Congratulations to the newest members of our community! We are excited to welcome you and your student to campus soon. We know you are probably feeling a range of emotions and we are here to help guide and support you through this new transition.
This Next Stop GW newsletter will be emailed to you every other week from now until the fall semester and serves as a primary means of communication from GW to you. The newsletters will provide timely and relevant information, dates, deadlines, and reminders required for your student to complete over the summer, before, and upon arrival at GW. In addition, Next Stop GW provides an introduction to important campus resources, campus living and learning, and overall student life.
Later this month, the Buff & Blue Handbook (student and family version) will be available on the Orientation website (go.gwu.edu/orientation), which serves as a guide as you and your student navigate the summer and prepare for the fall. While we continue to plan for in-person instruction and a residential academic experience this fall, we are regularly discussing various fall operating scenarios and will keep you updated throughout the summer. In the meantime, be sure to review the upcoming dates, deadlines and “to-do's” with your student and encourage them to become familiar with the Admissions student portal checklist.
This edition of Next Stop GW includes:
- An overview of summer “to-dos” and GW communication
- The first-year student checklist
- A virtual campus tour
- A Welcome Message from the Dr. Cissy Petty, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
- A preview of first-year housing
We look forward to welcoming you and your student to our GW community.
Sincerely,
The Orientation Team
Summer 2020 Preview
As plans develop, we will communicate with you via email and post updates to the Orientation website. Either way, virtual or in-person, we are dedicated to providing you and your student with the necessary information to be successful in their first year! Please don’t forget to check the university's COVID-19 website for relevant and timely updates. Below you will find additional information that you and your student can expect during the summer months:
- Emails to your student from their academic school about signing up for a first-year group advising and preparing for class registration and emails from the Orientation team, campus offices, and more. It will be important that your student check their GW email regularly.
- Your student should also frequently check the admitted student portal (where your student located their Admissions decision- bookmark it!) Upon deposit, your student will see Next Steps. After registering for New Student Orientation your student will see more next steps, including a section about Preparing for Your First Year. This portal is also where your student will sign-up for an online class registration date.
- Beginning this month, we will host Tuesday Talks, a webinar series focused on getting you and your family acclimated to GW resources, processes, and requirements in a live virtual environment. Campus partners will review topics such as how to read and pay your e-bill, how dining at GW and in DC works, details about the Student Health Insurance Plan, and more. The first Tuesday Talk session, titled Finances 101, is scheduled for May 19th at 1pm EST and will include understanding the Student Account E-bill, paying the bill, how to set-up an authorized user, student consent, etc. The full schedule and additional topics can be found on the Orientation website! These webinars will be recorded, so they can be accessed and reviewed at a later date.
Explore from Home
Take a video tour of GW's Foggy Bottom campus. Before they departed campus in March, our tour guides covered the highlights so you can see what life is like at GW.
Explore our virtual tour. This interactive map will show you our Foggy Bottom campus in downtown D.C. and our Mount Vernon campus in northeast D.C.
Don't forget to continue to check the university's COVID-19 website for relevant and timely updates.
Welcome from the Dean of Students
M.L. "Cissy" Petty
Dear Parents and Families,
Now that your student has formally accepted, we officially welcome you as part of the family network supporting a Class of 2024 student at the George Washington University! Congratulations to both you as the guiding force behind your student and to your student for such an excellent choice in schools. We look forward to getting to know you better during the course of your student’s journey at GW.
The university experience can be a big transition for both you and your student. We look forward to getting to know the Class of 2024. From developing professional networks to learning in new disciplines to finding and connecting with different communities, students will uncover identities and discover more about the world around them. As parents and family members, you are important partners in your student’s success. We believe establishing a relationship with parents and family members is an important component of this academic, social, and professional transition.
While our focus, of course, will be on your student and their success, there are a variety of resources specifically designed to help parents and families adjust to the transition:
- The GW Family Resource Hub (available later this month)- The Resource Hub serves as a guide by providing you with valuable information and resources as your student transitions into their first year at GW. You will learn about their academic journey and requirements, as well as find answers to other questions you have about life at GW such as how to pay your tuition, how the dining plan works, student support resources, FERPA, financial/student account information, and much more.
- GW Family Newsletter- Provides families with timely information on campus resources/services to support your student, helpful tips and suggestions, important dates, upcoming events, etc. This newsletter is distributed via email to the GW Family Listserv each month from August through April. Please note: As the parent or family member of an undergraduate student that is listed on the student’s undergraduate application on file, you are automatically subscribed to the GW Family Listserv. If other family members would like to receive our GW Families Newsletter, sign up here.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected]. Be sure to “like us” on Facebook and “follow us” on Instagram and Twitter. We look forward to providing you with updates throughout the summer as you and your student prepare for the fall semester.
Congratulations again and welcome to GW.
Raise High!
Dean Petty
Home at GW
We want to give you a glimpse into your student’s future home away from home. We have several residence halls that house first-year students offering unique experiences and opportunities. For the 2020-2021 academic year, Foggy Bottom campus first-year residence halls consist of:
- Guthridge
- Mitchell
- Madison
- Lafayette
- Fulbright
- Potomac House
On the Mount Vernon campus, the first-year residence halls consist of:
- West Hall
- Somers
- Hillsides: Clark, Cole, Hensley, and Merriweather
Students in living-learning communities will be assigned a residence hall based on that community. All of our residence halls sport different types of lounges and will be a place where your student will make life-long bonds. Keep an eye out for Next Stop GW #2 for more details and information about living on-campus and housing!
We also encourage you and your student to start making a packing list for move-in. Keep in mind there are items you should bring and others you should leave at home. Later on this summer students and family members will receive a complete Move-In Guide.
Transition Talks
Now that you have a college student, you are a college parent! You are excited for your student, but you also may be a bit nervous. You may be wondering what your new role will be like. Perhaps you’re even wondering whether you’ll have a role at all. Managing the transition between high school and college is a challenging, rewarding, and exciting process for both students and families. It is a time of letting go, but still staying connected in a new way. Students need to develop independence, yet they still want your support and advice. Family members will need to let go of their supervisory role and shift to a mentoring role.
During this time, families can help facilitate this transition by being understanding and supportive of the emotions that your student may feel. We invite you to partner with us in guiding and mentoring your student towards academic success, personal growth, and responsible behavior. We’d like to offer the following suggestions to help you navigate this new dynamic.
How can you help?
- Be a sounding board- listen to what your student is saying and what they’re not saying.
- Normalize the struggle. Students will make mistakes and that’s okay. Let them “fix” the problem, allow them to take responsibility.
- Encourage them to gather information, think it through, and explore alternatives in order to become more independent.
- Have your student list the pros and cons of their decisions. Ask questions that will help them identify all angles of a problem and let them find the answers.
- Be an additional resource; become familiar with the campus support resources to which you can refer them.
- Encourage your student to speak directly with faculty, advisors, Resident Advisors, and campus administrators. We are here to support them.
- After they have thought an issue through, support their decision.
- Make an effort not to sound judgmental or critical; consider and respect your student’s point of view; try to remember what it was like at that age.
- Send your student care packages throughout the year with fun and exciting things.
Being available to listen and give support to your student as they face difficult decisions and/or situations will strengthen a mutually respectful relationship and their sense of confidence in adapting to a new community. Students become comfortable sharing their concerns with family members as they see that you respect their opinions and decisions.
Congratulations, again!
Sincerely,
Leah Small
Sr. Program Associate
Office for Student Success