DUS News - November 30, 2020

News: 
Do Minors Matter?

You know that choosing your major is an important decision in your college career; it will shape your education and experiences during your time at Penn State and beyond. But what about your choice of a college minor? Do minors matter? Minors have many benefits and are great way to enhance your education and explore a new subject. When thinking about your minor choice, it is important to reflect on your goals, interests, and how your minor will complement your major coursework. In addition, some majors at Penn State require a minor. To search Penn State minors, take a look at the Bulletin for inspiration, and visit with your adviser to talk about planning a minor!

Entrance to Major

Have you already decided on a major? If so, you may be able to enter that major now. You can declare many Penn State majors as soon as you have earned a 2.00 GPA and completed at least 29.1 credits. This can be done through the "Update Academics" function in LionPATH. To see what the entrance-to-major requirements are for your intended major, visit the "How to Get In" section of the program page for that major in the Bulletin. As soon as you meet the entrance criteria, you can go on to Update Academics on LionPATH to officially declare your major.

Planning on a major with enrollment controls? Make sure you take a close look at the credit window, GPA requirements, and course requirements. And if you haven’t spoken with your assigned adviser yet about potential entrance-to-major requirements, now would be a great time in the semester to do so. 

Alternative Grading Reinstated for Fall 2020

Penn State is reimplementing its opt-in alternative grading system for the fall 2020 semester to support and provide flexibility to undergraduate students who may be facing significant challenges academically due to circumstances beyond their control related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Students should use alternative grading very cautiously and with a great deal of attention to the potential long-term implications of these decisions, especially for the selection of SAT (Satisfactory) grades. Please plan to talk with your academic adviser to ensure you have a good understanding of the pros and cons of using alternative grading. Additionally, students who have received an academic sanction as the result of a violation of academic integrity will not be allowed to select alternative grading for that course. 

Important Dates: 
Resource Spotlight: 
Update Academics

Ready to declare your major (and possibly add on a minor)? You can do this through the “Update Academics” page on LionPATH. Visit the LionPATH Help page here for step-by-step instructions on how to change/update/declare a major, minor or certificate: https://tutorials.lionpath.psu.edu/public/S_UpdateAcademics/.  

Update academics will be shut down beginning at 5:00 p.m. on December 18 and continuing through January 18.

Events and Announcements: 
Alternative Grading Workshop
All Campuses

Curious about alternative grading and how it will influence your academic career? Come to the group advising session titled “Everything you need to know about the NEW alternative grading policy,” to learn more about the fall 2020 alternative grading options.

In this workshop, you will learn:

  • What the NEW alternative grading policy is for fall 2020
  • Why letter grades matter
  • How decisions about opting in to alternative grading relates to entrance-to-major requirements, graduation, and beyond
  • How to make appropriate decisions regarding alternative grading for yourself

Two workshop dates are available, and students must register in advance:

Join the New Student Orientation OTeam
University Park

Interested in helping the Class of 2025 to join Penn State? Join the Orientation Team! We are seeking diverse, dedicated, enthusiastic, resourceful, and motivated students to join our 2021 Orientation Team (OTeam). New Student Orientation (NSO) begins the transition to Penn State, and the OTeam makes the difference for new students and their families. Members of the OTeam will serve as group facilitators, resource persons, role models, and ambassadors for Penn State during NSO. You can learn more about the Orientation Team by visiting oteam.psu.edu.

Applications due by December 2, 2020.

Quick Question Advising
University Park

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. 
    Day 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:

Apply to Become a Lion Ambassador
All Campuses

Do you love Penn State? Do you want to share that love with everyone you meet? Consider joining the Lion Ambassadors. The Lion Ambassadors are Penn State’s Student Alumni Corps who aim to communicate the University’s history, personality, and traditions to students, alumni, and anyone with a love for dear old state. Applications for 2021 are now open and being accepted. Learn more about the Lion Ambassadors on their website. 

Deadline to apply: Friday, December 11 at 11:59 p.m.