Grad Guide

• A Checklist
• Prospective students
• Arriving
• About the Department
• About Ithaca
• Fellowships and Funding
• International Students

Welcome to Graduate School with Cornell Astronomy!

So you're coming to Ithaca and joining Cornell Astronomy (or maybe just considering doing that) and you're worried about courses, housing, exams, money, paperwork, research, bank accounts, drinking buddies, computer access ...

Whew! Well, first of all: DON'T PANIC ! This is the Grad Student's Guide to Cornell Astronomy, where the collected wisdom of generations of grad students is available for your reading pleasure. Briefly:

• A Checklist: What should you be doing, and when?
• For prospective students: What you should do/ask when you visit the department.
• The first time you come to the building: keys, email, meeting people, and getting involved.

• About the Department: coursework, exams, research, choosing an advisor.
• About Ithaca: Quick tips for a move to Ithaca, and things to look forward to.
• Fellowships and Funding: Some tips for finding sources of funding.
• Special Notes for International Students: Extra paperwork, things to watch out for.

If you have questions beyond what is covered here, feel free to contact the maintainers of this page, or any of the other graduate students: if you'd like to know something, chances are, others will too, and we should add it to this page. And of course, a general disclaimer - this is advice based on the personal experience of graduate students, but use it with caution: your mileage may vary.

That's it - remember, don't panic, and we look forward to seeing you at Cornell!