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Elliott School of
International Affairs

 

Undergraduate Academic Advising

 

Academic advisors are the principal academic resource for undergraduate students in the Elliott School and advise students throughout their entire collegiate experience. They guide students through academic and professional decisions, assist in connecting students with university resources and opportunities, and encourage students to reflect on how their personal journey can inform responsible citizenship and ethical leadership.

Students are assigned an academic advisor based on their last name and are encouraged to engage with their advisor every semester.

Eleven Elliott School Academic Advisors in front of the Elliott Building
 Important Resources for Elliott School Students:
Email

In addition to meeting with your advisor, you can also email your advisor questions. Your primary academic advisor is available to answer emails Monday thru Friday during regular business hours, generally 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.  You can also email advisingatgwu [dot] edu (advising[at]gwu[dot]edu) (our office email account) for more general questions. Email is the best option for short, simple questions (e.g. What date do I register?) and if you have more complex questions (e.g. Could you review my DegreeMAP with me, and discuss my graduation timeline?), we recommend scheduling an appointment.  You can also call our office at 202-994-3002.

Note: when emailing any advisor it is important to include your GWID. For security purposes, it is also important to send your message from your GW email account.

Drop-In Advising

Drop-in advising is a great option if you have a quick question or two about a DegreeMAP issue, class scheduling, academic policy clarification, or other concerns that can be addressed briefly. When coming to drop-in advising, you will be assigned to the first advisor on duty who is available rather than your assigned advisor.

WHERE?

Drop-ins are held both virtually (via Zoom) and in-person (1957 E St. NW, Suite 302).

Access Virtual Drop-ins HERE

WHEN?​

Our office holds drop-ins every day (Monday thru Friday) from 2:00 - 3:45 PM. 

Come in for quick questions that any advisor can answer. These appointments are limited to 10-15 minutes. If you need further assistance, please make an appointment with your primary advisor.

For more in-depth conversation about curriculum planning, personal issues or concerns, or multiple questions that require more time to respond, please schedule a 30 minute appointment. Thirty minute appointments must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance. 

Use this guide to help you choose between drop-ins or making an appointment!

 

First-Year Registration
What do I need to do before registration?
  • Make sure you have sent your transcripts to the registrar’s office: this includes AP/IB scores, or any college credit you may have taken before coming to GW.
  • Review your requirements: To get an accurate understanding of the Elliott School requirements, please review the First-Year Curriculum, how to build your class schedule, and course registration guidelines. If you need more information, visit the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science academic pages on our website.
  • Have 2-3 Plans ready to go using our Plan Ahead tool.
  • On the day of registration, make sure you clear your history and cache, and only log in on ONE browser to ensure you will not have any technical difficulties.
  • Finally, make sure to log on during your assigned registration window (account for any time zone differences). You will not be able to register for classes at any point outside of your correct time slot.
What do I do during registration?
  • Be sure to check that you are logging on during the correct registration window (make sure to account for any time zone difference!).
  • How to register for classes in GWeb.
  • Having issues when trying to add/drop a class? Here’s a list of common registration errors.
  • Using Conditional Add/Drop: This feature lets you attempt to add a course while dropping a conflicting course; when you use conditional add and drop, you won’t be dropped from the conflicting course unless your registration for the new course is successful.
  • Having technical difficulties? Make sure your history and cache are cleared, and most importantly, only log in on ONE browser.
I registered for classes. What’s next?
  • If you wanted to register for a class that was full, the waitlist opens on Monday, July 28 at 9:00 AM EDT, here’s how the waitlist works.
  • Fill out an RTF-EZ form if necessary for one of the sections in the course you are trying to register for.
  • Meet with your advisor for any remaining questions or to go over your registration information.

 

 

 

  Leadership Team

 

Specialized Advisors

Career Services Special Advisors

Career Services at George Washington University has two industry focused professionals for Elliott School students. If you have questions about internships or employment opportunities you can meet with them to discuss resumes, cover letters, networking strategies, graduate school application materials, and even conduct mock interviews. 

Study Abroad Special Advisor

Do you have questions about studying abroad and want to talk about them with an advisor who understands the experience of Elliott School students? You can email studyabratgwu [dot] edu (studyabr[at]gwu[dot]edu) or make an appointment with Tyler Gadbury, your study abroad advisor. 

