New Students
What is the most convenient way from India to Clarkson?
As you may know, Clarkson is situated in Potsdam, a very small town in northern New York state. It is about eight and a half hours' bus from New York city. But usually people take a plane (from wherever they landed in the US) to the city of Syracuse, which is 140 miles away. This is the nearest convenient airport from Potsdam. From there, you can take a Trailways bus to get to Potsdam. There are two buses daily from Syracuse to Potsdam - one at 0700 hrs and the other at 1700 hrs (Click here ). The bus stop is just outside of the airport building. It takes about four hours to get to Potsdam from Syracuse. The ticket usually costs around $30. You can get on board the bus without a ticket and the driver will allow you to buy it on the way.
Can you pick me up at Syracuse airport?
When any new students come here, our FIA committee will be sure to help you settle down. When you arrive at Market Square (last stop of bus in Potsdam), there will be somebody to meet you there, if you let us know your arrival time ahead. But because of the limited hands, and our tight schedule, and also the distance between Potsdam and Syracuse airport (140miles), we are sorry that we cannot pick you up at the Syracuse airport.
What is necessary to be brought from India?
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Will the unfilled health form have any influence on my joining Clarkson? Besides, whom should I ask to fill it?
Don't worry about this. That is not a problem in Clarkson. The deadline is not rigid. But please ask some physicians to fill it out for you before you come here. And be sure to take it with you. Otherwise there will be some extra injections which will cost you some money.
What amount of money should I bring with me at least?
It is difficult to say. Do you have the full assistantship from Clarkson? If yes, don't bring too much money, about $1,500 should see you through the settling down period comfortably. Here in Potsdam, living cost is relatively cheap.
Is it easy to get financial aid after reaching there?
Unfortunately, NO! Clarkson offers a partial tuition waiver of around 30-40% to most new students, and also specifies in the admission letter that no further assistantship will be provided. Sadly, they are only being honest here. Though the Chemical Engg. Deptt. is relatively well funded by the National Science Foundation (incidentally the Center for Advanced Materials Processing - CAMP is a very reputed department), all other departments are effectively cash strapped. Many (not all) of the Chemical Engg. students are here on full scholarship plus stipend. This is unheard of in the other departments.
Teaching Assistantship positions are very limited and get filled up in no time. Likewise, Research Assitant openings are even more scarce. This is only so because our University is very small. Potsdam is a tiny village with no industries or companies based here. Therefore, the chances of external employment options while studying are nil, and people have to depend on the 3-4 cafeterias on campus for employment. Again, because the university is small, the openings for these jobs is also very limited and they get filled fast on a first come first served basis.
How do you get textbooks at Clarkson? Are there used books available?
Usually there are used books available in the Clarkson bookstore. But you can't find all the books there. Used books may be sold for as little as half the price, but these are limited and you are lucky if you can get them before others. In general, though, books are VERY expensive here, so please try and get as many of the books required from back in India.
I am pursuing my undergraduation in XYZ field in India. My GRE score is #### and percentage in college is %%. Do I stand a chance of admission in Clarkson? Should I apply? Will I manage to get aid?
For such a question, it is actually better to get in touch with a student from the concerned department. If you contact FIA, we will route your query appropriately for you, or if you want to save some time, you can even see the student members address list on our site and address your query to anyone from the department you are interested in.
Please keep in mind however, that not everyone will have the time at all times to respond in detail. So if you do not get a response from that route, please do get in touch with FIA and we will find someone who WILL reply.
What's your feeling about studying at Clarkson?
About Clarkson and Potsdam, it is not too bad, though at times the quietness can really get to you, if you are used to life in a big city. It is safe to live here and there is nearly no crime. You may know already, but Clarkson, though very small, is indeed in the National Tier 1 universities.
One downside is transportation. The nearest airport is Syracuse. Or, maybe we should say, the nearest airport is Ottawa. We can apply for a Canadian Visa as it is very easy to get. Ottawa is only 90 and Montreal is 120 miles away. Some veteran students find it easier to get back to India through that route.
Don't worry too much about life here. Depending on your course and work load, and if you are lucky, maybe you will not notice the time flying by.
What is Potsdam like?
It is a very tiny village. The total population is about 10,000. Though the place is very quiet and remote, in a way, it can be seen as conducive to studies, because there are no distractions. Of course, on the other hand, there are very few options for 'having fun' too. We don't have any malls here, like in the bigger cities, and there is only one cinema hall, which rules out Indian movies. If you don't have transportation (most of us don't), it can be somewhat inconvenient to go for bulk grocery shopping, especially in winter. However, everyone has managed so far and so will you.
For people who are familiar with names like JC Penney, Best Buy, etc, we do not have any of these in Potsdam, though we do have a small RadioShack outlet. Also, for groceries and basic ammenities we have Wal-Mart, Price Chopper, Save-a-lot etc., and good news for 'junk food' lovers - we do have Pizza Hut, Burger King, Hot Tamale (Mexican Cuisine) and McDonalds outlets etc.More info about Potsdam can be sought here
What is the housing situation like?
Almost all the Indians live off campus. Usually the rent is $300 to $500, depending on which kind of room you want. There are different kind of rooms, such as studio, one bedroom apartment, two bedroom apartment. FIA can help you look for and book apartments well in time, sometimes even before you arrive.
Can you find Indian food/stuff in Potsdam?
Yes. There is a village food co-operative which stocks items like rice, dal, rajma and some spices. However, prices of some items could be high so you could try and get some essential spices enough to last you a couple of months, with you.
What's the climate at Potsdam the whole year around?
Normally the coldest weather in winter in Potsdam is minus 20 Fahrenheit. But that temperature won't last too long. For most of the winter, it will be around zero degrees Fahrenheit. Winter is the longest in all the four seasons in a year, typically from December to April. Don't be scared of that. We are indoors most of the time and the temperature inside will always be kept about 60-70 degree Fahrenheit. Summer here is short but beautiful.
Does one need to take the medical insurance offered by Clarkson?
Short answer: No. If you can arrange for any other medical insurance, feel free to do so, as the only criterion is that you have to have insurance (which of course is absolutely essential in this country). The one offered by clarkson is only convenient for those who have not made other arrangements and gets done on campus, but its coverage is not as good as some other companies. You can come here and then explore the various options available.