Pre-Orientation Advising for New Transfer Students
Welcome to GMU! As a new transfer student, orientation is an important first step in your transition to the university. The orientation process at Mason includes participation in an on-campus orientation and a virtual advising & registration session.
During the virtual advising & registration session, you will learn about your major and degree requirements and register for classes. We also offer pre-orientation advising appointments for students who want to meet with their advisor and register for classes before their advising & registration day.
Students who want to meet with their assigned advisor before orientation should first review the CLS Department’s virtual orientation modules in Canvas. This brief content (~15 minutes) will provide you with guidance for getting started at GMU, and allow you to maximize time during your advising appointment.
- 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.