We hope this message finds you well. We are writing with some additional information to ensure your transition to the law school is as smooth as possible. As a reminder, the Dean of Students Office is hosting a series of web conversations that can be found on the Orientation 2020 website in addition to our previous e-mail messages. This week, you can attend Academic Excellence: Preparing for Class tomorrow at noon and a Conversation with the Dean of Students Friday at noon.
NetID and University E-mail Account– All students are required to have a university NetID and @gwu.edu e-mail account. Beginning tomorrow, you can claim your NetID here by using your GWID, last name and date of birth. Among other things, your NetID grants you access to the health portal (immunization requirements due August 1) and most campus-wide resources such as computer workstations in Gelman Library (main campus library), Jacob Burns Law Library, and Colonial Printing. Once you have claimed your NetID, please wait at least 24 hours before trying to access the health portal. In order to access the health portal, use your university email address (@gwu.edu) and the password you just created.
Please note that your law school e-mail account will only be created once you have claimed your NetID. You will receive instructions on how to access your @law.gwu.edu account in the coming weeks.
GWorld Card – Your GWorld card is your official university identification and allows you to access facilities on campus. By now you should have received a message from the GWorld Office with instructions on how to upload a photo for your card. Please upload this photo no later than July 31 to ensure you receive it at orientation.
Student Health – The GW Colonial Health Center serves as the hub of health services. All currently enrolled students have access to certain medical, mental health and health promotion services, including virtual and in-person appointments. In addition, students may choose to enroll in the student health insurance plan (SHIP) provided through Aetna. While health insurance is required for all international students, it is optional for other law students. We strongly suggest students enroll in the SHIP plan or another comparable plan to ensure you have adequate healthcare should you need it as a student.
Tuition Refund Plan – Although we hope each student will sail through the semester without incident, we know from experience that is not always the case. As a result, the law school partnered with A.W.G. Dewar Inc. to offer a tuition refund plan. Costing as low as $256.50 per semester based on coverage options, the plan protects your educational investment by reimbursing up to 75% of the covered educational costs in the event of a medical or mental health withdrawal. The plan significantly extends and enhances GW's published refund policy as stated in the University Bulletin. Information about the plan and coverage can be found here.
Covid-19 Related Information – To help centralize communications and resources related to Covid-19, the law school launched a page devoted to communication and resources related to its response to Covid-19. It includes a regularly update FAQ section as well as information on the university’s plan to reopen.
GW Law Academic Rules and Policies – All law school rules and policies, including degree requirements, courses of instruction, and other university regulations are located in the GW Law School Bulletin. We update this document each summer, but you should familiarize yourself with this 2019-2020 edition as you will refer to it often during your time at GW Law.
Law School Affinity Groups – The law school has over 70 student-led organizations who serve as the backbone of the law school community. Chief among them are the many student affinity groups which include:
- Asian/Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA)
- Atypical Student Society
- Black Law Student Association (BLSA)
- Christian Legal Society
- J. Reuben Clark Law Society
- Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA)
- Lambda Law
- Latino Law Student Society
- Law Association for Women (LAW)
- Middle Eastern and North African Law Society (MENA)
- Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA).
Each of these groups would like to welcome you personally. If you are interested in outreach, please complete the form here.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
The Dean of Students Office
George Washington Law
202-994-8320
deanofstudents
law [dot] gwu [dot] edu (deanofstudents[at]law[dot]gwu[dot]edu)