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Graduate Student Orientation 2024

Welcome to UC San Diego Chemistry & Biochemistry! We look forward to working with you. Below you will find a link to download the orientation schedules, a map to help you navigate through the orientation process, and other useful information. Orientation activities will occur in September. There will be a lot of important information coming your way, so please check your emails, be sure to attend all scheduled activities and be on time! We want you to be well-prepared for embarking on your graduate school career with us!

Orientation Schedule

PhD Tentative Schedule (updated 09/18/2024)

MS Tentative Schedule (update 09/11/2024!)  

Map

Below you will find a map with information to parking (on and off campus) and locations to all the different meetings and events. View Chemistry & Biochemistry Graduate Orientation in a larger map.

 



Things to know

Congratulations once again on your admission to our program! We're delighted that you have decided to join us at UCSD! When you accepted your offer officially online, you should have been directed to return to your Application Status page at https://apply.grad.ucsd.edu/ and were complete all of the necessary steps to prepare for your arrival at UC San Diego. The “Submit Pending Documentation and Information“ section will identify the documents and information you will need to submit to Graduate Admissions. It should have a list of things you'll need to complete (i.e. setting up your @ucsd.edu email, set up Personal Access Code, sending in your official transcripts, TB requirements, and Statement of Legal Residence Form).

Below, you will find additional information to help with your transition into our Graduate Program and moving to beautiful San Diego!

Email Accounts

Please understand that this is one of the primary means of communication with our 300+ graduate students. You must take responsibility for reading your @ucsd.edu email on a daily basis. During your tenure in the program, we will use your @ucsd.edu email account to send all official correspondence on important deadlines and requirements, etc. 

For more information on how to use or setup your @ucsd.edu email, please visit UCSD Services and Support.

Graduate Housing

  • If you applied for Graduate Housing, be sure to check your email every day to see if you have received an offer. You have to respond to your offer within 24-hours before Housing moves to the next person on the waitlist.
  • In your conversations with Housing, here are some tips to help an application move faster on the waitlist:
    • The student has children
    • The student can start paying rent earlier (also known as the move-in date)
    • The student signed up on the waitlist as early as possible
    • The applicant has less parameters on their application (like only wanting one residential community)
  • Click here for Frequently Asked Questions related to the HDH Graduate Housing Rental Rates
  • You can find more information on their webpage, Graduate Family Housing
  • If you are interested, you can look into UCSD Off Campus Housing

Student Single Sign-On (SSO) Account

  • All students will have a Student SSO account, which uses your PID as the User ID and the Password will be your PAC (Personal Access Code). You should have been emailed with Instructions to create your Personal Access Code.
  • All students will also have a UCSD email account. (This login information is referred to as your Active Directory or AD credentials.)
  • For more assistance with your Student Accounts, start at the Activate and Access your New Student Account webpage.  

Campus ID Card

  • Submit your photo online by July 21st to avoid having to wait in line to get your campus ID card when you arrive on campus. You can access the tool here. You will need to sign in with your student PID and password. Once submitted, you will receive an email stating whether it has been approved or not approved. If you submit your photo online, we will have your campus ID card conveniently available for pick-up during our welcome session. 
  • Students must get a Campus Student ID card. Your Campus ID card will allow you to use various campus facilities and resources including the library, gym, and public transportation stystem.
  • Please contact us if you need a Campus Student ID card before the quarter begins. We will need to provide you with a formal letter indicating your start date.

Lab Safety Training

Students will need to take the following online lab safety trainings from the UC Learning Center *before* working in a lab:

  • UC Laboratory Safety Fundamentals
  • Annual Laboratory Hazards training

For those who will participate in an early summer lab rotation:

Placement Examinations (Chem PhD only)

(Note: Students admitted to the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Ph.D. program are exempt from taking placement exams.)

One of the goals of the first year of our Ph.D. program is to ensure that all students have the breadth and level of competence in the chemical and biochemical sciences that is essential for a successful graduate career. Assessment of your undergraduate background assists faculty advisors with guiding you towards appropriate classes and teaching assistantships. For these reasons, we have a Placement Examination requirement, which requires incoming Chemistry Ph.D. students to take two exams—one General exam and one In-track exam in the student’s area of research specialization. Incoming Ph.D. students in the Inorganic, Organic, Chemical Biology tracks will take a custom In-track exam and students in the Analytical & Atmospheric, Physical, Materials and Theoretical and Computational chemistry tracks will take the standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) Physical chemistry exam as their In-track exam. These examinations cover course material at the undergraduate level—the custom In-track and ACS Physical chemistry exams will focus on your area of research and the General exam will encompass topics from each of the different Chemistry & Biochemistry tracks: biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical. To meet the Placement Examination requirement, by the end of Fall 2024 quarter, you must show proficiency at the upper-division level on the topics covered in the General exam and the In-track exam or ACS exam. You must prove proficiency by passing the two Placement Exams or by satisfying some remediation activity (such as by passing prescribed coursework with a grade of B or higher) that your first year advisor will recommend  if you do not pass the examinations. 

