University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

The intellectual atmosphere at the University of Washington, I guess, varies between departments and majors. Let's face it, the UW is not MIT or Caltech, where even an 'average' student is as intellectually driven as the top of the cream. Regular students here are, well, regular. Some departments (such as engineering, the medical school, music, architecture, etc) are more competitive than the others. My department has a really close-knit and small student body. We help each other. But I heard that in some of the larger departments (such as Electrical Engineering), the competition is cut-throat. Professors obviously know my name. I'm a research assistant, and I have to interact on a regular basis with my advisor. Our department is actually quite strong in research. As far as teaching is concerned, however, it depends on the instructors. Some professors seem to make research their only purpose being a proffesor that they could care less about teaching. Some professors care about teaching, but, most, especially non-tenured ones, don't. It is also important, I think, for me to mention that teaching quality is not at all considered when the board is making a decision whether to give tenure to a faculty member. It's all about the number of papers they've published and the amount of money they have brought to the department during the non-tenured period (the first six years). Thus, I think it's just natural that they want to save their own behind by putting as much effort as possible into research and bringing grants... most of the times at the expense of the students of the classes they're teaching.

not as good as they want you to think

My program is Urban Studies, and we have really accessible professors. We call all of our professors by their first names in my program. Class participation is always encouraged. University of Washington is a reputable college, so we are held to a very high academic standard, the work is not easy.

DO THE HONORS PROGRAM IF YOU CAN. I did not apply when I had the chance, but I did squeeze into the honors portion of Calculus last year. The classes are smaller, the prof is amazing (at least mine was, and that is the general consensus of all honors teachers), and the students are ALIVE and willing to learn much more than your average lecture. If I could do anything over again, it would be to apply to the Honors Program. After all, what harm can come from just applying?

At the University of Washington, academics is what you make of it. You can take the easy road or you can really challenge yourself. The choice is up to you as to which classes you take and how involved you are with your classes. I've taken some "easy" classes at the University of Washington. One in particular, ESS 101 or "Rocks for Jocks", is deemed to be incredibly easy; however, I learned far more in Rocks for Jocks than my physics classes. I participated in class, actively took notes...participated in lab section. For me it was a fun experience and i learned a lot. Physics, on the other hand, was a painful experience. I did barely enough to get by. In the end, I attributed how much I learned in each class to the professors. If the professor is dull and reads from a text book, as in the physics classes, I found that I did not learn nearly as much...I didn't engage in class. Luckily, at the University of Washington, there are several sections of each class so you can choose which professor you want. You're kind of on your own in the large freshman-sophomore pre-req classes, but on the plus side, there are plenty of students who have taken our class before and can recommend professors and help you along the way. Once I got into my major, the picture changed dramatically. The professors were infinitely better and there is a general feeling of comradery. In the Aeronautics and Astronautics department, it doesn't matter which professor I have, they are all great. Class time is usually filled with active discussions and the professors pose interesting questions to fuel discussion and provide insight. They are extremely helpful and you can come to them anytime you want for additional help or just to chat.

Like i mentioned above, i thought that i would never meet my professors, but i actually went to their office hours every single time they had one and they ended up knowing my name. During the first quarter i went to my math professor about three times a week, and we became really close. At the end of the quarter, i gave her a warm hug good-bye, and with all her help, i ended up with a 4.0 in the class! i never thought it was impossible to ace a class in college, but she helped me believe in myself; she encouraged me every time i saw her and i ended up doing well in her class. So far i thought math class was ok, i don't love math, but it's not as bad as we all think it is. i feel that calculus in college is WAY easier than in high school! (i never took calculus in high school but a lot of my friends complain a lot back then and now a lot of them say they understand it better...). i also thought i would dread the three hour chemistry labs - but i ended up enjoying labs the most in my chemistry class. My least favorite class is probably the english classes because i had to write a paper every week! it was tiring and each topic was not in my interest so i had a harder time writing. Although you may think that you finally get away with participation once you go to college, you are WRONG!! english classes are based on participation. Large lectures don't require any participations, but smaller classes of about 40 and under are based on participation.

The academics at UW is challenging yet rewarding. Our proffesors pushes us to understand the topics and how it may work in the real business world. I really like all of my classes. Even in certain classes where my GPA was damaged not from my lack of understand but from working with classmates who did not fulfilled their part. But working on the right team does enhance my knowledge.

Classes are huge in terms of lecture but with the broken down quiz sections with T.A.'s you can get a personal feel. It really shrinks down the campus size.

I don't like the class sizes of the sciences. Too big, and most of the teachers suck. Apart from the foreign language teachers (who really do care) the other teachers have barely any interaction with the students. :(

most departments are pretty competitive to get into