Experience in University of Washington, United States by Anna

Generally, what is University of Washington like?

The University of Washington (UW) is a little bit north of central Seattle, in Washington State. One of the things most people notice about it is that it's a really big school--the campus is huge, although in the neighbourhood around the campus there are a lot of cool shops and cafes and places to eat. That said, there are also a lot of students--which actually made it hard for me to make friends at first, (as funny as that may sound) because sometimes it seems like everyone is in a hurry and super busy. But it gets easier. I think it's a great university.

Are the lessons easy in University of Washington?

It really depends on the course. Generally, I would say not really. For example, for my history class, we had weekly short writing assignments where we were assigned topics based on readings we had to complete. I've taken several language classes (Russian and Polish) and they moved at a very quick pace.

Does the University organise activities? If so, what are they like?

Yes, lots. I'm not the best person to tell you about them because I'm not generally involved in a lot of clubs, but if that's what you like, I'm pretty sure you can find a club that suits your interest. And especially in the spring there are always little events and student fairs going on around campus.

Do you think there is a good quality of teaching?

Yes, definitely. All the professors I've had have been very willing to help whenever I had problems. Also for instance, I had a professor for a history class that was happy to help me with my own outside research that was not directly related to the class. However, like any school, there are better and worse professors, and I think I've just been really lucky with my classes. No University is perfect :)

Are there any stories you can share?

So I started at the UW in the winter, and not the autumn like is traditional (some universities in the USA have three terms--autumn, winter and spring). Because of this it was hard coming in because some classes are taught in a sequence with prerequisites. However, the advisors in my major (Slavic Languages) really went out of their way to help me get my classes sorted and help me take tests that would place me in the correct language classes, so I was really grateful for their help. :)