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Welcome message from Deborah Zabloudil

Deborah Zabloudil

We would like to introduce you to the School of Educational Policy and Leadership and The Ohio State University before you start.

We want to welcome all of you who've already decided to attend Ohio State and to extend our assistance, if needed, to those of you who are undecided. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions you may have.

This letter contains the important information needed to not only introduce you to The Ohio State University, but to also help guide you through your admittance. Some of the topics covered include information about registration, Ohio State email, campus parking, and student health insurance. We know it's a long letter, but hang in there!

Again, welcome!

Accepting Your Offer of Admission to the Graduate School

It is very important that you formally accept your offer of admission from the Graduate School as outlined in your letter of admission from the Graduate Admissions Office. We also ask that you notify our School of your acceptance by email: edplssgs@osu.edu. You will not be sent registration materials, orientation information, or other items related to starting at Ohio State until you send in your official acceptance.

Save the Date - Orientation

Each year, both the Graduate School and our School hold orientation sessions for new students to help familiarize them with the University. Both orientation sessions are held on the same day in September, a few days prior to the start of autumn quarter. These orientations are very beneficial for new students, so we like to notify you as far as advance as possible to help ensure you are able to attend.

Course Registration - Ohio State's Switch to the New SIS System

In the upcoming months, Ohio State will implementing a new student information system (SIS). This change, beginning summer 2009, will affect how students register for classes. Normally, this letter would include information about how to register; however, due to the upcoming changes, this information will not be available to students until the end of April.

Our office will be emailing all students by the end of April to let them know the new procedures for registering. All emails are sent to student's name.#@osu.edu email accounts. It is very important that incoming students do three things to make sure they are officially admitted and will receive this information:

  1. Applicants must formally accept their offer of admission. The Graduate Admissions Office will send you information once you are admitted letting you know the procedures for accepting the admission offer. You MUST reply to this, as instructed, to be formally admitted to our program.
  2. Once you are formally admitted, you will need to activate your name.# email account through the OIT website. Your OSU name.# account will be used for you to not only check your email, but to register for classes, pay fees, etc. Information on how to activate your email account is provided below.
  3. Once your name.# account is activated, make sure you check your email account regularly. The Office of Student Services & Graduate Studies, as well as the University, notifies students of important information via email. Please note: While OIT allows students to forward their name.# email to an outside email address, we are asking all incoming students NOT to do this for now. Outside email accounts, such as Yahoo or Gmail, have spam filters set up that may kick back emails sent from us via a listserv. Due to the new SIS system affecting how students will register, we are asking that you do not forward your name.# email for now so you do not miss registration information from us.

Registration and Fees Tips

While the way students register and pay fees will be changing starting summer 2009, there are a few important things to keep in mind regarding registration and fees. They are as follows:

  1. Ohio State no longer mails out paper fee statements to students. Students are able to access their fee statement online at the Office of the Treasurer website. All students, even those receiving fee waivers, fellowships, etc., should check their fee statement quarterly. It's possible your account may still have minor fees that need to be paid by you (i.e. - COTA bus fee). Your account must be paid in full by the first day of the quarter to prevent your account from being assessed a late payment fee.
  2. You must be registered for classes no later than the first day of the quarter. A late registration fee of $100 will be assessed beginning the second day of the quarter. Late registration fees increase to $500 after the second Friday of the quarter to compensate for lost state subsidy money.
  3. If you hold a Graduate Associateship, commonly referred to as an "assistantship," you must be registered for a minimum of 15 credit hours if the associateship is held within the College of Education & Human Ecology. Those holding positions outside the College should check with their employing department for their minimum credit requirements. Until you are registered for the required minimum number of credit hours, your fee waiver will not be applied to your account and you will be shown as "unpaid." Unpaid students are assessed a late payment fee of $100 beginning the second day of the quarter. Late payment fees increase to $300 after the second Friday of the quarter.
  4. To read the complete text of the University Registrar's policies related to late registration and fee payment, visit the Registrar's website and click on the appropriate quarter.
  5. If you withdraw from classes after the first Friday of the quarter, you will also incur financial penalties. Please be sure to check with our office before dropping classes if you have questions about potential penalties.
  6. Above all, remember that schedule adjustments may result in fee reassessment and can potentially affect fee waivers, financial aid qualifications, etc. While schedule changes can be made without penalty through the first Friday of the quarter feel, free to check with us prior to changing your schedule if you have questions.

