New to Florida State University

 
Welcome to Florida State University and the graduate program of the Department of Biological Science. We look forward to having you join our program. The following information is aimed at assisting you with your move to Tallahassee and to FSU. You will find almost every thing you need to know on the web. Some links require that you have Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Judy Bowers

Judy Bowers

Coordinator, Academic Support Services

1063B King Life Sciences Building

Phone: (850) 644-3023

Fax: (850) 644-9829

Email: gradinfo@bio.fsu.edu

Graduate Advising Center

Arrival

We encourage you to arrive in Tallahassee no later than the week of August 9. There will be little opportunity to obtain an apartment, turn on utilities, set up a bank account, etc. during the following week while you are attending the teaching workshop.

Activate Your FSU ID and FSU E-mail Account

Access to many of the functions you need to register, pay fees, check your schedule, print unofficial transcripts, etc. require that you set-up a secure profile before you can continue. Follow this link to activate your FSU ID and FSU E-mail account: http://newnole.fsu.edu/computer.html .

Registration Information

Registration is on-line. Students who are U.S. citizens and who have submitted all their documents, including the health form, will be able to register during regular registration, August 17-21. International students are required to attend the International Students’ Orientation--go to http://ic.fsu.edu/newstudents/orientation.cfm for details.

Late registration begins August 24 and there is a $100 late registration fee. Your faculty advisor will be able to assist you with your course selection. Twelve credits are considered a full-time load for Florida students; nine credits for out-of-state and international students. If you encounter any problems with registering, please contact me.

Please refer to the Registration & Deadlines information at http://www.bio.fsu.edu/gradstudentinfo/.

Fee Payment Information

Fees are due no later than Friday, September 4th. After that date there will be a $100 late payment fee. Before paying your tuition, you will need to come by the Graduate Office (1063B King Life Science Building) to pick up your tuition waiver. The dates for waiver pick up are Monday, August 24 - Wednesday, August 26 (by 4:00 p.m.).

Further information on fee payment can be found at: http://www.sfs.fsu.edu/.

Financial Support

You should have adequate finances to cover your initial obligations since there could be a 4-6 week delay in receiving your first check.

Teaching Assistant Stipends:

U.S. Students: If you have not already completed your paperwork, as soon as possible after you arrive, please contact Blair Kallestad, 645-8295, to set up an appointment to do your paperwork. Be sure to bring two forms of identification (driver’s license, ID card issued by federal, state or local government, school ID, voter’s registration, etc) and social security card. If you have lost your card, you will need to apply for a duplicate. 

International Students: If you do not have a social security card, you will need to obtain one. After you have registered, take your admission letter from Biology to the International Student Center and pick up their letter to take to the Social Security Office, along with your immigration paperwork. The Social Security Office is located at 2002 Old St. Augustine Road. Directions: Travel east on Tennessee Street, take a right on Monroe Street, left on Apalachee Parkway, take a right on Blairstone Road and then a left on Old St. Augustine Road. The office building is located on the left hand side of Old St. Augustine Road.

Once you receive your card, contact Blair Kallestad, 645-8295 to set up an appointment to do your paperwork. She will need your immigration paperwork and two forms of identification (passport/visa, school ID, etc).

Fellowships, Research Assistantships and Training Grant Stipends:

Please contact individual/program offering support.

Teaching Workshop

The teaching workshop will be held August 17-21 in room 303 Milton Carothers Hall. Attendance is required for all entering graduate students regardless of source of financial support (teaching assistantship, research assistantship, fellowship, or private funding). Please arrive each day on time so as not to be disruptive to the speakers and the class. See workshop agenda at:
http://bio.fsu.edu/~bsc1005/courses/workshop/dailyoutline.pdf

Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view pdf files

Adobe Acrobat Reader is free software that lets you view and print Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. Download at link below: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Departmental E-mail Accounts

The University provides accounts which are used by instructors and the general university population. In addition to the university accounts, the Biology department also issues you a separate biology email account. Both accounts can be linked so you only have to check one e-mail. Upon arrival, if you are not a Neuroscience student, please see Alex Stuy, 2054 King Life Science Building; (850) 644-1006 to make arrangements for an account. If you are a Neuroscience student, please contact Jason Thigpen, 248 BRF; (850) 644-4876.

Please e-mail Judy Bowers, gradinfo@bio.fsu.edu, once your account as been established.

Office Space

See Lynn Locke, 101-A BIO; (850) 644-2503.

Keys

Once you and your advisor have determined what access and which keys you will need, the advisor will contact Lynn Locke (locke@bio.fsu.edu) with your name and to which areas you will need keys/access. If you require access to entrances or areas that require the use of a swipe card, you will need to provide Lynn the last 8 digits of your ID number as indicated on your FSU ID card. The turnaround time to pick up keys is 24 hours and a picture I.D. is required to pick you keys up from the Key Bank, 150 MMA (Mendenhall Maitenance, Building A) which is located off Wildwood Drive.

Maps

Campus maps are available on-line at http://www.fsu.edu/Campus/newmap/ .

Requirements

Information on graduate requirements can be found in the Biological Science Graduate Handbook. This on-line handbook is located at http://www.bio.fsu.edu/gradhandbook.htm . The FSU Graduate Bulletin is also located on line at http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/default.htm . 

Residency