University of Washington - The Inside Scoop

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Facts

Slang

By George - The dining facility right by the George Washington statue.
Cluster - A group of dorm rooms sectioned off in their own space with their own bathroom.
Frat Row or Greek Row - 17th, the main drag of the Greek system.
George - The statue of George Washington right between Meany Hall and By George
IMA - Intramural Athletic Center.
Red Square - The big brick square with Kane and Suzzallo. It’s slippery when it rains.
The Ave. - University Avenue.
The Cut - The part of Lake Washington under the Montlake Bridge.
The Fountain - Drumheller Fountain.
The Husky Den - Where everybody goes for lunch.
The Mountain - Mt. Rainier, the one you can see from the fountain.
The Quad - The pretty rectangular area with brick buildings and a lawn with cherry trees on it.

Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School

Be ready for huge classes.
Don’t take any huge classes too early in the morning——nobody’s keeping track of you, and you’ll skip out a lot.
Know your options: Check out Early Fall Start and Outdoor Orientation.
Dorm rooms are absolutely miniscule. Expect the worst.
Dorm food is ultra-expensive. The Ave is way cheaper.
Rush isn’t binding. You can go for a day, then drop out.
Campus is hard to navigate at first——it’s good to have a map with you at all times.
Thursday is party night in the Greek system and on the Ave.
They’ve got bowling!
Just because you haven’t done homework on it doesn’t mean they can’t test you on it——do the reading.
Meet as many people as possible at the beginning of freshman year——everyone is friendliest at this time.
Career Discovery Week is really helpful no matter how old you are. The information is just as relevant for freshman as it is for seniors.

Tips to Succeed

If you want to live in the dorms (especially freshman year), return your housing assignment as soon as possible. Competition for housing at UW is fierce, and it’s better to be timely.
Use your freshman year (and sophomore, too) to shop around for classes you like. Don’t be afraid to take a class that doesn’t coincide with your major. It might turn into your minor, or it may allow you to realize what you definitely don’t like, which can be very helpful.
Registration is at 6 a.m., which is painful, but it’s worse to sleep in and not get the classes that you need. Wake up, get your classes, and go back to sleep.
Become self-motivated. Don’t wait for something to happen—make it happen yourself.
Do the reading.
Go to class (it gets harder in college).
Do the homework.
Be realistic about your schedule. If you party until 4 a.m., don’t register for an 8:30 a.m. class.
Go to professors’ office hours. Nobody else does.
Get involved: Find a club, a student organization, or an intramural sports team. There’s too much going on on campus to miss out.
Enjoy your stay here because it goes really fast, and having a real job isn't half as nice as life in college.

Traditions

Drumheller Fountain - After Drumheller Fountain (the big fountain on campus usually filled with bird dung and other filth) gets cleaned periodically, students often go for a late-night swim and take advantage of the rare cleanliness.
The Boat Races - Many students often come out to the Montlake Cut on Lake Washington for the first crew races of the season.

School Spirit

School spirit rallies mainly around sports games. Huskies get completely decked out in purple and gold clothing, jewelry, makeup, and body paint to show their spirit. When UW kids get to the game, they find themselves not only cheering for a common favorite but also fostering a shared hatred for the opposing team. There is definitely no shortage of school pride at UW, but there is also a fair amount of resentment toward the UW, for whatever reasons. As with everything, there’s a large range in the student body. By looking at the population in the student section of a football game, the intensity of Huskies becomes clear. There’s a fairly large group of people who have closets stuffed full of Husky gear and devote themselves to being the first ones in line for any sporting event.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Emily Sugiyama
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: English/Women's Studies

There's a strong likelihood that Emily will be teaching ESL in Korea next year.

Contributing Author Internship

College Prowler is actively seeking talented students to be "Contributing Authors," and assist with updating the College Prowler guide to their school. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain internship experience, be a part of a nationally recognized company, gain tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college. Read more about the internship.

In Summary

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