Welcome to GW Law! We hope you are excited and proud to be starting here this fall, and we also expect that many of you may have a touch (or more) of nervousness.
We are thinking about you as the summer hits full swing, eagerly anticipating your arrival, and planning for your Orientation and beyond. We want to convey some key items to you now, to make your transition to GW Law as smooth as possible. We will send you a few more emails before you arrive, but this is the longest one. Please read it through carefully and be in touch with any concerns or questions.
The Dean of Students Office is the initial point of contact for all student issues and can assist with a variety of matters, including academic advising, disability support services, class recordings, student wellness, and exam administration. The Dean of Students Office is also responsible for coordinating Orientation events by partnering with upper-class students and various offices throughout GW Law.
Orientation Schedule
If you are an incoming 1L full-time student, Orientation events will principally occur on Thursday and Friday, August 19 and 20. Check-in will begin at 8:00 am on Thursday. You can expect to be finished at approximately 6:00 pm on Thursday and at 5:00 pm on Friday. The Student Bar Association (SBA) will also sponsor evening activities for incoming students. As a professional school, GW Law generally recommends business casual dress for Orientation events. However, on Thursday, a T-shirt displaying your new "Inn of Court" will be provided which we encourage you to wear on Friday.
If you are an incoming 1L part-time student, Orientation events will principally occur on the evenings of Tuesday, August 17 and Thursday, August 19, from 5:30 pm to approximately 8:30 pm. Incoming part-time students are welcome and encouraged to attend any additional Orientation events that their schedules permit.
A detailed Orientation schedule will be posted to the Orientation website during the week of August 1. Below are reminders of some key tasks to complete this summer.
What Should I Do Between Now and Orientation?
Prepare to Join Us in Foggy Bottom
Per the University's announcement on June 14, 2021, "Transitioning to On-Campus Fall," the Law School is actively planning a return to in-person instruction following DC's safety guidelines. Most of the questions students have regarding coming to campus with or without a vaccine are covered here.
GW will require students, faculty, and staff who are in person this fall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Your vaccine documentation must be uploaded to the medical portal by August 1 so that your campus access is available by the start of the fall semester. If you miss this deadline, your access to campus will be affected. Instructions on how to upload your documentation are available on GW's Coronavirus Response site.
Ensure Admissions Application Is Complete
Undergraduate Transcript Requirement (Due: Immediately): If you have not already done so, you must have an official copy of your final undergraduate transcript sent directly to LSAC. Please ensure that your transcript shows the conferral of your undergraduate degree. Your final official undergraduate transcript must accompany your law school application before it is archived by the Admissions Office. A complete, final official transcript must be received to finalize your Admissions file. This is a requirement of the American Bar Association (ABA). If your final official transcript is not received, a registration hold will be placed on your account.
Resume reminder (Due: July 15): If you have not already done so, please complete and submit this Resume Submission Form. Incoming student resumes will be used to compile the entering class profile for faculty so they have a better sense of the 1L class.
Immunization Requirement (Due: August 1): All matriculating students who will be under the age 26 as of August 1, 2021 must submit their immunization records directly to Colonial Health Center. To access the medical portal, you must first claim your GW email address/NetID.
Character and Fitness Disclosures (Due August 22): Please ensure your application to GW Law provides disclosure of any legal violations, college disciplinary matters or similar issues, including any that may have occurred after the time you submitted your application but before enrollment. State boards of bar examiners will note any issue disclosed on your bar application that occurred before you enrolled in law school and specifically ask the Law School whether we were made aware of that issue when you enrolled. If an inconsistency exists between information obtained by the bar examiners and your law school admission application, that inconsistency could potentially impact your admission to the bar.
Please make any necessary disclosures to the Admissions Office on or before Sunday, August 22, using the InatGW
law [dot] gwu [dot] edu (InatGW[at]law[dot]gwu[dot]edu) email address. Please err on the side of disclosure. If you have questions regarding whether something needs to be disclosed, please contact the Dean of Students Office. It is in your best interest to review your law school application to GW and email any updates to Admissions now, before you formally "matriculate" as a law student.
Information on Disability Support Services
Registration for accommodation. The George Washington University and the Law School have a bifurcated system to address law student’s requests for accommodation. Any student requesting an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability must contact the University’s Disability Support Services office to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information on this process for law students, including forms for submission, please refer to the Law School Dean of Students website. Note: November 15, 2021, is the deadline for law students to register to receive exam accommodations in the fall semester.
Academic Transition
Academic Success Series. Early next week, you will receive an email from Andrew Realon, who leads our Academic Excellence Program, about pre-orientation workshops on various academic success topics to be held during July and early August. The sessions are completely voluntary and will be recorded so don't worry if you can't make them
Acquaint Yourself with DC. If you are new to the area or just switching up your daily commute to come to Foggy Bottom, take some time to get to know Washington, D.C. The District is a city full of history and culture, explore it! Take a tour of the Supreme Court, go to one of the Smithsonian museums (they’re free), or just go for a walk on the Mall.
Connecting With GW Law Students. Establishing friendships will support your academic experience. The Dean of Students Office encourages you to connect early with your fellow classmates. The Student Bar Association has created a Facebook page for incoming students where you can meet classmates and get information about upcoming events.
We truly look forward to meeting each of you during Orientation. In the meantime, we are here if you need us.
The Dean of Students Office
The George Washington University Law School
202-994-8320
deanofstudentslaw [dot] gwu [dot] edu (deanofstudents[at]law[dot]gwu[dot]edu)