Orientation Reservation

Your first NSE step is to submit your orientation reservation. Your orientation reservation is your official way of indicating to us that you'd like to move forward with new-student processes. The orientation reservation opens October 10, 2023 for students admitted for Spring 2024.

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1. Log in to MyRED, click the "Admissions" tab, "Undergraduate," and then "Orientation Reservation."
   • Your enrollment deposit (ED) must be paid before you can access NSE steps. You can pay the ED on the Admissions tab in MyRED. Please direct deposit-related questions to admissions@unl.edu.
2. On the first page of the reservation, confirm your major. If the major displayed is not your desired major, please submit the Change of Major form via the MyRED Admissions tab. If you request a change of major, do not proceed with the orientation reservation until your request is processed.
3. Your reservation will display a date for Online Orientation. That date is when the Online Orientation will open to you. You are not required to access the orientation on that date specifically, but you should complete it within two weeks of that date. You will receive an email from NSE on that date with access instructions.
   • You do not have to complete Online Orientation before continuing with the other NSE steps outlined on this page. After you submit your orientation reservation, you can begin working on pre-advising tasks.
   • You will not submit a reservation for the required in-person International Orientation that you will attend on January 19 (see the In-person International Orientation information on this page for more details).
4. Submit your orientation reservation. After submission, you can begin pre-advising tasks.

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Pre-advising Tasks

After you've submitted your orientation reservation, you can access pre-advising tasks. These must be completed before you're able to schedule your academic advising appointment. During your advising appointment, you'll enroll in first-semester classes with your advisor's help.

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Submit the Advising Inventory

The Advising Inventory is a series of questions about your academic experience, incoming credit, interests, goals and personal characteristics. Your advisor will review your inventory responses before your appointment. You can access the Advising Inventory in MyRED by clicking on the "Admissions" tab, then "Undergraduate" then "New Student Enrollment Advising Inventory." If the major displayed is not your desired major, please submit the Change of Major form via the MyRED Admissions tab.

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Take the Math Placement Exam (MPE)

The goal of the Math Placement Exam is to identify math courses in which you are likely to find success. To inform academic advising, students in certain majors must take the MPE, regardless of previous math experience. If you have incoming credit for college-level math coursework, your MPE results will not affect how that credit applies. You can take the exam online up to three times (once per 24 hours). We encourage you to utilize the practice exam. Students for whom the MPE is required will not be able to schedule an advising appointment if the MPE is not complete.

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Advising Appointment Sign-up

After you've completed pre-advising tasks, you can sign up for a virtual academic advising appointment (in-person advising appointments are available if you are currently located in Nebraska). You cannot access the appointment scheduling system unless the pre-advising tasks are complete. Advising appointments begin in November (specific date depends on your major/college) for Spring 2024 admits.

Your Online Orientation access date is unrelated to advising/enrollment. You do not have to complete orientation before being advised and enrolled. Similarly, you do not have to be advised/enrolled before doing the online orientation.

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Follow these steps to make your appointment.

1. Log in to MyRED, click the "Admissions" tab, "Undergraduate," and then "Academic Advising Appointment"
   • Note: If the MPE is required for your major, your MPE results must be received by the Math department and uploaded to your student file before you can schedule your appointment. This process may take 1-2 business days. If the reservation form displays an "ineligible" message, please be patient while your MPE results are processed.
2. On the first page of the reservation, confirm your major. If the major displayed is not your desired major, please submit the Change of Major form via the MyRED Admissions tab. If you request a change of major, do not proceed with the advising reservation until your request is processed.
3. Select virtual (Zoom) advising unless you are currently in Nebraska and would be able to attend an advising appointment in person before January. After indicating your appointment type, select a date and time.
   • All times are listed in Central U.S. time. You can use a world clock converter to see the times in your local time zone.
   • By submitting a reservation, you are committing to the appointment. Please mark your calendar accordingly. Your advisor will prepare for the appointment in advance and will be expecting you on the day and time you select.
4. Complete remaining fields on the reservation and submit.
   • Within one business day after submitting your reservation, you'll receive a confirmation email with details about preparing for your appointment. About 1-2 business days before your appointment, your college will email you to provide you with your advisor's name and a Zoom link (for virtual advising) or office directions (for in-person advising).

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Prepare for Advising

Once you've scheduled your advising appointment, keep the following information in mind:

• Your advisor is an expert in helping you navigate requirements for your degree program. Their job is to guide you through degree requirements, course selection, and the course enrollment process. Friends are not academic advisors – even if you have a friend who currently attends UNL, they are not a reliable source of advice regarding required courses or available courses.
• If you selected virtual advising, please be at home or at another private location, if possible, where you can focus on your appointment. Please use a computer, if possible, for the best screen-sharing experience.
• If you selected in-person advising, plan to arrive to campus 20–30 minutes before your appointment to ensure you have time to park, walk, and find your advising location.
• About 1-2 business days before your appointment, your college will contact you to give you the name of your advisor and appointment access instructions (for virtual advising) or office directions (for in-person advising). You do not need to contact your advisor before the appointment.

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Advising and Enrollment

Your advising appointment will last about 45–60 minutes. You will receive the Zoom link (for virtual advising) or office directions (for in-person advising) directly from your admit college (College of Business, College of Engineering, etc.) via email approximately 1-2 business days before your appointment.

