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Orientation

 

Incoming 1L Student Check-List

Previous Communications

Email 1 (7/15/2024)

Email 2 (7/18/2024)

Email 3 (7/24/2024)

Email 4 (8/01/2024)

Email 5 (8/07/24)

Email 6 (8/13/24)

Email 7 - Part Time (8/12/24)

Email 7 - Full Time (8/14/24)

Your GW Identity and Account Activation (Due: ASAP)

Your GW identity is a collection of elements that uniquely identifies you as a member of the GW community. If you have not done so already, please activate/claim your GW identity as soon as possible. Please refer to the GW Account Activation for New Users for step by step guidance on how to claim your account. As part of the Identity claiming process, you will receive both GW and GW Law email accounts. These accounts use the same username and password. After activation, login to your GW Law email account.

Course Schedule and Book Lists

Your fall course schedule is now available! You can view your course schedule on GWeb by logging in with your UserID and password. Navigate to the Student Records and Registration page and click Registration Menu to view your registration information. In addition, your book lists are now available. You can find your book lists by searching the bookstore website. In addition, a list will be posted to the Records Office website in August. If you cannot see the books for your course(s), that is likely because faculty have until the end of July to submit the books for their course. Please note that, while unlikely, your registration is subject to change up until Orientation and should be considered when deciding when to purchase any books. Please note that you will not have access to the MyLaw Portal and your course pages yet.

Inns of Court

As 1Ls, you are assigned to one of seven Inns of Court, named after former Supreme Court Justices, and will take all 1L classes with your Inn. You can determine your Inn by looking at sections of Torts or Contracts to which you were assigned. Section Number By Inn is as follows: O’Connor Inn = 11, Marshall Inn = 12, Jackson Inn = 13, Cardozo Inn = 14, Brandeis Inn = 15*, Ginsburg Inn = 16, and Jay Inn = 21.

*Please note that Brandeis Inn students will have some Section 21 courses.

Sign up for Information from the Law School Affinity Groups (Due: ASAP)

The law school has over 80 student-led organizations that serve as the backbone of the law school community. Chief among them are the many student affinity groups which include:

  • Armenian Law Student Association (ALSA)
  • Asian/Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA)
  • Black Law Student Association (BLSA)
  • Christian Legal Society (CLS)
  • Disability Law Society  
  • First-Gen Professionals
  • J. Reuben Clark Law Society - international law society composed of LDS attorneys, law students, and others
  • Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA)
  • Lambda Law - an organization of students interested in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) legal issues, employment concerns
  • Latin American Law Student Association
  • Law Association for Women (LAW)
  • Middle Eastern and North African Law Student Association (MENALSA)
  • Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA)
  • Native American Law Student Association (NALSA)
  • Parents in Law
  • South Asian Law Student Association (SALSA)
  • The Womxn of Color Collective (WoCC)
  • Veteran Law Student Association (VLSA)

Each of these groups would like to welcome you personally. If you are interested in outreach, please complete this Affinity Group Interest Form.

Undergraduate Transcript Requirement: (Due: July 1)

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 in order 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. 

Immunization Requirement (Due: July 15)

All matriculating students who will be under the age 26 as of July 1, 2024 must submit their immunization records directly to Student Health Services. Once you receive access to your GW email address, you will be able to access the portal (please see above on activating your GW Identity). Please note that although the Student Health Center website shows the deadline as June 15, as an incoming law student, your deadline has been extended to July 15.

Resume Submission (Due: July 15)

Please complete and submit the Incoming Student Resume Form. Responses will be used to compile the entire class profile for faculty so they have a better sense of the 1L class.

Gateway to GW: Housing Ask Me Anything Virtual Session (EVENT: July 15)

Join the Housing Ask Me Anything Session on July 15 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm ET to get advice on apartment hunting in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area, and get all of your housing-related questions answered.

Gateway to GW: Get to Know Your Student Bar Association and how the SBA works with 1Ls (EVENT: July 22)

Your SBA representatives are eager to meet and welcome you to the GW Law community!  This session, taking place on July 22 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm ET will give you an overview of the many ways the SBA works to advocate for and support our students. We will also chat about 1L life in general.

Last Day to Withdraw from GW Law without Financial Penalty (Due: July 25)

We hope you all still plan to join us in August but if your plans change, please note the last day to withdraw from GW Law without financial penalty is Thursday, July 25, 2024, per the University's tuition fee policy which can be found via the George Washington University Law School Bulletin.

Apply for GW Law Footnote Program (Due: July 29)

Does the phrase “hiding the ball” sound like something a person does with their dog? Does a tort sound like a dessert? If so, keep reading. The Dean of Students Office, in partnership with the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is offering the Footnote program, two additional days of orientation programming on Monday and Tuesday, August 12th & 13th. We created a schedule designed to provide participants with a preview of the law school classroom, insight into legal careers, and strategies for maintaining balance. If you are the first lawyer in your family, or you think that you could really benefit from a little insight into what to expect in your 1L year, please fill out our Footnote application.

Gateway to GW: 1L Careers Jumpstart (EVENT: July 30)

Attend the 1L Careers Jumpstart virtual session to get your questions answered by members of the Career Development Office team and learn strategy tips so you can start law school feeling empowered and prepared to pursue your career goals. You will learn from our Associate Dean and Career Counselors about: typical 1L summer jobs and how to get them; career development office resources including our formal recruiting programs; about CORE, our online platform for job applications, event registrations, and career development resources exclusive to the GW Law Community.

The 5 components of a legal job application, with a focus on the legal resume. Register to attend this virtual event.

Register for your GWorld Card (Due: August 2)

The GWorld Card is the official ID card at GW and is required to access academic buildings, campus libraries, the health and wellness center, and other services. Want to avoid waiting in long lines of new students needing GWorld cards? Upload your photo today (no later than August 2, 2024); the GWorld team will have your card pre-printed and ready for pickup at the GWorld Office.

