Washington: The Big Picture
It rains.
A lot.
So bring a rain jacket.
And don't wear flip-flops when it rains because you will fall every time you try to talk on the bricks. And there are a lot of bricks at UW.
School pride is really huge.
Everyone loves to sport the purple and gold.
Even if we don't always win....
The city of Seattle is awesome.
There are a million different districts, so you're bound to find an area you love.
U District is all about the young college kids, you can go downtown to shop or eat good food, or head to Capital Hill to have an experience you're sure to remember...
Washington Academic Life
Classes can get really big.
And in lectures, only the weird teachers take the time to learn everyone's name.
So 99% of the time, you can skip and nobody will ever notice / care.
Take your time to decide what classes you want to take.
Just because somebody says it was "easy" does not mean it actually is.
Engineering 100 was an AWESOME class.
A good class to get you used to college.
There are a lot of resources at this school too.
You can go to office hours with your teacher, study groups, there are job fairs all the time, and a club for just about any and every interest / hobby.
Washington's Student Body
THe campus is diverse.
Really diverse.
Mostly white and asian, but there is also a good representation of black, hispanic, and indian students.
A lot of religions and religious groups too.
And all sexual orientations are welcome.
And I think that there are a lot of rich, spoiled people here too, but that could be because I have the responsibility of paying for my own college and it kills me to see people take it for granted when someone else is paying it for them..
Washington Student Activities + Social Life
I lived in the dorms freshman year.
It was one of the best experiences i have ever had, but i got lucky.
Many people end up hating their roommates. And the dorms can get really over-crowded.
I went Greek because I wanted the opportunity to be a part of a smaller community that is always doing things and giving back. It has also been an amazing opportunity.
There are always events on cmapus too. Free movies, free guest speakers (the Dalai Lama came recently), sporting events are VERY popular, there are all sorts of plays and movies in nearby theaters.
If you think you have nothing to do, you're just being lazy.
It's easy to find things.
There are a lot of parties. Both in the Greek community and at houses in U District. And I have never felt unsafe at any of them.
Washington Naked Truth
UW pretty much kicks ass.
I couldn't have picked a better school to spend my four years at.
I love this place and will be proud to tell future employers where I graduated from.
Don't feel scared if you don't do well in a class or two. College is hard. It's not high school. But it'll get easier as you become more comfortable with it all.
Get out and make friends. Don't wait for them to come to you. Every freshman is starting at the same time and it's new to all of you. Just have fun.
