Dear Class of 2024,
It seems like just yesterday when I was in your shoes. It was just shy of a year ago when my family and I made our first visit to Seattle and the University of Washington, just after I had ecstatically received my purple and gold-colored acceptance packet. We excitedly booked campus and dorm tours, stocked up on Husky Gear at the University Bookstore, and even took an extra day off from school and work back in Denver just to see the Space Needle and Pike Place. When I finally found out that the University of Washington was going to be my future college, I could not wait to explore where I was about to live for the next four years, and I was even more impatient to finally start school itself! Now, as I watch the incoming class of 2024 get ready to embark on the same journey, I figured now would be a great time to share some tips and tricks that I discovered during my first year to help all of you excited new huskies get ready to make the most out of your freshman year of college too!
Attend events during Dawg Daze Week.
Dawg Daze is one of the easiest ways to meet new people before your classes even begin! Dawg Daze is a series of events during move-in week geared towards freshman students, designed to help you make new friends and get acquainted with the campus. Some of my favorite events during Dawg Daze week included the Carnival Night on Red Square, the Dance Party at the Odegaard Library, the RSO fair, and Glow in the Dark Yoga at the IMA! However, there are HUNDREDS of events to choose from, so I highly recommend making the most of Dawg Daze and attending at least one event. Grab your roomate, a stranger on your floor, or fly solo, and get ready to have some fun and make new friends!
Walk through campus before the first day of class.
Although this might sound totally boring, it’s a really good idea to get familiar with where your classrooms and buildings are before the first day! University of Washington is such a huge campus, and finding buildings (especially when you are stressed on the first day of class) is not fun at all! I made the mistake of avoiding this tip, and ended up spending 35 minutes during the first day trying to find my building, frantically hopping back and forth between Apple and Google maps on my phone, desperate to not be late to class. Don’t make this mistake, and plan your route beforehand! You can always grab a friend or someone you’d like to know better to go with you to make your trip more exciting.
Put yourself out there.
There are lots of ways to do this, however it’s important that you do! University of Washington is a HUGE school, and finding your community on campus will really help you to make the school feel like a home. Hang out in the common areas of your dorm, introduce yourself to your neighbors, join a new club, go Greek, or say hi to the person sitting next to you in class! Everyone is looking to make friends when they get to campus too, so this is a great time to foster new relationships, even if you are typically on the shy side (everyone else is a little shy and nervous when coming to college just like you)! That being said, don’t stress too much if you don’t find your group right away. This is totally normal, and especially at such a big school, it will never be too late to find the people that you jive with!
Make time for schoolwork.
This one is probably obvious (it’s college, duh). However, it’s super easy to get sidetracked with all of the fun new things that college has to offer (living in the same building as your best friends, club meetings, and being so close to a huge city) and to put your studies on the back burner. Make sure to schedule time for homework and studying throughout your day, and make use of your professors’ and TAs’ office hours if you need extra help!
Make the most out of every day.
As I sit in my bedroom back at my home and write this, I cannot even believe that my freshman year is already (practically) finished. Although my spring quarter was cut short, this school year went by faster than any other time of my life, and I am already sad to think that graduation is just a few years around the corner. From move-in week to my first day of classes, to my first midterm to Husky football games, from hanging out in the dorm with my roommate to going to UVille with my friends, college has been the time of my life. So be sure to savor every moment of it once you get here!
I am so excited for all of you new huskies to come and experience everything that the University of Washington has to offer! Welcome class of 2024!