• 8:00 - 8:10 a.m. Welcome, staff and mentor introductions
• 8:10 - 8:30 a.m. Review Prepare virtual and in-person schedule 
• 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. UNESCO community-building activity 
• 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. Conversation with your mentor group 

• 8:00 - 8:40 a.m. International Student Union student organization: Packing, weather, purchasing dorm essentials, phone plans, and banking suggestions 
• 8:40 - 9:10 a.m. Immigration regulations overview 
• 9:10 - 9:30 a.m. Cornell Police: Campus safety and security
• 9:30 - 9:50 a.m. Cornell Health: Health and wellness
• 9:50 - 10:00 a.m. Conversation with your mentor group 

Breakfast and lunch at location of your choice (Cornell Dining locations and hours). 

• 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Participant move-in (at your own pace during this time). Prepare check-in 2nd floor of Robert Purcell Community Center.
• 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Hans Bethe Dining Room
• 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Mentor-led team building activity at Flora Rose Dining Room

• 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast at Hans Bethe Dining Room
• 8:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Bus trip to Ithaca Mall to purchase dorm essentials 
• 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch and conversation with your mentor group at Hans Bethe Dining Room
• 1:00 - 1:40 p.m. Career Services: Career resources in the Klarman G70 Auditorium
• 1:40 - 2:00 p.m. Discussion of Cornell’s academic values in the Klarman G70 Auditorium
• 2:00 - 2:20 p.m. Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies: Global academic opportunities in the Klarman G70 Auditorium
• 2:20 - 3:20 p.m. Dean of Students: Adjusting to the U.S.A and to Cornell in the Klarman G70 Auditorium
• 3:20 - 4:00 p.m. Student-led panel on cultural adjustment in the Klarman G70 Auditorium
• 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Down time 
• 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Dinner at Hans Bethe Dining Room
• 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Casino Night (no real money used) at Flora Rose Dining Room

• 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast at Hans Bethe Dining Room
• 9:00 - noon Campus scavenger hunt 
• Noon - 1:00 p.m. Lunch and conversation with your mentor group at Hans Bethe Dining Room
• 1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Closing celebration and parade of nations at Flora Rose Dining Room

Prepare is a preorientation program for incoming international undergraduate students. Prepare gives you a chance to meet other international students and get your bearings before you begin campus orientation activities and academic tasks.

Prepare 2023 is a hybrid event, with two half-day virtual synchronous sessions and the remainder of the events held on campus and in the Ithaca community. If you'd like to get a preview of Prepare or if you're unable to attend, check out these videos from Prepare in past years:

• Welcome from Wendy Wolford, Vice Provost for International Affairs (video)

• Immigration Regulations (video)

• Academic Integrity (video)
• Student Panel on Cultural Adjustment (video)
• Cornell Health and Safety (video)
• Dean of Students Mental Health and Wellness (video)
• Career Services (video)
• Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies (video) and Einaudi PowerPoint slides 
• International Student Union PowerPoint slides 

Prepare is for undergraduates only. If you are an international graduate or professional student, you can attend International Graduate and Professional Student Orientation. In addition, be sure to check with the Graduate School and your field of study to see what other programs you can attend.

Yes! Prepare is open to all new international first-year and transfer students.

American students who have been living abroad and would like extra time to adjust to life in the United States are welcome to attend Prepare.

If you will live in campus housing, you will move in early to the room where you will stay for the rest of fall semester.