UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Any Penn State undergraduate student interested in exploring and writing about ethical values and intercultural issues is encouraged to submit an essay for the ninth annual Collegiate Laws of Life Essay Contest, sponsored by the Paterno Fellows Program and the College of the Liberal Arts.
The contest is open to all full-time undergraduate students who are enrolled at any Penn State campus for the fall 2021 or spring 2022 semesters. Essays should be no longer than 800 words and will be judged on originality, relevance and creativity.
Students interested in participating must each submit an essay responding to the following prompt by Jan. 19, 2022:
"University education is under attack from all sides today. Increasingly, its proponents respond by justifying it in primarily economic terms — for the value it has in bettering a student’s prospects for career advancement and earnings potential. This raises a question of whether a university education can or should provide any noneconomic value for its students and what this value is.
"In your essay, reflect on the value of a university education that is not so easily quantified, and on how this education has value not just for you, but for the community, society or world as a whole."
Winners will receive $500 for first place, $400 for second place, and $300 for third place. Winning essays will be published on the Paterno Fellows Program’s news website. Questions can be sent to PaternoFellows@psu.edu.
Paterno Fellows are challenged to reach the highest levels of academic achievement and distinguish themselves in areas traditionally associated with the liberal arts: ethics, service, and leadership; excellence in communication; and intercultural awareness. The program’s rigorous challenges are coupled with significant rewards. Fellows receive financial support to participate in enriching out-of-classroom experiences like internships, education abroad, and research. The program is one of the only pathways at the University for students not initially admitted as honors students to demonstrate their potential and earn their way into the Schreyer Honors College.