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. You should also attend the general campus Orientation for all new students before classes begin. Classes usually begin on the Monday after student arrival on campus.
Before you arrive in Cobleskill, you should contact the Executive Director of International Education with your arrival date (jagends@cobleskill.edu). On the day that you arrive, please check in with Residential Life 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. Please note that Albany Airport pick-up may be arranged in advance for arriving international students. This service is not available in the middle of the night.
Remember to contact International Education and Residential Life (reslife@cobleskill.edu) with your arrival date and time once you have made your travel plans. 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 upon arrival. You should try to bring a pillow, sheets, towels and blankets with you if possible. 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 at least one sheet, towel, light blanket and small pillow with you. 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 IT Service Desk in the Computer Center in Warner Hall 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)
- 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.
- 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. You should also visit Admissions to have your official documents copied (I-20, passport and visa).
- It is important to contact family after arriving in the U.S.
- 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.
- Make sure you know where and when International Student Orientation will take place. It is very important to attend that activity.
- Passport and visa (photocopied in Office of Admissions in Knapp Hall
- I-20 form (photocopied in Office of Admissions)
- Health Records (if you have not sent them to the college Wellness Center prior to coming to campus)
Before classes begin, 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)
- Visit the Coby Card Office to get your Student ID and make any meal plan changes if needed.