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The Ohio State University

College of Engineering


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Before arrival

Pre-departure checklist

- Activate your OSU account
- Register for min. 10 credits
- Arrange for temporary and long-term housing
- Arrange finances
- Maintain contact with MSE
- Schedule your orientation time with Mark Cooper

Items of interest...

For our domestic students, you may arrive on campus any date you wish.

Upon your arrival, you'll schedule a meeting with Mark Cooper, Graduate Studies Coordinator, for a 45 min. orientation to the department and graduate studies program (further details can be found on the "On arrival" page).

Two key items should be addressed prior to arriving on campus, 1) OSU account activation and 2) securing temporary and long-term housing.

Activate your OSU internet account

Before arriving, you may activate your OSU internet account. An e-mail/internet account is provided to all OSU students. The user name and password you establish for this account will permit on-line access to such things as quarterly course scheduling, grades, course web sites, and other important web-based resources provided by the university.

To activate your account, please go to the following web site:

  • OSU Account Management
  • Please read the security and privacy information, and then select "Activate account".
  • If you do not have an SSN (Social Security Number), please use your OSU application ID number (i.e., 997-xx-xxxx). If you provided an SSN on your OSU application, please use your SSN.
  • Be sure to note your OSU username--in the form "lastname.###", such as "cooper.73"--and the password you established. These items will allow you to register for classes, check grades, etc.

Please DO NOT forward your OSU e-mail account to another e-mail sevice. An MSE department e-mail account will be provided to you upon your arrival in MSE. We will ask you to forward your OSU e-mail to your MSE account so that all of your OSU-related e-mail may be read from a single in-department account.

If you are unable to activate your account from off campus, that is not a problem. Upon your arrival on campus you may use one of the public computing sites to activate your account.

Register for a minimum number of credit hours

Before you arrive on campus, please register for at least 10 credit hours using the procedure described on the "Registration" page of this site. Doing so causes you to be enrolled as a full-time graduate student. You'll add graded graduate-level courses after you arrive and find & meet with your advisor.

Housing

It is strongly recommended that you secure housing, both temporary and long term, prior to your arrival on campus. For further information about the options available, please see the "Housing" page of this site.

Misc.

Finances

As regards finances, please note that if you were offered a Graduate Research Associate (GRA) position, you can not be paid until the start of your quarter of admission.

You will be responsible to supply your own funds from the date you arrive until you receive your first paycheck from the university (approximately FIVE WEEKS AFTER the start of your quarter of admission due to check processing time). Some additional expenses you may wish to keep in mind:

  • deposits and rent for housing (1-2 months' worth of rent),
  • misc. student fees (roughly $120 per quarter)
  • entertainment, etc.

Note: If you arrive on campus long before the start of your quarter of admission, you may face a difficult financial situation in terms of paying for lodging, meals, and recreation.

Maintaining e-mail contact

You will need to keep an e-mail account open so that we may communicate if there are any questions, problems, or needs prior to establishing your OSU e-mail account.

If you have not done so already, you may wish to establish a free web-based e-mail account at any of a number of sites such as "gmail.google.com", "www.yahoo.com", "www.hotmail.com", "www.mailcity.com", "www.excite.com", etc. Such an address may be read anywhere that you can access the Internet, thus it can be used to communicate during the period after your arrival in the department before the activation of your OSU and MSE e-mail accounts. These are free services and many also offer news, weather, and other information.

We will also need to know if your mailing address changes at any point before you arrive.

Health insurance

All domestic students are automatically enrolled in the OSU Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) upon course enrollment. Further information about this health coverage is found on the "Health & Medical" page of this site.

Coming to the campus area

Some links that may be of use as you plan your trip to OSU.

Flying

Port Columbus Airport

Maps of Port Columbus

Taxis may be hired at the airport (roughly $20-$50, plus tip, from Port Columbus to the OSU campus area), or if you will be staying temporarily at a hotel, a shuttle service may be available.

Driving

If you will be driving, please park at the Ohio Union parking garage, #288 along the lower edge of the map, when you first arrive on campus:

  1. Use this link to Yahoo!'s map service for directions to the Ohio Union garage. There will be a fee to park; Mark Cooper can provide you with a parking pass for the day.
  2. Once parked, exit the garage on College Rd. and turn right (north).
  3. Follow College Rd. past The Oval (large open area on your left), past 17th, 18th, and 19th Avenues.
  4. Watts Hall is located on College Rd. between 19th Ave. and West Woodruff Ave. Watts Hall location Watts Hall is in the lower center of this map (building #107).

Next step, "On arrival"