University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

If you're in the 300 student Chemistry class, chances are the professor will not know you, but after introductory courses, the classes shink to no more than 60, in most cases less than 30, and there are some TAs and professors who make a marked point to lean everyone's name.

Amazing opportunities. You can really take any class you want in any department, perfect for those who have no idea what they want to do.

The quality of academics at UW continue to surprise me. I find myself constantly impressed by my professor's credentials. While NYU was another school I was considering--well, I pretty much have ended up getting the NYU education considering two of my professors recently transferred from there.

Everyone is competitive. This is a great school and deserves the name of public Ivy.

Professors here do not know you by name, you are in large classrooms the first 2 years, some greater than 600 students, the advantage is you can blend and be an adult learner, the disadvantage is that you have to be a self-starter and be very motivated to do well because nobody is keeping track of your academics

Do professors know your name?: The entire organic chemistry dept. probably knows my name. My ochem1 final was quite memorable. I was asked to name two molecules and answered "Harold" and "Kumar". I got progressively creative after that. Tell us about your favorite class. Least favorite?: Favorite is Undergraduate research (OFF campus thank god). Least favorite is physics. How often do students study?: Enough to pass from what I've seen. Is class participation common?: Nope. Professors talk and students take in the information. It's a big school what did I expect? Do Washington students have intellectual conversations outside of class?: No. I try but there's just no interest. Unless you count which frat is having the better keg party "intellectual". Are students competitive?: Not really. What's the most unique class you've taken?: It's now called "intro to global health". A bunch of professionals in varied fields talk about their experiences out-of-country. Never the same week-to-week. Tell us about your major / department.: Ask someone else. I'm stuck doing so many prerequirements I haven't taken a class in my dept yet. I've been here a year and was as a community college for three years prior. Do you spend time with professors outside of class?: No but my physics prof does offer "lunch at the union building". One prof out of nine isn't bad I guess... How do you feel about Washington 's academic requirements?: Fine if you can learn by their system. I still haven't figured it out. Is the education at Washington geared toward getting a job, or learning for its own sake?: I'd say a mix of the two.

Being an EDGE student I thought that I would be pushed asside and nobody would really pay that much attention to what I did. I figured I could just float by unnoticed by the staff and professors. Actually this is not the case at all. The professors are great about delivering the same education to me as they do to every other student. I spend a lot of time with the professors outside of class due to my location and they are always very helpful on the phone and through e-mail.

The T.A.s are really nice and try to learn everyone's name by the first week. The professors, on the other hand, won't know you unless you come in for office hours. The nice thing is that professors and T.A.s are regularly available for help or discussion outside of class or via e-mail. In language classes, participation counts for a lot of the class work. In some of the big lecture classes, it's easy enough to skip class and just do the reading. It really depends on the class.

Beginning classes for freshman and sophomores are all very large. Many classes are between 200-500. Once you get into your major classes they range from 30-60. Students at UW are very competitive. Many classes in the Foster Business School are graded on a curve which sets students against each other. Professors are all very friendly and make time to meet with students outside of class. The business school is very geared towards getting a job and local companies spend lots of time recruiting students. Classes are hard though and require lots of time and effort.

Yes. Teachers are usually great here. There is a real dichotomy between classes quality. Instructors have office hours and you feel that they really need to get back to their research. After all, I think keeping their position means being published.