First Year

Check out the SBA’s 1L ‘insider’s guide’ (pdf) for everything GW Law!

Orientation

The SBA Orientation staff and volunteers play a crucial role New Student Orientation in August. We work closely with the Office of Student Affairs, Office of Admission and Financial Aid, and Records Office to plan, organize, and facilitate Orientation events. The SBA plans and sponsors a variety of events including, evening New Student Meet and Greets, a Diversity Outreach Brunch, softball games on the National Mall, a zoo trip, and even a bowling night. In addition, the SBA recruits current law students to participate as volunteers through out Orientation. Volunteers check new students in and get them situated with their class schedule, and then serve as guides and resources for all and any questions new students may have. This is the first time incoming students get to interact with the rest of the student body and we strive to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome from day one.

Mentoring

In order to help ease the transition to law school life, the SBA created the Mentoring Program, which pairs incoming 1Ls with an upperclassman mentor for the duration of the first year. An upperclassman mentor serves as a resource for all things GW, D.C. and life in general. Mentors can provide mentees with advice on study tips, outlines, classes and professors, or even just the best place to grab a cup of coffee. Mentors and mentees meet at least twice per semester, and also have the opportunity to participate in campus-wide SBA-sponsored events such as Mentoring Thirsty Thursday!

Events

To help 1Ls deal with the unique stresses of the first year of law school, the First Year Students team plans and facilitates events throughout the year that are specifically targeted at 1Ls. To help students get involved in the campus community, the First Year Students team organizes and annual Student Activities Fair. Early in the school year, this provides an opportunity for 1Ls to meet student representatives from different student groups and get involved in things that interest them within the first few weeks of school. In addition, the First Year Students team plans other events that coincide with the 1L schedule. Traditionally, these events have included a party after the midterm exams and again final exams. If you have a suggestion for a specific event you’d like to see happen, just let us know!

Rachel Cohn, Vice President of First Year Students

Rachel Cohn grew up in suburban New Jersey and has an appropriately mild amount of pride and only a small complex about that. Rachel graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2006, where she mastered a very complex and important-sounding major that we’ll just call Cognitive Science. After deciding to only attend institutions of higher learning named after the first President, Rachel moved to the nation’s capital for law school. Before coming to GW, she used her creativity to inspire some of the greatest minds in the advertising industry in New York City, Mad Men style. She even gave up a lifetime supply of free Skittles to come here, so you can rest assured that she’s serious about becoming a lawyer. Known by many as “Ace”, in her spare time, Rachel enjoys playing kickball and dodgeball, quoting How I Met Your Mother, and meeting new people. And she actually enjoys law school, too.

Contact Rachel at: rlcohn@law.gwu.edu

Support positions:

Co-Director of Orientation: Nancy Padron
Co-Director of Orientation: Sonia Tabriz
Director of Mentoring: Jacqueline Powers
Assistant Director of Mentoring: Michelle Bieber
Assistant Director of Mentoring: Liz Damm