New Graduate Student Setup Checklist for Fall 2023
Welcome to the University of Maryland’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry! We are excited that you have decided to join our program this Fall. We encourage you to use this checklist to address many of the questions that you may have. The Graduate Office is here to help you, so please get in touch with us with any questions or concerns at chem-gradoffice@umd.edu
New Graduate Student Orientation (Begins Thursday, August 10th)
Mandatory Orientation begins on Thursday, August 10th, 2023. At Orientation, you will register for classes, receive safety training, and learn about issues that will be important for you as a graduate student. We are still in the planning stages of the event coordination since a number of departments are involved, and we will forward an agenda of activities as soon as possible. Please plan on attending 5 days of Orientation on August 10th, August 11th, August 14th, August 21st and August 22nd.
The first day of classes will be Monday, August 28th
✔ Housing
There are many housing options to consider, and we recommend you start by visiting these sites:
● Guide To College Park Living
● Off-Campus Housing Resources
Our Department’s Graduate Student Organization (GSO) also has a Facebook page set up to connect you with current students who can provide housing recommendations. You can join it here https://www.facebook.com/UMDChemBiochemGSO
You can also follow their Instagram page to get information about professional and social events https://www.instagram.com/umdchembiochemgso/
✔ Final Official Transcripts and Immunization Records
The Graduate School requires that all admitted students submit their final official transcript by the end of the 1st semester. Officially transcripts must be sent directly from your previous institution to the UMD Graduate School via mail or electronically. To avoid any delays in Spring registration, please arrange to have this done as soon as your qualifying degree has been completed. Please have your transcript mailed to:
University of Maryland
Enrollment Service Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
Room 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, Maryland 20742
Electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions can be sent to gradschool@umd.edu (if the institution sends official transcripts electronically). The transcripts must be password protected and sent directly from the University with the degree conferral indicated on the document.
For the expedited submission of official transcripts, students can also bring official/sealed envelopes in person to the Graduate front desk, which is located at:
University of Maryland
The Graduate School
2123 Lee Building
7809 Regents Drive
College Park, Maryland 20742
The immunization Record Form must be completed and uploaded prior to your arrival on campus. New students may submit information online beginning June 1st. Please refer to the link below for more detailed information: http://www.health.umd.edu/clinicalservices/allergimmuntravel/immunizations.
Please note that Quantiferon Gold Test or T-Spot Test MUST BE PERFORMED IN THE US.
Please refer to the COVID-19 Information page (https://umd.edu/4Maryland) for COVID-19 Vaccination Compliance.
✔ Directory ID and Email account
You are now able to obtain your directory ID and set up your email account. For instructions, please visit: https://identity.umd.edu/
If you have any problems obtaining your directory ID or setting up your email, please contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT) at itsupport@umd.edu or (301) 405-1500. Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Please note: OIT cannot send login or password information by email.
✔ Payroll and Benefits Paperwork
In order to receive your first paycheck on August 18th, 2023, you must complete all the necessary payroll paperwork prior to July 28th. For more details, please contact Ms. Jasmine Penny at jpenny1@umd.edu or (301) 405-1849. You will soon receive an email with all the forms that are necessary to create your payroll appointment and information on how to enroll into one of the State Health Insurance plans. Please return the forms to the personalized box folder link provided; do not email them. Graduate students have the option of enrolling in United Health Care Insurance http://www.firststudent.com or the university staff plan.
Incoming international students for Fall 2023 should arrive on or before July 30th, 2023, the first day of Fall 2023 semester payroll, in order to receive their full stipend. International students cannot be on payroll until they arrive, and any days between 7/30/23 and their arrival will entail forfeited pay.
✔ Teaching Assistantship Application
Please go to the following link to complete the online form:
https://portal.chem.umd.edu/undergradoffice/teaching-assistant-application/
The cut-off date for submitting the Fall 2023 TA application is August 1st, 2023. All incoming graduate students must apply for a TA position. For questions and support, please email chem-it@umd.edu. More information will be provided when the time draws near.
✔ International Teaching Assistants (ITA) Exams
The Graduate School requires that ITAs who are non-native speakers of English be evaluated to have their proficiency in spoken English assessed. The ITA Evaluation is not required of students who serve only as graders or researchers or whose entire education has been in the U.S., United Kingdom, Ireland, English-speaking Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Anglophone Africa, or the Commonwealth Caribbean. Candidates must pass the ITA Evaluation prior to being assigned teaching duties, including duties in labs. (See: For International Teaching Assistants)
ITAs may be exempted from the evaluation if they have already achieved the required minimum scores from the speaking section of the following standardized English tests: TOEFL: 26 or higher, IELTS: 8 or higher, or PTE: 80 or higher; Students may not self-refer to the evaluation. Our office will send out more information regarding the evaluation registration process when the time draws near.
For international students who have been placed into Intensive English or the English Bridge Program for the Fall semester, you will have until July 3rd to submit a new English test score.
If you were admitted for the Fall semester with the condition to take the Advanced English Writing course in your second semester of study (i.e., in the Spring semester), then you will have until November 30th to submit a new test score that is sufficient to waive your need to take the writing course in the Spring. (See English Language Requirements for Enrollment)
✔ Getting to Campus
Please visit: http://cvs.umd.edu/visitors/maps.html
To get to campus on the Washington Metro subway, take the green line train to the College Park Metro Station. Then hop on the 104 College Park Metro Station UMD shuttle bus from the station to campus. No ID is required for the bus and it is free of charge. For metro information and a trip planner, please visit: www.wmata.com. For an interactive map of campus, please go to: http://maps.umd.edu/map/
The Chemistry Building is located behind the Math, Physics, and Engineering Buildings when you get off the shuttle at the first stop after entering the campus gate when the shuttle crosses Baltimore Ave/Route 1. The first number of a room number is the floor within the Chemistry Building, and the second number is the building wing. For example, room 1206 means the first floor (1) of wing 2.