 

Headshot of Tyler Gadbury

Tyler Gadbury

Study Abroad Advisor for Elliott School of International Affairs

Tyler Gadbury serves as the Study Abroad Advisor for students in the Elliott School of International Affairs and George Washington School of Business. Tyler holds walk-ins every Tuesday from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM at the Elliott School Undergraduate Academic Advising Office at Suite 302. 

You can book an appointment here. 

Email: tyler [dot] gadburyatgwu [dot] edu (tyler[dot]gadbury[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Pre-Law Advising and Law School Mentors

Interested in Law School? Take these steps and consider meeting with the GW Pre-Law Advisor: 

  1. Review the GW Pre-Law website which is full of amazing resources that might answer some of your initial questions and familiarize yourself with the law school process;
  2. Join the pre-law listserv;
  3. Watch this pre-law advising introductory video;
  4. Review the Elliott School Pre-Law Resource Guide (under maintenance). 

Still have questions? Ready to dive in deeper? Set up an appointment with the GW Pre-Law Advisor, Karen Johnson. Karen's bio and contact information can be found here. 

If you are interested in discussing going into the field of law, please consider reaching out to our Elliott affiliated faculty, staff or alumni. We are excited to present a variety of mentors from various backgrounds. Please see their bios and the best way to schedule a time to meet with them below: 

GW University Staff Mentors: 

 

Dr. Lakeisha Harrison, Ph.D., Esq. (she/her)

Assistant Dean, Student Services, Diversity Equity & Inclusion

Professional Lecturer | African Studies

Elliott School of International Affairs (Link to bio)

sreyes002atgwu [dot] edu (Email Sebastian Reyes) to set up a time to talk with Dr. Harrison 


Elliott School Alumni Mentors:  
 

Margaret Meiman Headshot
Margaret Meiman (ESIA BA'20)

Maggie Meiman graduated with a BA in International Affairs & Economics from ESIA in 2020 and a J.D. From New York University School of Law in 2025. She currently works as a Law Clerk / Associate  at White & Case LLP in New York and is interested in internationally inflected litigation and arbitration matters. At NYU, she was a member of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Team, a Senior Staff Editor on the Journal of International Law and Politics, a research assistant for NYU's Climate Law Accelerator, and interned in the Chambers of the Hon. Timothy M. Reif of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Prior to law school, Maggie worked as a Consultant in Deloitte’s Government and Public Services practice, supporting federal agencies to achieve strategic modernization objectives.

Email msm9632atnyu [dot] edu (msm9632[at]nyu[dot]edu) to request a meeting. 

 

Meenu Ann Mathews Headshot
Meenu Ann Mathews - Law Clerk at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Meenu graduated with a B.A. in International Affairs from ESIA in 2018 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2023. After graduating from law school, she joined the Litigation Department at Davis, Polk, & Wardwell, a global law firm headquartered in New York, where she works on cross-border and government investigations, as well as civil litigation in federal courts.  During law school, Meenu had experiences across the public and private sectors, interning with the Department of Justice, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and two global law firms in Washington, DC and New York.  At Columbia, she was the Executive Articles Editor of the Human Rights Law Review,  Mentorship Chair for Empowering Women of Color, and an Academic Coach/Teaching Assistant for first-year students.  She also served as Co-Director of Law School Mastery®, a national pipeline program dedicated to mentoring and supporting diverse students as they enter law school.  At GW, she was involved in the Student Association and the Pre-Law Association.  As the first in her family to attend law school, Meenu is excited to help Elliott School students navigate the law school decision and application process!

Email meenu [dot] mathewsatdavispolk [dot] com (meenu[dot]mathews[at]davispolk[dot]com) to request a meeting.

Elliott School Student Success Coaches

The Student Success Coaching Program is an academic support service provided to enrolled undergraduates and is uniquely designed to help students build the needed foundation for a successful semester and academic year. The Elliott School has two designated success coaches that our students can meet with. For more information on success coaching, please visit the Office for Student Success website here. 

 

 

Resources

 

For updates from the UG Advising Office and other student opportunities / events within The Elliott School, check out the bi-weekly Student Scoop email. 

*Submission Deadline: Every other Wednesday at noon (see 2024-25 publish dates). Please email advisingatgwu [dot] edu.