Frequently Asked Questions
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Students often have many questions about how to best approach their community involvement project, as well as how to effectively report on their experience. Below are many helpful guidelines for students seeking to get the most out of their Professional Service Project. |
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1. As an academic, nine-unit course, involvement in fraternities and sororities, religious organizations, internships and summer activities can count toward no more than 1/3 of the overall report. However, involvement in one of these areas MUST be approved by an advisor prior to enrolling in the course. Please complete the 70-201 Permission Form and submit to advisor for approval. If the involvement is not approved prior to enrollment, it will not fulfill 70-201.
No activity completed prior to enrollment at Carnegie Mellon can be used to fulfill 70-201 course objectives. |
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2. Students are only allowed to register for the course when at least 70% of the course objectives have been completed. Typically, this means after being substantially involved for one full semester or more in a club or organization.
For students opting to solely attend lectures, seven lectures must be attended. Students must submit their final report electronically to uba@andrew.cmu.edu and a hard copy to academic advisor Lauren Silverstein. If, after submitting the report, it is determined that the student has met 100% of the course objectives, no further documentation is necessary, and a grade will be awarded. If, after submitting the report, it is determined that the student has not met 70% of the requirements, the student may request an appointment to better understand how his/her involvement has been evaluated and how he/she can best fulfill the requirements. 3. Each report should be presented as a professional portfolio. The report needs to evidence achievement of course objectives, critical reflection and high quality of writing and organization. 4. Students must be articulate about how their involvement has met course goals. Reports can be organized by activity, where it is explained how the activity has met the four course goals, or the report can be organized by course goals, with students explaining which involvements satisfied each objective. A final appendix should include additional evidentiary support of involvement such as annual reports, fliers, newsletters, etc. that reflect students' contribution. 5. Students must demonstrate personal and professional growth while fulfilling 70-201 course objectives. This means it is not enough to solely list and explain how goals were achieved. The course requires deep reflection on how this involvement has influenced practice academically and extracurricularly, and how it has shaped values and goals. Questions to address could include: What have your learned from this experience? What were some of the biggest challenges? What were your strengths/skill set/knowledge that helped you succeed? How would you want the activity/organization to move forward? How have you grown personally and professionally? 6. The final portfolio should be treated as a professional, formal paper. This includes an Introduction which helps to "set the stage," and a Conclusion that synthesizes final "take-aways." Organization should be logical, and writing should be cohesive and succinct. Extreme attention will be paid to spelling and grammar details. It is suggested that students visit the writing center or submit a draft to academic advisor Lauren Silverstein by the draft deadline to get feedback on writing style. 7. Each activity must be a minimum of four pages double-spaced, culminating in a final report of between 15-20 pages, double-spaced.
8. Each student's final report will be graded as follows: 9. Each student must complete 70-201 as a part of their degree requirements. Students who enter as freshmen should plan to complete the requirement by the end of their 5th semester. Students who transfer into undergraduate business should plan to complete the requirement by the end of the third semester after their transfer. There is no cut-off date for completion of this requirement, other than prior to graduation. However, students are encouraged to complete the requirement within the above-suggested guideline times, as it is difficult to complete it without sufficient prior planning. |
MORE QUESTIONS?
There are about 5-6 information sessions per year to talk about 70-201 in greater depth and answer any questions. If you have an immediate question/concern, please contact Dr. Stephen Pajewski or Dr. Milton Cofield.
Dates for Fall 2012 information sessions (all held at 4:30 p.m. in Simon Auditorium) are:
-- To be determined.
