Good afternoon,
We are thrilled you have chosen to become a member of The George Washington University Law School community. We hope this message finds you well as we write with additional information to ensure your transition to the law school is as smooth as possible. This email is a lengthy one, please be certain to read it carefully and save it for future reference.
Covid-19 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 updated FAQ section as well as information on the university’s plan to return to in-person instruction.
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.
Orientation
A detailed Orientation schedule will be posted to the Orientation website during the week of August 1. In the interim, please note the following important dates:
Friday, August 13 – Transfer Credit Memos (TCMs) will be sent out to all incoming students whose official transcript was received from their previous institution by July 31. This memo will indicate the number of credits transferring to the GW Law transcript and will show which, if any, course(s) a student must take. Before receiving your TCM, we encourage you to use this time to become familiar with the extensive course listing GW Law has to offer and to begin to plan a coherent academic program for your time at the Law School. The Law Bulletin contains course descriptions and you may find the Bulletin and the information for the Fall 2021 Semester on the Records Office web page.
Tuesday, August 17 – Transfer Orientation. The program will begin promptly at 5 p.m. The program will run for approximately two and a half hours. Dinner will be served. If you have any dietary restrictions, please notify the Dean of Students Office ([email protected]) so we can make the appropriate arrangements.
Wednesday, August 18 – Academic Advising for incoming transfer students will be held from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Academic Advising provides guidance on upper-level requirements, course selection, and a balanced academic program specifically tailored to the needs of each student. Though advising is not required, this session is offered by the Dean of Students Office specifically for incoming transfer students and participation is highly encouraged. Should you choose not to make an appointment, you may attend general “first come-first served” advising sessions offered to all GW Law students during the “Add/Drop” period, which is when a student may add or drop a course from their schedule without a required signature from the Dean of Students Office.
Wednesday, August 18 – SBA Transfer Panel. This panel offered by the Student Bar Association is of, by, and for transfer students. It is intended to provide incoming transfer students an opportunity to hear from GW Law students who transferred from other law schools into our community and offer their advice for a transition filled with challenges and rewards both socially and academically. Specific details on this afternoon event will be shared as they become available.
Wednesday, August 18 – Journal Transfer Competition Information Session. This information session offered by the GW Law Journal Competition leadership will provide an opportunity for incoming transfer students to participate in Q&A about journal membership and participation in the competition. Specific details on this afternoon event will be shared as they become available.
Wednesday, August 18 – Online Registration begins for incoming transfer students via GWeb. You may register remotely. Information on how to access GWeb will be provided prior to this date. Please note that registration is the beginning of the Law School’s Add/Drop period for the Fall 2021 semester.
Thursday, August 19 – Wednesday, August 25 – Journal Competition. GW Law’s student journals will conduct a write-on competition for transfer students beginning Thursday, August 19 at 5 p.m. EDT and ending Wednesday, August 25 at 5 p.m. EDT. Competitors will have the ability to rank participating journals to be considered for membership.
Retrieving Your Login Information
You should already have received a message from the Office of Admissions with information to access the Admitted Student Portal. If you have not, please contact the Admissions Office at [email protected].
NetID and University E-mail Account
All students are required to have a university NetID [email protected] email account. If you have not done so, you can claim your Net/ID 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 or submitting forms to register with DSS. In order to access the health portal, use your university email address (@gwu.edu) and the password you just created.
Note: your law school email account will only be created once you have claimed your NetID. Here is a helpful video about accessing your GW email.
Immunization Requirement (Due: August 1)
All matriculating students who will be under the age of 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.
GWorld Card
Your GWorld card is your official university identification and allows you access 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 August 1 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 $245 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. If you wish to subscribe to the plan online, please submit the application and payment by Monday, August 23, 2021. Information about the plan and coverage can be found here.
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 2020-2021 edition as you will refer to it often during your time at GW Law.
By way of reminder, the SBA is working hard to help get you connected with your soon-to-be classmates. Please be certain to check out the Transfer Student Facebook Page and if you are interested in being matched up with a student mentor, please complete this Google Form. Note this form will only take responses from GW addresses (i.e., @law.gwu.edu or @gwu.edu). Should you have questions, feel free to be in touch with the SBA Co-Directors of Transfer Orientation, Spenser Satin ([email protected]) or Breyana Hammond ([email protected]).
We look forward to welcoming you in person and to helping you make a smooth transition into your professional studies. In the meantime, we wish you the very best in the weeks ahead as you prepare to join the GW Law Community.
Best,
Dean Ewert