University-wide New Graduate Student Orientation
Welcome to Carnegie Mellon!
It's officially time to say Welcome to Carnegie Mellon and Greetings from Pittsburgh!
We hope you were able to join us for University-wide Graduate Student Spring 2021 Orientation on January 28 & 29 at the events designed to support your transition to CMU. Graduate Student Spring 2021 Orientation remote events were a combination of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities for students to get to know the university, other new and returning graduate students, and staff and faculty who are thrilled to have you as members of the Tartan Plaid community.
You should be enrolled in the Spring 2021 Graduate Student Orientation Canvas course (an email was sent to your @andrew account) that includes specific information on synchronous and ascynchronous events that occurred as part of the university-wide graduate student orientation experience. Partners around the university have contributed the content collected here to support your orientation experience and look forward to interacting with you more soon.
We invite you to watch President Farnam Jahanian's official welcome to the 2020-21 academic year before beginning this course. The President's Welcome to Graduate Students includes remarks from a variety of university community members offering words of welcome, bits of advice and a highlight of things to come in your graduate experience.
Our synchronous events included a University Welcome and Resources Panel that provided a chance to meet members of the Graduate Student Assembly and university staff while learning more about university resources & services.
For more information about the Graduate Student Spring 2021 Orientation programs, visit the Graduate Student Orientation website. If you have any questions, or need additional information, contact the Graduate Education Office . Welcome to Carnegie Mellon University! We can’t wait to meet you.
Sincerely,
The Graduate Student Orientation Team
Desirée Chronick, Administrative Coordinator
Holly Hippensteel, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Community Standards and Diversity Initiatives
Jamie Rossi, Director of Student Academic Success Operations & Strategy
QUESTIONS?
- Email Graduate Education Office for questions or issues connecting to Canvas or our synchronous events.
- Email Disability Resources if you have a disability and need an accommodation for your disability in order to participate fully in Graduate Student Orientation.
SPRING 2021 ORIENTATION
JANUARY 28 & 29
- Synchronous Schedule (below)
- Canvas Course
- Deadlines & Information for Incoming Students
- Questions? email grad-ed@cmu.edu
COVID-19 UPDATES
Students are strongly encouraged to check often for updates and information.
The realities of this pandemic mean that life is different. And evolving.
We want to be transparent that a redesign of our educational approach, along with the requirements outlined in A Tartan's Responsibility, are subject to change as conditions of the virus evolve. Resources to support your physical and mental health include guidelines for mask-wearing, hand-washing and staying connected while social distancing are available.
SPRING ORIENTATION 2021 - SYNCHRONOUS EVENTS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
Welcome to CMU and Resource Panel Discussion
1:00-2:30pm (EST)
Life as a graduate student is a unique and robust experience, unlike most of formal education to this point! This session provides an overview of available university resources and services to facilitate your experience and support your progress while introducing you to several CMU staff and GSA. We are so excited to have you as members of the Tartan community and eager to point you in the right direction for many of your questions and concerns.
*Recording will be available in Canvas course
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
Student Health Insurance Q&A
1:00-2:00pm (EST)
This session is intended to introduce you to the basics of the student health insurance coverage, how to use the student health insurance, where it is accepted, and provide an opportunity for Q&A. This session builds off of the asynchronous module in the Graduate Orientation canvas site and will expect you to have reviewed the module beforehand.
*Recording will be available in Canvas course
Master’s Student Panel
2:15-3:15pm (EST)
Please join GSA and returning Master’s students provide insight in to the day to day life of a graduate student, advice and tidbits from what they have learned in their Master’s degree experience thus far and responses to the questions you have as you head into your Master’s experience.
*Recording will be available in Canvas course
Doctoral Students Panel
3:30-4:30pm (EST)
Please join GSA and returning doctoral students as they provide insight in to the day to day life of a graduate student, advice and tidbits from what they have learned in their doctoral degree experience thus far and responses to the questions you have as you head into your doctoral experience.
*Recording will be available in Canvas course
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ORIENTATION
Mandatory International Student Orientation and Check-In
Begins January 11, 2021
STUDENTS WHO WILL BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE U.S.
The orientation and check-in is mandatory for non-immigrant international students on Carnegie Mellon’s visa documents (F-1 or J-1 status) and who are physically present in the U.S. For spring 2021, orientation and check-in will be offered remotely via the learning management platform, Canvas.
The Canvas course will become available Monday, January 11. Students must sign-up and complete the entire orientation course and pass the quiz. The link to sign up for the course will be sent to new students by email in January. As part of completing the orientation course, students will also be required to complete the Newly Admitted Student Arrival e-Form in their MyOIE portal. Once all components of the orientation course have been successfully completed and the e-Form has been submitted, the student's SEVIS record will be activated by OIE.
Students are encouraged to complete the canvas course as soon as possible after their arrival to the U.S., preferably by Monday, February 1.
All new international students are invited to attend a virtual, live Welcome Session with OIE Director Linda Gentile and the Office of International Education staff via Zoom. This session will include an introduction to the OIE office and services, remote orientation details, and answers to some frequently asked questions about the spring semester. Session details:
- Registration is not required.
- In January, OIE will send an email to all new students that will contain the Zoom link.
- On the scheduled date and time, log in to the Zoom session with your AndrewID.
- All international students are welcome, but not required, to attend the session.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Visit the Office of International Education for more information.
Winter Welcome
Winter Welcome 2021
See the full schedule of events and register to attend.
Whether you are arriving in Pittsburgh for the first time, returning to campus, or studying remotely, let’s kick off the new semester with some fun!
Winter Welcome is a three-week series of collaborative and celebratory events designed to connect students to each other and the campus community. It’s a great way to meet new people, get involved with student organizations, learn about campus resources, build school spirit, participate in service projects, and practice wellness as you start the new semester.
Event Highlights:
- Jumpstart and Encompass Career Fairs
- Speed Friending, Escape Rooms*, Paint Night* and Interactive Zoom Hangouts
- Grab and Go: National Homemade Soup Day
- Volunteer Appreciation Day and Virtual Service Project
- The Virtual Fair, which showcases many of CMU’s student and Greek organizations and Pittsburgh community partners
*Some events require advanced registration and have limited capacity.
TARTAN PRIDE KIT
Show your Tartan Pride by downloading a cut-out, sign or virtual background that can be used while you participate in events and even during virtual classes!
NEW STUDENT ACTION ITEMS
- Immunizations
- Health Insurance
FALL 2021 ORIENTATION
AUGUST 16-20, 2021
Classes begin: August 30, 2021
- SCHEDULE OF EVENTS (coming soon!)
- Questions? email grad-ed@cmu.edu
COVID-19 UPDATES
Students are strongly encouraged to check often for updates and information.
The realities of this pandemic mean that life is different. And evolving.
We want to be transparent that a redesign of our educational approach, along with the requirements outlined in A Tartan's Responsibility, are subject to change as conditions of the virus evolve. Resources to support your physical and mental health include guidelines for mask-wearing, hand-washing and staying connected while social distancing are available.