University of Washington, Seattle

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Majors: Political Science, and Law, Societies, & Justice
Minor: English
Student Self Identifies as: Black Heterosexual Female

Summary

I’m part of the Black Student Union (BSU), the African Student Association (ASA), and a Pre-Law organization.

Background

Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Black
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

High School Experience: Public school in Des Moines, Washington with a graduating class of about 200 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First Generation College Student: Yes
Majors: Political Science, and Law, Societies, & Justice
Minor: English

Extracurricular Activities: I’m part of the Black Student Union (BSU), the African Student Association (ASA), and a Pre-Law organization.
Did any of your extracurricular activities have a particularly big impact on your experience?
UW is a really big school, so they narrow the community down. BSU is the Black Student Union and is the umbrella for all the Black Student organizations on campus. They have the biggest impact, the most funding, and they throw the most events. [The undergraduate enrollment is about 32,000 students.]

Academic Experience

Can you describe the weekly coursework for your major?
I have maybe two hundred pages of reading a week. It’s very do-able because I skim. English has a heavy reading load, but it’s mostly reading, discussion posts, and writing papers. For my major, you don’t have sit-down exams except in the core courses or prerequisites. In the upper division classes, I write a bunch of papers.
Is there anything you feel either of your majors’ departments do especially well or poorly?
They do well in choosing seminar topics. In a lot of Political Science seminar courses, instead of doing one or two hundred person lectures, they do maybe 20-person classes where you talk about a specific political issue or public policy. In general, the Humanities courses like Political Science and International Studies interlope and it gets a little redundant.
Do you feel that people are open to multiple schools of thought in the classroom?
Yes. Quite a few Conservative professors teach Political Science courses. I had a professor who walked in every day wearing a cowboy hat and made us listen to heavy rock. He was a character. There are open discussions and a lot of thoughts going around. In the Pre-Law major, everyone is Liberal.
How was transitioning academically as a first-generation college student? Are there systems in place that help you transition?
UW did a good job. There’s a transitioning program for first-generation students. I didn’t have a difficult time because my siblings went to college, but if I was out of state and there wasn’t a transitioning program, I don’t know if I would’ve done as well. It would’ve taken me longer to find resources.
How accessible have the professors in your department been?
They’re all pretty accessible. In larger courses, it’s harder to get one-on-one time because we have to use TAs. In the seminars with 20 students, you get more time for office hours.
Why did you choose your combination of majors? Are you happy with your choice so far?
I’m going to law school in the Fall, so I wanted to have some sort of knowledge about legal systems and policies. I am happy, but I wish I majored in English.

Reasons to Attend

1) It’s a really pretty school.
2) It’s ranked well, especially if you want to do STEM.
3) The faculty in my department are really helpful, smart, and well-rounded.
4) The students of color organizations are really well formed. You can find your community within a week or so.
5) There are a bunch of resources, especially as a student of color. If you a first-generation student you can be put in a transition program. If you’re a minority student, you get free tutoring opened only to other minority students. There is an entire cultural center which is new.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) The cost of living in Seattle is obnoxious. If you’re using loans or not paying anything out of pocket, the dorms will take a big chunk out of your loan.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Poplar Hall with two roommates.
Sophomore: Elm Hall with one roommate.
Junior: In a house with four other roommates.
Senior: In a house with four other roommates.
How is transitioning from Des Moines to Seattle?
Des Moines isn’t very far from Seattle. It’s maybe 20 minutes, so it wasn’t much of a transition. Relearning public transportation and using the light rail was something, but I visited Seattle and the University District a lot in high school.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
It’s not safe. I think we get a crime notification at least once a week.

Social Opportunities

What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in?
There’s Capitol Hill, which is about a 20-minute bus ride or a 5-minute light rail away, which is where everyone goes to the bars if you’re 21. There are house parties all the time in the University District near Greek row.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Are there regular places you go or things you do on certain nights?
There is Well Wednesdays at a pub called Earls. There are super cheap drinks.
How happy are you with the options for weekend activities around UW? Is there anything you would change if you could?
Seattle is not small, and it’s a STEM school so people can be weird and awkward. You have to leave UW once you’re 21 to enjoy your weekend unless you like Greek parties. [Seattle has a population of about 725,000 people.]

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
I met them during my first week freshman year at a Greek party, and a couple in my dorm.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
For me, I feel that knowing people coming in made it a lot easier because people can be closed off. I think in-state students already have friend groups here, where Californians come in without knowing anyone and have to work hard to meet people.
To what extent do you feel people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
I don’t think at all. There [aren’t many] Black people in Greek life. There are lots of students in hands-on stuff like Architectural Design who are closed off and mostly White. I feel that students of color go out and party with other students of color.
How would you describe the student body?
It’s mostly White, there are lots of international Chinese students, and there’s a small sliver of other races. [About 40% of undergraduates are Caucasian, about 24% are Asian, and about 15% are international students.]
Do people generally seem happy with UW by senior year? Do people leave loving your school?
I have a lot of friends from California, and they hate it. The weather is a downer. Generally, I feel that it’s a good school, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like UW for any other reason than the weather. Academically, I don’t think anyone is unsatisfied.
How do you like the size of your school? How has the size of your school influenced your social experience? [The undergraduate enrollment is about 31,000 students.]
I chose UW because it was really big compared to smaller private schools in the state where the campus is so small that you kind of know something about everyone. I felt like that was a good thing because it gives you a sense of anonymity here. In your classes, you get a good assortment of people you haven’t met before, especially in higher level classes. Even though my majors are smaller, there are still people I’ve never seen in my four years here.
How strong is the Black community on campus?
It’s strong, and everyone knows each other. There aren’t a lot of us. [There are about 1,000 Black undergraduates.]

Careers

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, accommodating was the office to your needs?
Yes. I think they’re pretty responsive, especially when there’s trouble with scholarships. The waits are sometimes long, but I’ve never run into anyone who is rude.