Pre-Orientation Advising for New Transfer Students
Welcome to George Mason University!
As a new transfer student, orientation is your first step in successfully transitioning to the university. Our orientation process includes two key components:
- On-Campus Orientation: Build relationships with peers, interact with key campus resources, learn campus traditions, and more.
- Virtual Advising & Registration: Learn about your academic college and opportunities, receive academic advising, and register for your classes.
Pre-Orientation Advising
Want to get a head start? We offer pre-orientation advising appointments for students who want to meet with their assigned advisor and register for classes before their orientation day.
Before scheduling a pre-orientation appointment, please review the CLS Department's virtual orientation modules in Canvas. This brief overview (~15 minutes) provides essential guidance to help you prepare and make the most of your advising session.
- Note: The CLS virtual orientation course is separate from the modules required by New Student and Family Programs.
See below for information on orientation and pre-orientation advising.
- Log into Canvas with your GMU credentials
- Select the “Courses” link
- Click “Criminology, Law and Society Advising”
If you log into Canvas and do not see the Criminology, Law and Society Advising page listed, please contact your assigned advisor directly for access this content.
CLS advisor assignments are based on the first three letters of the student's last name as follows:
- Last Names A-Ban: Kristin Tyburczy
- Last Names Bao-Gil: Jada Crocker
- Last Names Gim-Mid: Satoko Odagawa
- Last Names Mie-Sor: Olivia Inturias
- Last Names Sos-Z: Elli Ambros
You can schedule an advising appointment with your assigned advisor after completing the virtual orientation modules in Canvas.
In-person and virtual appointments are available Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. You must first activate your GMU email account to access the appointment scheduling system.
Advising appointments are scheduled through Patriot Connect. Instructions for scheduling an advising appointment are available on the CLS Appointments page.
- When reserving the appointment, please indicate that you are requesting "pre-orientation advising" in the comments field.
- Check your GMU email address for additional instructions from your advisor before the appointment.
- Transfer Credits: If you are enrolled in courses at your current institution, or recently completed courses since you last submitted your transcript, we will not have a record of those. When you speak with your advisor, make sure to have unofficial transcripts from your current/previous institutions available so you can be accurately advised.
- We encourage you to complete a Pending Transfer Credit form to your assigned advisor prior to a pre-orientation advising appointment. You can access this form on the right-hand side of this website.
- Completing an associate's degree? Ask your community college advisor when the degree will be awarded. You should send your final transcript after the degree is posted, which often happens a few weeks after grades post.
- Do I still need to attend orientation? Students who complete pre-orientation advising appointments must still attend the on-campus orientation. Students may also still attend the virtual advising & registration session. Your advisor will let you know if, and when, you must attend the virtual orientation session during your appointment.