Congratulations and welcome! The Student & Instructional Services team is excited to welcome you to the School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego.

My name is Melody Bazyar, and I am the Program Coordinator for the PhD program in Biological Sciences. I will be the contact for administrative questions related to the program. This communication serves as a follow up to the BioSci admissions offer letter, and will give some preliminary information that we hope will be useful. It is the first correspondence of several that will be sent before you begin your graduate career here at UC San Diego. You are encouraged to bookmark this link for future reference and updates to information.

UCSD Email:

Email is the official means of communication for UC San Diego and the Division of Biological Sciences. From this point forward, all communication with Student & Instructional Services will take place via your @ucsd.edu email account. It is important and expected that you regularly check your UCSD email for time sensitive information on deadlines and program requirements. If you haven’t already done so, please see Activating and Accessing your Email Account to set up your UCSD email. Once complete, you may redirect your email to another address, but remember to always use your @ucsd.edu email when contacting staff or faculty at UC San Diego. Your @ucsd email was copied on this communication, so if you did not receive the message via that account, please let us know as soon as possible.

Welcome Day:

The first day incoming students will meet in-person will be Thursday, September 1^st, 2022. Welcome Day is mandatory for all incoming Biology PhD students. You will hear from our Dean, Graduate Program Faculty Chair, current student leaders, and representatives from several of our administrative offices. New PhD students must be able to participate in all activities beginning Thursday, September 1^st . For those relocating to San Diego, please schedule your move so that you are ready to begin on this date.

Grad Launch I:

The Grad Launch I course is mandatory for all incoming PhD students. The purpose of Grad Launch I is to introduce students to grant/fellowship writing, practice creative problem-solving techniques, and how to think about future career options. Additionally, Grad Launch I will allow incoming students to get to know fellow classmates and will acquaint you with many of the participating BioSci faculty. Grad Launch I will begin on Friday, September 2^nd . A full schedule will be provided prior to arrival.

Mode of Instruction:

UCSD is planning for fall 2022 teaching to be in-person with normal classroom occupancy in accordance with public health guidelines. As such, all incoming UCSD Biological Sciences PhD students will enroll in courses that require in-person instruction. This includes Laboratory Rotation Research and Biological Sciences Grad Launch I. Details on campus plans may be found on the Return to Learn webpage.

International Students:

Students with questions regarding travel, visas, and iPortal requests in preparation for starting studies at UC San Diego are encouraged to contact the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) directly. ISPO provides helpful and detailed instructions for Newly Admitted Students on the website. Students with potential visa complications are urged to communicate with the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) about their needs as soon as possible. In those cases where the visa delay impacts the student’s arrival for the start of the fall term, ISPO will coordinate with the department and student to determine if the student is eligible to defer their admissions/return and update the I-20 accordingly.

Graduate Division New Student Orientation:

Find more information by visiting Grad Life's New Student Orientation information page. Please see calendar below for dates.

Vaccinations/Immunizations:

Please view the Immunization Requirements for current information. COVID-19 vaccinations are currently required. Please watch for further university communications.

Academic Calendar:

Fall quarter instruction begins on Thursday, September 22^nd. Refer to the campus Academic Calendar for these and other important dates.

Enrollment for Fall Quarter:

Instructions for enrolling in courses for FA22 will be sent by the end of June. Students are expected to enroll each quarter in a timely manner as failure to enroll in accordance with campus deadlines could affect stipend payment.

Rotations:

Students are encouraged to begin to research Biological Sciences faculty and to feel free to reach out to faculty at any time. Full faculty availability for rotations in 2022-23 will not available until September 1, but some faculty may already be able to share their plans for taking rotation students. Please note, not all faculty will be accepting students in rotation in the coming year. Rotation blocks and dates are included in the calendar below. The Faculty availability matrix will be available after students arrive on campus.

To help guide the search, students should begin to think about their scientific interests, mentorship style preferences, lab contact hour requirements, laboratory techniques, and other aspects of labs that may be important to them. The rotation program is designed to help students define their own answers to the points listed above, so don’t worry if you are unsure of these specifics yet.

