Fall 2013 International Student Orientation Program August 18-25, 2013
We are excited to welcome you to San Diego State University and the New International Student Orientation Program! We highly recommend you read through all the information found on our International Student Center Web Site before arriving to campus: http://www.sdsu.edu/isc
Our Fall New International Student Orientation Program is scheduled from August 19- 25, 2013 and it is Mandatory for all new
Fall 2013 international students to attend.
All international students should plan to arrive in San Diego by August 18, 2013
Please read the International Student Handbook prior to your arrival. Please note that the full orientation schedule will be made available by June 2013.
At orientation you will gain the necessary resources and information to prepare you for your SDSU academic experience. Orientation is also an invaluable opportunity for you to make lifelong friendships and memories as you discover San Diego through a city tour, visit to San Diego’s historic Old Town and San Diego Zoo. You will also have other social opportunities to meet others and navigate your way around San Diego and San Diego State University.
Please note that on August 19 - 20, 2013 all new international students must check-in at San Diego State University Your check- in time will be emailed to you separetely.
You will need to bring with you the following documents:
- Passport
- I-94 Card
- I-20 or DS-2019 form
If possible, please also bring a copy of the following items. Copies need to be made once you have arrived in the United States to ensure your entry documents have been stamped.
- Copy of the picture page (bio) of your Passport
- Copy of your visa stamp (found inside your passport)
- Copy of the front and backside of your 1-94 ( small white card usually stapled inside passport)
- Copy of page 1 of your I-20 or DS-2019 form
* If you are a government sponsored student please also bring financial documentation from your government sponsor
During orientation we are offering a tour of San Diego and a trip to San Diego Zoo. We recommend you sign-up for these activities prior to orientation as space is limited. Event registration will open soon.
Airport to San Diego State University Shuttle:
All international students should plan to arrive in San Diego by August 18, 2013.
Students interested in taking a shuttle from the San Diego Airport to the San Diego State University area have the option of using the Super Shuttle. To make a reservation you can call 1-800-258-3826 and use the promotional code UFD59 to get a student discount. The flat rate of the Super Shuttle using the discount is $14.00. You can also make a reservation online at: https://www.supershuttle.com/ The online Web site will ask you to enter specific information. As address choose: hotel/popular landmark. When hotel name pops up enter SDSU. You may then choose any of the four options in the drop down.
Taxis are also available from the airport. Price from the airport to SDSU is on average $45.
Hotel Stay During Orientation:
Students living in off-campus housing should go directly to their apartment or short term housing/hotel upon arrival. On-Campus housing does not provide pillows, sheets, blankets, and towels. If you plan to arrive in San Diego at night we recommend staying in a hotel so that you do not have to bother with purchasing room items after your long flight. For more information on obtaining short term housing/hotel click here.
Living On-Campus:
Students living on-campus officially move in to their dormitories on August 18; however, because you are an international student attending the New International Student Orientation Program, you will be able to move in early but you MUST complete an EARLY ARRIVAL FORM two weeks prior to your arrival to be allowed to move in early. The early arrival form is available in July. For more information and to complete the early arrival form please follow this link: Early Arrival Form
Living Off-Campus:
Apartment complexes near campus are available to provide you with leasing information. You can find information about apartment complexes through our off-campus resources:
http://www.isc.sdsu.edu/content/Future/OffCampusHousing.html
Lastly, on the International Student Association Facebook group several students post available rooms for incoming international students : http://www.facebook.com/ISCoffcampus
Parking: If you are planning on driving to orientation we recommend that you park in Parking Structure 4 as it is the closest parking structure to the International Student Center. In Parking Structure 4, students may park between levels 3 & 8 with a Student Parking Permit. For those who do not have a parking permit, you will need to go to parking level 8 and purchase a parking pass there. The Parking fee is $1.00 per hour, or $5.00 for all day permit.
Choosing Courses
For freshman or transfer students, we recommend using https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/pubred/!mymap.disp to map out your educational career.
The Course Catalogs include brief descriptions for all SDSU courses, but not every course in the catalog is offered every semester so you will need to look at the Class Schedule for courses offered in your desired exchange semester once classes are posted.
Undergraduate Catalog: http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/catalog/curriculumIndex.html
Graduate Catalog: http://arweb.sdsu.edu/es/catalog/bulletin/GradcurriculumIndex.html
Class Schedule: https://sunspot.sdsu.edu/schedule/
Undergraduate students may only take courses numbered 100-599 and are not eligible to take graduate level courses numbered 600 and above.
Graduate students can only pre-register for courses numbered 500 and above. Graduate students cannot preregister for undergraduate courses but will be able to add those courses during the first week of classes.
Course Registration
You are responsible for registering yourself for courses in the Web Portal system. Log into Web Portal and click on ‘My Registration’ to see your registration time in the top right of the screen. It is extremely important that you try to register exactly at your registration time (Pacific Standard Time), even if that means waking up in the middle of the night in your country to do so. Classes at SDSU fill very quickly so be prepared and act as soon as the system will allow.
You should register for classes BEFORE coming to orientation. At Orientation Freshman and Transfer students will be able to speak with a an academic advisor, but you will not register for courses- this should be done BEFORE you come to orientation. There is no academic advising available for exchange students on a J1 visa or graduate students during the orientation program.
In order to make the registration process quicker, we encourage you to create a ‘Wish List’ in Web Portal of the courses in which you want to register. To do this, simply select "Wish" on the right side of the specific course you are interested in. This list should include alternate choices of courses in case any of your first choices are full. When your registration time begins, you need to add each course from your Wish List using the verification code that will be provided by the system. It will immediately verify if you were successful in adding the course. All courses that you were able to add will appear in your ‘Class Schedule.’
Undergraduate students must register for a minimum of 12 units and a maximum of 17 units. A normal workload for undergraduate students is 12-15 units. Graduate students must register for a minimum of 9 units and a maximum of 12 units.
Health Insurance
You may purchase the insurance immediately from the web site OR you can complete and return the “Health Insurance Promissory Contract” on the “Confirmation Form” that is being sent with your admission documents. You must complete one of these two options before the time of your registration appointment or an insurance hold will be placed on your record, blocking your ability to register. For more Health Insurance Information please visit: http://www.isc.sdsu.edu/content/Future/HealthInsurance.html
We look forward to seeing you and welcoming you to SDSU!
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