Arriving at SUNY Cobleskill

Wednesday, August 22, 2018 | 10:00am EST

SUNY Cobleskill offers an international student orientation prior to the start of each semester. This will help with administrative and academic issues so the beginning of the semester goes smoothly. The location for International Student Orientation will be announced soon. You will also attend the general campus Orientation for all new students on Thursday, August 23. Classes begin on Monday, August 27, 2018.

Before you arrive in Cobleskill, you should contact the Executive Director of International Education with your arrival date (jagends@cobleskill.edu). The Office of International Education is located in Wheeler Hall, Room 216 and the phone number is 518-255-5558 (View Campus Map). The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am – 5:00pm EST and is closed on Saturday and Sunday. On the day that you arrive, please check in with the Office of International Education if you arrive during business hours. If you arrive after regular business hours, please call University Police at 518-255-5317 for assistance. The campus police will meet you and conduct you to your residence hall as long as you have that information with you. You should then go directly into your residence hall and settle in. Then, check in with the Office of International Education on the next business day. Please note that Albany Airport pick-up may be arranged in advance for groups of arriving international students. This service is not available in the middle of the night.

Also before your arrival, please contact the Office of Residential Life (reslife@cobleskill.edu) with your arrival date and time. All new international students who have been assigned housing may check into their residence halls at scheduled times on arrival days. The staff will be ready to help you check in if they have your arrival information. Please contact Residential Life if you have not received notification of your housing assignment. The phone number for that office is 518-255-5215. Students in degree programs should complete the Web check-in process on the SUNY Cobleskill Web site before arriving to campus. This will make the campus arrival experience much easier.

Money
Upon your arrival in the U.S. you will need some cash for transportation to Cobleskill and food. You can purchase U.S. dollars before leaving home or at the airport upon arrival. Don’t carry too much cash for safety reasons, but consider that you may need a few hundred dollars for travel, food and initial shopping. In Cobleskill, you will be able to open a bank account near the campus to keep money safe. Credit cards can also be used for most purposes, but they must be able to function internationally.

Please check into your residence hall on campus between 1-3pm if you arrive on Monday, August 20 or Tuesday, August 21 (View Campus Map). If you arrive later than that, do not worry; you should be able to move in throughout the day and evening beyond regular check in times. However, you will need to make arrangements with Residential Life at reslife@cobleskill.edu if your travel times are after the 1-3pm timeline. This is especially important if you arrive late at night when campus offices are closed. If you need to shop for linens, towels and blankets (these items are not provided by SUNY Cobleskill), you will be able to take public bus transportation to stores that sell these items. Because that may not be possible on the first day, please bring with you a sheet, towel, light blanket and small pillow. You may need those items for the first night or two. Also bring basic items for washing until you can visit a local store (Wal-Mart) to buy more.

If you check in to your residence hall early in the day, you will be able to get help with the following tasks:

• Call home
• Get your Coby card (ID card)
• Visit the Help Desk in the Computer Center to obtain access to the campus network
• Eat in a dining hall (Please bring some US dollars with you for food before the meal plan becomes effective)
• Visit the Office of Student Accounts to complete bill payments if needed (lower level Knapp Hall)

You should immediately report to the Executive Director of the Office of International Education in Bouck Hall, Room 116 (View Campus Map). The office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. You are required to attend as much of the International Student Orientation and General New Student Orientation Experience as possible, but if you arrive too late for that, you must check in to your assigned residence hall, meet with your academic advisor, register for classes and begin attending classes on Monday, August 27, 2018 (again, be certain to contact the offices of International Education and Residential Life with your late arrival information). 

If you arrive too late in the day to visit any offices or participate in orientation activities, and if Residential Life is not aware of your exact arrival time on campus, please call University Police at 518-255-5317 for assistance. The campus police will meet you and conduct you to your residence hall as long as you have that information with you. You should then go directly into your residence hall and settle in. Then, check in with the Office of International Education on the next business day.

• Please review our college campus map prior to arriving on campus.
• All new international students who have been assigned housing may check into their rooms first when getting to campus. Please contact Residential Life at reslife@cobleskill.edu if you have not been assigned to a residence hall before coming to campus. You will need to make an appointment to see Dr. Susan Jagendorf-Sobierajski right after checking in on campus.
• If you arrive on campus after normal dining hours, you will need to make sure you have some extra money to purchase a meal. Click here to view hours of operation for dining locations on campus. If you arrive in the middle of the night, you may wish to bring some food with you or wait until breakfast the next morning.
• All new international students should check in with Student Accounts to complete payments and the Wellness Center to make sure that all health records are complete.
• It is important to contact family after arriving in the U.S. Having the correct calling card will make that possible.
• If you have not completed the Web check-in process, make sure that you do that. You must show that you have read the Student Conduct Code.

• Passport and visa (photocopied in Office of Admissions in Knapp Hall
• I-20 form (photocopied in Office of Admissions)
• I-94 (photocopied in Office of Admissions)
• Health Records (if you have not sent them to the college Wellness Center prior to coming to campus)

Click here for other items to bring.

 Before classes begin on Monday, August 27, 2018, please be sure to:

• Visit the Office of Student Accounts to finalize your bill for the semester (lower level Knapp Hall)

• Check-in with the Office of the Registrar if you do not have your official schedule from Web check-in (lower level Knapp Hall)

• Pick up your bus pass at the Student Leadership office (Bouck Hall-the cost is included in your bill)