Frequently Asked Questions - New Student Orientation

Peer Mentors are sophomores, juniors, and seniors who serve as a guide and mentor to students during their first year at Elizabethtown. They can answer those questions that you just don't know who to ask. Elizabethtown College has many inspiring student leaders, and the peer mentors are one group of student leaders on our campus. They are helpful, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic upperclass students who seek to guide and mentor our first-year students.  Their goal is to make every first-year student's transition to college a smooth one by being a supportive and caring mentor.  

First-year students and their families will meet their Peer Mentor at New Student Orientation. They will welcome students to the Blue Jay family and help with the transition from high school to college. These student leaders will guide students through June and August new student orientation and continue serving as a mentor throughout a student's first year at Etown College.

They fill the days of orientation with tons of enthusiasm, smiles, and a willingness to help.  Peer mentors work with every First Year Seminar, so the students in each First Year Seminar have peer mentors to guide them through their transition to college.  They help students find their classroom locations, understand how the Marketplace works (our dining facility), utilize campus resources, and much more.

First Year Seminars, commonly referred to as FYS, allow students to embark on a common learning experience with others in their incoming class. As part of the new student orientation paperwork, students select their top choices of First Year Seminar courses.

Etown builds your fall schedule for you based on the new student orientation forms you complete. Every first-year student takes a First Year Seminar their first semester. You will rank your First Year Seminar choices. You will receive your fall schedule at June Orientation. If you can't attend orientation, then you'll receive an email with information on how to access your schedule. First Year FAQs

For students starting in January, you will receive an email from the Registration & Records office with details on registration and your academic advisor. You will register for classes beginning in November.

There will be time at June Orientation and August check-in day to talk to our Academic Advising team about any schedule questions you may have. If you have a question in July or August, please find information on who to contact here (scroll down to Who do I contact to discuss a schedule change?).

Depending on your major, you may need to take the Math Placement Assessment or the Language Placement Exam. You can find more information about Placement Exams on this site.

Yes, you can - credits from other instutions and credits by examination (AP, CLEP, etc). Find out those details on the Registration & Records website.

Visit this site to learn more about Course Materials and procedures. When you receive your schedule, you can click "Shop for My Textbooks" and choose Course Materials - Order Textbooks where you will find helpful information on ordering.

FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and it is a federal law that protects the privacy of a student's education records. Learn more about this law, including how to update your preferences on our website (you can update your preferences in Jayweb at any time while you are a student).

If you have questions about your financial aid, please contact the Financial Aid Office or check out their Frequently Asked Questions. You must log into the Financial Aid portal to accept your financial aid offer by July 15.

Tuition is due on August 1 (fall semester) & January 1 (spring semester). The Business Office manages student accounts and payment plans. You can find a Billing Guide, as well as other helpful information on the Business Office website, like accessing your account and setting up other payer (family) access.

All students must complete Student Health Forms by August 1 (new fall students) or January 1 (new spring students). Follow the instructions on the Student Health website to have your physician complete the form and then upload it into our electronic health records system, ATS.

Learn more about our Student Health services here.

We require all full-time students to have health insurance. Etown makes available a health insurance plan for our students which you can purchase or waive. If you choose to waive this health insurance, then you must complete that process by the start of the semester. Find out more about this, including details about our provider to determine if your current health insurance is accepted, on our Student Health website.

Lancaster General Health Urgent Care has a location in Elizabethtown (a 5-minute drive from campus). There are local hospitals in Lancaster, Hershey, and Harrisburg that are a 30-minute drive from campus.

Absolutely! You can bring a desktop or laptop computer to Elizabethtown. Information and Technology Services (ITS) supports both Windows-based computers and Macintosh computers on campus. Elizabethtown College students can receive discounts on hardware and software. Students are able to download Microsoft Office for free. Find out more information on the ITS website.

Nope! Etown has multiple print stations on campus (including in residence halls) that students can use. Students are allotted a certain number of pages they can print each semester; you can find that information on our Printing Tips site.

