Dearest Husky Puppies,
The urban land of University of Washington welcomes you with flannel collars and wagging tails. As you dodge rabid Frisbee players and aggressive political campaigners, ahead awaits a Mecca of an institution. Here, you can do it all—find majors that’ll make you clap your paws, make friends that will run alongside you forever and even find the spots to snooze on campus that’ll lessen your chance of making it onto UW Sleepyheads. But, dear Husky Pups, we didn’t learn how to be big dawgs without tripping over our eager paws a few times too many. We know you’re excited to run off into your journey but first, here’s some advice from your elders. Read it, don’t eat it– and we can’t wait to see you.
All our best,
The Elder Dawgs
Dip Your Paws Into Community
“Find a smaller community within UW and join it—A club, major, team, anything. Being involved in a community that you feel like you belong to can make all the difference.” -LaDonne Pallanck, Class of 2016
“It’s so important to join clubs! Pick something that reflects your interests and has an opportunity for you to be a leader. I joined Russian-American Youth Association at the UW to get more in touch with my heritage. Less than a year later I’ve become one of the officers for the club. Most importantly, the people I’ve met there are like family to me!” -Mariya Demyashkevich, Class of 2017
“Join intramurals. Whether you were the star football player on your high school team or never touched a ball in your life the memories you make on the field as you go for the coveted IMA Champion T-shirts will be great ones. As for my favorite intramural… inner tube basketball: See you in the pool this winter!” -Ellie Phillips, Class of 2016
“Coming to UW, I knew I was interested in learning about education and early childhood development. I was introduced to an organization called Jumpstart where UW students work with preschool students from low-income backgrounds. I have been able to learn a variety of new skills in my area of study and skills that have helped me through my daily life. I have also made some amazing friends that I may have never met if I had not joined this organization.” – Brenna Sullivan, Class of 2016
Run and Learn Freely, Little Puppies
“Explore all different classes; don’t major in something you think you are supposed to, pick a major that you are genuinely interested in! A career comes from passion, hard work, and competence, not a line on your diploma.” -Brooke Hannah, Class of 2017
“Your passion will take you farther than your grade point average. You don’t have to do everything, just find and excel in what you’re passionate about.” -Minji Jung, Class of 2016
“Don’t be afraid to explore different majors when starting college! Explore the arts, humanities, sciences, whatever else appeals or seems unfamiliar to you. The subjects you were good at in high school may be different from what you’d actually enjoy learning about at the UW.” -Jenny Nguyen, Class of 2016
Just Some Dawggone Good Advice
“Here’s some advice: lock your bike up. Not just the front wheel, not just the back wheel… you gotta’ lock the whole thing up because the bike thieves of UW are crafty little buggers.” – Lizzy Jessup, Class of 2016
“There’s nothing better than spreading 12 academic quarters (4 years) over a 5 year period. UW allows you to take a quarter off without any repercussions, so long as you return to UW the following quarter.* By taking a quarter off here and there, you can spend time interning in Seattle, traveling and getting a better sense of how you want to spend your time.” -Lauren Mittelman, Class of 2017
*(This is a university-wide rule, but check with your academic department for planning details for your major or program.)
“As you get older the decisions you make are going to be increasingly based off of other people or certain goals, but this is one of the few times in your life when you can make decisions for yourself, factoring in almost nothing else. Whether it’s finding a way to make that study abroad trip happen or simply buying tickets to a concert you’ve been wanting to go to. Whatever it is, do what you can to gain that experience you need or want in this moment of your life and you’ll never regret it!” -Sheila McClung, Class of 2016
