Finding community and knowing where to start to get involved on campus can be challenging. The University of Washington is home to many different communities.
Below are some opportunities and resources we’d recommend checking out to begin!
Navigating your college experience
Utilize the first year, second year and/or transfer advising guides for helpful tips on what you may want to check in on each quarter. These guides can help you feel on track and support you in maximizing your college experience. The first year advising guide also provides a list and description of the main resources utilized on campus. If you are not sure of what support is available to you, check it out!
Major preparation timeline
Most students will declare a major at the end of their second year or beginning of their third year of college.
It is highly recommended to spend your first year exploring different majors. Here are some ways you can do this:
In your second year, you will want to start narrowing in on your majors of interest and make sure you have enough time to complete any prerequisite classes.
It is highly recommended to plan to apply for more than one major to help broaden your options for study in the future. Many majors at UW have a competitive admissions process. Having a plan for multiple majors will support you in declaring a major at the appropriate time.
How many courses should I take?
Full-time enrollment for students is between 12-18 credits per quarter. If you are utilizing financial aid, are an international student, or are part of another academic program that requires full-time enrollment, you must register for at least 12 credits per quarter.
What is a credit?
You earn credit by completing courses. In general, one credit represents one hour in class per week. Many UW courses are 5 credits, and meet around 5 hours per week. Most UW bachelor degrees require 180 credits. If you take 15 credits per quarter and attend three quarters per year (Fall, Winter, and Spring), in four years you will have completed 180 credits.
How much time will I spend studying/doing homework for class?
College courses require much more study time than high school courses. In general, courses require around two hours of homework for every hour of class. So, a 15-credit class schedule should end up taking about 45 hours of time per week (15 hours of class time, plus 30 hours of homework).
If classes last an hour, how much time do I have to get to the next class? Is every class an hour long?
Most classes are 50 minutes long, so you will have 10 minutes to get to your next classroom if you have two classes scheduled back to back. Some classes meet for longer than 50 minutes, especially lab sections. Some classes meet for two long sessions each week instead of five hour-long sessions. You will want to look at the specific schedule for each class to see how it is structured.
How do I find classes based on General Education Requirements (A&H, SSc, NSc etc)?
The MyPlan course search tool can help you find open general education courses that are open and are at the time you need. For example, if you want to take an Social Science (SSc) course, but don’t know exactly which one, you can search for all open SSc courses between selected times and find out all your options.
Is there a set standard for assigning grades?
No. Each instructor determines what standards to use in a particular class. Some instructors may give a 4.0 grade to all students they think have done excellent work in the class, even if that's a substantial percent of the entire class. Other instructors grade on a bell curve, which means that more students end up with a grade in the middle, while a smaller percent receive either a very high or very low grade. The course syllabus, an outline of what's assigned and expected for the quarter, should be distributed the first week, and will include information on grading standards in the course.
How important are grades?
It depends on how you intend to use them. If you plan to attend graduate or professional school, you'll need high grades (among many other considerations) to get into better schools. Chances are, though, your future won't hinge on your getting a 3.83 rather than a 3.62 GPA, or other similar, small numerical differences.
When will I register for classes?
Each quarter you attend the UW. There are three quarters in the academic year (autumn, winter, and spring), plus summer quarter if you wish to attend then as well. Courses you register for last only one quarter (normally 10 weeks plus finals). You register for the next quarter about halfway through the current quarter; so, if you are starting school in autumn, you'll register for winter quarter about halfway through autumn. Your registration date is based on your class standing and the registration date will appear in MyUW. You can also find your registration date by looking at the UW Academic Calendar.
Degrees earnedBachelor Of Arts (Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences) '05
What Being First Generation MeansBeing a First Generation College Student means the world to me. I grew up watching shows like “A Different World” and “The Cosby Show” that were the only shows that portrayed black and brown folks in a positive, academic, successful and professional light. I knew that was what I wanted to do. They promoted the fact that knowledge is for everyone, information is a resource and available to everyone.
I didn’t have anyone in my family that went to college or even attempted to make the jump into higher education. So I was proud to be the first, but not the last. I think I helped open the door to what was once seen as an impossibility in my family. And I am so glad UW is a part of that story.
Advice to current studentsStay focused, don’t listen to the people that told you that you can’t complete the program in the timeline you’ve set for yourself. I would say it gets easier, just keep pushing through. All the hard work is worth it in the end. And we were built to do hard things, nothing is impossible and you were born to be great!
