course decisions.”

“This extension is intended to account for the disruptions caused by the suspension of normal operations and difficulties accessing advising and departmental support,” the email — which was sent to Penn’s undergraduate community — read.

“Due to the suspension of normal operations yesterday and today, the University is granting a 2-day extension to the Course Selection period deadline currently scheduled for this evening,” Director of Communications for Penn’s Division of Finance Annie Weinstein wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Penn’s Office of the University Registrar is housed under the Division of Finance and is responsible for overseeing student registration, scheduling final exams, and publishing the University Catalog.

In an interview, College sophomore Amy Lee described how she faced difficulties with Path@Penn — the University website used for class registration. Lee explained that she was unable to submit her course registration despite receiving approval on Monday to switch both a lab and a lecture section.

“It’s really frustrating because I would normally go to the College office drop-in hours for assistance,” Lee said. “But because the school is closed, I can’t do any of that.”

Due to the University’s suspension of normal operations on Monday and Tuesday, there was a limited number of support services available to students. During the period of the suspension, only essential services — such as Penn’s Division of Public Safety, Dining Services, and student health services — remained operational. 

“The course add deadline for this semester will now be extended to Thursday, January 29th at 11:59PM EST,”  Matthews’ statement read.

Matthews — who is also a DP staffer — explained how the University heard student perspectives prior to extending the deadline.

“After hearing from several students who were impacted by the snow days, I spent much of the day in conversation with both students and University administration to better understand the scope of the issue,” Matthews wrote to the DP. “We were able to elevate those concerns, particularly around advising access and registration barriers, and the University was very willing to accommodate by extending the add period.”

College senior Enne Kim reacted positively to the extension and expressed her general desire for the course selection deadline to be later.

“I think that it’s pretty helpful,” Kim said. “[The deadline] was a little bit early, and I think that’s especially an issue for upperclassmen because this is the stage that we’re more so picking out classes for our interests.”

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