Application for New Counselor

Name*

First Last

Penn State email address*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Alternate email

Enter Email Confirm Email

9-digit PSU ID (not user ID)*

Cell / local phone*

(###) ###-####

Age*

Gender

The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. Due to the residential nature of this program, please contact the ODS director if you are uncomfortable responding to this question.

Female

Male

Major*

Semester standing*

Have you applied before*

Yes

Program Availability

Please select only the weeks you are available. You will be selected for only one week.*

(Weeks are Monday–Friday unless noted.)

March 31–April 4

April 7–11

April 13–17 (Sun–Thur)

April 21–25

Training Session Availability

To participate in this program as a counselor, you need to attend the following training sessions:

Counselor Training I:
Wednesday, February 26, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
112 Forest Resources Building

Counselor Training II:
Tuesday, March 25, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Camp Blue Diamond

Counselor Training III:
(6:00–7:00 p.m. one evening the week before your assigned session, on campus)

Please keep your schedule open for these training dates until you hear from us regarding a position. You are also required to have full-time (24-hour) attendance during the week of the program (from 1:30 p.m. on the first day through 5:00 p.m. on the final day).

Are you available for all three training sessions?*

Will you be able to attend all three training sessions listed above and fully commit to a week of ODS? Carefully consider your class and work schedules before selecting a response below. (Checking "No" may not preclude you from participation if we can work around the scheduling conflicts.)

Yes

If no, please explain

Experience

Please answer the following questions in the space provided. (Please limit each answer to 5 or 6 sentences.)

1. Why do you want to be an Outdoor School (ODS) counselor, and how will being an ODS counselor help you accomplish your educational goals?*

2. What do you hope to teach the campers? What might they learn from being with you that you didn't intentionally teach them?*

3. We aim to provide positive outdoor experiences for all participants. What is a positive outdoor experience from your life? Why was it important to you?*

4. Please describe your experiences working with children and/or as a leader in any capacity.*

5. Please describe a time when you put the needs of another or others ahead of your own. What was the situation? What did you do? What did you learn from this experience?*

6. What will you do to be successful in this experience as far as spending a week away from your normal campus routine and working with a new group of people?*

References

Please list two professional references: (professors, employers, supervisors — No family members or friends, please.)

Name of Reference 1*

First Last

Phone Number for Reference 1*

Relationship to Applicant for Reference 1*

Name of Reference 2*

First Last

Phone Number for Reference 2*

Relationship to Applicant for Reference 2*

Additional Information

How did you hear about ODS? If it was in a class, please list which one(s).

Do you need assistance with transportation?*

Yes

Are you able to provide transportation for others?*

Yes

Dietary restrictions

Do you have any dietary restrictions or needs that we should know about if you are selected? (For example: vegetarian or vegan, no dairy, food allergies, etc.)

Background Checks

Answering "No" to the following questions DOES NOT affect your application status, it just helps with counselor placement in terms of which weeks we could place you in. We will help you obtain the clearances referenced below if you don't already have them.

Do you already have the three publicly available background checks?*

These include the PA State Police background check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance, and the PA Department of Human Services FBI Fingerprints background check for out-of-state residents.

Yes

Have you been a resident of Pennsylvania for the entirety of the last 10 years?*

Yes

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

ATTENTION:

Program Availability

Training Session Availability

Experience

References

Additional Information

Background Checks

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