DUS News - January 15, 2018

News: 

Exploration Series Topic #1

What do I need to know about myself?

You are back from winter break reenergized and ready to start a new semester. What have you learned about yourself since you started college? Self-exploration is an important activity on your path to choosing an area of study. Evaluating and prioritizing your interests, values, and goals are initial steps toward helping you become a more self-assured and confident decision maker. 

To Do: Do one or both of the activities linked above and bring your results in to discuss with your academic adviser at your initial advising appointment spring semester.

Next week's topic: How do I connect my interests to Penn State majors?

DUS Award Winners

Each year, the Division of Undergraduate Studies awards scholarships to sophomore DUS students who have exemplified thoughtful engagement with their educational decisions. The award recipients for 2017 are Alexis Bowser at Penn State Schuylkill, Joshua Cobler, and Lauren Karenbauer, both at the University Park campus.

Alexis, Joshua, and Lauren took advantage of their DUS experience to challenge their assumptions and find their true interests.

“I am thankful for this valuable experience to educate myself on all the possible majors and what they have to offer.” - Alexis

“DUS showed me that through this process of declaring a major, it is okay to reevaluate priorities… Through meetings with my advisor, I increased confidence in myself and with my perspective of my future profession.” - Joshua

“I learned that if you take classes that you are truly passionate about, you will find your calling and there is something unique for everyone here at Penn State... I have learned you have let go of your expectations at times and follow what you are truly interested in and you will fall into the right place. I am so thankful for DUS as it helped me find a major that is a perfect fit for me that I once never knew existed.” - Lauren

Important Dates: 

More events at dus.psu.edu/calendar.

Resource Spotlight: 

Student Disability Resources

Student Disability Resources provides reasonable accommodations and services for students with disabilities. You can learn more about applying for these services via the SDR website. Each campus has a contact person or office, you can find yours on the Campus Contacts list.

Events and Announcements: 

MLK Day of Service

University Park

Join your fellow Penn Staters for the MLK, Jr. Day of Service on January 15th from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Meet in the HUB Alumni Hall and disperse to various locations on campus and throughout the State College community to do service for the day. Be sure to wear warm clothes in case you are outside! T-shirt and food provided! Sign up at volunteer.psu.edu

Free Wellness Services Available

University Park

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:

  • Financial Wellness
  • 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. 

All that WE ARE

All Campuses

Stand for State will host an event, “All that WE ARE,” at Penn State campuses between Jan. 15 and 30. This event is inspired by the viral video "All That We Share." The activity is intended to help build empathy and connection between participants, who respond to a variety of questions that highlight human experiences. Following the event, a short video similar to the one above will be released highlighting all the campuses that participated. Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate.  Read the full story for more information and to find dates/times at your location.

S.T.A.R.T. Diversity Contest

All Campuses

Are you looking for scholarship opportunities? DUS students are welcome to apply for the S.T.A.R.T Diversity Contest.. This is a written expression contest with awards of $500, $750, and $1500 for first place.

Masters of Accounting Program Application Deadline

All Campuses

Attention Sophomores: The deadline to apply to the Integrated Masters of Accounting Program is Friday, January 19th.  More information can be found at https://www.smeal.psu.edu/macc/integrated/admissions

Group Advising Sessions

University Park

DUS will be holding Group Advising Sessions throughout the fall 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. All sessions are held in the Grange Building Lobby.

January 24: Exploration Workshop
January 30: Study Skills
February 8: Major and Career Planning
February 13: Decision Making
February 21: Smeal Entrance to Major
February 26: DUS Students and Study Abroad
March 14: Sophomore Schedule Planning
March 20: First-Year Schedule Planning

Be a DUS Peer Mentor

University Park

If you’re looking for a great way to gain leadership experience next summer, check-out the DUS Peer Mentor position. The DUS Peer Mentor team will play an important role in helping to promote a positive awareness of the exploratory educational experience and well-informed decision making before entering colleges/majors. To learn more about the role, visit https://dus.psu.edu/dus-peer-mentor or apply via the PSU jobs website at https://psu.jobs/job/74237

If you have any questions, direct them to Courtney Karmelita at cec5032@psu.edu.