Welcome to the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University!

Orientation provides you with the opportunity to connect with faculty and professional staff, meet students in your cohort, and learn about the programs and services available to you as a Dornsife student. Attendance is mandatory.

Please save the date for New Student Orientation: Monday, September 14 – Friday, September 21, 2020. The full schedule for each program will be announced in the late summer of 2020.

Continue reading below for more information regarding important steps for transitioning into student life.

Communication

Important information regarding Orientation will be shared to your Drexel email account and posted on the BlackBoard Learn. Be sure to check your Drexel email account on a regular basis, as students are required to use Drexel email to conduct official University business.

Drexel email is serviced through Office 365 and is available to all Drexel students, faculty, and professional staff. Access your new Drexel email account and install the Office 365 apps.

Note: Installing Office 365 apps will replace any current Office installations you have on your computer or device.

Orientation Checklist

Transition into student life by completing these important steps:

• Set up your Drexel student accounts and email.
  Note: Drexel requires the use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to set up email. Additionally, students are permitted to set up email forwarding.
• Activate your BlackBoard Learn account and complete the online training.
• Review Drexel’s continued response to COVID-19 to learn more about the latest developments regarding our return to campus.
• Download the Drexel Health tracker to your personal device before returning to campus.
• Submit a photo online in advance for your DragonCard student ID. Please note that pick up will be by appointment only and must occur in person for face to face or hybrid students. Online students may receive their DragonCard via mail as described in the instructions linked above.
• Review your billing information, financial aid award, and enrollment status with Drexel Central.
• Review your Health Insurance & Immunizations requirements. Doctoral students with full-time assistantships/fellowships (teaching, research, etc.) should also review the Health Insurance Subsidy page and consult with your department advisor.
• Notify Disability Resources if you have any physical or learning disabilities. Drexel University is committed to providing equal access to its programs and services to qualified students.
• Review the New First-Year Student Checklist, the Graduate College’s Checklist of New Student Resources, or the Graduate Admissions Student Checklist.
• If you’re a graduate student, complete the Summer Reading assignment (To be announced soon!)
• Join your programs’s Facebook Group and follow all DSPH social media accounts:
  • Instagram: @drexelpubhealth
  • Twitter: @drexelpubhealth
  • Undergraduate students
  • Master’s students
  • Doctoral students
  • Certificate students
• Download the DrexelOne mobile app to see an overview of Welcome Week events and announcements.

Computer Buying Guide

It is recommended that students purchase a computer for personal use as recommended by IT’s computer buying guide. Please note that the Dornsife School of Public Health requires Microsoft Windows for applications that are not available for Apple computers. If you purchase a Mac, you must partition your hard drive with Bootcamp, Parallels, or VMWare and then install Windows before arriving on campus. Check with your department for specific requirements before you purchase.

Additionally, Drexel IT does not recommend the usage of Chromebooks for coursework at Drexel. Chromebooks are not compatible with some services at Drexel and some necessary applications for coursework.

Apple products and Dell products can be purchased from from the “Campus Community” tab on Drexel One.

Math Self-Assessment

A number of courses in the MPH program cover quantitative subject matter and require a basic level of math competency. Sufficient math skills will be very important to your success and can be very helpful to broadening your career opportunities after you graduate. For some students, it will be helpful to review basic high school level mathematics prior to beginning classes.

If you are interested, you may complete a quantitative self-assessment posted on BlackBoard Learn. After you have completed the self-assessment, you can check your answers using the answer key. If you did not answer all of the questions correctly, review these concepts and work to improve your math skills before classes start in September. Additionally, you are encouraged to utilize the following free resources to prior to orientation:

1. Educational Testing Service (ETS)
   Recommended modules: Arithmetic (section 1), Algebra (section 2), Data analysis (section 4)
2. Khan Academy
   Recommended modules: pre-algebra and algebra