Student Responsibilities
Student-Advisor Compact
Undergraduate professional advising is a two-way street. In order to make your advising experience the best it can be, reflect on the responsibilities for students and advisors in the Student-Advisor Compact.
What is Your Role as a Student?
While advisors, professors, and mentors have specific and significant roles in your education at GW, you — the student — have an equally significant role with specific responsibilities. Academic advising is a two-way street and you must be proactive in your relationship with an academic advisor. In the advising relationship, you are responsible for:
Knowing your degree requirements.
The School of Business degree requirements are available online. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with this information and discuss questions and options with an academic advisor.
Keeping track of your degree progress.
You are expected utilize the tools available to you (DegreeMAP, a GWSB advisor, the University Bulletin) in order to plan each semester strategically in order to stay on track for graduation.
Making informed decisions.
Your decisions should be based on your own interests and goals, the School of Business curriculum, and University policies and procedures.
Taking action and closing the loop.
It is up to you to follow up on any academic or financial action you have requested until issues are resolved.
Planning ahead.
You should always anticipate your short-term and long-term needs and work with an academic advisor early and often to prepare for and meet those needs.
Scheduling an appointment with an advisor.
You are responsible to schedule an appointment with an advisor.
Communicating with your professors.
Whether you are sick, struggling academically, expecting to miss class for religious reasons, or seeking career advice from a professor in the field, you must initiate communication with your professors. You can speak with them after class, make use of their office hours, or communicate by email.
Grade Grievances
In the event that a student feels that a grade is the result of arbitrary and capricious academic evaluation, a student may pursue resolution through the Grade Grievance Process. Students must follow the grade grievance procedures and meet all of the posted deadlines outlined in the Grade Grievance Policy.
Students are responsible for providing adequate written documentation as outlined in the full policy. Only grade disagreements of two levels or more may be submitted to the Dean’s Council. For example, a request to have a grade changed from a B+ to an A- (one level) is not material and will not be reviewed while a request to change a B+ to an A (two levels) is material and will be reviewed by the committee.
Adding/Dropping/Withdrawing from courses.
You must register for your own classes each semester. Accordingly, you must drop or withdraw from any class you do not attend by the appropriate deadline. Simply telling a professor you are dropping or withdrawing from the class does not initiate a class drop or withdraw in the registration system.
Checking your GW email.
Email is our primary means of communicating with you. You are responsible for reading emails from any University office, faculty, or staff member, and responding in a timely manner.
Knowing and following policies, regulations, and procedures.
The University Bulletin is updated each academic year. You must review all regulations and policies each year as they are subject to change.