During your appointment, you and your advisor will get to know each other, discuss degree requirements, review your incoming transfer credit (if applicable), identify course options, build your course schedule, and enroll in first-semester classes.

To build your schedule and enroll, your advisor will help you use the Enrollment Scheduler in MyRED. Each course is a piece of the puzzle, and the Scheduler will arrange those pieces into various schedule options from which you can choose. Depending on your major, incoming transfer credit, course availability, personal scheduling considerations, and other factors, you may have lots of schedule options to choose from, or you may just have 1-2. Regardless, your advisor will ensure that your schedule includes whichever courses you need in your first semester.

You will not enroll in courses beyond your first semester during your NSE advising appointment. However, you are expected to meet with your advisor at least once during each semester to discuss courses you'll need for the subsequent semester.

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Online Orientation

On the date you were given when you made your orientation reservation (November 1 is the earliest date), you will gain access to the Online Orientation in Canvas, which is the university's learning management system (think of it like an academic portal). You will receive an email on your access date with detailed instructions. The orientation content will support your transition and help you be successful at Nebraska. You do not have to complete Online Orientation before being advised and enrolled in courses.

Online Orientation is made up of three modules – or sections – that contain detailed information about topics like academic success, academic resources, University Housing, campus safety, transportation in Lincoln, banking, student bill payment, immigration requirements, and more. The orientation is "asynchronous," meaning it is not hosted live and is available on demand. You do not need to worry about time zone differences because you can complete the orientation at your convenience.

You'll navigate through the pages sequentially, and you'll submit an "I'm done" statement at the end to mark completion of the orientation. You have two weeks from your access date to complete all three modules (the whole orientation only takes about two hours to complete, so two weeks is plenty!). You do not have to complete the orientation on your assigned access date or all at one time; you can leave and re-enter the orientation as needed. After completion, the orientation will remain accessible to you throughout your first semester so that you can refer to it as needed.

To access Canvas, you'll first need to configure your password. Follow the steps in password configuration tutorial to get your Canvas set up. Then, on and after your access date, you'll be able to log in and find the NSE course in your Canvas dashboard. You'll also receive a direct link to the course via email once it's accessible to you.

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Arriving to Campus

New international undergraduates must arrive in Lincoln by no later than Thursday, January 18. Late arrivals are not permitted. Classes begin Monday, January 22, 2024.

There is not an international airport located in Nebraska. If you're arriving internationally by plane, you will connect through an international airport in the U.S. and go through passport control and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol inspection there before arriving in Nebraska.

We recommend that you fly into the Lincoln Municipal Airport (LNK) because it is closest to campus and most convenient. Members of the International Welcome Team will be at the Lincoln airport to greet students, answer questions, and provide a free shuttle from the airport on January 16, 17, & 18 so we recommend that you arrive on one of those days.

The Omaha (OMA) airport is located about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from campus. If you arrive to the Omaha airport, you can reserve a shuttle through OMALiNK, a licensed airport transport company. OMALiNK is not operated by the university. You should reserve your shuttle no less than 72 hours before your arrival. A shuttle from OMA to campus costs approximately $80-$85.

Submit your arrival info

All new international students must submit their arrival information to NSE, regardless of whether you're arriving to campus by car, plane, train, or bus. As soon as you've confirmed your arrival plans, send us your travel info.

Submit Your Arrival Information

University Housing

If you plan to live in University Housing, your move-in process will depend on your arrival date. If you arrive on January 16, 17 or 18, you will check-in at the Harper Dining Center, and members of the Welcome Team will help you check into University Housing and to reach your residence hall. If you move in outside of January 16–18, please follow the move-in instructions that you receive via email from University Housing.

Please note that there is an early move-in charge of approximately $40/night for students who move in on January 16 or before. There is no additional nightly charge for move-in on January 17 or after.

Welcome events

We host a series of events specifically for new international students so that you can experience campus and downtown Lincoln, meet other new students before orientation, and have fun. You can find the full International Welcome Week schedule here.

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In-Person Orientation

Because of the important opportunities that In-Person Orientation provides for students to experience campus, meet other new students, learn more about resources, and connect with student leaders, In-Person International Orientation is required in addition to Online Orientation.

We will host International Orientation on campus at the Nebraska Union (1400 R Street) on January 19. You will receive information about specific times and locations via email before orientation.

Members of the International Welcome Team, who are current UNL students who speak a variety of languages, lead most of the International Orientation. During orientation, you will be assigned to a small group with other new students. With your group, you will participate in a variety of interactive and informational sessions, and your group will be led by a member of the Welcome Team.

During orientation you will:

• Interact with new students from around the world through fun activities that help you get to know each other
• Participate in interactive small-group discussions about topics like academic success and support, culture, well-being, and more
• Learn about academic success, academic requirements, immigration requirements, health, and safety
• Visit various buildings around campus
• Practice conversing and listening in English (if you are not a native English speaker)
• Complete any remaining essential steps like opening a bank account, getting mobile phone service, setting up campus login accounts like MyRED or Canvas, picking up your NCard (student ID card), etc.

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