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Photos of SUNY
Accommodation
Registration
Bank Accounts
Clubs and Societies
Study Culture
Social Life and I.D. Requirements
PHOTOS OF SUNY
What better way for you to get an idea of what Albany University is like than to show you some photos. These aren't 'supped-up' as they were taken by my own fair hands, so you'll get a 'real' perspective.
General photos of the campus
Campus Center Food Court
Bookstore
Sports
Accommdation
During orientation I definitely recommend that you take the accommodation that the university offers you. This will help you meet other International students before all the American students arrive. You will appreciate the sense of a group, be able to talk easily and relate to others in the same situation.
This year we were placed in Waterbury Hall during orientation, which was handy as it was the permanent residency that we had applied for. Most International students remain in the Hall. Personally, I'd recommend staying Downtown in the Alumni Quad. The accommodation on the Uptown campus can only be compared to council towers. Downtown resembles the halls in Hull. It's also where most of the people your own age will stay and students renting houses live around there, so it's where most people socialise.
When you stay in a Hall I would like to warn you that they are shared, double rooms and the rooms aren't partitioned. They are roughly the 1 1/2 times the size of a standard single room in the Halls at Hull. In Waterbury there are 2 single beds, desks, cupboards and drawers. You will have to supply everything else, e.g bedding, lamps, telephone etc.
Off-Campus Housing
If you want to do this then you need to arrive a few days before orientation.
Hints:
- Look at the university website on off-campus housing and Times Union (Albany's local paper)
- Try and get a furnished apartment, otherwise you'll have to buy it all yourself. Whilst buying cheap furniture is not a problem, getting your furniture to your house will be if you do not have a car.
- Go to the International Office in the Campus Center and ask for help. They will tell you where the rough areas are and have some apartment adverts.
- Decide quickly. Apartments that are available go quickly.
- You'll need to pay last months rent, this month rent and a safety/cleaning bond.
- Make good use of Walmart for house appliances (Bus Route 12)and the Dollar Shop at Crossgates mall (Bus Route 10 and 12).
- You will need to be out of the Hall you are staying in either Thursday morning of orientation or Friday.
- By Friday you should have gone to Residential Life to cancel your accommodation and meal plan (dates are subject to change). This is important, if you miss the date you are bound to the contract and will have to pay.
Registration
Now, this is going to be an interesting topic. You see there will generally be to be two things that are going to shape your opinion of the university and how easily you are going to settle down in the 1st week. Theses are:
- Accommodation
- Registration
In SUNY registration operates in a different way to Hull. When you arrive it is unlikely that you will be totally pre-registered. This experience is either going to be simple or interestingly stressful (trying to put it nicely). Don't worry, because we have gone through it, we can give you advice to make it as easy as possible. My advice is be prepared!
When you filled in your application to the university they would have asked you to pick the modules that you wanted to do. Most likely you selected these off the internet and that's fine as you won't have to stick to them (this doesn't mean you should just pick any module/class you see listed - choose something you are interested in because you may get registered on it). However the modules that appear on the internet are for the whole year and may not be on the Fall Semester timetable. As you can imagined this caused a few problems. American Studies students can be pre-registered, but unknowingly to Dawn and Becky they had selected modules that weren't being taught in the Fall semester.
To be prepared for this problem ,when you receive your acceptance pack from the university you should be given a guide to the Fall Semester modules. Last year only one guide arrived from SUNY and was given to one student. If this does happen, one of you will may have it, so HUNT IT DOWN! E-mail the international office to request one. From this you can plan your timetable and research your choices. Use the net to get course descriptions.
During orientation you will be sent for a talk on registration, you'll be given a supervisor, they will explain the voice registration system to you (in the Fall Semester guide) and go over your options. Now this is where American Studies and Manangement seperate.
Management Students
Count yourself lucky! You won't have been pre-registered for anything, but you'll be sent to your own supervisor in the Business School. You will need to take a list of your choice (include the call number and other codes, which are in the Fall guide book) and she will register you on her computer, so you won't have to touch a blessed phone. She will do her best to get you into the courses you want.
From my own experience I must stress the importance of checking out exactly what the pre-requisite for each modules are necessary. I signed up for a course (Msi 330) and found that I was no where near qualified for the maths that was needed ('calculus' or 'algerbra' implies post A-level standard). I then had to run around in a panic trying to change my module before all the other modules got full up.
If you are not sure about any of your modules after you've been to a class, go and see your supervisor straight away and she'll help you sort it out. Classes fill up quickly and then close.
