Dear Incoming GW Law Student,
In anticipation of orientation and registration next week, I write with an introduction and more information to support your transition into our community. My name is Andra Roy Chernack, Senior Academic Advisor, in the Dean of Students Office. One of my goals is to provide you with information to make informed choices about your legal education here at GW Law. I look forward to getting to know you and working with you as you become familiar with other students, faculty, and staff. In the meantime, as you will see below, I have quite a bit of important information to share.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Dean of Students Office will send your Transfer Credit Memo (TCM). Please review this document carefully as it will indicate the credits accepted for transfer to your GW Law transcript and which courses, if any, you will need to register in order to complete the GW Law first-year curriculum.
Maximum Transfer Credits Allowed
By way of reminder, GW Law will accept up to a maximum of 31 credits to be transferred from a student’s prior studies at an ABA-accredited institution. For those non-U.S. law school graduates participating in the LLM-JD Transfer Program this does not impact the number of advanced standing credits awarded for legal studies completed outside the U.S.
Final, Completed, Official Transcripts – Transfer Credit Memos
Please be mindful that the credit memo is based upon the transcript submitted to the Admissions Office. Should you have pending grades, you will need to submit your final, completed official transcript to the Admissions Office as soon as possible to complete your admissions file AND for review by the Dean of Students Office for any credit eligible for transfer to your GW Law transcript. The deadline for submitting your final, completed transcript is October 15, 2023.
Exclusive Use of Law School Email Account for Communication
Your TCM will be sent to both your personal and law school email addresses. Hereafter, communication from the law school will be sent only to your @law address as email correspondence to a student’s official law school email account is the one fully acceptable means for student notification.
Registration Preparation & Information on Fall Exams
To prepare for registration on Wednesday, August 16, please review the GW Law Bulletin for course descriptions as well as the course scheduling materials found on the Records Office portal under Fall 2023 Semester Information. You will want to review these important registration documents: The Course & Exam Schedule, Schedule of Classes with CRNs (Course Registration Numbers), and the Bulletin Supplement. You can also access a draft schedule of the Spring 2024 course offerings, which may aid you in your long-term course planning. Embedded here and posted to the Incoming Transfer Checklist is a listing of Selected Fall 2023 Noteworthy Courses. These are just some of the excellent courses and professors you can take.
Examinations at GW Law
The Law School does not have a flexible exam policy. Exams are scheduled a year in advance to provide notice to students. It is important to note the date and time of your exam when scheduling your classes. Multiple examinations on the same day or examinations on several consecutive days do not constitute an exam conflict and will not result in being excused from the scheduled day and time of the exam. We do not recommend scheduling exams on the same day and, if possible, avoid consecutive days.
In-person exams are administered using the Exam4 software suite. Exam4 software is
updated twice a semester: once for midterms and once for finals. You must have the most recent update in order to take your exams. The Records Office will let students know when the new software builds are available. Students are responsible for ensuring their computers are in good working condition and are strongly encouraged to download and test the latest version of Exam4 at least a week before the exam.
Orientation & Evening Advising Session
Transfer Orientation events will principally occur on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 15 and 16. Check-in for Orientation will begin at 4:30 PM on Tuesday. The formal program will begin at 5 PM and students can expect to be finished at approximately 8:30 PM. Dinner will be served. For those part-time students unable to attend the Academic Advising Session on Wednesday, advisors will be available to consult after the program ends. Given the late hour and as a courtesy to our staff, we ask that only students unable to attend Wednesday’s remain for advising Tuesday evening.
Registration & Advising Session
Registration for the Fall 2023 Semester for incoming transfer students via GWeb begins at 9 AM, Wednesday, August 16. Information on how to access and use GWeb may be found on the Records Office home page. You may register remotely, and you do not need to register at 9 AM promptly.
Feel free to bring a list of prepared questions and a rough schedule to the Academic Advising Session from Noon – 2 PM on Wednesday. Representatives from the Dean of Students Office and the Law School’s programs will be on hand to answer questions you may have about curricular and co-curricular programs. Boxed lunches will be available during this event. In the event you are unable to attend, you can always schedule an advising appointment, or you can attend a Dean of Students open advising session. These first-come, first-served advising sessions are held frequently during the ADD/DROP period which corresponds with the first week of classes for upper-level law students.
Lastly, congratulations on your decision to join the GW Law community. As someone who has been here since 2007, I believe we in Foggy Bottom have the best law students. I’m delighted you’re joining our community and I look forward to working with you.
My very best,
Andra