Yes - Etown offers Xfinity on Campus to our residential students.

Check out our residence hall options, find out what you should bring, what you should leave at home, and what furniture is provided (including measurements) on the Residence Life website. Be sure to take a look at Residence Life's helpful tips, as well. On move-in day, we will have volunteers to help you with move-in and show you how to loft the beds.

After you deposit, you will receive an email in June with information about completing our housing agreement and questionnaire. You will receive your housing and roommate assignment in early August (new fall students) or mid-December (new spring students). You can find out more details on the Residence Life website.

Good question!  Pet alligators should stay at home, but you can find more guidance on this question here.

There will be an email sent to your Etown email address the end of June with information on how to request a twin XL bed via a form in Jayweb that opens on July 1.

There will be an email sent to your Etown email address the end of June with information on how to request a microfridge via a form in Jayweb that opens on July 1.

Etown has an office to support commuters and help you navigate your time at Etown. Find out where commuters can park on the Campus Safety website. And yes, commuters do have to check-in on Check-in Day in August (new fall students) or January (new spring students) so that you can receive your college ID card.

Yes! First-year students are permitted to bring a car to campus. The cost is included in the comprehensive fee. Resident students are limited to registering one vehicle. Commuter students can register up to two vehicles. Students must register their vehicle in Jayweb beginning in July. Please visit the Campus Safety website for more information, including where students can park.

You can view the College's annual Security and Fire Safety Report at any time. Students are encouraged to:

• Download the LiveSafe app as a quick and easy way to communicate with Campus Safety, report a safety tip, or use SafeWalk to virtually walk home safely
• Utilize Blue Light phones on campus if you need to contact Campus Safety for a safety escort
• Stay tuned into emergency alerts that come through our EC Alert system
• Follow general safety tips

Enjoying the College's delicious food is definitely a benefit of our campus. Incoming residential students are automatically assigned the gold meal plan. You can make changes to your meal plan through the first two weeks of the semester (via Jayweb). You can check the number of meal swipes used in Jayweb. Learn more about meal plans and dining options at Dining Services' website and their Frequently Asked Questions page.

Jay Bucks are prepaid dollars added to your account to be used at campus dining locations. You simply have to swipe your college ID to use them. You can check your remaining balance in Jayweb. Through the first two weeks of the fall semester, you can purchase $75 in Jay Bucks and receive an additional $25 in Jay Bucks; just purchase $75 via your Business Office account (student account log-in (Jayweb-Student-Finances) / parent account log-in (only works after your student has set this access up)) and we'll add the $25.

Etown is a small town in Central PA that is close to everything and often smells like chocolate. There are small businesses and shops downtown (which is walkable from campus) that make our local community vibrant. A tradition during August Orientation is the Blue Jay Walk where our group of 500+ students will walk to downtown Etown together to explore the area and enjoy Rita's italian ice, music, and a great atmosphere. We are close to Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Hershey. The nearest Target or Walmart is about 20 minutes away in Lancaster or Harrisburg (we get this question a lot!); and the Hershey Outlets are also 20 minutes away.

There are many options for pizza in Etown which is a highly debated topic among our students - who has the best pizza?

All students have a mailbox number, which you will receive by July or January. Your campus mailing adress is:

(Your Student Mailbox Number) Baugher Avenue
Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Our Mail Services team does a fabulous job of getting your mail and deliveries to you! Student mailboxes are located in Brossman Commons on the first floor. During August Orientation, your peer mentor will show you how to open your mailbox.

Yes - trust us, Amazon (and FedEx, UPS, and USPS) delivers quite a lot to campus! All deliveries are made to our Mail Services department (in Brossman Commons). They will email you when you have a delivery to pick up at Mail Services.

Be sure to share your campus mailing address with friends and family so they can send you care packages!

Yes - absolutely. There are many departments that hire student employees. Find out more on the Student Employment website.

That's completely up to you. There are many local banks, and PSECU provides a convenient, on-campus banking option for students. Find out more at their campus website.