FAQ for New Students

Students are required to submit health history information, documentation of required immunizations, and complete a physical exam. Forms are due no later than 30 days prior to the start of the program (June 1). Download the Student Health Packet (pdf file) and note that completed forms must be mailed (not faxed or emailed).

Prior to the start of the program, a Human Resources (HR) staff member will send you new employment forms to complete and you will have a virtual onboarding meeting. Once your forms are cleared, you will start receiving your stipend every other week on Fridays.

All new and transfer international students must complete an online check-in process to activate their F-1 status at Weill Cornell. More information can be found here.
All new international students will be asked to fill out a tax questionnaire as part of their HR onboarding process. Based on the information provided, the HR Immigration team will advise each student’s tax withholding status and ask them to sign additional treaty exemption forms if applicable.

Students can begin using their research allowance once they are enrolled in WCM payroll. The research allowance policy is updated every year and the latest form is on the CBM Intranet here.

WCM health insurance is managed by Student Accounting and you can find more information on their website. Be sure to read the New Student Checklist.

Your CWID (pronounced “seaweed”) is your Weill Cornell Graduate School userID that you’ll use to log into WCM systems. Once you receive your personal credentials, activate your CWID here.

Your email account is your CWID, followed by @med.cornell.edu. For best results, we recommend accessing your email account via Outlook or through the Office 365 web interface anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Submit a new connection request at myHelpdesk, a self-service web portal that allows you to submit any issue or request online. Access requires a valid CWID and password.

Once your new employee forms are processed by HR, go to the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Security Office, located at 523 East 70th Street (“Annex” building). Let the Security Officer know you are a new student. Please bring a government photo ID with you to confirm your identity.

First complete a non-employee form (pdf) and submit to the MSK Office of Graduate Studies. Then complete a non-employee survey from MSK HR – the link will be sent to you once your non-employee status is processed.

Email Kristen Cullen at the Dean’s Office and copy Margie H. Mendoza, the Tri-I Program Administrator with the following information: Name, Program, Rotation Start Date/End Date, and RU Lab Name. Once approved, you will be instructed to go to the Nurses Residence, First Floor for ID photos.

After reviewing CBM’s course listing, students are encouraged to discuss coursework plans with their first-year advisor or lab rotation PI. For electives not listed on CBM’s website or coursework at Columbia/NYU, please complete a course approval form prior to registering.

Course listings are available on LEARN and all registration occurs in that environment. An active CWID is required to login. Registration instructions are broadcasted by email before each registration and add/drop period. Please see the Academic Calendar for the schedule.

Each semester, there is a limited number of Cornell Tech courses that are available to WCGS students. Instructions for applying for Cornell Tech courses are released via email each semester. Students may not audit courses at Cornell Tech and availability is limited.

Students may take select coursework from Cornell Ithaca provided they obtain CBM program and Cornell Ithaca instructor approval. Once approvals are met, CBM will request the Registrar’s Office to cross-list the course as a distance learning option. Students are asked to plan in advance since multiple approvals are required.

Students may apply to take courses at Rockefeller each semester by completing an application in LEARN.

Students need approval prior to taking graduate-level courses at neighboring institutions. In general students apply to be non-degree/visiting graduate students. For Columbia University, follow these instructions (pdf file). For New York University, review their non-degree admissions information.