DUS Alumni Profile: Gretchen Gierach - Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS)

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Gretchen Gierach

When did you enter DUS?: Freshman year
How many semesters did you spend in DUS?: Two or three.
Why did you choose DUS?: I entered upon a recommendation from a Penn State student/friend from home who was older than I was. She commended DUS for their wonderful advising for those students who are undecided. I couldn't agree more!
What resources did you use in your exploratory and decision-making process?: I used my adviser, Laura Brown, who pointed out a new major to me that combined my interests in biology and psychology. I then took BB H 101 and spoke with BB H faculty (Carol Gold and Frank Ahern) and decided to choose Biobehavioral Health!
Did DUS benefit you? If so, how?: Definitely! DUS allowed me time to explore, but my adviser also pushed me to search on my own. It also helped me to become involved in the DUS Student Council, one of my first extracurricular activities at Penn State.

What major(s) (and minor(s), if applicable) did you end up choosing?: Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Spanish
What year did you graduate?: 1998
What extracurricular activities made a difference in your college experience?: Activites that made a difference to me included DUS Student Council, Eco-Action, Lion Scouts, Student Counselors, AIDS Project Volunteer, Golden Key National Honor Society and Health and Human Development Honor Society.
Looking back, would you have done anything differently during your time at Penn State?: I would have taken less classes my final semester in order to allow for more time for a job search (I graduated with many more credits than I needed). I would also have utilized the career center more, but found it frustrating that the opportunities for career searching at Penn State seemed geared toward business/engineering students.

What jobs have you held since graduation?

What is your current occupation?

Profile Last Updated: March 4, 2003