Guidelines for international students

Guidelines for
international
students
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W
Welcome to Centro Federal de Educação
Tecnológica de Minas Gerais - CEFET-MG!
We hope you are excited to begin your
studies/exchange program in Brazil as
an international student at CEFET. Being
organized and prepared before you leave
home will make your staying much easier.
Thus, these following instructions are
meant to guide students from PEC-G,
PEC-PG, exchange students and IAESTE
programs into their stay on a whole
range of matters relating to institutional
procedures as well as other services offered
in our campuses.
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USEFUL INFORMATION
BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
Two weeks before you arrive, the International Affairs Office, Secretaria de
Relações Internacionais (SRI in Portuguese) - Welcome Committee will send you
an e-mail with some documents attached. These documents give the student a
guideline about home stay useful items, Federal Police Registration instructions,
city maps and general institutional information.
ONCE YOU ARRIVE
1. Check list
Once you have arrived at Campus I, you are required to bring the following
documents to SRI, located in the Administrative Building - second floor:
• Original passport
• Two passport copies (one is for us and the other for your identity card)
• Two recent individual 3x4 passport photos, white background.
2. Complete forms
At this dependence, you will complete four different forms:
• Your Student Identity card form (carteira)
• The personal mail account opening requirement
• Personal information data form
• Confirmation of PLE (Português como Língua Estrangeira) course
3. Orientation manuals
Right after you have completed the forms mentioned above, you will be given
some survival documentation such as a city guide for international students,
the medical services manual and our restaurant instructions, in order to get you
informed about CEFET services policies and some relevant issues about your new
city.
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4. Academic Record/ Registro Escolar
(only for PEC-G students and regular exchange students)
Going to the Registro Escolar sector will be a necessary step, since it allows you
to be informed about how your current course and other academic procedures
work, that is to say, keeping track of your official university records of enrollment
and academic standing, in order to avoid potential academic contingencies.
Registro Escolar facilities are located in the main building at Campus II. One of our
SRI members will take you there at once after you have completed all the forms
needed in SRI. For future queries about the academic system of the institution,
please drop by RE (Registro Escolar) office from Monday to Friday, from 08:40 to
10:40 /14:40 to 16:40 / 18:40 to 20:40, contact Marina Conceição da Silva by email
marinac@des.cefetmg.br or make a phone call to (31) 3319-6731 / (31) 3319-6732
You can also find the online version of the Academic Student Regulation in
Diretoria de Graduação site: http://www.graduacao.cefetmg.br/, then access
<Regulamentos e Normas>.
Important: Subjects and communication with SRI
It is important an immediate communication with SRI in case you are presenting
any problems with your coordinator. Additionally, regarding the subjects you are
about to take or you are currently taking, any discrepancy in your schedule or any
superposition of subjects presented need to be informed at the earliest in order
to solve the situation.
We understand that potential academic problems in terms of your subject
schedule may arise, that’s why you need to be prepared in case your schedule
does not come out as you were expecting.
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Student Assessment and courses dispositions
(only for Regular exchange students)
1. Regular Academic Exchange students are supposed to fill in a learning
agreement form in which he/she will specify the subjects to enroll. The form
needs to be submitted to Secretaria de Relações Internacionais office by e-mail
(before classes start), so that the course coordinator may check available
subjects and if the prerequisites are necessary or whether the candidate have
them. Changes in any subject may be previously agreed between the student
and CEFET-MG. (See chart below).
2. Classes are taught in Portuguese. Many professors do not speak any foreign
language.
3. The student is supposed to attend at least 75% (seventy-five per cent) of the
total hourly load specified for each subject.
4. The student who obtains a final score (Nota final - NF) equals or higher than
sixty (60) points and a minimum frequency of 75% of the total course load for
the subject will be approved.
5. According to the subject, the evaluation of the school performance may be
theoretical, practical, or a combination of both.
6. The theoretical evaluation is aimed at determining the degree of student
learning from the theoretical content of the course, being expressed by a Nota
de Teoria (NT) and ranges from 0 (zero) to 100 (a hundred).
7. The practical assessment is aimed at determining the degree of student
learning from the practice of laboratory activities, being expressed by a Nota
de Laboratório (NL) and ranges from 0 (zero) to 100 (one hundred).
8. The teacher can use several types of homework as a tool for didactic-pedagogic
assessment according to the content of the course and its specificities. Teaching
classes and evaluate the performance of students is faculty´s responsibility.
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9. The school performance assessment should be distributed throughout the
semester and no such assessment covers more than 40% of the total points of
the discipline.
