A GUIDE FOR NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS What’s Inside Where to Begin 2 Where to Begin 2 Academic Advising Welcome to Berkeley 2 Registration The Graduate Division is here to help you throughout your graduate career, 3 Financial Assistance sometimes behind the scenes and sometimes face-to-face. We will assist you — in your search for financial support, in arranging research and teaching 4 California Residency appointments, with academic skills-building, with work/life balance issues, and 5 Cal 1 Card — Your Photo ID more — from the time you are admitted until you’ve earned your degree. and Much More Choosing Berkeley for your graduate career was a pivotal decision for you, 5 bConnected: Campus Email and a wise one. No other university can match the breadth and depth of and Calendar opportunities offered here. You have been drawn by the reputation of your particular department or program, but Berkeley truly is greater than the sum of 5 Technology Resources its individual parts. In classrooms, libraries, and labs, our students and faculty 6 Student Records share a sense of discovery and passion for pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge. 7 International Students Berkeley is a magical place, and I predict you will fall under its spell as so 8 University Library many other scholars have over the years. Whenever I travel to meetings and 8 Housing Options universities around the country, and around the world, I meet people who were 9 Child Care once graduate students at Berkeley. They always want to reminisce with me. They’re also keen to know about new degree programs, new research, and new 9 Campus Safety student initiatives. 10 Parking and Transportation I encourage you to take advantage of the richness all around Berkeley. Go to 11 Health Services and lectures in different disciplines. Attend film festivals, live performances, and Insurance art exhibits. Join a political club or work for a student journal. Make time for a hiking trip in the Sierra or sailing lessons on the Bay. Get out of the libraries and 11 Recreational Sports labs on occasion and go to a graduate student social event. You can thrive with 12 Equity and Inclusion a full, multifaceted life here. 12 Disabled Students Program Here is your first assignment as a new graduate student. On a beautiful fall 12 Graduate Division Services afternoon, take a bus, bike, or walk from campus to the Berkeley Marina. Walk the length of the Berkeley pier, gaze back at the East Bay hills, look across to 13 Teaching & Research San Francisco, and then watch the sun set beyond the Golden Gate Bridge. Assistantships These are going to be some of the best years of your life. 15 Links to Useful Resources 15 Academic Calendar 2014 – 2015 Andrew J. Szeri Vise Provost for Graduate Studies and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Congratulations on Your Admission to Berkeley! To help you get off to a good start, this guide provides some essential information about life as a new graduate student at Berkeley. We encourage you to attend the welcome and orientation events for new graduate students in August, as the semester gets underway. The schedule of new student events will be available beginning in June, on the Graduate Division website: www.grad.berkeley.edu/new_students. Please check back throughout the summer for the full calendar of Welcome Week activities. If you are completing a graduate degree program, please WHERE TO BEGIN submit an official transcript showing course work completed In your official offer of admission to Berkeley, information was and grades earned, as well as the conferral of the degree as provided on how to complete the Statement of Intention to soon as it is available. Official documents with evidence of Register (SIR) and Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) degree conferral must be received by Graduate Admissions forms. You must submit these forms before you will be identified before this degree can be added to your Berkeley records. as eligible to enroll in classes. The SLR is required of all new students except those admitted ACADEMIC ADVISING to the following programs: the Executive MBA, the Evening and The Graduate Student Affairs Officer (GSAO) in your Weekend MBA, the Master of Laws, and the Masters in Financial department will tell you which faculty member has been assigned Engineering. as your Graduate Adviser to help you understand course The SLR enables the Office of the Registrar to determine the requirements and to plan a program of study. Eventually, you fees you will be assessed. Submit the SLR before June 1, will need to designate a faculty member to serve as your major 2014, to ensure that your registration fees are assessed properly adviser and to direct your thesis or dissertation. This professor will act as your personal mentor during your graduate career and on your billing statement. will introduce you to the academic world of your discipline. If a