Check out the first in a series from student blogger Hannah,聽a 91探花junior studying Marketing and English聽who聽is also involved with the American Marketing Association and . When not pitching, writing or editing UWSL blog posts, she’s probably making PowerPoint presentations for a case competition or ordering a vanilla latte on the Ave.
Hey there, Class of 2021! Congratulations on becoming the next generation of Huskies. You鈥檝e written your admissions essays, finally got your acceptance letter, attended your A&O聽and聽celebrated the start of fall quarter with Freshman聽Convocation and聽Dawg Daze. However, despite that excitement, you might be feeling just a little bit of nerves or butterflies鈥攖otally normal. Don鈥檛 worry, we鈥檝e all been there. Everyone鈥檚 time at 91探花is different, but here are 21 tips and tricks to help you make the most of your first year at UW.
- Get to know your campus. No one wants to be 鈥渢hat freshman鈥� wandering around with a map, so if you鈥檙e a little disoriented at first, just use the All the building names鈥攁nd directions鈥攁re right at your fingertips (plus no one can tell you鈥檙e checking the route to Bagley, not the latest Insta stories). When not headed to class, take the time to explore 91探花using : hunt for the best views, quietest study spots, or comfiest chairs. Check out the 91探花Farm, newly renovated Denny Hall, or the driving range by North Campus. Being comfortable and confident in your surroundings can go a long way towards feeling more comfortable and confident in college.
- Take advantage of your UPASS. One of the best things about being a Husky is our wonderful city鈥攁nd the unlimited bus and light-rail rides we get to use to explore it. Whether you鈥檝e been born and raised in Seattle or are from across the country (or from another country!) there鈥檚 so much to still discover and explore. Each neighborhood has its own unique atmosphere and hidden treasures, so go find them! Search your phone鈥檚 app store for One Bus Away and the Metro KC Trip Planner to help plan your trips and stay up to date on bus schedules.
- Speak up in class or quiz section. It鈥檒l challenge you to engage more in the material and help you understand the concepts, which will be super helpful when you鈥檙e faced with your first midterm. It can be nervewracking to volunteer in front of the whole class or ask a clarifying question, but it can really set you apart to your professor or TA. If you鈥檙e feeling self-conscious, you can just raise your hand for answers you know are right to help boost your confidence and build up to speaking in class more often. Joining into discussions in classes like ENGL 111 are even easier鈥攋ust share your thoughts! Whether participation is part of your grade or not, contributing can make a huge difference in your GPA.
- Form study groups. If you鈥檙e in a FIG, you already know a bunch of people taking some (or all) of your classes! If you鈥檙e not, strike up conversation with people around you in class and see if they鈥檇 be interested in studying together. Chances are, they will be.
- And sit in the front of the classroom to help you pay attention.
- Be yourself! Yes, this is the cheesiest advice ever, but it鈥檚 clich茅 for a reason: it鈥檚 true. Toning down your personality can actually make it harder to connect with people鈥攕o wear your favorite concert tee or mention you were a high school volleyball champ. You never know who might want to see a show or spike a few balls at the IMA with you.
- Build relationships with your professors. They’re here to help you learn, encourage you, and make sure you’re really understanding the class. If you’re in a 600-person lecture and talking to the prof is too intimidating, try getting to know your TA instead.
- Find a balance. There鈥檚 so much to do, but remember to take time for yourself. Try to get a good night鈥檚 sleep and schedule time for a little R&R, like taking a or picking up a novel you鈥檝e been meaning to read. It鈥檚 okay to turn down an invite every now and then or skip an event.
- Use your unlimited Google Drive storage space!聽Not only will it help keep your hard drive from filling up, your files will be available anywhere, meaning you don鈥檛 need add your laptop to your overstuffed backpack just to print something at Ode. You鈥檒l even be able to easily access them on your phone! If the worst happens and your computer crashes or battery needs to be replaced, you won鈥檛 lose any important files鈥攐r time. Just log in to your 91探花email account, then use the menu in the upper right hand corner to navigate to Google Drive. through 91探花IT Connect.