American Studies Students
You will remain with the first supervisor that you had. He/she should have registered you with some of your modules. However, if you need to add more modules to meet the required credits or want to change your choices then you will need to use the phone registration system. I'm not going to go into detail, as it's explained in the Fall Semester guide.
Here are a few hints:
- If a class is closed then you will need an SKN number from the professor. Go on the SUNY website and find out their office hours, go visit them and e-mail them. Explain that you are an exchange student and are only there for a year, so this is your only opportunity to take the course and it was one of your main reasons for going there. You get the idea?! They usually like having foreign students as it gives another perspective, so it shouldn't be too hard.
- If that doesn't work get your supervisor to talk to the professor, they seem to be able to talk them round.
- Go through the first week of class and try out the different modules, then decide which one you don't want to take and drop them.
You may feel a bit confused and worried during this period, but that's OK. You will get it sorted out and your supervisor will do all they can to fix it.
You'll soon have it sorted out and then start to enjoy your classes, It might all sound horrendously complicated but bear in mind that American Students do this EVERY SEMESTER!
Becky on Registration
Dawn and I were horrified by the registration process when we first arrived here but it is really no big deal. In the first week just go to anything you are interested in whether you are registered or not. Americans register for anything and people are dropping and adding classes like crazy for the first week or two. In 99% of cases you can talk yourself on to any classes that are full yourself with virtually no trouble. If not, your academic advisor in the international office over here will almost definitely be able to win you a place. So, worst case scenario, you arrive to find yourself not registered for a bloody thing - don't worry! There is no cause for alarm, it will all be alright, by the end of the week you will wonder what the fuss was about.
Closing Comments from Becky!
I know it seems like you have been bombarded with a load of information and everything seems very daunting but try to keep things in perspective. Everyone is going to be saying this but it is worth saying again - start getting things sorted early. When you come to leave, remember to keep space in your bags for stuff that is going to make you feel at home when you get here. The more you can do to make yourself feel comfortable, the better. Finally, before you leave and after you get here there are going to be loads of different places you can go to for advice and support - make sure you are aware of them, even if you don't immediately need them. Take full advantage of anything and anyone that offers help, that's what they are there for and you can't have too much information. That's it. End of lecture. Have a great time!
Bank Accounts
I wouldn't bother setting up a USA account. As you will have to transfer over your money from your UK account, they will charge you a transfer fee and then you will also have to pay a monthly percentage on your USA account to maintain it.
It's much easier just to get a Master/Visa card for your UK account. Below is some recommended things you should do with your UK account:
- Get a parent to fill in a 'Third Party Mandate', which will allow them to make any changes to your account when you are in the US.
- Sign up for Internet banking.
- Insure your credit/cash cards. (Most banks will replace your cards and/or passport if you lose them in their insurance cover).
Clubs and Societies
I suggest that you join one, it's a great way to meet American people. You'll find that there are lots of flyers stapled up around campus, which is their form of advertising. They don't have a typical Students' Union. It's up to you to turn up to the advertised meeting or to phone them. If you want a list of contacts for clubs then you can get it from Student Life.
Study Culture
You will find that the American way of studying is rather different. Below is a list of the differences we have experienced:
- You are likely to have homework to hand in everyweek.
- You will need to prepare for each lecture (involves reading a chapter or doing research)
- You won't have tutorials. Instead you are expected to discuss readings in class and are encouraged to interrupt the lecturer with questions you may have.
- Participation is expected. (For Business 35% of my grade in one class is for participation).
- Some classes have a quiz every week. A quiz can be a short multiple choice test or a short written answer test.
- Exams may be spread throughout a semester as opposed to having them all at the end.
- You will be constantly assessed throughout the term.
- You are graded in points, which will be totalled at the end of the semester.
- Management students remember that 20% is taken of when the grades are transferred. To maintain an average for a first you will need to get 90% in all gradings in the US.
Don't feel overwhelmed, you'll soon get used to it. Although the workload may be greater, the assignments given are easier, trust us!
Social Life and ID Requirements
Frankly if you are not over 21 years old then there isn't much to do. My advice is to join lots of clubs, go to cafes, get involved in Sports (we all go and watch Albany play Ice Hockey)and there is one place in Downtown that will let under 21s in, but you can't go into certain sections of the bar.
ID wise. If you don't have it then you can't get in. Anyone that looks under 30 years old is ID'd. Don't try it with a fake ID or get drunk with friends that have bought it for you. The likelihood is that you will get caught, as they are very strict. The Halls are monitored and there are lots of police around the student area that will stop you on the street to ID you. If you are stupid enough to do it and get caught, then frankly you never valued the opportunity you had in coming here and should accept the consequences.
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