DUS News - February 11, 2019
A third of the courses you’ll take to earn your degree at Penn State are General Education courses. This is because Gen Ed is a cornerstone of your university education, which is intended to prepare you to think, work, and contribute to a diverse and changing world. Gen Ed courses give you the opportunity to develop an important breadth of thinking skills, a well-rounded educational experience, and time to explore areas of potential interest. One of the most important things you can do is connect what you learn in General Education courses to your life experiences, your interests, and your larger goals.
To Do: Reflect on how you’ve used the opportunity General Education provides you and connected those experiences to other aspects of your life. Use the instructions on the Gen Ed website to identify what you’ve taken so far, and discuss with your adviser how you can best use the remaining courses to enhance your learning.
Last week's topic: How do I make decisions?
If you have three final exams on one day OR three exams in consecutive periods you can file an Overload Conflict Exam Request Form if you are at University Park, Harrisburg, or Behrend campus. To submit the form, log in to LionPATH and click on Academics in the top menu bar. Next, select View Schedules under the Academics menu on the right. Finally, click on the Overload Exams UP, ER, HB Only link. If you are at another campus, please contact your campus registrar. The University Registrar explains the Final Exam conflict procedure.
Don’t know when your exams are? You can find a tutorial on viewing your exam schedule in LionPATH on the Registrar's website. Look for “Exam Schedule” under Other academics.
- February 11–March 3
- Final Exam Conflict Filing Period - February 12 (Tues)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Major and Career Planning - February 13 (Wed)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Smeal Entrance to Major - February 15–17
- THON - February 19 (Tues)
- HDFS Internship Fair - February 20 (Wed)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Exploration Workshop
- Study Smarter, Not Harder - March 4–8
- Spring Break (No Classes)
More events at dus.psu.edu/calendar.
With THON 2019 just around the corner, you may be wondering how to get involved with other leadership and service organizations at Penn State. Check out the DUS page on University-wide Involvement Opportunities for ideas and suggestions!
First-year students at University Park: Do you want to develop leadership skills while helping other exploratory students find their niche in college? Do you want to give back to the DUS community while gaining public speaking skills? You may want to learn more about the DUS Leadership Council. To be invited to apply for the Leadership Council, you must be nominated by your academic adviser no later than Feb. 20th. Make an appointment with your adviser before this date to learn more about the opportunity and to ask to be formally nominated.
Eligibility requirements and more information can be found on the DUS website: https://dus.psu.edu/dus-leadership-council
Education abroad is an invaluable experience offering personal growth and intercultural development, cultivating strong global citizenship, leadership, and perspective. If you are interested in studying abroad, Penn State's Office of Global Programs is a great place to start. They offer a set of Steps to Study Abroad, which includes information about Study Abroad 101 Sessions, and a Program Search. If you are serious about study abroad, please note that Application Deadlines are approaching quickly! Make an appointment with your Academic Adviser to learn more today.
DUS will be holding Group Advising Sessions throughout the semester as a way to discuss popular advising topics with groups of students. These sessions are open to all DUS students and will help you to learn more about the topic and to ask questions in a friendly, open environment. For more information on each session, including dates and times, visit https://dus.psu.edu/group-advising. All sessions are held in the Grange Building Lobby, unless otherwise listed on the website.
Topics include:
- Improve Your Study Skills (multiple dates/sessions)
- DUS Students and Study Abroad
- Exploration Workshop (multiple dates/sessions)
- Marketing Your Skills to Get a Job (multiple dates/sessions)
- Major and Career Planning
- Smeal Entrance to Major (multiple dates/sessions)
- Standing Out: Choosing Minors and Involvement Opportunities
- Schedule Planning
- What Gen Eds Do I Need? (multiple dates/sessions)
- Afraid of Choosing the Wrong Major?
Interested in doing undergraduate research but not sure where to start? Students looking to learn more about how to become involved in research as undergraduates are encouraged to attend workshops organized by University Libraries and the University Fellowships Office.
The workshops cover everything undergraduate students need to know, including how to define research and discover opportunities, research ethics and emotional intelligence, designing an effective research poster, and preparing to present at the Undergraduate Exhibition.
Research opportunities are available for undergraduates in all fields of study. While inquiry in the social sciences may look different from the arts, which look different from engineering, the process of discovery and asking questions is similar across the disciplines. Previous experience with research is not required to participate in the workshops.
For a full list of workshops, please see the news article: https://news.psu.edu/story/555960/2019/01/25/academics/workshops-available-help-undergrads-get-research
For a full list of research and fellowship opportunities, visit https://ufo.psu.edu/calendar/list
Health Promotion and Wellness is now offering free Wellness Services for students. The services are designed to help students increase knowledge and learn new skills that contribute to healthy behaviors and academic success. Services are available for:
- Healthy Relationships and Sexual Health
- Nutrition/Healthy Eating
- Physical Activity
- Sleep
- Stress (Relaxation and Time Management)
Each service includes three 1-hour sessions and are held in the Wellness Suite, Room 20 IM Building. Trained peer educators deliver the services. Schedule an appointment by calling 814.863.0461 or by using the myUHS page. For students who are unable to make it to University Park, call in appointments as well as Skype/Zoom appointments are available.
Starting after Spring Break, a representative from the Business Career Center will hold drop-in hours in the Grange Building every Wednesday from 12:30–2:30 p.m. Stop by for tips on resumes, cover letters, career events, and resources. They will also be in the HUB on Mondays from 12:30–2:30 p.m. These opportunities will start on March 13 and go through April 24. No Appointment needed. For assistance at other campuses, visit your campus career center.