Congratulations if you have received an offer of admission! We love this time of year, witnessing so many people make a decision that will literally change the course of their life – and perhaps that of history. However, receiving an offer can be overwhelming for many. Lots of information will come your way, and it can be confusing knowing what to do in the interim, how to not miss deadlines, and how to maximize your efforts prior to the start of term. Here is a short step-by-step on how to proceed once you receive an offer of admission.
- Accept your offer. Your offer letter includes detailed information about immediate next steps. These include paying your acceptance deposit and ordering official transcripts. There is a lot of information in the offer letter, so we encourage you to read through it carefully.
- Wait, but please do not ignore your email. Once we have received your deposit, we need to process your acceptance on our end, so there won’t be much you need to do – or can do – for a bit. We will add you to our incoming 1L listserv, through which you will receive communication from the UVic Faculty of Law. You may not get much information at first, but it’s really important that you stay up to date with all of the emails that you receive, as important information will come to you via email, and only via email.
- Make sure you have a good system for tracking important information. Important information will start to come to your email via the listserv. This will include information about registration, housing, financial aid, scholarships, clubs, student services, and more. It’s important that you have a method of filing, reviewing, extracting, and processing information you get in these emails.
- Know what you will not have to do. Some of the information you will receive via email will be about registration. All incoming first-year students will be enrolled for their classes through our Student Services team. First-year students all take the same core courses, which can be found here. What this means is that you do not have to register for courses. It will be done for you. Likewise, most – but not all! – scholarships are considered from the initial application process; no additional application is required. Information about scholarships that you actively have to apply for will come to you via email, and you will have plenty of time to put together a stellar application for them if you wish.
- Know what is your responsibility – and plan! Things like paying for school and finances, housing, relocation paperwork (especially if moving provinces or countries) are your responsibility. While there are some thing you cannot do until summer (neither student loans nor UVic Law bursary applications are open until June), there are other things you can research and plan out.
- Check out the Dean’s Welcome event on March 11! Every year, we host applicants to whom an offer has been made for a meet and greet with representatives of UVic Law – current students, alumni, faculty, staff, and student support services will all be present to answer questions and chat. It’s a great opportunity to check out UVic Law, campus, and Victoria. The invitation should come to you along with your offer via email.