The University of Washington is big in a lot of ways; one of those ways is the vast number of courses (and other opportunities) offered each quarter for you to choose from. How best to wade through the Time Schedule and find the gems you're looking for to make the most of your time each quarter?
The direction from which you approach answering this question depends a bit on where you are in your time here (e.g., undecided freshman versus graduating senior) and what your short- and long-term goals are (e.g., find a major; prepare for graduate school; have Fridays off). This website will explore some of the things to think about when choosing courses.
Premajors
If you have a major identified, investigate the requirements and start working on prerequisites and required sequences. This is especially crucial in the majors with long sequences, like science, engineering, and language majors. If you have interest in several majors, take introductory courses to try them out. If you're not sure of your major, explore your interests by taking a course or two in possible majors of interest. If you're thinking at all about a science major, consider taking a math or introductory science course.
One nice way to do all of the above and start off with a great connection to the UW is to sign up for a Freshmen Interest Group (FIG).
You might also consider taking the Navigating Career Options course offered by the Career Center.
Declared Majors
Obviously, you'll want to be aware of your major requirements and work toward them. Use the List of Majors, Department Homepages, or run a degree audit (DARS) to find out more about the requirements for your major. Also, work closely with your department adviser to be sure you're not missing out on any special opportunities in the department.
Students Preparing for Graduate or Professional Programs
Many students want to prepare to enter a graduate or professional program after the bachelor's degree. If you are interested in pre-med, or another professional program that requires a number of specific courses for application (including dentistry and veterinary medicine), you may spend as many credits on this preparation as you do on your major. These credits, at least the ones that don't count toward your major or your general education requirements, will be electives.
There are advisers in the Gateway Center that specialize in preparation for professional programs. For more on this topic, visit the pre-professional programs website.
Students Whose Native Language is Not English
... may be required to take English Language (ESL) courses.All Students
- Work on General Education Requirements, like English Composition, Writing courses, Foreign Language, and the Areas of Knowledge.
- Consider taking advantage of one or more of the outstanding outside the classroom opportunities detailed on the Opportunities website. Many of these activities (including research and internships) are credit-bearing.
- Check out the Tools for Finding Courses site.
- Look at the Course Load page to get an idea of how many is too many credits.
