It is officially the season of college acceptance! From campus lifestyle and dining hall food quality to dorm life and course programs, there are countless factors that go into deciding which school is right for you. For the majority of people, a key factor is whether or not they get their intended major.
At the University of Washington specifically, the major system can be rather tedious. With highly sought-after programs such as Computer Science, Business Administration, and Informatics, direct-to-major admission plays a huge role in figuring out if UW is right for you.
As a direct admit (DA) to the Informatics program, I wanted to share some tidbits that I wish someone had told me before I started my freshman year here at UW.
- You are going to feel stupid
-
One of the biggest perks of being a DA is that you are able to take the higher level Info courses early. However, in classes made up of mostly upperclassmen, it is going to be difficult to keep up with your peers. Within the major, there are countless niche pieces of information and experiences that you are not going to know or have as a DA. Because of that, you may not meet the expectations of your professor or your classmates at first. Trust me when I say that it’s not your fault, it’s just that you haven’t had enough experience to figure those things out.
- Imposter Syndrome is SO real
-
I cannot tell you how many times I have sat in class or been talking to people in my major and just felt so out of place. While it is a huge accomplishment to get into your major as a DA, it can leave you feeling more privileged when you see how much work people have put into their major applications, but you deserve to be there just as much as them! You put in the work and earned your place as a DA, so don’t feel too intimidated by your peers!
- Everything will work out in the end
-
I know something I was super unsure about was whether or not Informatics was even the right major for me. It’s scary to think that maybe I was wrong when I put it down as my first-choice major. Actually getting my major added a layer of fear because of how competitive it can be on campus. It took almost a year, but I’ve gotten comfortable with the idea of changing my major. After all, what better time to explore and discover new career paths than in college?
While there are several other things I would also like to share, I’ll keep the list at this for now. To all the new DAs, I wish you all the best, and congrats on your acceptance!