- Try to resolve conflict with your roommate instead of just 鈥減owering through it鈥� and complaining to your friends in private. Roommate agreements exist for a reason, but if something pops up that鈥檚 been bugging you, speak up about it! Learning how to handle these kinds of situations now will help you deal with conflict later in life.
- Get to know your RA. They went through freshman year already so their perspective can be really valuable, and you should feel comfortable stopping by their room with questions or concerns! If you鈥檙e not living on campus, remember that your advisers and staff in the Commuter Commons are also great resources to turn to.
- Attend campus events. AS 91探花is constantly hosting events, UW鈥檚 900+ student clubs and organizations bring in speakers and host other events weekly, and definitely keep an eye out for spring quarter鈥檚 TEDx 91探花conference for a serious dose of inspiration. If you live in the dorms, make sure you take advantage of all the events hosted by Housing & Food Services on campus, even if they鈥檙e not in your particular building. Try out movie nights in Alder Auditorium, DIY craft sessions for succulent terrariums or tassel banners, or cooking tutorials at Local Point.
- Cheer for the Huskies! While you have to buy Dawg Pack (or individual) tickets for Football and Men鈥檚 Basketball, you can attend ALL other sporting events for free, like Volleyball, Gymnastics, Tennis, Rowing, Soccer, Women鈥檚 Basketball鈥� Going to a game, race, or meet together is a great way to hang out with people during the first few weeks of school or a fun escape from wind, rain, and studying come winter quarter.
- Ask for help. The (CLUE), your professors and TA鈥檚, and the exist to support you.聽For help more specific to your majors or classes, there鈥檚 also the , the 鈥he list goes on and on. Do some research to make sure you鈥檙e aware of all the resources you have available.
- Have backup classes ready when you go to register and make sure you write down their SLNs beforehand in case you have to make a quick adjustment to your schedule. (SLNs, or 鈥淪tudent Line Numbers鈥� are the 5 digit codes for each class on UW鈥檚 MyPlan or Time Schedule. Each lecture has a slightly different SLN, so be careful!) 聽Some classes are harder to get into than others, and having a plan B will save you so much stress if you don鈥檛 get into the lectures you want at 6 am on registration day.
- Take photos. Even if it鈥檚 just changing your Snapchat setting to save your story to camera roll automatically or taking a random pic of your friends at dinner, a picture is worth a thousand words.
- Write it down. Jot down memories and quotes in a blog, a journal, or even in the notes app on your phone. You鈥檒l be grateful later that these moments are saved.
- Make healthy choices. It鈥檚 easy to default to grabbing Pagliacci鈥檚 or the alfredo pasta from Orin鈥檚 for dinner every night, but don鈥檛 forget to pick up a salad or smoothie every once in a while. Stop by the dorm gyms or IMA, or try jogging and biking on the beautiful Burke-Gilman trail. Make sure you鈥檙e drinking water, too! There are refilling stations for your water bottle all around campus.
- Don鈥檛 stress if you lose touch with some of your high school best friends. It鈥檚 totally normal. That said, try to make time for the relationships you want to hold on to, even if it鈥檚 just a quick 鈥渢hinking of you!鈥� text or sending a care package right before finals week. A little can go a long way.
- And don鈥檛 worry if you don鈥檛 find your college best friends right away either.
- Fail forward. This is a catchphrase at 91探花for a reason. No matter how well you prepare, how hard you try, or how carefully you follow the last 19 tips, you will most likely experience failure at some point here before you graduate. Don鈥檛 be afraid of mistakes! Learn from them, grow from them, and you will be better because of them. Learn strategies to move forward from failures in and out of the classroom, find helpful resources, and check out stories of others鈥� biggest face plants 鈥� including from some of UW鈥檚 most renowned faculty, staff and your fellow students 鈥� by visiting the .
Have a聽question, comment or an聽idea for a future blog? Email us at聽dawglife@uw.edu.