In addition to remaining in good academic and student conduct standing according to University regulations, students receive a UScholars designation on their transcript only after completing all of the following community and research requirements.
Research Requirements
Meetings are focused on research progress and program community participation. This check-in ensures that students are on-track with the development of their independent research project.
The Penn faculty member is found independently through the student’s own exploration. To assist with this process of locating a mentor, students are strongly encouraged to meet with members of the Faculty to narrow down their areas of interest and discuss ways to connect with prospective mentors.
UScholars events include Friday Lunch Talks, the Launch Reception, and similar programming.
These reports include the following:
- October 15th report (all UScholars)
- January 15th report (first and second years only)
- May 1st report* (all UScholars)
- September 1st report (all students completing summer research with UScholars funds)
*In the sophomore year, this report must include a formal research proposal that includes a timeline, summary of key theories/texts used to develop your project, materials you plan to use, your primary research question, and methodology. From sophomore year onward, this report must include a letter of acknowledgement from the student’s faculty mentor, affirming the student's research progress.
Students receiving conference funding from the University Scholars program will have an additional reflective report to submit upon their return. Instructions on how to complete this reflection will be sent by the Program Coordinator immediately following your conference presentation.
Community Requirements
The Launch Reception serves as a way for students to (re)connect with one another in PMGs and meet the incoming cohort of first-years.
The UScholars Friday Lunches are the hallmark of our program and serve as the primary forum for intellectual conversations and peer-to-peer engagements. Students are expected to be actively engaged with activities and presentations delivered each Friday. Scholars are only excused from Friday Lunches if they have a course conflict or are studying abroad.
Upon entering UScholars, students are placed into one of four PMGs that reflect the cross-disciplinary nature of the program. Please see the UScholars community page for more information on Peer Mentor Groups.
A Note on Faculty Mentors
Students can conduct independent research under the guidance of a Penn faculty member, which can include the following:
- Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor: faculty with these titles are members with tenure or tenure-probationary status with either fixed or indefinite terms of service at the University.
- Senior lecturer: faculty with this title have primarily teaching responsibilities with longer-term contracts.
Faculty mentors with these titles are ideal as they will have the highest likelihood of providing continued mentorship to undergraduates as they pursue their independent research.
Other affiliated faculty or faculty at institutions other than Penn may be considered but will need to be evaluated by the UScholars Faculty Director and Program Coordinator for appropriateness based on the contents of their supporting letter. Individuals on short-term appointments, such as visiting faculty, are not appropriate.
While we understand that many STEM (especially biomedical) laboratories are large and consist of a hierarchy of nested mentorship structures, post-doctoral fellows or senior-level graduate students are not considered appropriate as exclusive or primary mentors, though they are welcome to act as informal or day-to-day mentors. When seeking letters or support or primary mentors, students should seek the mentorship of the lab PI for their independent research.
Additional Expectations
Students are expected to identify themselves as part of the University Scholars programs when communicating publicly – for example, at a conference or in an interview with a campus publication. Students presenting their UScholars work at a conference with the support of UScholars funds must acknowledge the UScholars program on their poster or PowerPoint presentation.