First Year Experience
Your first year at The George Washington University will be like no other, and our students, faculty and administrators will help you take full advantage of the opportunities offered.
Transitioning to GW
Your first year at GW begins with our new-student orientation, Colonial Inauguration, better known as CI. During CI, you will be welcomed to the GW family and become acquainted with our campus services, wide-ranging opportunities and close community. You will learn about adjusting to college life, living in D.C. and embarking on your new intellectual journey.
We will also introduce you to the Guide to Personal Success (GPS) program and pair you with a GPS guide. Throughout the year, your guide will help you with the transition to campus life and the University experience.
You will begin working with your academic adviser to identify your major and choose the courses that fulfill your degree requirements. Together, you will develop your study plan for the next four years.
Throughout your inaugural year, you will also have access to the Office of the Dean of Freshmen. The is a great resource for advocacy and coordination, available to you and your family as you ease your way into college life.
Once You Arrive at GW
We encourage you to take full advantage of all GW resources available throughout your first year. By doing so, you maximize your opportunities as you begin the journey toward a fulfilling undergraduate GW experience.
University life may seem a bit overwhelming at first. To make the transition smooth, seamless and enjoyable, the University offers an array of services for freshman. GPS is just one. GW Housing and the University Counseling Center have first-year programs to assist with the transition. All first-year students are eligible to participate in living and learning cohorts within their residential houses. This is a way to meet students with similar interests. In addition, time management and study skills workshops help prepare you for academic life.
There are many first-year activities at GW. Our two campuses offer a range of choices for living, socializing, exercising and dining, making it easy to tailor-fit these options to your lifestyle preferences.
Your freshman year will be filled with both rewards and challenges. You will live with your peers, likely for the first time. You will cultivate friendships, work habits and social skills that will last a lifetime. Your choices will be as varied as your interests. Through it all, GW will stand by its commitment to minimize transitional stress so you can embrace your academic challenges and grow personally. We want your inaugural year at GW to be one of your best.
The GW Experience
Students
All in the Family
Greg and Heather Hachenburg talk about their undergraduate experience at GW, one of many sibling pairs to share in the Colonials legacy.
Creating Next Generation Leaders
GW program helps female students connect with leading women across a variety of fields and develop their roles as future women in leadership.
Where the City is a Classroom
Freshman volunteers experience life beyond Foggy Bottom...
Faculty
Fighting Neglected Diseases
GW professor works to eradicate diseases that affect the health, education and economic development of the world's poorest people.
Building the Super Computer
Pioneering lab puts GW at the forefront of high-speed computing and offers GW students unprecedented access to science and skills of the future.
Blast From the Past
Students map an ancient—and dramatic—eruption as part of a geological research program in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.
Alumni
Giving Back to the District of Columbia
D.C. public health director calls GW education the foundation of his career.
GW Opens Doors
A chance encounter with a GW alumna helped give one GW undergraduate, an aspiring broadcast journalist from Texas, his big break.
The Legend Lives On
The $2 million bequest commitment caps a lifetime of philanthropy and service to GW, establishing the Elyse B. and Donald R. Lehman Endowed Professorship in Theoretical Physics.