DUS News - February 4, 2019
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 can schedule an appointment with your DUS Adviser (at University Park and at some Campus Locations) online via Starfish (starfish.psu.edu). To do this, log into Starfish and click the "My Success Network" icon on your Home page to display your personalized network. This channel lists the people and resources that are available to assist you, including your assigned DUS Academic Adviser. If online scheduling is enabled, you will see a link to make an appointment (If not, you can always contact your adviser or your Advising Office directly). For more information or step-by-step instructions, please visit: http://sites.psu.edu/starfishinfo/user-roles/student-users/#appointment
- February 5-6 (Tues-Wed)
- Spring Career Days - February 5 (Tues)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Exploration Workshop - February 6 (Wed)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Marketing Your Skills to get a Job - February 12 (Tues)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Major and Career Planning - February 13 (Wed)
- DUS Group Advising Session - Smeal Entrance to Major - February 20 (Wed)
- Study Smarter, Not Harder - March 4–8
- Spring Break
More events at dus.psu.edu/calendar.
Are you considering law school? If so, you may know that law schools do not have any preferred majors or require any pre-requisite courses. DUS students interested in law school should work closely with their advisers to find a major that is a good fit for their strengths and interests that will help them build strong reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Pre-Law Advising is housed in DUS and has resources available to all students who are interested in law school. Start learning more about law school and how to prepare by attending a Pre-Law Orientation Session. To find out about other law-related events across the University, sign up for the Pre-Law Advising Listserv.
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.