• The Program
• The Curriculum
• Georgetown Law Center Campus
• Program Dates, Tuition, & Housing
• Summer 2009 Schedule
• Wire Transfer Information
• Travel from area airports
• Local Hotel Information
• Obtaining a Cell Phone
• If you need to see a doctor during Foundations
• Student Health Center and Medical/Dental Insurance
• Pre-Arrival Information
• Computers
• Opening a Bank Account
• Joining ZipCar (short-term car rental program)

Dates:  July 12 - August 8, 2009

We are looking forward to your arrival for Foundations at Georgetown University Law Center. Please review this pre-arrival information carefully so that you know about course registration, arrival on campus, and other important information that will help you during your first days in our community.

Arrival for Students Living On-Campus: On Sunday, July 12, please go directly to the Gewirz Student Center located at 120 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001 to check-in with the Office of Residence Life (ORL) between 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Please list the Gewirz address on the form you will give to Immigration upon your arrival.

Please let us know in advance if you will arrive after 9:00 p.m. so we can advise ORL. There is always a residence assistant “on call,” so if you arrive late, use the emergency phone located to the right of the Gewirz Student Center’s front door to call the Campus Security officers who will contact the resident assistant. The ORL phone number is (202) 662-9290, and the Campus Security phone number is (202) 662-9325. Students arriving “after office hours” may be placed in a temporary apartment and then moved to their own apartment when the ORL office opens in the morning. If you plan to arrive after midnight, however, we ask that you arrange a hotel for the night and then check-in after 10 a.m. the next morning.

Students arriving prior to July 12th can refer to the Foundations website for suggestions on local hotels until Foundations housing becomes available on July 12th.

Off-Campus Students: The Law Center is convenient to the Red Line Metro stations of Judiciary Square and Union Station. The “Circulator” bus stops near the Law Center for $1 per ride. We recommend that students living off-campus use public transportation because on-campus parking is limited. Ask for parking information at registration and bring your automobile registration to request parking.

Learning the Neighborhood: On July 12, there is a shuttle bus to take you from the Gewirz Student Center to a nearby shopping mall, grocery store and the “Capitol Mall” where you can enjoy the monuments and the Smithsonian Institution museums. The shuttle will operate 12:00 noon - 6:00 p.m. We also have arranged a Monument Tour for Sunday evening, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. We will meet in front of the Gewirz Student Center Lobby. All students and family members are invited to join us.

There is a shuttle bus to a grocery store several times a week and shuttle service to Union Station Metro every evening.

Registration: Monday, July 13, 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. in the Second floor lobby of the Hotung International Law Building.

We will distribute our casebook and other important books and materials at registration, including a detailed schedule and the assigned reading for each class session. There will be reading to do for Tuesday's classes. We suggest you bring a backpack to carry your books back to your apartment.

Classes: Classes begin Tuesday, July 14 at 9:00 a.m. in McDonough Hall, Room 205.

Foundations Office: The Foundations staff office is located in the Hotung International Law Building, Room 6003. It will be open Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. beginning Tuesday, July 14.

We regret that preparation for Foundations makes it impossible to greet you in person before registration day, but we look forward to meeting you on Monday, July 13.

Fees: Students should pay the balance due on tuition and housing at registration. You may pay by credit card (MasterCard or Visa only), cash, traveler or personal checks, or wire transfer. Checks should be made payable to Georgetown University Law Center.

Wire Transfers: Please contact us for wire transfer information if you will pay by wire transfer.

Students Whose Sponsors Need to be Billed: Please mail [or telefax to 202 662-9487] a letter confirming your sponsor’s intent to pay your fees. The letter should be on your sponsor’s letterhead and include the name and address of the person to be billed and whether they are paying for tuition, housing or both. Please also bring the original letter to registration if you did not send the original.

Note:  The INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION has already sent this documentation for their students.

