University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Questions

It's a big school. This is good and bad. Be prepared for large classes, and seek out personal attention from professors if you need it. Classes are large enough that it's usually not offered. Campus is very large, with many interesting things to do. Find clubs or groups that share your passions; get involved! Work if you need to, but find time to enjoy being in college, not just time for work and homework.

I wish that I had known to stay active on campus and to not take any time for granted at college. During the fall quarter of my freshman year, I got so absorbed in my studies that I had forgotten to make the most of my college experience. It is important to recognize that college is far more than just classes and grades, but also an opportunity to get involved with your school and community. In short, make the most of your new adventure; join a club, go to sports events, and make experiences that will last you a lifetime.

To not be afraid. There are thousands of other freshmen just trying to figure out who they are at the exact same time. Don't be afraid to try something different, to dress however you feel and to act in a way that makes you comfortable. No one is looking at you and no one who matters cares. Even if you do make some sort of "scene," anyone who saw isn't going to remember at the end of the day, and if they do, it's because they're your best friend and you're awesome. Just do everything, because your responsibilities are as minimal as they will ever be again, you have the time, energy and naivety to do anything. So just do it.

I would have liked to know some of the students here first so that I could have gotten tips for when I was registering my first quarter, schedule tips & studying tips.

One of the most important aspects of college is lifestyle. Being from another state, adaptation to the lifestyle in another state becomes even more difficult. Seattle is an urban environmental-friendly state where the general means of transportation for college students is the bus. Luckily the metro system is advanced to the point where getting from class to class becomes easy. The routes created by the college keeps students close to everything they need. Especially with the weather, I wish was better prepared for getting around campus and have used the metro system more.

I wish that I didn't focus so much on getting a job because now that I have a job, I have no time to attend the many activities that are on campus because they are always planned during my work hours. I also wish I knew that many of the events are planned only a week in advance so it is hard to clear my schedule even if I wanted to go.

Community college does not compare to the difficulty level of the classes at this school. College level language (through 103 req'd to graduate) is much harder in college than it is in high school, so take your three years in high school to get out of this requirement! AP courses are a waste of time in my opinion, because the courses they substitute for are all low-level 100 courses that are much easier at the college level, however, AP courses look good on a transcript so...

Before coming to UW or even college in general I wish I had developed more effective study habits. High school was significantly easier for me than college therefore I had to learn the hard way that college does indeed require hours of studying and reviewing notes. Had I developed these study habits earlier I feel as though the transition from high school to college would have been smoother and I could have done better my first quarter.

How many people attend. How great it actually is both academically and socially.

I wish I would have known how different people were going to be, (based on the areas they came from). I prepared myself for people of different backgrounds, but I never would have guessed that there were so many. People from higher/lower class neighborhoods, geniuses, different religions, and ones that are politcally involved. I have met people I disagreed with , some that were accepting. I have met some of the best and worst people on this campus, but I would not change a bit of it because it opened my eyes to the world.