For a complete list of UMD Shuttle bus routes and the destinations they can give you access to, please visit: http://www.transportation.umd.edu/schedules.html. You can also download the NEXTBUS or UMO app which provides accurate real-time arrival information at the stop.
For International Students arriving from countries overseas, The Graduate Student Government organizes a Welcome Shuttle Service. You can sign up here in advance to avail this service https://www.gsgumd.org/welcome-shuttle-service. Additional information regarding transportation from the Airport can be found here: https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/international-student-scholar-services/transportation-airports
✔ Parking
You can register for a parking permit at:
http://www.transportation.umd.edu/student.html
Please read through the registration information and fee information before signing up. To apply for a parking permit, you will need your UID and Personal Identification Number (PIN) number. A student’s initial PIN is set to their 6-digit birthdate (for example, a student with a birth date of June 21st, 1976, would have the pin 062176).
The Department of Transportation is located in the Regents Drive Garage, 8056 Regents Drive, Building #202
EMAIL: Transportation@umd.edu
Main Phone/Customer Service: 301-314-3687(DOTS)
Hours of operation: Monday - Friday 8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
✔ Keys
An inner-building key will be given to you during Orientation. This key opens the mailroom and inner-building doors. Female graduate students will use this key to enter any locked restrooms in the building.
If you need to acquire keys to more labs or rooms, please submit a key request form to Ms. Erin Smith (esmith09@umd.edu).
✔ Mailbox
You will be issued a mailbox in the mailroom (room 0207). You do not need to complete a form to apply for the use of a mailbox. Mailboxes are maintained by Erin Smith. If you need to have packages delivered to you in the Department, the address is:
Your Name
c/o Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
8051 Regents Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742- 2022
You can also leave mail in the mailroom to be picked up for delivery if the postage has already been attached to the envelope or package.
✔ Academic Advising
During the Summer, you will be provided a faculty mentor in order to receive guidance about which courses to register for in the Fall 2023 semester. Please ask your faculty mentor to sign your Graduate Student Schedule Form.
✔ Registering for Fall Classes
After you have had academic advising, you will be able to officially register for courses online at www.testudo.umd.edu.
Please note: You will not be officially registered until after you enter the courses online. Detailed instructions on registering will be provided in the Orientation packet.
✔ University ID card
After you register, you can get your ID card on the first floor of the Mitchell Building, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday (301-314-8240). Be sure when you receive your card that it says “Graduate Student” so you can receive discounts at participating restaurants and stores. The first card is free, but there is a $20 charge to replace a lost, stolen, or purposefully defaced card (e.g., hole punch).
For more information, please visit: http://registrar.umd.edu/current/Policies/id-cards.html
We have made every effort to have your cards activated for access to the buildings you need to be in before the beginning of the semester. If you find that your card is not activated, please contact Erin Smith at 301-405-1813 or at esmith09@umd.edu so that she can program your ID card to give you electronic access to the building after regular business hours.
✔ Lab Coats and Goggles
All new graduate students receive lab coats and goggles upon starting our Ph.D. program. Please bring your UMD ID card with you when claiming your coat and goggles at Chem Stores.
Location: Chemistry Building, Room 0202 (ground floor of Chemistry, Wing Two, directly across from Chemistry loading dock)
Hours: Mondays – Fridays 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; lunch 12:15 – 1 p.m.
Closed: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, weekends, and University holidays
✔ Recreation Facilities on Campus
You will have access to the recreation facilities as soon as you have your UID card. If you are not granted access upon swiping your card, please visit the Member Services Desk located inside the Eppley Recreation Center (ERC). Hours of operation: Monday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. during regular Fall Semester building hours.
For more details on the facilities and the programs offered, please visit: http://recwell.umd.edu/
✔ Update your contact information.
It is imperative that accurate and up-to-date local and permanent addresses be maintained throughout the enrollment period. Please see Mailing or Email Address Change for more information.
✔ Computer Access
Computers are available for your use in the O.W.L. Computer Lab (room 3222, CHM building). Hours open: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
All students must have a print account to print in any of the other computer labs on campus. Students must first have a Terrapin Express account. To set up an account, go to Terrapin Express | University of Maryland. Printing in the OWL Lab is currently free of cost. However, you must bring your own paper!
Virus protection is necessary for all computers connected to the network. FireEye Endpoint Security software is available and must ONLY be installed on machines that are owned by the University.
● Windows: https://terpware.umd.edu/Windows/Title/3959
● Mac OS: https://terpware.umd.edu/Mac/Title/3959
Microsoft Forefront Security is available free for download for all University students at http://terpware.umd.edu/Windows/Title/1843. Some software is available for personal use at the campus site licensing office: http://terpware.umd.edu. We have a number of scientific software programs installed on workstations.
For information about Computing Services, please visit:
https://chem.umd.edu/about/resources/computing-services
✔ Wireless Access
The University of Maryland provides the umd-guest network for visitors, and eduroam wireless network for faculty, staff, and students.
You can connect to eduroam using your DirectoryID@umd.edu in the Username field and your directory ID password. Please visit https://connect.umd.edu/ for more information.
✔ Other Resources
The Graduate Student Life Handbook offers advice for graduate students on a variety of issues such as childcare, discounts for graduate students, student ID cards, and ordering textbooks, and additional useful information. It also has a checklist for new graduate students to help you get settled at the University.