Rotation program guidelines:

• Students are required to complete four rotations with faculty in Biological Sciences including Salk adjuncts (see Faculty List for eligibility) during rotation periods 1-4.

• Students may not repeat a rotation with a faculty member until after the 4th rotation.

• Students may only complete a rotation with faculty outside the School of Biological Sciences in rotation periods 5 and 6

• Faculty may receive more rotation requests than can be accommodated during a rotation period.

Dates of Rotations:

Rotation 1: 9/22/22 - 10/28/22

Rotation 2: 10/31/22 - 12/9/22

Rotation 3: 1/9/23 - 2/17/23

Rotation 4: 2/20/23 - 3/31/23

Rotation 5: 4/3/23 - 5/12/23

Rotation 6: 5/15/23 - 6/23/23

Classmates:

In previous years, students in the incoming class have been in contact with each other prior to arriving at UCSD. Please enter your contact information here, if you would like to be in touch with other incoming classmates. Note that faculty, staff, and incoming students will have access to this information.

Shared Contact information can be found here.

Campus ID Cards:

ID cards will be distributed by the program during Grad Launch I (please do not contact the ID office, they will not distribute the ID cards to individuals).

Please submit your photos via the online photo tool no later than August 1, 2022.

Questions about or issues with submitting photos can be directed to the online support portal.

Housing:

For students who will be living in on-campus housing, please visit HDH for up to date information about move-in and COVID19 related questions.

On-Campus: Visit Graduate Student Housing Information for on-campus housing options and waitlist wait times.

Off-Campus: Visit UCSD Off-Campus Housing Directory for housing options away from campus.

(Note: to access these systems, you will need your Personal Identification Number (PID) which was created when you submitted your application to UC San Diego. It is available in your application portal.)

This VeryApt Guide, specifically for BioSci students, with input from current BioSci graduate students, may also be helpful when making housing decisions.

UC San Diego Basic Needs Hub Housing Resources

Off-Campus Housing Webinar recording

California Residency:

Students who are U.S. citizens, but not California residents must apply for CA residency at the end of the first year. See Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes for information outlining the documents needed to apply for residency. Begin collecting documentation as soon as you arrive in California.

Student Health Insurance Plans (SHIP):

Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) coverage for BioSci PhD students start early on August 29, 2022. All BioSci PhD students have SHIP premiums and supplemental fees included as part of the student’s financial support packages.

This year, students are required to OPT IN to the early start SHIP coverage. To do so, students must complete this form and upload completed forms here no later than August 9^th.

Before You Arrive:

Visit the Graduate Division’s Admitted Students website for helpful information. Please continue to check your SLATE Student Portal for up to date communications and information from the Graduate Division for new students.

Billing/Triton Pay:

In order for the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office to comply with federal regulations, fee payments will disburse no sooner than 10 days prior to the start of each quarter.

To assist students with understanding their online bill payments, Financial Aid and Student Financial Solutions has created a “Pending Awards” box section on E-Bill that will reflect estimated awards and provide an “Adjusted Amount Due”. Students can view this information by selecting “Current Account Activity” or “Unpaid Transactions” in the E-Bill.

Once the September billing statement is issued, tuition/fees that were put in the Financial Support Request tool will be reflected in the “pending awards” box.

Student Financial Solutions has launched Triton pay where students can pay rent, charges etc. without having to pay the whole bill. (see link, scroll down to section re: Triton Pay) https://sfs.ucsd.edu/resources/index.html

Stipend:

Payments are issued monthly both thru UCPath Payroll and SAM a month in arrears. The 1^st paycheck for the pay period between 9/1/22 – 9/30/22 will be disbursed on 10/1/22 and around the 1^st of the month thereafter. Incoming bonuses will be paid on the first check.

Return to Learn:

For more information regarding COVID19 updates for Graduate Students and testing, tracing and living on campus please visit Return To Learn. You can also find more information and updates from Graduate Division Dean at Grad Life.

I hope this communication answers some of the questions you may have. Additional correspondence will be provided throughout spring and summer, as updates and details become available.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at mbazyar@ucsd.edu . Student & Instructional Services staff look forward to meeting you!