DUS News - October 18, 2021
Penn State has over 680 majors and minor options. That is a lot of majors, which means you don’t have to follow the crowd. As a DUS student, you should work hard to create your own path at Penn State. This means exploring different academic paths in a proactive fashion. You could sit in on an upper-level course in a major that interests you. Or you could join a club that is connected to a major or minor. Or you could meet with your adviser to discuss different options at Penn State. Your academic path won’t find you; you have to find it!
Have you made a scheduling appointment with your adviser yet? If not, you should do this as soon as possible, as scheduling for the Spring 2022 semester is approaching fast!
You can schedule an appointment with your DUS adviser (at University Park and at some Campus Locations) online via Starfish. To do this, log into Starfish and you should see a list of 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. Visit the Starfish Information website for more information or step-by-step instructions.
- October 18 (Mon)
- D.C. Social Justice Fellowship Info Session
- IST Entrance-to-major Workshop - October 20 (Wed)
- HDFS Fall Career Panel - October 21 (Thurs)
- DUS Group Advising - Interested in Smeal? - October 22 (Fri)
- Penn State Homecoming Parade - October 25 (Mon)
- IST Majors Night - October 27 (Wed)
- Rock Your LinkedIn Profile - October 28 (Thurs)
- DUS Group Advising - Explore and Find the Right Major for You - October 31 (Sun)
- DUS Scholarship Application Deadline
Are you interested in applying to a health professional school? Consider stopping by the PreHealth Advising virtual walk-in hours. Please log in to Starfish to schedule same day appointments during the times listed below.
There will be walk-ins on the following days:
- Monday: No walk-in hours
- Tuesday: No walk-in hours.
- Wednesday: No walk-in hours
- Thursday: 1:30–3:30 p.m.
- Friday: 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Are you passionate about helping others? Do you want to gain valuable workplace skills? Apply to be an academic peer mentor. Mentors will learn tactics to:
- Help mentees with time management, study-skill development, and more
- Learn and implement active listening and motivational interviewing skills
- Discover how to build a successful mentoring relationship and make referrals
Interested? Get started in four easy steps:
- Complete the APMP application online by December 3. (If you’re interested in APMP, save Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. on your spring 2022 class.)
- Earn a B or higher in a one-credit preparatory course.
- Attend a mentorship interview.
- Begin mentoring students.
For questions about the program or the class, contact spc83@psu.edu.
Do you like to build things? Did you know there are a number of maker spaces around the University Park campus? Visit the Learning Factory on October 18, from 6:00–8:00 p.m for a kitchen themed BUILD Night! We will hear from Dr. Lynette Yarger about her professional and personal experiences and then will be making wooden cutting boards, metal straws, and etching glasses! This is a great opportunity you to apply your engineering skills, build confidence designing and making, and get exposed to the Learning Factory in a low-stress environment with lots of help available!
These events and the Learning Factory are open to all Penn state students! BUILD Nights are held once a month and are designed to provide a safe space so new students can come and learn how to use the equipment. A lot of engineers use the space for class projects, but anyone is welcome.
Please register in advance for the October 18 BUILD night.
Feel free to contact Morgan at mys5441@psu.edu with any questions!
Finding involvement and connection outside of the classroom is an important part of your college experience. What better way to get involved than to join in on the fun events of Homecoming Week, October 18–23! Penn State Homecoming is one of the largest student-run homecoming organizations in the country, and aims to celebrate tradition and instill pride in all members of the Penn State family through active engagement of students, alumni, faculty and staff across the community. There are many events and activities going on during the week, including the annual homecoming parade on Friday, October 22.
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. 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. Some sessions have multiple dates and locations available.
Fall 2021 Sessions
All sessions are at 4:00 p.m. ET and held in the Grange Building Lobby. (Note: masks will be required, regardless of vaccination status).
October 21: Interested in Smeal?
Please register in advance for the October 21 session.
October 28: Explore and Find the Right Major for You
Looking for a summer or fall internship and interested in sustainability? Apply now for Penn State Center Pittsburgh’s City Semester program, and make a tangible impact on the community and your future. City Semester is an immersive “study away” experience in urban sustainability, open to all Penn State students. Earn credits while interning with a community partner and learning about sustainability in one of the world’s most resilient cities. Explore real-world issues in climate action, architectural design, clean energy, landscape architecture, urban equality, education, and more.
Apply by October 29, 2021, to be considered for the spring 2022 program and by March 18, 2022, for the summer 2022 program.
Interested in a major in the College of Engineering? There are several ways for you to learn about majors in the college. You can attend a virtual major night, in which you can view a presentation by faculty and current students and learn about the major, typical coursework, and potential career paths. Note that the linked website states that attendance is required. This is only a requirement if you are enrolled in EDSGN 100. These events are open to all students considering an engineering major, not just students enrolled in EDSGN 100. We chose to link to this site to show all available sessions. You can attend one or all sessions. The choice is yours!
Don't have time to visit the virtual major nights? Check out the series of 5-minute videos highlighting each major with current faculty, students, and alum who are working in their respective industries. These are great resources for students when looking at the differences between majors.
Want a professional photo of yourself for your social media pages, LinkedIn account, or just to show your parents? Stop by the Bank of America Career Services Building any Tuesday or Friday during the fall semester for a free professional headshot!
Tuesdays: 3:30–4:30 p.m. ET
Fridays: 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET
Want to be an advocate for social justice? Want to live, learn, and teach in Washington, D.C. this summer?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the D.C. Social Justice Fellowship may be for you. The fellowship is a 2-semester program exploring social justice concepts in the spring and working with high school students and civic leaders in Washington, D.C. in the summer. In the spring, students participate in civic leadership training in preparation for a social justice teaching experience in Washington. Students work with faculty and graduate mentors to develop learner-centered, values-based curriculum materials on self-selected issues of social justice. The summer fellowship (a Maymester course) is conducted at Georgetown Law in Washington, where students work with accomplished civic leaders, educators, Penn State faculty, and Georgetown Law faculty to empower youth through the art of advocacy. The fellowship covers the cost of housing and some day-to-day expenses while in D.C, and is open to all Penn State undergraduate students regardless of major.
Interested? Come to the information session on Monday, October 18, at 6:00 p.m. in 123 Chambers Building.