10. Final score x frequency x performance:
Final Score Range
Frequency
Concept
Final Score Performance
90 to 100
≥ 75%
A
FS
Excellent
80 < 90
≥ 75%
B
FS
Very good
70 < 80
≥ 75%
C
FS
Good
60 < 70
≥ 75%
D
FS
Sufficient
BUDDY PROGRAM (students in Belo Horizonte)
The Buddy Program is a SRI International program which matches domestic
students (peer support volunteers) with new incoming international students.
Buddy Program is open to everyone interested in obtaining orientation
throughout the stay in Belo Horizonte. The orientation is given by a CEFET current
student with proficiency in English and he/she will be pleasantly able to advice
you in everything related to transport, food, main reference places in the city and
other relevant tips to help you out having a more pleasant stay in BH.
Meetings between you and your “buddy” can be arranged whenever you both
find an appropriate time to meet up. In case you are considering to join this
program, let the SRI welcome committee member know about your interest.
Student identity card/access card: carteira
Your Student Card is your evidence of being a student or staff member at CEFET.
It is a temporary card and allows you to get access to our campuses, the Library,
restaurant and more. If your card is lost (or stolen) then you should report it
straight away and obtain a new card. Lost and stolen cards should be reported
to the Prefeitura located on the first floor in Campus I. Before a student or intern
goes back home, he/she must return the card to the SRI office or to the Prefeitura.
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Dining Service/Restaurante
The Student card will provide you access to a meal plan. Thanks to CEFET Feeding
Programme (Programa de Alimentação Escolar), each single meal has a cost of
R$1, 50 which you will pay by charging your Identity/Access card. Lunch and
dinner are offered from Monday to Friday, having a whole range of meals and one
vegetarian option as well for each day. You can check everyday meals by visiting
the Secretaria de Política Estudantil website: http://www.assistenciaestudantil.
cefetmg.br/
Schedule:
• Campus I: 10:45 to 13:30 for lunch/18:00 to 19:15 for dinner
• Campus II: 11:00 to 13:15 for lunch/18:00 to 19:15 for dinner
Important note: if your card is not activated yet (it takes it two days), you will
be able to access the Dining Hall by buying a voucher and paying the regular
price for it (R$5,00). You can find more information in the dining service
brochure given.
LIBRARY/BIBLIOTECA
Borrowing books from the CEFET Library
In order to borrow books from the Library, you need to complete an additional
registration form in the library of the main campus where you are enrolled. The
CEFET libraries are located in every single campus, being 11 libraries in total. The
collection consists of a variety of materials including: books, journals, technical
manuals , theses, dissertations, monographs, CD-ROMs, videotapes, brochures, etc.
Staff and students from CEFET may use the libraries as there is a free access to the
general public providing the following services: borrowing, renewal, reservation,
bibliographic exchange, among others. The access to the library database and
e-books will be through an online platform (Sistema de biblioteca do CEFETMG terminal Sophia Web.) in which you are asked to create a unique login and
password.
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How to get access to the Library Collection
Click on “Sistema de Biblioteca” in the left side of the CEFET home Page.
1. Once you have entered to Sophia System start up your search by selecting the
type of search (rápida ou combinada) and other options such as: author, title,
ISBN..etc
2. Select the library located in the campus in which you need to do your search
3. Click on BUSCA
CEFET-MG libraries system
1. Campus I – Belo Horizonte
• tel.: (31) 3319-7163 / 3319-7164 / 3319-7165,
• e-mail: bibliotecac1@adm.cefetmg.br
2. Campus II – Belo Horizonte
• tel.: (31) 3319-6717 / 3319-6716 / 3319-6718,
• e-mail: bibliotecac2@adm.cefetmg.br
3. Campus III – Leopoldina
• tel.: (32) 3449-2306
• e-mail: bibliotecac3@adm.cefetmg.br
4. Campus V - Divinópolis
• tel.: (37) 3229-1165
• e-mail: bibliotecac5@adm.cefetmg.br
• e-mail: biblioteca@div.cefetmg.br
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THE PERSONAL MAIL ACCOUNT-UNIFIED ACCOUNT /
CONTA UNIFICADA
The Access account, “conta unificada” was created to unify the access to informatics
institutional services. A unified account allows access to the Academic System,
Moodle Networking and Wi-Fi. Soon, access to other systems such as the Library
System and the authentication of computer labs will only be possible through the
unified account “conta unificada”.
You need to be enrolled in a course and have the following personal data (name,
date of birth, mother’s name and passport number). Contact the Academic
Record facilities (Registro Escolar) from your main campus if you need any help
in this process.
