The International and Academic Initiatives office is seeking Global Ambassador volunteers for the International Graduate Student Orientation from August 17 to August 21 to show international students around campus, around DC, and to help them get settled into the United States. Volunteers are especially needed on the afternoon of the 17th, 18th, and 21st. We already have a few volunteers for the evenings, so volunteers with availability during the afternoons are preferred. This is a great way to meet people from other cultures!
Interested students should contact Katherine Safon at esintl@gwu.edu.
For students planning to graduate in fall 2015 or spring 2016, there are a few things you can begin thinking about that will make wrapping up your program go smoothly.
Update your plan of study: When your advisor reviews your record to see if you've met all of your program requirements, we will also use your plan of study to look for content approval from your program director. Updating your plan of study to match the courses you've actually taken makes this process quicker. If you update your plan after finalizing registration for the courses you will take in your last semester, chances are you'll get the approved form back faster than if you wait until the end of the semester.
Contact your advisor to discuss your degree progress: If you have any questions or concerns about whether you are on track to meet your degree requirements, please contact your academic advisor as soon as possible. Your advisor can help you review your requirements and develop a plan to complete them.
Apply for graduation immediately after registering for your final term. If you wait to apply, there is a chance you may forget to apply and miss the deadline. The Registrar's office assesses a late application fee, which advisors cannot waive.
If you have completed all of your coursework, but are still working on meeting a requirement (i.e. language proficiency, finishing your thesis, etc.) you'll need to request Continuous Enrollment in order to remain an active student and be eligible for graduation. Once Continuous Enrollment is added to your record you will be able to apply for graduation using the online application.
Keep track of any study abroad or transfer credits that need to be posted on your transcript. If these credits are approved on your plan of study to count toward degree requirements, they still need to be approved and deemed eligible to transfer. This process can take time, and if you need the credits to meet your program's requirements you won't be able to graduate before they're approved and posted.
Resolve any incompletes on your record. Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IPG) courses cannot be cleared for graduation.
While your excitement builds in anticipation of starting your graduate program at the end of next month, here are a few things you can do to prepare for the fall semester.
Roman Torres is a first year student in the International Affairs program. His focus while at the Elliott School is international economics and data analysis, so Roman wanted a summer internship that would give him some practical experience working with data and economic issues in the real world. He found a perfect match with Planet Indonesia; a newly formed NGO based in the Indonesian part of West Borneo.
Planet Indonesia’s main goal is to help poor communities (especially those in areas with sensitive ecosystems) engage in productive economic activities that preserve natural habitats and cultural traditions. They do this by facilitating the creation of small joint-business groups in which people work together to develop skills, produce valuable goods, and successfully bring it to the market. Additionally, Planet Indonesia helps communities organize communal banks that are funded from the business groups’ sales, making credit accessible to populations outside the scope of mainstream financial institutions.
Planet Indonesia has asked Roman to assist in capacity training for the Indonesian staff. Particularly in areas like long-term strategies, monitoring and evaluation of programs, project management, and data analysis. Roman has held several workshops, introducing concepts and tools to help the
The small island village of Pulau Limbun (there are less than 100 households), where Roman is working on projects with Planet Indonesia.
Indonesian staff think about the organization’s mission, ways they can achieve their goals, how to measure their progress, identifying good indicators, generating and tracking data, and effective ways to communicate this information to donors and potential donors.
Roman plans to enter the field of international consultancy after graduation. His time with Planet Indonesia is giving him valuable experience working with a client from a completely different cultural background and with a different language, as well as to learning how to be effective while managing clients’ expectations. Roman hopes that the skills he nurtured during his internship at Planet Indonesia will make him a more competitive candidate in the job market later on.
He will also really miss Indonesian food! You can reach Roman with questions or comments at romantorres@gwu.edu
As of June 15, all academic advising services are available to you as an incoming Elliott School graduate student. This means you can get in touch with your advisor before classes begin, even if you aren't in DC!
If you have general questions, consider Online Advising on Tuesdays, 11am -1pm. During this time you can chat with an academic advisor to get immediate answers to your questions. Please note that, while you may be able to access the chat at any time, advisors are only available during designated online advising hours.
If you have more detailed questions, consider scheduling an appointment with your advisor. If you're not local, you can schedule a phone appointment. Alternatively, you can email your question to your advisor. We try to respond to emails within 1-2 business days, but during busy times (like orientation and registration) it may take us a little longer to get back to you.
Roman Torres is a first year student in the International Affairs program. His focus while at the Elliott School is international economics and data analysis, so Roman wanted a summer internship that would give him some practical experience working with data and economic issues in the real world. He found a perfect match with Planet Indonesia; a newly formed NGO based in the Indonesian part of West Borneo.
