University of Washington, Seattle
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Biochemistry
Minor: None
Student Self Identifies as: Caucasian Heterosexual Female
Summary
Pre-Dental Society – Delta Delta Sigma, Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, and Christian Student Association
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Public school in Bellevue, WA with a graduating class of about 400 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: Yes
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: None
Extracurricular Activities: Pre-Dental Society – Delta Delta Sigma, Minority Association of Pre-Health Students, and Christian Student Association
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I’m a commuter this year, so it’s hard for me to communicate with more people and find more friends. Being in the club helps expose me to different types of people.
Academic Experience
Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I have a lot of problem sets, I have lab every week for three hours, and we have exams every two weeks. Around 70% of our grades are from exams.
Is there anything you feel your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
They do a really good job of picking their T.A.’s. The T.A.’s are very helpful. We have quiz sections once a week where we get worksheets and problem sets and have the opportunity to get information and ask questions that we couldn’t ask during office hours.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
I think it’s more competitive than collaborative. Creating study groups can be difficult because people want to get better grades than each other, so it’s harder as a group than work individually. It’s like that because most of the classes are graded on a curve.
How accessible are your professors?
It depends on the classes, but overall, I feel like they’re accessible.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice so far?
I have a passion for chemistry specifically, but biology I’m not as passionate about. Biology is kind of built around chemistry. There are more labs involved in Biochemistry and there are more Chemistry courses in it, so I chose it.
Reasons to Attend
1) The school is very diverse. Everyone finds a place to belong. There are many different races and types of people. [About 40% of undergraduates are Caucasian, about 24% are Asian, and about 15% are international students.]
2) There are a lot of academic resources. There’s a tutoring center and lots of other options.
3) There are a lot of different majors to pick from.
4) There are three different campuses, UW – Seattle is the biggest, so if you don’t like UW – Seattle is too competitive or they don’t like the classes they can transfer to a different campus.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) It’s a really big school with a really big campus. [The undergraduate enrollment is about 31,000 students.]
2) The competitive atmosphere in some of the classes.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman & Sophomore: I commuted from home in Bellevue
Junior & Senior: I will live in an off-campus house
How is going to school in your hometown?
I like it because it’s very close to home. I have a hard time adapting to new environments, so I like that it didn’t really change anything.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in?
I don’t really do anything around the school. I spend that time resting, catching up on schoolwork, and hanging out with friends. Usually, my friends and I will just go out to dinner at a restaurant. We go out to catch up because we never have time during the school day because we’re so busy. We also go hiking and like to do stuff outside.
What is your favorite place to do outdoors activities?
We like to go hike Rattlesnake Mountain. If you drive around two hours there are some big hiking trails to go to. We also like to go to Twin Falls.
How happy are you with the options for weekend activities around UW? Is there anything you would change if you could?
There’s not a lot of weekend activities with UW, and I think there should be some more. For example, the clubs that I’m a part of don’t really do stuff around the weekends. I think there should be more stuff on the weekends because a lot of people are busy during the weekdays with their schoolwork.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I had a lot of friends from high school, so I stayed in contact with a lot of them. I’ve also met friends through studying in groups in my classes. You become close to them because they’re in the same major as you and you see them more often.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
There are a lot of opportunities to make new friends. Because it’s a big public university and there are a lot of diverse groups, I believe that everyone can find their own group or where they belong. [About 40% of undergraduates are Caucasian, about 24% are Asian, and about 15% are international students.]
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I definitely see more similar races hanging out together. I don’t think there is as much of a mix between sexual orientations.
How would you describe the student body?
I think the student body is very career oriented. No one cares about what you’re wearing because they’re more focused on school, themselves, and their career path. In terms of political views, the students are more liberal.
Careers
What did you use the career office for? How helpful have they been?
I reached out to my career counselor at the beginning of sophomore year and she connected me with a couple of volunteer activities that I could do that would look good on my resume that were close to campus, like volunteering at the homeless shelter. They also gave me some email addresses to people around UW to see if I could incorporate my interests into lab work. They also helped me freshman year set a four-year plan for my major and what I wanted to do and what electives I’m interested in and what would look good on my transcript.
Have you learned any computer programs through your coursework that will be helpful to you professionally?
No, I haven’t really.