UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 Division of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) Scholarships.
The DUS Scholarships recognize and support outstanding DUS students who have demonstrated a strong commitment to exploring their academic interests. Three students will be selected and receive a $1,000 scholarship.
An application and instructions can be found at dus.psu.edu.
To be considered for the awards, students must:
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Be enrolled as an undergraduate at Penn State
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Have been enrolled in DUS for at least two semesters
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Be of at least second-year standing with 28 credits completed at Penn State
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Have commendable academic achievement based on transcripts
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Have engaged in meaningful academic exploration
Applicants will then need to answer three questions, sign a permission form and email the application package to DUS by Sunday, Nov. 12. Applications are reviewed anonymously, and students are asked not to include their name or any identifying information in the answers to the application questions.
Emily Jenkins, of Oreland, Pennsylvania, earned the 2022-2023 Joyce Buck Award. Jenkins is a Schreyer Scholar in her third year at the University Park campus, majoring in political science and English.
“I was very gratified to have earned the award, especially since only three DUS students are selected each year,” Jenkins said. “I remember reading about the recipients in the DUS newsletter my first year, so to have won the award myself was a full circle moment.”
Jenkins is vice president of the German Club at Penn State, which earned the 2023 Outstanding Student Organization award. During her first year, she also participated in the Communication Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Showcase for her research paper on the evolution of female orators.
“DUS let me explore different majors that I would have never considered before, like political science, which is now one of my majors,” she said. “It gave me a lot of flexibility to stay on track for graduating without having to commit to a major I wasn’t sure about.”
The other recipients of the 2023 DUS Awards were Thea Piskorski, Penn State Berks; and McKenna Loney, Penn State Brandywine.
Brian Petrosky, undergraduate studies adviser and coordinater for the DUS Awards, said these three students were engaged in their first years at Penn State and used their time in DUS to discover their interests.
“As opposed to passively moving through their first year, these three students recognized the value of being alert to classroom, cocurricular and other experiences,” Petrosky said. “They reflected upon them with academic advisers and others they trust, then made intentional decisions about how to use their time purposefully while planning a satisfying pathway true to themselves.”
The Division of Undergraduate Studies is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.