The following information is for students who have been admitted for the Fall 2012 semester and will therefore be attending our Fall Orientation.
Wednesday, August 29 through Thursday, August 30.
All new matriculated incoming undergraduate students for Fall 2012
Every newly admitted student who has paid his/her admissions’ deposit should receive an invitation from the Orientation Office starting in May. Simply visit the Orientation registration website to complete the registration form. If you do not receive a postcard invitation via postal mail by May 30, 2012, please contact our office so we may assist you either over the phone (607-777-4986) or through email (orientation@binghamton.edu). Paper registration forms will be mailed to you if you do not have access to the Internet. Please contact our office at the phone number above for assistance.
9:00am-12:00pm at the University Union Tillman lobby. You may check-in to your residence hall assignment as early as 9:00am on Wednesday, August 29. It is encouraged that all students first check-in at the University Union Tillman lobby upon arrival.
If you are living ON CAMPUS, report to your assigned residential hall at 9AM, get your keys, move in, and then report for Orientation check-in.
For any specific housing questions, please contact the Office of Residential Life at (607) 777-2321.
For those who are living OFF CAMPUS, just report for Orientation Check-In.
All transfer students should bring a copy of the catalog from your previous school to assist with the evaluation of your transfer credits. Also, bring any health records for BU or from previous institutions to assist in the process here.
During Check In, you’ll receive the schedule of the orientation program, and a schedule of classes. In addition, you will have the opportunity to validate your computer, purchase your parking pass, and set up a bank account.
All students attending this Orientation program will register on Thursday, August 29. Registration concludes your orientation session. Immunity requirements for MMR and Meningitis must be completed before course registration. For more information, please visit the Decker Student Health Services Center website at: http://www2.binghamton.edu/health/new-students.html
Housing
We invite you to complete your Binghamton University housing request online at http://reslife.binghamton.edu beginning at 10 AM on May 1, 2012.
You will not be assigned a room until you complete this online application process, so be sure to fill out your housing preferences as soon as possible! While we will do our best to honor your requests, please be aware that spring housing options are limited. You will be notified of your specific housing assignment in July.
IMPORTANT: Before you can access and sign up for housing, you must activate your Binghamton University Computer Account and email account.
How to apply online for fall 2012 on-campus housing:
• Go to the Residential Life Web site, http://reslife.binghamton.edu, and access the link to the online form on the right-hand side of the home page.
• Log in using your Binghamton University Computer Account User ID and password.
• Read the University Housing License and prioritize your residential community preferences on your online form.
• You may also select special housing options: Break Housing (halls remain open during University breaks when other halls are closed); Chemical-Free Lifestyle Housing (residents agree to not use alcohol or drugs on- or off-campus).
• You may also make a specific roommate request.
Important: When you get to the Summary Page you MUST click on "submit application." If you don't see a confirmation screen you did not successfully submit your online form
Off-Campus Students
Transfer students who choose to live off-campus at Binghamton University should contact the Off Campus College office if they are struggling to find housing off-campus. OCC maintains two databases of interest to students looking for off-campus housing in the Binghamton area, OCC Housemate/Subletter List, (http://saffairs.binghamton.edu/occ/sublet/) and OCC Housing List (http://saffairs.binghamton.edu/occ/housinglist/). While OCC does not make living arrangements for off-campus students, we do provide students with information on what is available. Students will then need to contact the landlords (or other students if searching for potential housemates) directly. For your convenience, and at your request, we will review your lease prior to you signing with a landlord free of charge. Good luck with the housing search!
Meals
Students will be provided dinner on Wednesday, August 29 as well as breakfast and lunch on Thursday, August 30. On campus meal plans will be activated beginning on dinner Thursday August 29.
Over 1,400 students take an introductory calculus course (Math 220, for Calculus for Business and Management; or Math 221, Calculus I) each year. Some students take it because it is one way to fulfill the SUNY requirement for a mathematical reasoning course; some students take it because it is required for their major in the sciences, or required for medical school or other health-related graduate program. Many more take calculus because they are interested in the subject for its own sake, and because they wish to develop their analytical skills.
Calculus is a challenging course—at Binghamton and most universities. Even if you took calculus in high school, you are likely to find introductory calculus a challenging course. To help place students in the most appropriate mathematics/reasoning course, the Department of Mathematics requires each student to take a math placement test. The placement test schedule is available online. Please note that this test is offered during the Orientation program in the evening (January 25, 8:15pm-10:00pm), so be sure to talk to your Orientation Advisor during Orientation if you need to take the test.
To provide students an opportunity to become familiar with the format of the evaluation, the math department has created an online math placement self-evaluation. We encourage you to take this “practice test” prior to attending your assigned Orientation session. In order for this evaluation to be helpful in your math placement, you should try to make your practice session as realistic as possible. As a result, we recommend the following:
The self-evaluation that you take at home is not a formal placement test, and your score does not go on your academic record. You will receive a score at the end, however, and that will help you find the right mathematics course for you. We strongly recommend that print out a copy of this final page with your score, and bring it with you when you come to Orientation. You will use this score during academic advising and course registration.
If you wish to enroll in Math 220 or Math 221, you will need to take the math placement test. The Department of Mathematics requires this placement test in order to ensure that you are properly prepared for this challenging course. You must complete this test in a supervised setting in order to enroll in these courses. The self-evaluation that you take on your own before coming to Orientation will not count as the placement test.
If your self-evaluation or placement test score indicates that you are not prepared for introductory calculus, but you wish to take calculus in the future, then you should enroll in Math 108 (Pre-Calculus). Years of experience have demonstrated that students with low scores on the placement test will perform poorly in Math 220 and Math 221. That is why the department recommends Math 108 for these students.
Students who believe that their placement test score does not accurately reflect their skills may retake the exam before the start of classes. The placement test will be offered several times just before the start of classes and during the first week of classes. The placement test schedule is available online. Students must wait at least one day before taking the placement test for a second time.
If you do not wish to take calculus, then you should consider one of the other mathematics or mathematical reasoning courses offered at Binghamton University. Other Harpur College courses that fulfill the university’s General Education requirement in mathematical reasoning (the “M requirement”) include Math 130 (Math in Action); Math 147 or 148 (Elementary Statistics); Philosophy 148 (Methods of Reasoning); and Psychology 243 (Statistical Analysis and Design).
For further information about the calculus and pre-calculus courses, please visit the Math Department’s calculus web page.
If you have a disability and are unable to take the self-evaluation or the placement test in the manner described, please let the Math Department know by phone (607) 777-2148 or email calculus@math.binghamton.edu to arrange an accommodation.