Update Your Chosen Name, Gender Identity, and Pronouns (Due: August 2)

If you indicated a preferred name in your application to GW Law, that name will be entered into the various digital records across campus. If you need to update this information or want to change it, you can find more information on the process on the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement website.

Mentorship Program (Due: August 4)

Sign up as a mentee for the SBA's Mentorship Program! You'll be paired with a 2L or 3L who can help answer questions, be a friend, and generally guide you through your first year of law school. The form takes less than 5 minutes to fill out. The SBA will be making matches during the first week of August and you'll meet your mentor at the end of Orientation Week at the Mentor-Mentee Meet & Greet event. 

Provide Any Dietary Restrictions (Due: August 8)

Meals will be provided at various times during orientation. If you have any dietary restrictions, please complete our Dietary Restriction form by Thursday, August 8th to ensure your dietary restrictions can be accommodated. 

Complete Orientation Reading (Due: August 10)

This year we are asking incoming students to read Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, by Jennifer L. Eberhardt before the start of orientation. In addition to discussing the book during orientation, you will also use the text for your Fundamentals of Lawyering class.

Financial Aid’s Cost-of-Attendance '202' Presentation (August 14)

The final session for the GW Law Student Living: Cost-of-Attendance '202' presentation will be in-person on August 14th at 1:30pm in the Faculty Conference Center (FCC). If you are using financial aid, including federal student loans, for living expenses, and were not able to attend one of the eight virtual sessions, please plan to attend the final session if you will be in the DMV area. In this session, the GW Law Financial Aid Staff will present on living within the cost-of-attendance (COA) while attending law school. In this session, the COA components will be discussed in detail as well as helpful budgeting tools.

Purchase the Tuition Insurance (Due: August 18)

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 university partnered with GradGuard so students can purchase insurance to protect their educational investment by reimbursing up to 100% of tuition, room, and board in the event of a medical or mental health withdrawal, based on your level of coverage. Please note that your financial aid award may affect refunded amounts. Tuition insurance is available for purchase via Student eBill prior to the start of each fall and spring semester. Tuition insurance may also be purchased from GradGuard directly via their website or by calling 877-794-6603. Tuition Insurance must be purchased prior to the start of each semester to cover tuition and other covered expenses for that term. For more information, please see the GradGuard website.

Character and Fitness Disclosures (Due: August 18)

Please ensure your application to GW Law provides disclosure of any legal volitions, college disciplinary matters, or similar issues, including any that may have occurred after you submitted your application. State boards of bar examiners will note any issue disclosed in your bar application that occurred before you enrolled in law school and specifically ask the Law School whether GW Law was 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 impact your admission to the bar.

Please send any necessary disclosures to the Admissions Office on or before Sunday, August 20 – using [email protected]. 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.

Mandatory GW SHIP Enrollment (Waiver Due: September 12)

New this year, all law students will be automatically enrolled in GW Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for 2024-2025. If you have other acceptable coverage you must waive by September 12, 2024 at University Health Plans. Please note the waiver form will be available in mid-July.  

Interactive Budget Tool

If you are feeling confused about how you will spend money during law school or the idea of  loans is stressing you out, you can also use the Interactive Budget Tool created by the SBA to map out your finances during law school. To use, download a copy of the budget and edit the copy with your personal information.

Registration for Accommodations (Complete as soon as possible, but no later than November 15 for Final Exams)

Students 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, please refer to the Disability Support Services webpage on the GW Law website.

Student Bar Association (SBA) First Year Team

Each year the SBA has a team of upperclass students – the First Year SBA Team – working all summer to help welcome you to the law school. They are working to ensure you are connected by maintaining the 1L Facebook group and GroupMe to stay up-to-date with announcements & events while getting to know your future classmates. In addition, they are excited to bring you a week of community building events during orientation week! Please RSVP for the events you expect to attend:

Laptop Computer Requirements

All students are expected to have a laptop computer that meets the specifications for Exam4, the exam software used to administer exams. For questions about this, please contact [email protected].

Housing Resources

We wanted to share some last minute housing resources in case you are still apartment hunting, or have yet to sign a lease.

  • Check out the GW Law Housing Guide, a custom made resource from our trusted housing partner VeryApt, which contains valuable resources that can help guide your housing search.
  • Login to our new Roommate Portal, where prospective and current students have been connecting with each other.
  • UniversityHaus is a local property management company that has shared current availability at their Dupont property. You can complete their interest form, and additional information below:
    • Expedited Approval for International Students: UniversityHaus offers expedited housing approval for international students with the necessary documentation.
    • Financial Aid Utilization: UniversityHaus has programs that allow students to use their financial aid to cover housing costs.
    • Rent Deferment Options: UniversityHaus provides a two-week rent deferment for students waiting on scholarships or financial aid disbursements.
    • All-Inclusive Rent: Rent includes furnishings, WiFi, and utilities.
    • Convenient Location: The housing is within walking distance of the campus and located in the highly desirable Dupont Circle neighborhood.
    • Student-Only Units: UniversityHaus offers units and roommates exclusively for students.

If you have questions, or concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

 

Career Center Checklist

  • Learn about CORE, the Career Center's online platform for job postings and applications, event registration, career development resources, and formal recruiting/interviewing programs. Use this guide to login and complete your profile. 
  • Spend a little time creating your first legal resume. Take the one you used to apply to law school and edit it using our sample resumes as a guide.
    • Here are additional resources from the CORE Resource Library: 
      Resume Basics
      Resume Checklist
    • When your new resume is done, upload it to the Application Materials tab of your CORE profile.