The General and In-track Placement examinations are administered during Orientation for new graduate students in September. You are required to take both exams and will meet with your assigned First Year Advisor to discuss the results. If a student does not pass the General exam the first time, they will be able to self-study and re-take a different version of the General exam. If a student does not pass the General Re-Exam and/or the In-track and ACS exams, they must pass the coursework prescribed by their First-Year Advisor. The First-Year Advisors review the examination results and develop a prescribed course plan for each student who would benefit from additional training in one or more of the five areas. Students who need to take remedial coursework can begin enrolling starting in Winter 2024 quarter and must pass their prescribed course(s) with grades of B or higher. Your course schedule will include graduate-level courses appropriate for your research specialization and, if needed, upper-division undergraduate coursework to fulfill the Placement Examination requirement. Classes begin on Thursday, September 28th, 2023. 

We encourage you to prepare for the exams with the goal of passing both tests so you can fulfill the Placement Examination requirement during Orientation. We hope the following information will help you prepare for the exams.  

Both the General and custom In-track exams will have 40-50 multiple-choice questions, and you have up to 100-120 minutes (depending on the exam) to take each test. The ACS Physical chemistry exam has 50-70 multiple choice questions and you have 110 minutes to take the test. The General, In-track, and ACS placement exams will be administered in-person (more details to follow). You will be given a periodic table and may use a basic scientific (non-programmable) calculator for all exams, except the physical chemistry exam where a calculator is not permitted.  For all exams, scratch paper will be provided.  The best strategy for passing is to focus your review on topics that you have already learned. The textbooks below include those that have been utilized in the upper-division courses at UCSD, and may help you prepare for the exams:

  • Biochemistry by Stryer, or by Voet & Voet
  • Inorganic Chemistry by Miessler & Tarr, or by Douglas, McDaniel, & Alexander
  • Organic Chemistry by Solomons & Fryhle, or by Vollhardt & Shore
  • Physical Chemistry by Levine, or by Engel & Reid
  • Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry by Skoog, West, and Holler
  • General chemistry textbooks, such as Chemical Principles by Atkins & Jones also provide supplementary review.  

Registering for Classes

You can find more information on how to register for classes by visiting https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/enroll/undergraduate-enrollment/add-a-class.html. Please refer to the department PhD, JDP, and MS schedules to see when you should sign up for classes.

Health Care and Health Insurance (UC SHIP)

Health Care and Health Insurance (UC SHIP):

  • Health insurance coverage starts on Monday, September 16th.

  • *For Some International Students Only* - Since some International students are required to arrive early to attend the English Language Bridge Program, student health insurance for those international students will begin early on Monday, Sept 3rd.

Address, Phone, or Email Changes: TWO Places

Parking & Bus Passes

Once you have your Campus ID Card (see above), you may get a bus pass and/or a campus parking permit from the Parking Office http://transportation.ucsd.edu/parking/index.html

New Hire Employment Paperwork

Incoming PhD Students

You will be contacted in August with detailed instructions to complete employment paperwork. If you have not received an email by mid-August or have questions about the process, please contact our Graduate Financial Support Assistant. The onboarding process requires you to complete the following steps:

    1. Complete the "FA24 PhD Admit - Employment Paperwork" DocuSign packet, comprised of the following forms:
      1. US Citizens
        1. Oath & Patent Agreement
        2. I-9 Tracker
        3. W-4
        4. UCRS Form 419
      2. Permanent Residents
        1. Patent Agreement
        2. I-9 Tracker
        3. W-4
        4. UCRS Form 419
      3. International Students (F1/J1 Visa)
        1. Patent Agreement
        2. I9 Tracker
        3. SSN (usually will help the student apply for one if incoming PhD)
        4. UCRS Form 419
      4. Additional Forms
        1. Employee Demographic Data Form U5605
        2. Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange Notice
    2. Complete Section 1 of your I-9: You will receive an email request through the I-9 tracker.
    3. Schedule an in-person meeting with the Graduate Financial Support Assistant: The Graduate Financial Support Assistant will include a Calendly link to schedule an in-person meeting to verify your work authorization documents and provide an overview of your hire details.
    4. Email copies of your identification documents you plan to present during an in-person meeting. We will need to see the original forms of identification during your employment paperwork meeting as follows:

U.S. Citizens

International Students

You may use any combination of identification documents listed on page three here. Examples of typical documents include:

  • Passport
  • Driver License AND Social Security Card
  • Driver License AND Birth Certificate
 Please provide copies of the following:
  • Passport
  • I-94
  • I-20
  • Social Security Card: if you need to apply for a Social Security Card, we will provide you with instructions at your initial meeting.

 

Incoming MS Students

  • You will only need to complete Employment Paperwork if you are assigned to TA in Fall Quarter. This will be provided at the Orientation Welcome Session.

ALL Incoming Grads - Fill out emergency contact information!

  • Make sure the Student Affairs Office has your up-to-date emergency contact info by filling out the form during your employment paperwork meeting.
  • Sign up for campus emergency notifications here.

Paychecks (PHD students only)

Fall 2024 TA Application

  • The Fall 2024 TA application is currently open. All incoming PHD students are required to TA for support during their first year. MS students are welcome to apply as well. All incoming students will be notified via email once the application is available.

UCSD Library Resources

Click here to learn more about UCSD campus library resources and services, including how to set up remote access.

Social Media

Grad Orientation Survey

To help us prepare for your Incoming Graduate Orientation, please fill out this survey!

 For questions, please contact the Student Affairs Office!