DUS News - February 22, 2021
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 Gen Ed courses to your life experiences, your interests, and your larger goals.
To Do: Reflect on how you’ve used the opportunity Gen Ed 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. 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? Look for “Final Exam Schedule” on your LionPATH dashboard.
Preparing to attend the Career Fair for the first time can be overwhelming. With a large number of employers expected to attend Virtual Spring Career Days (March 3 and 4) this year, it is important to do your research on what to expect, prepare your resume, and strategize for success by targeting specific organizations of interest. Penn State Career Services is a great resource for taking on the Career Fair with confidence. They offer career counseling, prep workshops, volunteer opportunities, and more. Check out your campus career services office to take advantage of similar programs and opportunities for support. Students from all campuses and colleges are welcome to attend!
- 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? - March 3 (Wed)
- Study Smarter Session - March 3–4
- Virtual Spring Career Days
Looking for a Summer 2021 Internship? Check out Virtual Spring Career Days!
March 3: Virtual Non-Technical, Full-Time, Internship & Co-op Recruitment; Virtual Stuckeman School Career Day
March 4: Virtual Technical, Full-Time, Internship & Co-op Recruitment
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!
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.
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
March 2, 8:00 p.m.: Interested in Smeal?
March 30, 8:00 p.m.: Explore and Find the Right Major for You
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.
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 as much time as possible prior to the application deadline to complete the endorsement form.