final transcript, degree diploma, or other documentation Remember, all graduate students are required to maintain a is requested, it must be delivered to the Graduate Admissions minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (B) in all upper division and Office byFriday, October 3, 2014 to ensure your continued graduate course work. Check with your Graduate Adviser for the registration and enrollment as a graduate student. An official requirements in your department, as some departments may transcript is one that has been issued by the school and is have higher standards for their students. sent directly to University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Admissions, 318 Sproul Hall #5900, Berkeley, CA 94720-5900. REGISTRATION If you do not expect to graduate by the date listed on your Registration involves two steps: enrolling in classes and paying fees. application, or if you have problems concerning the award of your undergraduate degree, please notify Graduate Admissions Enrolling in Classes Tele-BEARS (http://telebears.berkeley.edu) is the interactive by phone, (510) 642-7405, or by email to gradadm@berkeley. computer system that allows you to enroll in classes via the edu as soon as possible. Internet. As an entering graduate student, you are only able 2 to use Tele-BEARS during Phase II of the enrollment time, Note: UC Berkeley does not accept credit cards for CARS beginning in early August. Contact your department for payments. information on enrolling in classes or meet with your major You must pay your registration fees in full or enroll in the Deferred adviser to obtain your Adviser Code (if required) as soon as Payment Plan (which has a $40 participation fee). Learn more your Phase II appointment has been generated. Go to the Office about the plan at (http://studentbilling.berkeley.edu/deferredPay. of the Registrar website (http://registrar.berkeley.edu) for full htm). The deadline for new graduate students to select this instructions on Tele-BEARS. payment option is September 15, 2014. Your CalNet ID is your online identity at UC Berkeley. It will To be considered a registered student, at least the first be used for system access log-ins and authentication, and it will installment of your fees must be paid by August 15, 2014, be your campus email address when combined with @berkeley. and you must be enrolled in at least one class. If your edu. Go to the CalNet ID set-up page (https://net-auth.berkeley. fees are not paid on time, your enrollment in classes may be edu/cgi-bin/krbcpw?NewStudent) and follow the instructions to canceled, any fellowship or stipend payments may be placed on establish your CalNet ID and passphrase. In order to create your hold, and you may not be able to access campus services such CalNet ID, you will need your Student Identification (SID) and the as the Library, Recreational Sports Facility or obtain a bus pass. Personal Identification Number (PIN) that was provided by the email from the admissions office. Fellowship, stipend, and financial aid recipients are strongly encouraged to sign up for Electronic Funds Keep your CalNet passphrase confidential! Transfer (EFT) to expedite receipt of their disbursements Do not disclose them to anyone. If you have forgotten your or CARS refunds via direct deposit to your personal bank passphrase, please contact: account. Students using EFT receive their refunds faster and Cal 1 Card office avoid standing in line. EFT is secure and saves resources. See the 180 Cesar Chavez Center EFT website (http://eftstudent.berkeley.edu) to sign up online. Lower Sproul Plaza CARS refunds paid to students by a paper check can be picked up (510) 643-6839 in person at the Cal Student Central office located at 120 Sproul cal1card.berkeley.edu Hall. Checks that are not picked up in a timely manner will be mailed to the local address on file in Bear Facts. Make With Tele-BEARS, you will be able to access your current class sure your local address is current on Bear Facts to avoid delays schedule and financial aid and award status. in payment and problems with returned mail due to an outdated There is one other student system currently available. Bear address. For billing inquiries contact: Facts is a system that will provide information regarding your Cal Student Central registration, grades, financial aid, billing, class schedule, and 120 Sproul Hall more. You can use Bear Facts to update your postal address, Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm email address, and telephone information, view and order copies Phone: (510) 664-9181 of your academic transcript, access your e-Bill, and more (https:// http://studentcentral.berkeley.edu bearfacts.berkeley.edu/bearfacts). Fee Payment Information FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Your registration fees are billed through the Campus To be eligible for University funding, all graduate students who Accounts Receivables System (CARS) administered by are U.S.