Transfer Transition Programs
Summer 2012 Sessions
Transfer Students
- June 26: Harpur, Watson, CCPA, Decker
- June 28: Harpur, SOM, Watson
- July 2: Harpur, SOM, CCPA, Decker
*We strongly encourage students to attend any of our Transfer Orientation sessions in June or July. If you can not attend one of the dates above, you may attend the Fall session on August 29-30. For more information, go to the Fall-Spring Orientation page.
How to Register for the Program
Every newly admitted student who has paid his/her admissions’ deposit should receive an invitation from the Orientation Office starting at the middle of May. (Invitations are continuously mailed to students and families beginning at the middle of May.) Simply visit the Orientation Registration website to complete the registration form. If you do not receive an invitation via postal mail by May 31, 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.
Again, simply visit the Orientation Registration website and complete the registration form. You must complete the form for your registration to be confirmed.
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Overnight Accommodations
On-campus overnight accommodations are available for the night before and the night of an orientation session for transfer students and their family members. A double room (2 single beds) is $50 and a single room (1 single bed) is $45. You must register for overnight accommodations through our orientation registration webpage prior to arriving for orientation.
Session Information
The transfer program has many sessions designed specifically to answer any questions you may have as Binghamton University’s newest community members. We hope you’ll meet other students, share experiences, take care of University business (including registering for classes), learn more about your new home away from home – and, most of all, relax and have fun!
In order to attain the most from your attendance at the Orientation program, please plan on attending all sessions. The program begins with check-in at 7:30am and concludes after course registration at 5:30pm. Below is a general outline and some highlights of the one-day program.
Day 1:
- Orientation Check-In * & Campus Services Fair*
- Breakfast (available on cash basis)*
- Opening Session *
- Academic Advising Presentations (by school)
- Pre-Professional Program Meetings
- Lunch (included in session package)
- Faculty Advising & Schedule Building
- "How To's" of Computer Registration
- Course Registration
Note: * denotes session for students and family members; other sessions are for students only.
Academic Advising Meetings with faculty, professional advisers and Orientation Advisors take place throughout the program, so that you receive the information necessary to assist you as you select your first-semester classes. In addition to the academic advising materials you will receive at check-in, an “Evaluation of Transfer Credit” form (Orientation report) will be prepared for your use during the Orientation advising process. It will be helpful, but not mandatory, for you to bring along a catalog from your former college that describes the courses you took. It may be useful in discussion with faculty and staff about the academic courses you may wish to take here.
Opportunities to Interact with Other New Students and Orientation Staff to learn about campus and student life issues and the resources available to assist you throughout your time at Binghamton. Meetings and sessions are scheduled for each program, in small- and large-group settings.
Campus Services Fair to provide you with the opportunity to ask specific questions about or sign up for individual programs and services such as dining/meal plans, ID cards, banking, computers, phones, refrigerator rentals, a BUC$ account, FitSpace gym membership and the University Bookstore.
Math Placement Exam Information
Calculus Placement Procedures
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. If you attend a summer Orientation session, you should plan to take the placement test at that time.
The Online Math Placement Self-Evaluation (“Practice 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:
- Complete the self-evaluation in one seating. You will have one hour before the computer ends the session.
- Do not consult any notes or textbooks, as you will not be able to use these during the actual diagnostic.
- Do not use a calculator. You will not be able to use a calculator during the actual placement evaluation.
- Make sure you have scratch paper and a pencil available when taking the self-evaluation.
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.
Do I need to take the placement test?
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 you attend a summer orientation session, you should plan to take the math placement test during your orientation session.
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.
What if I don’t get a passing score when I take the test during Orientation, but I would like to take MATH 221 or MATH 220 this fall?
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 in the fall, 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.
What if I don’t want to take calculus?
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.
