DUS News - February 15, 2021
Everyone has a decision-making style as well as a decision-making strategy that they tend to follow. Is your style spontaneous, or do you collect all the information available and weigh the pros and cons? Is your strategy to follow your gut instinct, or is your strategy to plan carefully? Your style and the strategies you use as you explore majors will affect how certain you are of your academic goals.
To Do: Read and do the exercises in the Decision-Making Style and Strategy and Major Certainty documents. Bring them with you to your next advising appointment for an in-depth conversation about your decision making and major certainty.
Last week's topic: How Do Majors Relate to Careers?
Next week's topic: How Can Gen Ed Courses Enhance My Education?
You are allowed to be in DUS up to the end of your first four semesters. After that, though, you need to be out of DUS and into your major, especially if you’re planning to graduate on time.
If you started at Penn State during summer or fall 2019, this is your last semester in DUS, and you will be receiving letters from us about this. You should be working with your adviser to determine your next steps, and use "Update Academics" to declare your major!
If you have reached a decision about your choice of major and meet the qualifications to enter that major, you can use “Update Academics” in LionPATH to process a change into your major. Students who are completing their sophomore year need to be moving out of DUS. You can review the qualifications for your intended major by viewing the entrance-to-major requirements on your intended major's page in the Bulletin.
- February 15 (Mon)
- Return to in-person classes, where applicable - February 18 (Thurs)
- DUS Success Series - Fellowships 101 - February 19–21
- Virtual Thon Weekend 2021 - February 22–March 14
- Final Exam Conflict Filing Period - February 23 (Tues)
- Liberal Arts Adviser Takeover - February 25 (Thurs)
- Study Smarter Session - March 2 (Tues)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Interested in Smeal?
Now that you're back on campus, you may be wondering how to get involved with leadership and service organizations at Penn State. Check out the DUS page on University-wide Involvement Opportunities for ideas and suggestions!
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 professional communication 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 Monday, March 1, 2021. 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 Leadership Council website.
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 the DUS Group Advising website. All sessions will be held via Zoom.
Upcoming Spring 2021 Sessions
February 18, 4:00 p.m.: DUS Success Series: Fellowships 101
March 2, 8:00 p.m.: Interested in Smeal?
March 30, 8:00 p.m.: Explore and Find the Right Major for You
Interested in becoming a resident assistant (RA) at University Park? The Office of Residence Life is opening the application process for new RAs. To qualify for the program, students must have completed 12 Penn State credits upon application (does NOT include advanced placement, transfer, or current semester credits). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate good academic standing with at least a 2.40 cumulative GPA.
To apply to be a part of the spring 2021 process, you must attend one of the RA information sessions via Zoom webinar. The last remaining session dates are Monday, February 15, and Tuesday, February 16. Additional information can be found on the Resident Assistant website.
Have a question that can be resolved in a short 5–10 minute conversation? Join us for quick question advising via Zoom on the dates and times below. Some of these topics include: discussing adding/dropping courses within deadlines; getting a form signed; using LionPATH; reviewing entrance-to-major requirements; learning about general education information not related to schedule planning; and transferring credits. Quick question advising is not intended for in-depth conversations.
For students enrolled in DUS:
- Click here for quick question advising via Zoom - Please note that a DUS adviser is only available during the times listed below. All times are Eastern Time.
Monday 1:00–3:00 p.m. Tuesday 9:00–11:00 a.m. Wednesday 9:00–11:00 a.m. Thursday 1:00–3:00 p.m. Friday No Quick Question Advising
For students not enrolled in DUS:
- Use our online form to submit a question. Use your Penn State email.
Students thinking about going to law school should sign up for an information session before scheduling an individual appointment with the pre-law adviser. Two kinds of sessions are available throughout the semester: “Pre-Law Orientation” and “Applying to Law School.” See details, dates/times, and registration instructions at the Pre-Law Information Sessions webpage. All of the sessions will be held via Zoom webinar this semester. Note: These sessions fill quickly.
Are you still undecided about your major or exploring other major/minor options? Advisers in the College of the Liberal Arts are excited to answer your individual questions about majors and minors. Join them via Zoom on Tuesday, February 23, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. to talk one-on-one with advisers in the many departments housed in the College of the Liberal Arts—from the social sciences (psychology, human resources, and political science) to the humanities (history, literature, and philosophy), to the languages (French, Chinese, and Russian) and more!
How can you better monitor your learning so that you don't waste time and effort on ineffective study strategies? This workshop presents research-based evidence that metacognition (awareness of how you learn and the predictable effects of the related choices you make) can help you successfully transition to the demands of college-level courses as well as the flexibility of setting your own schedule.
For more information or to sign up for a study smarter workshop, visit the Penn State Learning website.
Upcoming Study Smarter Workshops:
- Thursday, February 25, 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 3, 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
- Monday, March 8, 8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
- Wednesday, March 17, 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
- Thursday, March 18, 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
- Sunday, March 21, 2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 14, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
- Monday, April 19, 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Passionate about health and wellness? HealthWorks, a peer health education outreach program in Health Promotion and Wellness, is currently recruiting student volunteers to become Peer Health Educators for the 2021–22 academic year. The deadline for applications is March 5, 2021. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply.
The HealthWorks program offers student volunteers two unique opportunities to share and promote health information on campus. These opportunities include:
- One-on-one wellness services for students
- Outreach activities and educational workshops
To learn more about the Peer Health Educator position or HealthWorks, visit the HealthWorks website.
Looking for help with your courses? Penn State Learning (PSL) is offering their tutoring and guided study groups both online and in-person this semester.
Guided Study Groups (GSG): Access the date, time, and Zoom link for the GSG through Canvas.
Tutoring: Students can get tutoring for math and writing through PSL. Students can reserve a tutoring time through Starfish by clicking on the appropriate service tile under “Your Services.” Language tutoring has been temporarily suspended.
Visit Penn State Learning's website for more information.
Interested in a degree in public policy? The School of Public Policy is hosting a series of virtual info sessions about Penn State's Master of Public Policy (MPP) program. The sessions will include a current student, director of advising, and director of professional development and student engagement. They will discuss curriculum, degree requirements, career options and earning potential for graduates, programs for undergraduate students at Penn State (IUG programs), the program's unique professional development and career placement programming, and more. Info sessions will be held throughout the semester beginning Wednesday, February 3, 2021. Complete details on the virtual events, including schedule and registration links can be found on the School of Public Policy's website.
Smeal Student Mentors is an organization dedicated to assisting first-year students in Smeal with their transition to college. If you are a current sophomore with a 3.2 GPA or above and have a conditional or permanent offer to a Smeal major, consider applying to become a Smeal Student Mentor! In this role, you will help answer first-year students' questions about academics, getting involved, and taking advantage of Penn State's many opportunities and events. For more information and to apply to be a mentor, visit the Smeal Student Mentor website. Application deadline: March 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Tip: This application requires an instructor or adviser recommendation. Set up an appointment with your intended reference, and give them at least two weeks prior to the application deadline to complete the endorsement form.
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 Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring.
The workshops cover everything undergraduate students need to know, including defining research and discovery opportunities, using 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 looks 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 research and fellowship opportunities, visit the Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring website.