5 Things UW Seniors Wish They'd Known Sooner

The UW College of Arts & Sciences asked seniors from across the College what they wish they'd known when they started at the University of Washington. Our students had plenty of advice to share! Here's some of what they had to say:

1.  SAMPLE THE BUFFET 

“I wish I’d explored the course catalog more. One of the many benefits of going to a large school is the number and diversity of courses offered. I would advise freshmen to really explore what’s offered and not be too focused on filling certain requirements. There are some amazing courses and you may find something you really love.”   —  Payton Wagner, Cinema and Media Studies major 

2.  LEARN HOW YOU LEARN 

“It’s okay to take time to find out how you study best. You have four years (more or less) to improve and get used to the new environment. What’s important is to spend the beginning of your time here trying to find out what works best for you. It can help to seek out professors and extra academic resources to figure this out."   — Lauren Miller, Neurobiology major

3.  TRY OUT RESEARCH 

 “Have the confidence to explore multiple research opportunities, to see what type of work you enjoy and find meaningful. Just because you find a topic interesting in the classroom, it doesn’t necessarily translate to something you’d enjoy doing as a career .”   — Adair Warren, Microbiology major 

4.  DEFINE YOUR OWN PATH 

“Your major doesn't define your career path. I have seen friends stress because they believe they have to get into X major to do X job, but you can leverage many different degrees to get to where you want to be. I'm an Economics major going into a marketing job at Microsoft post-graduation. I know communications majors becoming consultants, and math majors becoming developers. Don't fixate on ‘the path.’ Define your own.” — Bo Goodrich, Economics major 

5.  FIND YOUR COMMUNITY  

“As an underrepresented minority on campus, I wish I’d known where the Intellectual House and Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center were located. These are important places for us, and it is a good place to find community.”   — Maya Esquivido, American Indian Studies major

AND 5 MORE...

6. SEEK OUT ADVISERS

"I wish I knew how helpful advisers are when trying to make decisions about classes, study abroad, internships, or pretty much anything related to your college career and life beyond."  — Andrew Baron, Geography major

7.  BE OPEN-MINDED ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS

"You may not find a group of friends you really fit with right away, and that’s okay! It’s important to put yourself out there and meet new people, even if they aren’t the ones you will be hanging out with for the next four years. There are so many amazing people at UW; eventually you will find the ones you click with."   — Alder Strange, Biochemistry, Psychology, and Musical Theater majors

8.  SEE OFFICE HOURS AS OPPORTUNITIES

"I advise all students to go to at least one office hour in every class. Getting to know faculty is one of the best opportunities you have at this university. The entire faculty is so accomplished it is a great privilege to have access to so many of them."  — Lauren Miller, Neurobiology major

9. GET A JUMP ON CAREER PLANNING

"First-year students are very welcome to visit the Career and Internship Center and attend career fairs, even though they may not be sure what their future plans are. You never want to wait until the final quarter when the 'senior panic' hits." — Gloria Long, Psychology major

10.  TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR EDUCATION

"I wish I had realized that a student’s university experience is entirely driven by their own determination and motivation. All of your goals at the University — whether you want to study abroad, get an internship, participate in research with a professor, or find a community that shares your interests — are attainable if you are determined enough to pursue them."   — Jessica Niewohner, Law, Societies & Justice major