Your Orientation Experience
Students Admitted for the Spring Semester
GW's New Student Orientation experience is comprised of three mandatory parts:
- Pre-arrival Engagement (October-January)
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Starting in October, students and their families will receive consistent communication about next steps, opportunities, and what to expect from Orientation, as well as online modules to complete.
- Pre-Orientation Online Module (POOM)
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Students should complete all sections of the POOM prior to attending Spring Orientation. Information about the POOM will be sent to you and updated here beginning around early November.
- Spring Orientation
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After students move in, students will participate in Spring Orientation on Sunday, January 14 to learn more about GW, make connections with peers, understand the services and support systems at GW, and more!
Learn more about each component of GW's Orientation Program:
2023-2024 Orientation Theme & Common Learning Curriculum
This year’s orientation theme is Empowering Community: GW Strong! This theme highlights and celebrates all of the people, traditions, support systems and opportunities that make the GW community an amazing place to learn, grow, and thrive. From the first day of orientation to graduation day on the National Mall, GW students are empowered to craft their own GW story, while positively contributing to the collective GW legacy.
As the newest member of our community, incoming students will explore what it means to be an active participant in shaping the community that is GW Strong through our NSO guiding principles; curiosity, critical thinking, exploration, empathy, and community. These principles will be discussed throughout the orientation experience to help students center important attitudes and skills that will help them transition to college and GW. During Orientation Week, each session and event will be connected to at least one of these principles.