Travel from the Local Airports: Local transportation to the Gewirz Student Center is easily available from the three airports serving Washington, D.C.: Dulles International, Baltimore-Washington International (B.W.I.), and Reagan National. Tell the driver to go to the Gewirz Student Center, 120 F St., NW. The Gewirz Student Center is located near the Capitol, NOT the Georgetown Main Campus.

From Dulles International Airport: Taxi fare costs about $60. SuperShuttle also offers transportation to Gewirz for about $25 [shared van service] or $50 [sedan service]. Upon arrival at the airport, look for Ground Transportation signs; the SuperShuttle boarding area is outside the Main Terminal on the lower level at curb 1D or 1F.

From Baltimore Washington International (B.W.I.) Airport: Taxi fare costs about $75. The SuperShuttle offers bus service for about $50 [shared van service]. Go to the lower level of the airport and follow signs to the Ground Transportation Desk and see the Guest Service Representative. If you arrive between 2:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., call (888) 826-2700.

From Reagan National Airport: Taxi fare costs $15-$25.

Gewirz Center Mailing Address:
Georgetown University Law Center
Foundations of American Law
Gewirz Student Center
120 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001 - 2031

Telephones: There are no telephones in the Gewirz apartments so students should arrange cell phone service. There is useful information about cell phone companies on the Foundations website. There are pay telephones on the 1st and 12th floors of Gewirz ; use pre-paid phone cards for long-distance and international calls.

The Foundations office can take emergency calls at (202) 662-9470 and send the message to your email account. Likewise, ORL can take emergency calls at (202) 662-9290.

Personal Expenses: We estimate your personal expenses (food, local transportation, and personal necessities) will be between $35.00 and $50.00 per day, depending on your level of spending. You may wish to budget additional money for shopping and entertainment. ATM machines are readily available.

Medical/Hospital Insurance: Medical care is not state-subsidized and can be costly. An initial visit to a physician may cost $100.00, one visit to the emergency room can cost several thousand dollars, and charges for laboratory fees and prescription medicine are extra.

Georgetown’s health insurance policy for the 2009-10 academic year begins August 15, 2009. Students planning to enroll in our policy need to arrange short-term “travel health” coverage until August 15.

Short-term health insurance policies students have used in the past include those arranged through STA (www.statravel.com), Harbour Group (hginsurance.com) or International Students Organization (email: iso@village.ios.com); you can find other providers on the world-wide-web or through a travel agency.

Neither the Foundations of American Law nor Georgetown University will assume financial responsibility for medical or hospital bills.

Weather & Clothing: Washington's summer weather can be extremely hot and humid. Occasionally we will have temperatures of 100° F (40° C) and high humidity. We suggest you bring lightweight clothing for days and a light jacket or sweater for evenings and early mornings. Gewirz Student Center apartments and classrooms are air conditioned, so bring clothing that will keep you comfortable in the cool classroom and hot, humid outdoors. We strongly recommend that you bring a sweater or jacket to class daily.

Casual attire is appropriate for classes but bring at least one business outfit for receptions and any professional visits. Also, we encourage students to wear “traditional” attire from home to our farewell dinner on Friday, August 7th.

Travel Outside the U.S. During Foundations or Before Your LL.M. Begins: Once you enter the U.S. on your student visa you are expected to remain in the U.S. until you enroll at Georgetown. Do not use your I-20 form to enter if you come early, [e.g. to arrange housing], and then return home or travel outside the U.S. Use your I-20 or DS-2019 only when you are entering the U.S. to begin Foundations. Please call us immediately if you have questions!

The organization that issued your I-20 form (Georgetown) or your DS-2019 form (Georgetown or another sponsor, such as Institute of International Education]) must give you a travel endorsement after your arrival if you plan to leave the U.S. during or after Foundations and before the beginning of your LL.M. program.

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CARRY THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR PASSPORT AND VISA DOCUMENTS WHEN YOU TRAVEL, SO YOU HAVE THE "TRAVEL FROM THE AIRPORT" INSTRUCTIONS AND THE GEWIRZ STUDENT CENTER ADDRESS, IF YOU ARE LIVING ON-CAMPUS.

Have a safe journey!