A Special Note to International Students Regarding Registration

International students may need to wait until after arriving to the University and attending the international student orientation before registering for classes. For more information about orientation, check out the Office of International Affairs website.

Meeting With Your Advisor

Before you register for classes, it is helpful to meet with or talk to your advisor. He or she can talk to you about the requirements for your degree and any core courses that are required in your section. You will receive your advisor's name in your letter of admission.

Some of our programs are meant to be designed between the student and their advisor. You will need to speak your advisor in order to work out your plan of study to know what courses you will need to take to complete your degree. Other programs within our School have a prescribed set of core courses or a specific list of required courses that need to be taken, which in some cases your advisor may wish for you to take in a specific order. In either of these cases, you will still need to contact your advisor to find out how they wish you to proceed when registering for classes.

Faculty contact information is available on the faculty section of our website. You should receive an email from our office with your advisor's name included.

Finding Your Way Around Campus

The OSU Columbus campus is quite large, and it can be difficult to find your way around, especially if you are new. Ohio State's website has a searchable campus map. Just type in the name of the building (e.g. Ramseyer Hall) and you will be connected to the map showing the immediate area around the building. You can also download a printable PDF campus map from this page to take with you on your first day of class.

Activation and Use of Your OSU Email Account

Even if you have your own email account, it is necessary for you to activate the OSU name.# account you are assigned. The University sends all registration, financial aid information, fee statements, and grade reports for current students by email to your university account. Please see the Office of Information Technology's (OIT) Student Customer Service website for more information about activating your university email account.

Some internet service and email providers filter out messages from Ohio State because of the high volume of messages that may be forwarded during certain times of the quarter. We have had problems in the past with all major providers, including Road Runner, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. It is very likely that students who have their email forwarded to an outside provider will miss important program/registration information sent to them. This could cause unnecessary delay in starting your program and could also result in late registration and payment fees. Due to the implementation of the new Student Information System (SIS), we are asking new students not to forward their name.# accounts to an outside email provider until they've completed at least their first quarter of enrollment (autumn).

You will want to check your OSU name.# account regularly. You can log on your OSU email account through the OSU Webmail website. OSU webmail can be accessed on or off campus from any computer that has an internet connection. The amount of space allocated to you on the webmail server will be limited, so please be sure to keep your inbox cleaned of excess junk mail and old messages and also be sure to delete sent messages you no longer need. Once you've reached your mailbox limit, your account will no longer accept incoming messages. You may miss out on important messages, including your grades and graduation deadlines, if you do not keep your account cleaned out. Be sure to check this account a few times each week to ensure you aren't missing important deadlines.

As a note: Email in your trash counts toward your allotted email account space. You have to go into your webmail settings to change it to automatically delete emails upon logout you've placed in the trash. If you do not you change your email settings, you will need to manually empty your trash. For more assistance, please contact 8HELP.

Educational Policy & Leadership's Website

Our School website contains a lot of helpful information for new students. Be sure to check out our "New Students" and "Current Students" sections which contain information such as MA and PhD program sheets as well as the School degree requirements. These sections are located on the For Students page of the website.

Housing

If you are looking for a place to live here, check out Ohio State's University Housing website. There are links on there to both Ohio State graduate student housing and off-campus rental information.

Parking

With over 50,000 students, 3,000 faculty, and almost 15,000 staff personnel, vehicular traffic and parking on and around the campus area is bound to be challenging. You should keep this in mind when considering the feasibility of relying on your vehicle for transportation into and around campus. There are several parking garages and surface lots available for faculty, staff, and student use. Parking in these areas is permitted with the appropriate parking permit. Parking permits are available for purchase through Transportation and Parking Services (T&P). Visit the T&P website for more information on the types and prices of permits available to you.

Student Health Insurance

Health care coverage is a condition of enrollment at Ohio State. All students who are enrolled at least half time in eligible classes are required to carry health insurance coverage.

