Welcome to GW Law!
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, in order to make your transition in GW Law as smooth as possible.
Over the course of the summer, you will continue to receive specific information about Orientation, registration, academic advising, and the GW Law Transfer Journal Competition. Please read this and all subsequent emails thoroughly and be in touch with any concerns or questions.
The Dean of Students Office is the initial point of contact for all student issues. We can assist with a variety of matters including academic advising, academic accommodations, class recordings, student wellness, and exam administration. The Dean of Students Office is responsible for coordinating Orientation events by partnering with the Student Bar Association and various offices throughout the law school.
Transfer and Visitor Orientation will be the evening of Tuesday, August 17 with individual academic advising and an information session on the Transfer Journal Competition on Wednesday, August 18. Orientation for first-year students will principally occur on Thursday and Friday, August 19 and 20. As our law school program is a residential one, orientation participation is mandatory for all incoming students. The Student Bar Association will also sponsor evening activities for all incoming students. Incoming transfer students are welcome and encouraged to attend any additional 1L Orientation events that their schedules permit. A detailed Orientation schedule will be posted to the Orientation website no later than the week of August 1. As a professional school, GW Law generally recommends business casual dress for Orientation events.
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: https://coronavirus.gwu.edu/
As we continue our progress toward the fall, I also want to remind you that all students, faculty, and staff are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine unless approved for an exemption. I urge you to upload your documentation in the medical portal as soon as possible and no later than August 1 once you have received the full series of a COVID-19 vaccine. Instructions for this process are available online.
Ensure Admissions Application Is Complete
Final Transcripts. Once all of the grades from coursework completed at your prior institution have been posted to your transcript, send your official, final transcript to the GW Law School Admissions Office. Doing so completes your admission file. In July, our office will complete a review of your transcript. Prior to your arrival for Orientation and academic advising, the Dean of Students Office will notify you which credits will transfer to your GW Law transcript and whether you will be required to register for any courses in order to complete the GW Law first-year curriculum.
Disclosure
You are required to have a complete and accurate law school application that provides disclosure of any legal violations, college or law school disciplinary matters or similar issues, including any that may have occurred after the time you submitted your GW Law application but before enrollment. State boards of bar examiners will note any issue disclosed on your bar application that occurred before you enrolled in your prior law school and before you enrolled in GW Law, and specifically ask both your prior law school and GW Law whether the school was made aware of that issue when you enrolled. If an inconsistency exists between information obtained by the bar examiners on either 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 15 using the InAtGW
law [dot] gwu [dot] edu (InAtGW[at]law[dot]gwu[dot]edu) e-mail address. Please err on the side of disclosure. If you have questions about 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 e-mail any updates to Admissions now before you formally matriculate as a GW Law student. If you do not provide required disclosures on or before August 15, supplemental disclosures may be made during the Fall 2021 semester, before October 31. Submissions provided after Sunday, August 15 will require a formal submission and supporting documentation from you. We will address important matters including correcting non-disclosure and other issues related to academic integrity during Orientation.
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
Examine Current Study Habits
One question incoming transfer students often have is what can they do to ease their transition into GW Law before arriving. While it is not uncommon for transfer students to experience an adjustment period during their first semester, we are committed to your successful transition. We understand that you have completed a year of law school and that you may be satisfied with the results of your first year of studies. However, if you want to use this time as an opportunity to fine-tune your study habits, there’s no better time than during the summer to examine how you learn based on prior performance. What should you be thinking about? Although it might sound odd, we encourage you to start thinking and reading about thinking and reading. Have you found the study strategies that work best for you? Still looking? How can you set yourself up for continued success? What time management and focus techniques will you use? You will be a much more effective law student if you make affirmative plans to tackle these questions from your new beginning, and not simply fall back on old habits.
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 Transfer Student Facebook page where you can meet fellow transfer students and get information about upcoming events. We will convey that information once it is available.
We truly look forward to meeting each of you during Orientation.
In the meantime, we are here if you need us. Please do not hesitate to contact our office by email or phone at 202-994-8320.
Best regards,
Dean Elizabeth L. Ewert
Associate Dean of Students