Click on the link: Conta unificada, fill <matricula> number to authenticate, enter
your personal data and your personal email. Then validate the received email and
register your new password. After the registration, you can change your password
through the same link above. For students who completed the Unified Account
registration, an institutional e-mail will be created. The e-mail has the following
format: matricula@aluno.cefetmg.br (Ex: 201219999999@aluno.cefetmg.br).
Important issue:
CPF (Registration of Individuals) /Cadastro de Pessoa Física
The CPF is the document for registration of individuals in Brazil. It is not obligatory
for foreigners, but it is necessary to make certain purchases and to open a bank
account in Brazil. All you need to do to obtain the CPF is to go to a Banco do
Brasil Agency or the Caixa Econômica Federal or to a post office (Correios) and
request it. You will need to take an ID document with you, such as an ID card or a
passport. You can find more information at: http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/
PessoaFisica/CPF/InscricaoResidentesBrasilExterior.htm.
Contact:
Departamento de Recursos em Informática
CEFET-MG - Campus I
Administrative Building, P floor
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PAYMENT / BOLSA AND OTHER BENEFITS
IAESTE
One month after the start date as an intern you will receive your first payment
(as long as SRI has received your frequency declaration from your coordinator).
The SRI office will let you know when your payment order is ready. Remember to
get your money up to 5 days after the payment order generates at any Banco do
Brasil agency, thus the SRI would not need to generate a new order which takes
longer to process.
There is a Banco do Brasil Agency near Campus I,
which is located on Av.Amazonas, 4.766.
DIVINÓPOLIS
Banco do Brasil S/A
Rua São Paulo, 151
Divinópolis - MG
35500-006
LEOPOLDINA
Banco do Brasil
Praça General Osório, 133
Centro - Leopoldina - MG
ALÉM PARAÍBA
Banco do Brasil
Além Paraíba - MG
(32) 3462-7877
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Banco do Brasil (Rua Goiás)
Rua Goiás, 1409
Divinópolis - MG
35500-001
CATAGUASES
Banco do Brasil
Rua Paulino Fernandes, 13
Cataguases - MG
36770-024
(32) 3422-2889
PEC-G
PEC-G students may have the possibility to get a monthly assistance (providing
the achievement of a satisfactory performance), received through a banking
deposit into a banking account. Students from PEC-G agreement have to look for
housing options by their own, since our institution does not take responsibility
about this issue. The student must explore a whole range of options offered in
Belo Horizonte such as <Repúblicas estudantis> (Fraternities/ sororities), rooms
to rent in an apartment or hotels..etc.
Important considerations:
• CEFET will not be a rental guarantor since financial liabilities of a tenant including
paying the rent in the event that they fail to do so, is not an obligation of our
institution.
• The frequency of attendance to PLE course is one of the requirements to receive
assistance (BOLSA).
Regular Academic Exchange Students/ Acadêmico Regular:
These students do not receive a monthly aid in cash, but a monthly housing
payment (homestays mainly) which cover 100% of the accommodation fee.
• Host Families:
Host families are carefully selected and visited prior to having a student from our
Institution. Furthermore, you have the option to change your housing in case any
problem arises. Let us know your concerns about this issue as soon as you feel you
need orientation.
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PORTUGUESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSE /
PORTUGUÊS COMO LÍNGUA ESTRANGEIRA (PLE)
The Portuguese as a Foreign Language Course (PLE in Portuguese) will be offered
for free to exchange students and foreign interns currently enrolled at CEFET in
Belo Horizonte. This course will provide students a cultural and dynamic insertion
to Brazilian experiences as well as better Portuguese language throughout a 30
hours intensive course. Students will be placed in a course divided into three
main modules: language, drafting production and Brazilian culture. At the end of
the course, the students who accomplish it successfully will receive a proficiency
certificate.
Do not hesitate to contact us and take advantage of this excellent language
learning offer!
Further Information:
Information about the courses and enrollment procedures:
Jerônimo Coura Sobrinho
Portuguese as a Foreign Language Course Coordi nator /PLG
jeronimocoura@gmail.com
Telephone: 33197074 (Secretaria de Relações Internacionais do CEFET-MG)
EXCHANGE EVALUATION / FICHA AVALIATIAVA DA SRI
It is truly meaningful for us to be informed about your appreciation and personal
assessment about your CEFET experience so we can know which issues are
needed to be improved. At the end of your exchange program, you are required
to complete a form with some simple questions about our program and send it
back by email.
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Texto elaborado por
Rosaura Serrano Rodríguez
Estagiária IAESTE/CEFET-MG
Design
Setor de Comunicação Visual
CEFET-MG
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