Students who do not already have independent health coverage through their job, parents, etc. are required to enroll in Ohio State's Comprehensive Student Health Insurance. Those who have existing coverage can enroll in the University's supplemental health insurance plan (WilceCare Supplement) or waive the University's health insurance enrollment entirely by providing Ohio State with proof of your existing coverage.

For those of you who enroll in the Comprehensive Student Health Insurance plan, you are provided with medical, dental, and vision coverage with the option to cover yourself and your dependents. The WilceCare Supplement insurance plan is designed to supplement your existing health care coverage and covers medical and prescription benefits (up to a set dollar amount) from the Wilce Student Health Center.

Further information about student health insurance can be obtained on the Student Health Insurance Program website.

BuckID

Your BuckID is your student ID and is used to access many Ohio State services, including the University Library system, COTA bus services, and the Recreational and Physical Activities Center (RPAC). Students can also add money to their BuckID to use at local restaurants and stores.

Information about how to obtain and use your BuckID is located on the BuckID website.

Campus Transportation (CABS)

The University runs the CABS bus service for those traveling around campus. CABS also services the residential areas on the south, east, and north ends of campus. This is a no-cost service provided to University faculty, staff, students, and visitors.

The CABS bus service is managed by Transportation and Parking Services (T&P). For more information regarding CABS bus routes and schedules, please visit the CABS section of the T&P Website.

City of Columbus Transportation (COTA)

The city of Columbus operates a public transportation system called COTA, which has bus lines that go all across the city as well as into several of the surrounding suburbs. Depending on your driving habits and the proximity of your home to campus, an automobile may not be necessary in order for you to feel free to move about the city. COTA has been regularly expanding their services in response to customer feedback. As an Ohio State student, you have the privilege of riding the COTA buses at no charge with your university I.D. A $9.00 fee, which is not covered by fee waivers, is assessed to your statement of account for this service. You are required to show the COTA bus driver your BuckID upon boarding, so don't forget to carry it with you if you will be riding the bus.

For more information about COTA bus routes, please visit the COTA website.

Off-Campus Student Services

Many of you both live and work off-campus. In addition to helping students find off-campus housing, the Off-Campus Student Services Office is available to "to provide programs and services to meet the needs of off campus and commuter students and to address the needs of all persons wishing to live, serve, and engage in the University District and local community."

The Off-Campus Student Services website is a valuable resource for students who choose to live off campus. Be sure to check it out.

International Students

International students have special needs and requirements in addition to the ones addressed here. Ohio State's Office of International Affairs (OIA) can help you with specific information about obtaining a US visa, arriving in Columbus, new student orientation for international students, placement tests, registration, health screening, health insurance, on and off campus housing, immigration, nationality clubs, academic resources, banking information, and more.

To learn more about these requirements and also to learn more about the resources available to international students, check out the Office of International Affairs website.

Purchasing Textbooks and Course Packets

Textbooks can usually be found at the University Bookstore, which partners with Barnes & Noble, or SBX Student Book Exchange. The new Barnes & Noble University Bookstore is located in the South Campus Gateway at the corner of High Street and East 11th Avenue, and SBX is located at 1806 N. High Street. There are numerous other bookstores around campus, located mostly along High Street, including Buckeye Books, UBX Book Exchange, and College Town, where you can also go to find textbooks and related materials.

In addition to textbooks, many professors compile a reading packet of material drawn together from different sources. Course packets are available at either Uniprint, near the Tuttle Parking Garage, or at Grade A Notes which is just off the corner of 17th and High Street. Your instructor will inform you where their requested materials can be found. It is important to note that course packets are not returnable, so double check that you are purchasing the correct one.

College of Education and Human Ecology Scholarships

Every year The College of Education and Human Ecology sponsors a scholarship competition. Scholarship applications are available on the College website. Applications are first available after January 1. The application window for College scholarships runs for 30 days.

City of Columbus

Columbus and the surrounding area offer many exciting entertainment and recreation opportunities to its residents. From the Short North Gallery Hop along High Street to the Columbus Zoo, which is just a short drive from Columbus, the diverse list of activities is almost endless.

If you'd like to learn more about what the city of Columbus has to offer, check out the Experience Columbus website. You'll find great information about the city, social activities, and cultural opportunities.

Important Websites

Congratulations on making it this far!

We wish you all a terrific year, and if you haven't already, we hope you decide to join us!